Debate: Online vs. Offline
Welcome to the first ever GameQUBED debate. We’ve decided to get together and discuss the topic of online vs. offline for videogames. We had some great debate, and now you can read the whole discussion.
Matt: The debate of online vs. offline is one that gamers are hard pressed to answer. I think that gaming is meant to be online in some cases, like multiplayer. We first had multilplayer, and the next logical step is to take that multiplayer further, into the world of online gaming. However, online gaming has its challenges, and it has its problems. It is a hard thing to debate for companies like Nintendo. I truely believe that the debate of online vs. offline can’t be answered in general, but must be answered for each individual game. A game like Mario, or Zelda, is best left offline. A game like TimeSplitters 2, however, is well-set for online gameplay. I truely believe that the debate of online vs. offline can’t be answered in general, but must be answered for each individual game.
Mace: I believe that every game should go online at some point. Or at least three-fourths of the game base. A Zelda online game would be great. Team up with friends to go through the game together, like the newly released Four Swords for GBA is doing, just offline. Metroid would be great online as well. I imagine a game called Metroid War which would be based on a time when the Space Pirates and the Humans just went all out on eachother on planets all over the universe. You could at first pick whether you’d want to be part of the human or Space Pirate race and either play a vast 1P mode or go online and battle for your race against an onslaught of enemies. This would provide huge battlefields with dozens of players just blasting, running, launching missles, and blowing some aliens/humans apart. That, my friend, would be multiplayer bliss. Super Smash Bros. Online and Pokemon Line would be good also, there are huge online properties waiting to be revealed in those titles. Hopefully Nintendo will unleash some online venture, mabye GameCube Live!, which would provide affordable online gaming for online broadband users, since laggers are bad.
Matt: Mace, three-fourths of the game base are not fit to go online. Many of these games only feature single player. A game like Super Mario Sunshine could never work online due to that. It just would not work well, and many wouldn’t accept it. As for Metroid online, that would be a shame to the entire Metroid series. Metroid is, and should remain a single player game. Titles like Pokémon and Super Smash Brothers, I could see them online. Espically Pokémon, as a massive multiplayer online role playing game, which, many gamers want. This could be via the GBA, or the GCN. As far as broadband goes, that is a problem, and that’s something keeping Nintendo from going online as fast. Yes, dialup users will create more lag, but a service should not be broadband only, due to that being a restricting factor for many people. Microsoft’s broadband only idea is much worse than Sony’s idea where you can have both. I think that online gaming should work that way, where most games are free. Phantasy Star Online’s model is poor, since one game costs a fee each month. If Nintendo were to go online where each game is a separate fee, it would fail. A service like Xbox Live! but with dialup allowed would be okay, and a system like Sony’s would be the best.
Thomas: The limiting factor of online capabilities is speed of people’s internet access. Without an infrastructure in our society that can give everyone, including country bumpkins like me, broadband availabiliy. Many games require broadband, and for me, this means that I’ll be on the outside looking in. Although multiplayer experience is a blast, a good single experience should not be overlooked. Phantasy Star Online v2 for example is a mediocre game without online play and a 9.5/10 with online play. As developers start to integrate online play, it will make the single xperience all that more richer. I guess in the end it doesn’t matter who’s prices are better, or what kind of deal, but of the kinds of games that are going to use this to the fullest. I’m sorry to say that Xbox looks like its going full steam into online capabilities. Sony, being a consumer company at its heart, will adhere to what everyone wants, and plans to use it as a marketing gimmick with chat, browsers, and downloadable media. GameCube, well, as long as Mario Kart goes online I’m happy!
Mace: I am just saying that i am getting a Xbox for Xbox Live! This is the same for hundreds of thousands of others. This would happen if the GameCube got an awesome online system going, many Xboxers or Playstationers would convert to the GCN for its online capabilities. Still, it should be broadband only.
Matt: Fact of the matter is, broadband only online won’t be of any use to the millions of users on dialup. Look at the staff of GameQUBED, half of us are on dialup still, and for those half, if the GameCube were to have games that required broadband, we would be screwed. Truth is, Nintendo, or any other comapny dealing with the GameCube and PS2 will not make a broadband only game. They will make games that allow both broadband and dialup users to play if they decided to do online titles. There will be more lag, but there will also be more players. For many titles, this could be solved by a StarCraft type system, where a user serves as a “host.” These hosts are usually people who have broadband and can handle the bandwidth, and if someone lags, they can be booted from the game. This is a good solution to another one of the problems with online gaming. But, back towards the debate of online vs offline, what truely matters is not lag, broadband, or the service. What really matters to me is if the game is fit to be online. A title pushed online that isn’t fit would be awful. It would be a shame if online became something developers though all games needed – some games are simply meant to be offline.
Oscar: Online play is fun, but not when you’ve got 56k and are versing a player with boardband. That alone will probably shy many gamers away. Of course, some games might just be too damn good not to play online, so on the other hand, that might pull them in as well. A Pokémon online game would probably get lots of attention and some very nice sales here in North America, but you must also remember Japan. From what I’ve seen and heard Japanese gamers aren’t as much into online play as we North Americans are, so it might be “great” here but only “so-so” in Japan. Now, some games are meant to be played offline, Bomberman Generations for example, but some, like TimeSplitters 2, are just plain meant to be online. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II is a great game, but I probably won’t be going online with it. I don’t have US$8.95 to spend. So, that could also detract from the fun. Pay-To-Play games are only fun while the “first month is free.”
Sonic: I find the only good Xbox games happen to be the online ones, except for Jet Set Radio Future and Halo. Nintendo doesn’t need to rush things, online play is still an early process. However, they could at least announce something soon. They have already missed their chance with Mario Party 4, Super Monkey Ball 2, and several sports titles, so they need to do something now! Mario Kart and Super Monkey Ball 3 (!) would please me with online capabilities, and none to mention some GBA titles would work well with the Game Boy Player – Four Swords would rock! I do not plan on buying a modem/broadband adapter, or PSO anytime soon. My last bit of wisdom: I would not buy an Xbox without Xbox Live! This might be what Xbox owners will be saying about the GameCube in mid-2003. Just the anticipation alone kills me. I’m just not ready at all to dish out the cost for monthly fees, the games, and the adapter until Nintendo deserves my hard-earned cash.
Matt: Okay, now you’re starting to say that the Xbox nearly requires online to be fun. That’s definitly not correct, and in fact, if a game is only fun when its online, that game is lacking. Truth is, a game can not be held up by the fact that its online. You need things like good, fun gameplay first. Online should be though of as another feature that is an addition to a game.
Sonic: That’s exactly why I say the Xbox is lacking. Like Billy Berghammer of Planet GameCube said when he went to the Xbox Live! Bootcamp, he asked what their top 5 games were. They all agreed on Halo, but nothing else came up. It shows how the Xbox was lacking any groundbreaking titles besides Halo. The last two months have given people a reason to own this big chunk of hardware, and it looks like it may even take over the 2nd spot in the console wars if Nintendo doesn’t act soon. Games like Mech Assualt and Unreal Championship basically need to be played online in order for their true potential. I’m a total GameCube fan, but if this console fails, things are looking for me that I will buy the PlayStation 3, or Xbox 2 instead of the next Nintendo system if there is one. Nonetheless, I will always stick to Nintendo for handhelds.
Travis: I think we need an equal balance of both. Theres nothing like going through that intense story line of Zerg vs. All in Starcraft, but I cant get enough of secretly backstabbing the newbies that have no idea how to stop my force online. There are plenty of games that aren’t online and I can see working excellent online. Imagine playing 5 vs. 5 on conquest mode of Star Wars Clone Wars. I’ve had excellent fun with 2 on 2 but with more players you can correspond more strategies and work together more. I can’t wait for broadband to be available in my area so I can get online more. I will not pay for it on my current internet speed which even StarCraft lags. Multiplayer for me is a big thing, one of my favorite things to play but getting enough players is hard, online play allows me to play with more people and a lot easier. There are also many games that you guys said just won’t work online so rather then re list that I’ll end with, if a game has multiplayer that is fun why not add online capabilities to it, if its a single player game without multiplayer leave it as is.
Matt: Well, now it seems as if the Game Boy Advance could go online. But, really, who wants to play a GBA game online when you’d need a network adapter, GBA player, GameCube, and all that other stuff. The GBA is meant to be portable, and taking it online in this way seems to defeat that purpose. As for the Xbox, Halo is its best title. However, it has many good titles, and many bad titles. Truth is, a bad title won’t be made good by online. That just won’t happen. But Travis, I agree with you, an equal balance of online and offline is needed. Also, games can not rely on online, its just not something that I would like.
Travis: Think of Mario Kart online and being able to have an 8 man race. Or even better what about a Smash Bros. sequel online in which our GameQUBED.com cup could be a game of skill rather than luck. Online for multiplayer is just better, but trying to take a single player game online would probably drop a lot of the games fun value.
CubeGamer: I’d definitely have to agree about Mario KartK and Super Smash Bros. going towards online. Super Smash Bros. the perfect online title for anyone, and the big N even said that all 1st party online titles would be free. But, could you Imagine a massive Zelda MMORPG/Adventure. They could have advertisements, and common accesories turned Zelda style. Kitchenware, swords by companies that make sword models, ie. It could be done pretty easily with advertising, so a fee wouldnt be needed. Like in MK64 notice all of the Nintendo ads? In the game you could choose to be a Hylian, Goran, Zora, Deku, Korkiri, etc. Now, that would be pretty awsome. One thing that turned me off about PSO was the fee, I don’t want to pay almost half my allowance a month every month for one game! I think online is great, but nothing beats an immersive single player game.
Matt: What are you people insane? Product placement like that in games would be awful. However, some ads might be okay, if it would mean we could get free online titles. Nintendo may have a system in the works to put some if its titles online, but I know they won’t put them all online, because that would be a suicidal decision.
Travis: Yes when it boils down to who’s got the best online plan I personally think Blizzard entertainment has approched this the best way, all there games are free across Battle.net and I hope Nintendo considers doing it this way.
CubeGamer: No, in Mario Kart if they had product ads on the side of the tracks that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Advertising cars, and mixing the ads to tie in with Mario Kart. Nintendo could do it, you know. I know, bringing every title online would be suicide, but they have to bring some.
Matt: A free system is the best. But how will people connect? Will they simply go through thier existing Internet Service Providors, or will you need to go to a certain service? A system that alllows people to use thier exisitng Internet Service is probably the best, but there could be some issues with that. For example, say a user is abusing the server, and they are banned. However, they have AOL, next time, they can come right back. There would need to be methods in place to fix a such problem. In addition, online isn’t an easy decision, and much planning is going to be needed. Full swing of online on the GameCube could take over a year, easily.
SuperCube: Online and offline. I’ve been wanting to discuss this topic ever since the dawn of time. Never have I really given thought of it that much since the topic hasn’t really happened quite yet. Offline does have it’s good sides, but there are also some downsides that come with it. While offline you have the freedom to speak with your friends right next to you but this comes at a price. Split screen action. While playing an FPS, Mario Kart, etc. There are going to be split screens to divide all the players’ actions. Online though, you have the freedom to see your environment at ease, being able to see all four corners of the screen and see the details of multiplayer as it should be, but you can’t communicate the same way as offline. I have played PSO online and I must say, 8.95 is a good (bad?) price to pay to be able to play with hundreds of hundreds of other gamers from around the world. Some games will have broadband only, but why not? Broadband is obviously the superb choice to have for fast and furious online play for FPS’s and other games like that. Dial up would slow things down, but of course, why not make them compatible with Modems also? There could be an option in the game to play with users who are using a modem and if you are doing the same Ta-da! You get to play games with your own kind! I was lucky enough to get a BBA so I’m not complaining. It’d be nice if online play was all free, but what is free these days?
Sonic: I wouldn’t put down that juicy $8.95 a month for one reason. It wouldn’t be worth it, because I don’t have all the time in the world to play video games. I’m sure others agree with me. I have an involved social life, and besides playing games I am trying to build up my DVD collection, because I like to watch movies too. It’s worth the $8.95 if you use it enough, but it wouldn’t be of much value to me.
Travis: Matt, Dreamcast isnt compatible with AOL, PSO isn’t, so I doubt that GameCube would be compatible with AOL either. I am a current AOL user who plans to switch to MSN. As for a paying method, if they arent doing it free then do it in a way of paying say 20 dollars for 1 year access to all the online games on the GameCube.
Matt: I am saying, its best if you can connect with your existing ISP, wether it be dialup, or broadband. Yes, broadband is better, but a lot of areas do not have it yet, and many people don’t have it yet. Fact is, broadband penetration isn’t as high as it was expected to be, and as a result, a good online plan will allow dialup users in. One of the problems with online gaming is broadband vs dialup, and this problem needs to be solved first. In addition, fees need to be as low as possible. The Xbox Live! fee seems reasonable for the first year, espically since it includes a headset. However, Phantasy Star Online on the GCN for a year costs over US$100. One game costs more than a whole set of games, and a headset. If all games follow the PSO model, online play will be pretty pricy. If games follow an Xbox Live! type model, it would be decent. But a free system like Sony’s is the best, and if Nintendo goes online, they should take this route. Of course, Nintendo will take its time with going online, as they will want to do it the right way, and not make mistakes.
CubeGamer: Connecting with yoir own ISP is the best idea, and I believe it is avalable.
Matt: Well, to end it up all, I’ve got to say that the decision of online vs. offline is a hard one. Its one that much time, money, and thought must be put into, not just by companies, but by the individual gamer. In addition, I think that care must be made to ensure the quality of online titles, and to ensure that online does not become a sales gimmick. Online is good for many games, but other games are meant to remain offline.
CubeGamer: I personally think there should be both, but the thing that I just want so bad that I can’t. I’m top lazy so my parents wont let me.
Oscar: My mom isn’t going to give me her credit card number to play some games online. Which makes me wonder why people who don’t have a credit card or can’t use their parents can’t just send a cheque or money order to Nintendo (of Canada, for me). That’d solve a lot of problems. Also, if you’re even willing to pay money the company, in this case Nintendo, should be giving you some damn-good service for your money. Add some extras to the online service and even make some first-party online games. Nintendo is being very ho-hum about this and, to me, it’d seem like if they didn’t release any of their internet adapters then I wouldn’t have known they were even considering “going online.”
Matt: Well, we could go on a lot longer, but we must close this 1st ever edition of the GameQUBED roundtable. I must say say, this roundtable was pretty good. The online vs. offline debate is one which will go on for a long time, and hey, everyone’s got a different opinion, which is why we decided to discuss this topic. So long, and hopefully we’ll be back in a couple weeks with the next roundtable!