In my last blog I talked about E3, while writing that a thought came to my mind, why is multiplayer such a huge part of games now? And what effects can multiplayer have on a game?

It seems that recently fewer and fewer games come out that are just single player; multiplayer has taken over the industry. I sometimes think that developers worry that if there is no multiplayer in their game, the game will not sell.

But I also look at some games and think; if they had not concentrated on the multiplayer so much, this game would be so much better!
For example I find that Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a victim of multiplayer overdrive. Take the single player campaign. It is so much shorter then any other Call Of Duty title and seems to be lacking a rigid structure. I mean sure, the multiplayer is full of innovations but I worry for those who do not have an Internet connection or cannot afford Xbox Live membership. They went out and spent their money trusting the brilliance of Call Of Duty 4's campaign.

But then of course I can take a look at another FPS, which has always been based on multiplayer: Battlefield Bad Company. Probably one of the most indulging multiplayer experiences I have ever had, but there is one noticeable difference between this and Call Of Duty; Bad Company has always been built over its multiplayer. The single player is mainly used as a tutorial for multiplayer, to add a little more to the disc.

I just sometimes feel developers can overdo multiplayer, they can concentrate too much on the flamers and trolls on their community forums, and this can totally spoil the game for me.
But you do get the golden nuggets, that balance both out perfectly, and when it all works, it makes one fantastic game.

What do you think? Can multiplayer ruin a game? Latest Headlines