The Power Review

Rebirth of the Single Player Narrative

In the age of a growing trend of digital distribution and online-only games, it seems almost antiquated to find any upcoming game to claim that they offer a single-player only experience.  If nothing else, there is usually at least some sort of cooperative feature if not an online one.  You would think this would be the case, however it seems that there has been a recent surge contrary to the trend that are developing and releasing titles with incredibly detailed and in depth single player only experiences.  What sets these titles apart from their counterparts from years past is their cinematic, almost movie-like nature.

Although these are simply videogames, they seem to be blurring the line between games and movies more and more.  As graphics improve, and more money is pumped into storyboarding and creating believable plots for games, certain games have been hailed as “interactive movies” rather than games.  This improvement is also evident when you look at Hollywood, and the number of videogame based movies that are slated to be made: Bioshock, possibly God of War, Halo, Gears of War, etc.

Here are a couple of examples new, old, and upcoming that fit the criteria of “enhanced” single player experiences.

• Metal Gear Solid 4:  I know… I know… It’s not single player only.  Well, in Japan they were released as two standalone games, so it is meeting the criteria for all intents and purposes.  People complained about the length of the cutscenes in this game, and that they felt like there wasn’t enough interaction during them.  The cutscenes seemed the exact opposite to me.  I enjoyed playing the action and surviving through the game, but it was the story that makes all the rest of the gameplay meaningful.  Kojima actually did a great job incorporating optional button pushing during cutscenes to encourage players to pay attention and to allow added interest to those who were watching intently.

• Bioshock/Bioshock 2:  Yes, there are rumors about there being multiplayer features in the sequel.  However until they are confirmed by 2k, then I’ll continue under the impression that it is a single player only experience like the first iteration.  The narrative in this game is what set it apart from the countless other FPSs that came out around the same time and have come out since.  The gameplay was quite good, nothing astonishing or mindblowingly innovative.  It was simply the story that took this title to the next level.  There was something very relatable about the main character and the twist and turns of the plot and the unique environment that kept drawing players in begging for more.

• God of War 3:  Similarly, there are rumors of cooperative play being introduced into the God of War series in this third iteration of the title.  But more likely than not, this will be another single player only experience.  The incredible graphics and ruthlessness of Kratos are the pillars that the GoW series stands on.  Without these established characteristics of the main character and the player’s understanding of his motivation for causing the massive amount of destruction that he does, then this would just be another slightly better than average hack/slash title.  It is this sentimental attachment to the character that allows gamers to become engulfed in the story.  When you have a single player like this, then you don’t need to worry about just adding a multiplayer system for replayability, the singleplayer never gets old.

• inFamous:  This new game from Sucker Punch has created a unique approach to this generation of single player narratives.  They seem to be intigrating the comic book style cutscenes with an intensely addictive sandbox game.  This is very important to have a relatable character in a new IP, because this will allow players to gain some bond that will support further addition to be developed to the franchise.

• Heavy Rain:  This  is probably the most intriguing of all of the titles on the list.  It has been described as an iteractive movie that allows the player to create their own storyline.  This is a great concept that apparently won’t limit you to a linear progression through the game, or even limit you to playing with one character.  The developers commented how the main character could be killed off, but yet the story would be able to continue on without her.  Because of the amount of unique situations this concept would potentially create within the game, there is seemingly limitless replayability for a title like this.  If it sells well, look for more developers to look into creating similar games in the future.

(I would have also listed Alan Wake, but there is still not enough information out about it.)

The main point is simply that developers are proving that multiplayer functionality is not necessary in a game as long as there is a deep and rich single player experience.  I would rather there be a well developed single player mode, rather than a half-finished multiplayer mode just for the sake of having it available.

Please leave your comments and questions below!