Is Online Gaming Ruining Games?

Okay, so Xbox is heading in the direction of online co-op and versus gaming and has been for quite some time now. But amongst all the chaos of COD and strategical play of Command and Conquer: Tiberium Wars, we should take a step back and ask the question; is Xbox live ruining our games? It has become apparent, more so in recent titles, that developers are trying desperately to meet the demand for online compatibility and in some cases, it is jeopardizing solo play.

Take, for example, the recently released Resident Evil 5. Whilst the addition of having an AI partner does have its advantages, where for example she can auto heal you, having someone follow you throughout the entire storyline can be distracting and does ruin the 'back-against-the-wall' feeling, which as I’m sure you’ll all agree, makes the genre so appealing.

Secondly if Capcom insist on having and AI partner they could at least get the intelligence part right. I've found that Sheva constantly likes to wield her pistol even though she has bigger and tougher guns in her arsenal. When we come to ask why Capcom decided to include Sheva as an AI partner into the solo play, we have to come to the conclusion that the only real purpose it serves is that it allows access for a friend to join the game and offer support at any time.

Upon discovering this we have to ask; is this such a necessity that we can allow it to ruin a tradition of a well built genre? Although the Resi5 example isn't the strongest and most prominent example it still comes to show how little additions to games, just to suit the online demand can damage a title's solo play.

Then we come to those games which include an online feature that doesn't jeopardize solo play, but are just generally poorly constructed. For example let's take F.E.A.R 2. The online play here is extremely poor, with the spawn points being as close as me to this computer screen. Although it includes some great features from the solo play, it is no contest for other FPS greats such as Call Of Duty. It appears that the developers have squeezed in online play as an afterthought just to please you, the gamer.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I dislike online play, after all it's what makes 21st century gaming great, but is it required in all games? Developers shouldn't include online as an afterthought and they certainly shouldn't jeopardize solo play to include it.

I just feel that overall games developers seem to think that as long as their game has a form of online play it will be a relic, but that just isn't the case. The developer shouldn’t sell out to a trend just because their peers are. The developing of games is no playground activity.

Making games is no child’s play; don’t sell out for a craze.