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Friends: we all need some of these. They bring the best out of us and we bring the best out of them – they’re the closest people we have after family, or maybe even before it. And yes, it all links to gaming. Playing a single player game can adequately pass the time away on perhaps a dull and dreary morning or an afternoon’s downpour – some RPG games can be on the same level as Oscar winning movies and some certainly cause as much attention, cost as much to produce and are just as well received. Yes, there are games like Final Fantasy and the Shenmue series which do offer first class quality single player experiences and are well worthy of your rainy day.
There are those who only play single player games, and fair enough, but for me nothing comes to close to those multiplayer moments in gaming. Virtua Tennis – what an utterly fantastic 4 player sports title, the next best thing (if not better than) the real thing – and with your mates it’s brilliant, very competitive and gives everyone the opportunity to show who’s the king of the court. Games like…Halo, Golden Eye even the fantastic ChuChu Rocket – all accommodating excellent 4 player modes for four real people – who really wants to play against 3 AI opponents? Doesn’t quite give you the same satisfaction when you win, does it.
That’s all good and well. There are loads of games about on nearly all the formats, past and present that allow you to blow up your best mates in virtual arenas from distant galaxies, and that is fantastic, but right now it’s pretty limited to just four of you. And that’s how it should be! Should it not? Hands up everyone who plays or has played Counter Strike – nearly everyone who likes online gaming through your PC – its one of the most popular online games around, if not the most popular ever. And I ask myself - my point being? Well, at the moment we’ve got Game Cube we’ve got PlayStation 2, and I’ve got Xbox. All top notch consoles with their own unique features and all with online futures so we are told nearly every week…
Xbox has its net surfing and net playing equipment built in, PS2 has the space for something and I imagine Game Cube has some online gaming planned for the not too distant future, especially if future PSO games are being released on it. But the time we are actually able to dial up through our consoles and get online – and play against total strangers at an approximated £15 a month just doesn’t seem very near. Yes you can go online via Dreamcast, and many enjoyed fragging each other in Quake 3 Arena online – a very good conversion and minimal lag from the little 33k modem, but what about the so called ‘big 3’ in this console race? When is mainstream online console gaming going to take off? And more importantly do we actually care?
Well, if you’ve got no friends then it could be good to find some real life people to play against and with via your supposed next generation games machine, but to be honest, instead of chasing Bob1756 around the catacombs with several hand grenades we’d much prefer to nuke our mates! Virtually of course! Now, if up to four players per console could play online together as a team, online against other teams – now that would be stunning, maybe I’m just naive and not knowing ready made promises from Gates and alike, but this kind of thing should be happening, and before Christmas.
A question of speed perhaps, we need fairness so we all need the same connectivity – it’s off putting to even attempt online gaming through the PC with a 56k slug of a modem when you’ve got all these T3 and cable guys with a PIN of next to nothing, and you’re lagging about 3 seconds behind – your dead before you even started etc. So there’re many questions that must be answered before we really have next generation gaming. At the moment we’ve just got better graphics of the same old genres, with the occasional new Monkey genre entering the market, but gaming hasn’t moved on as much as it should.
Anyway, I’m not one to complain about such oversights – I’m more than happy to beat my granddad 43-0 on Fifa 2002 World Cup, but I much prefer to play against some mates.
Games eh!
Dan
There are those who only play single player games, and fair enough, but for me nothing comes to close to those multiplayer moments in gaming. Virtua Tennis – what an utterly fantastic 4 player sports title, the next best thing (if not better than) the real thing – and with your mates it’s brilliant, very competitive and gives everyone the opportunity to show who’s the king of the court. Games like…Halo, Golden Eye even the fantastic ChuChu Rocket – all accommodating excellent 4 player modes for four real people – who really wants to play against 3 AI opponents? Doesn’t quite give you the same satisfaction when you win, does it.
That’s all good and well. There are loads of games about on nearly all the formats, past and present that allow you to blow up your best mates in virtual arenas from distant galaxies, and that is fantastic, but right now it’s pretty limited to just four of you. And that’s how it should be! Should it not? Hands up everyone who plays or has played Counter Strike – nearly everyone who likes online gaming through your PC – its one of the most popular online games around, if not the most popular ever. And I ask myself - my point being? Well, at the moment we’ve got Game Cube we’ve got PlayStation 2, and I’ve got Xbox. All top notch consoles with their own unique features and all with online futures so we are told nearly every week…
Xbox has its net surfing and net playing equipment built in, PS2 has the space for something and I imagine Game Cube has some online gaming planned for the not too distant future, especially if future PSO games are being released on it. But the time we are actually able to dial up through our consoles and get online – and play against total strangers at an approximated £15 a month just doesn’t seem very near. Yes you can go online via Dreamcast, and many enjoyed fragging each other in Quake 3 Arena online – a very good conversion and minimal lag from the little 33k modem, but what about the so called ‘big 3’ in this console race? When is mainstream online console gaming going to take off? And more importantly do we actually care?
Well, if you’ve got no friends then it could be good to find some real life people to play against and with via your supposed next generation games machine, but to be honest, instead of chasing Bob1756 around the catacombs with several hand grenades we’d much prefer to nuke our mates! Virtually of course! Now, if up to four players per console could play online together as a team, online against other teams – now that would be stunning, maybe I’m just naive and not knowing ready made promises from Gates and alike, but this kind of thing should be happening, and before Christmas.
A question of speed perhaps, we need fairness so we all need the same connectivity – it’s off putting to even attempt online gaming through the PC with a 56k slug of a modem when you’ve got all these T3 and cable guys with a PIN of next to nothing, and you’re lagging about 3 seconds behind – your dead before you even started etc. So there’re many questions that must be answered before we really have next generation gaming. At the moment we’ve just got better graphics of the same old genres, with the occasional new Monkey genre entering the market, but gaming hasn’t moved on as much as it should.
Anyway, I’m not one to complain about such oversights – I’m more than happy to beat my granddad 43-0 on Fifa 2002 World Cup, but I much prefer to play against some mates.
Games eh!
Dan
Imagine. Yourself and 3 mates - all trained up on say the next big thing in online racing - going online in loads of tournaments with league tables, teams of four cars against each other, perhaps two at a time per team, with the other 2 as second drivers (for instance you would have to make at least 4 changes throughout a tournament), there'd be realistic everything and people would want to play this!
I would anyway!
I would anyway!
I personally cant wait till online play becomes available for my PS2, I love playing games mulitplayer, its the best part of any game and im always hoping the extra 4 player option is included with the new titles. One of the first essential buys I purchased for my PS2 was a multitap way before I even bought my first 4 player title !
Now with online play the idea is set around broadband access to minimise lag and keep every1 happy but this will come at a cost. For people without a cable line im sure Mr Sony will supply ADSL links which for people who dont already know allows broadband to work through a standard phoneline. This is great for the likes of me who dont own cable but as I am the only computer user in my household ill be footing the bill for the connection, hmmm, will it be worth it ? As the connection may remain PS2 compatable only. Now if this broadband link up worked on my PC and my PS2 then id be happy to spend money on a monthly subscription, as long as games kept flooding in worth while of a purchase of course.
As for the Cube Dan there is a modem connection at the bottom that supports standard 56 k dial up and broadband connections.
Now with online play the idea is set around broadband access to minimise lag and keep every1 happy but this will come at a cost. For people without a cable line im sure Mr Sony will supply ADSL links which for people who dont already know allows broadband to work through a standard phoneline. This is great for the likes of me who dont own cable but as I am the only computer user in my household ill be footing the bill for the connection, hmmm, will it be worth it ? As the connection may remain PS2 compatable only. Now if this broadband link up worked on my PC and my PS2 then id be happy to spend money on a monthly subscription, as long as games kept flooding in worth while of a purchase of course.
As for the Cube Dan there is a modem connection at the bottom that supports standard 56 k dial up and broadband connections.
Friends: we all need some of these. They bring the best out of us and we bring the best out of them – they’re the closest people we have after family, or maybe even before it. And yes, it all links to gaming. Playing a single player game can adequately pass the time away on perhaps a dull and dreary morning or an afternoon’s downpour – some RPG games can be on the same level as Oscar winning movies and some certainly cause as much attention, cost as much to produce and are just as well received. Yes, there are games like Final Fantasy and the Shenmue series which do offer first class quality single player experiences and are well worthy of your rainy day.
There are those who only play single player games, and fair enough, but for me nothing comes to close to those multiplayer moments in gaming. Virtua Tennis – what an utterly fantastic 4 player sports title, the next best thing (if not better than) the real thing – and with your mates it’s brilliant, very competitive and gives everyone the opportunity to show who’s the king of the court. Games like…Halo, Golden Eye even the fantastic ChuChu Rocket – all accommodating excellent 4 player modes for four real people – who really wants to play against 3 AI opponents? Doesn’t quite give you the same satisfaction when you win, does it.
That’s all good and well. There are loads of games about on nearly all the formats, past and present that allow you to blow up your best mates in virtual arenas from distant galaxies, and that is fantastic, but right now it’s pretty limited to just four of you. And that’s how it should be! Should it not? Hands up everyone who plays or has played Counter Strike – nearly everyone who likes online gaming through your PC – its one of the most popular online games around, if not the most popular ever. And I ask myself - my point being? Well, at the moment we’ve got Game Cube we’ve got PlayStation 2, and I’ve got Xbox. All top notch consoles with their own unique features and all with online futures so we are told nearly every week…
Xbox has its net surfing and net playing equipment built in, PS2 has the space for something and I imagine Game Cube has some online gaming planned for the not too distant future, especially if future PSO games are being released on it. But the time we are actually able to dial up through our consoles and get online – and play against total strangers at an approximated £15 a month just doesn’t seem very near. Yes you can go online via Dreamcast, and many enjoyed fragging each other in Quake 3 Arena online – a very good conversion and minimal lag from the little 33k modem, but what about the so called ‘big 3’ in this console race? When is mainstream online console gaming going to take off? And more importantly do we actually care?
Well, if you’ve got no friends then it could be good to find some real life people to play against and with via your supposed next generation games machine, but to be honest, instead of chasing Bob1756 around the catacombs with several hand grenades we’d much prefer to nuke our mates! Virtually of course! Now, if up to four players per console could play online together as a team, online against other teams – now that would be stunning, maybe I’m just naive and not knowing ready made promises from Gates and alike, but this kind of thing should be happening, and before Christmas.
A question of speed perhaps, we need fairness so we all need the same connectivity – it’s off putting to even attempt online gaming through the PC with a 56k slug of a modem when you’ve got all these T3 and cable guys with a PIN of next to nothing, and you’re lagging about 3 seconds behind – your dead before you even started etc. So there’re many questions that must be answered before we really have next generation gaming. At the moment we’ve just got better graphics of the same old genres, with the occasional new Monkey genre entering the market, but gaming hasn’t moved on as much as it should.
Anyway, I’m not one to complain about such oversights – I’m more than happy to beat my granddad 43-0 on Fifa 2002 World Cup, but I much prefer to play against some mates.
Games eh!
Dan
There are those who only play single player games, and fair enough, but for me nothing comes to close to those multiplayer moments in gaming. Virtua Tennis – what an utterly fantastic 4 player sports title, the next best thing (if not better than) the real thing – and with your mates it’s brilliant, very competitive and gives everyone the opportunity to show who’s the king of the court. Games like…Halo, Golden Eye even the fantastic ChuChu Rocket – all accommodating excellent 4 player modes for four real people – who really wants to play against 3 AI opponents? Doesn’t quite give you the same satisfaction when you win, does it.
That’s all good and well. There are loads of games about on nearly all the formats, past and present that allow you to blow up your best mates in virtual arenas from distant galaxies, and that is fantastic, but right now it’s pretty limited to just four of you. And that’s how it should be! Should it not? Hands up everyone who plays or has played Counter Strike – nearly everyone who likes online gaming through your PC – its one of the most popular online games around, if not the most popular ever. And I ask myself - my point being? Well, at the moment we’ve got Game Cube we’ve got PlayStation 2, and I’ve got Xbox. All top notch consoles with their own unique features and all with online futures so we are told nearly every week…
Xbox has its net surfing and net playing equipment built in, PS2 has the space for something and I imagine Game Cube has some online gaming planned for the not too distant future, especially if future PSO games are being released on it. But the time we are actually able to dial up through our consoles and get online – and play against total strangers at an approximated £15 a month just doesn’t seem very near. Yes you can go online via Dreamcast, and many enjoyed fragging each other in Quake 3 Arena online – a very good conversion and minimal lag from the little 33k modem, but what about the so called ‘big 3’ in this console race? When is mainstream online console gaming going to take off? And more importantly do we actually care?
Well, if you’ve got no friends then it could be good to find some real life people to play against and with via your supposed next generation games machine, but to be honest, instead of chasing Bob1756 around the catacombs with several hand grenades we’d much prefer to nuke our mates! Virtually of course! Now, if up to four players per console could play online together as a team, online against other teams – now that would be stunning, maybe I’m just naive and not knowing ready made promises from Gates and alike, but this kind of thing should be happening, and before Christmas.
A question of speed perhaps, we need fairness so we all need the same connectivity – it’s off putting to even attempt online gaming through the PC with a 56k slug of a modem when you’ve got all these T3 and cable guys with a PIN of next to nothing, and you’re lagging about 3 seconds behind – your dead before you even started etc. So there’re many questions that must be answered before we really have next generation gaming. At the moment we’ve just got better graphics of the same old genres, with the occasional new Monkey genre entering the market, but gaming hasn’t moved on as much as it should.
Anyway, I’m not one to complain about such oversights – I’m more than happy to beat my granddad 43-0 on Fifa 2002 World Cup, but I much prefer to play against some mates.
Games eh!
Dan