[General Discussion] 2009 was the year of...?

I think 2009 was the year gaming left behind people who enjoyed playing games alone. While games like Gears of War, Guitar Hero, TF2 and WoW existed before '09 and made online or co-op multiplayer a very viable choice, this was the year that seemed to hammer home the idea that if you're not relying upon other people for your gaming experience, you might as well not be playing games at all.

Left 4 Dead 2, Forza, Street Fighter IV, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Little Big Planet, MW2 and numerous others I'm not thinking of because I just haven't been exposed enough have thrust online multiplayer into the forefront. It seems like developers are now creating games with the multiplayer experience first in priority. Single-player, offline playthroughs are something of an afterthought; it's an option, but the experience will intentionally no longer be as rich. A good example is Resident Evil 5; though it could be experienced alone, it was designed to be at its best with a friend by your side.

I don't blame the industry, since broadband technology pretty much mandated that gaming go in this direction, and the surge in social networking's popularity probably hasn't hurt the idea either. And it's not like there weren't unique single-player games available. Scribblenauts, Ghostbusters, Punch-Out Wii, Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2 were all worthwhile solo experiences. But the pulse of the industry was clearly on multiplayer this year.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

You're probably right. But as I haven't been able to buy as many games, let alone a PS3 or 360, I probably haven't been looking as hard as I otherwise might. (I'm not dumb enough to call the Wii an online experience.)

And yes I know, online multiplayer is no new concept in gaming. I just think this is the year it officially became the new order, and single-player was collectively decided to no longer be as important in the gaming world.

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Okay, sure. I said I was sure more existed.

I don't know what you're trying to prove. Single player isn't dead, it's just not the main focus anymore.

I just feel like this is the year that cemented that. 'Tis all.

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Makes me wish I'd had a computer that could handle UT99, and a connection that wasn't crap at that time also.

Perhaps I'd be, you know, good at FPS games now.

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