Sofa Sharers: Bond Blowout

Split-screen, couch co-op, just playing with your mates; whatever you want to call it, it’s dying out. Sure, online gaming has brought people from all over the world together and made it easier to game with your friends, but in my opinion there’s nothing that can replace the brilliance of playing a videogame with your friends literally beside you. Two weeks ago we introduced a new feature that aims to bring this injustice into the light or, failing that, serve as a dedication to the brilliant world of split-screen gaming. This week the exploration of couch co-op continues as we delve into more of the best co-op games ever made with a 007 theme. Plus, a glimpse forward to the potential of the mechanic moving into the future. Welcome to Sofa Sharers.

Looking Back - The Best of Split-screen

This week we take a look back at arguably one of the most famous split-screen games of all time. It is of course, Goldeneye 007. This James Bond game is undoubtedly more loved and respected than the film on which it is loosely based and has a home in the unofficial split-screen hall of fame. While the single-player mode has long been lost to the annals of history it’s the multiplayer mode, more specifically the literal split-screen, that’s stood the test of time. It’s seen as the game that truly introduced console gamers to first-person shooters, and has had a massive impact on the videogame industry. While Doom and Wolfenstein 3D are often attributed as the fathers of modern shooters, Goldeneye is the standard bearer for split-screen gaming.

The title was perfectly pitched for both casual and dedicated gamers of the late 90s. It was easy to pick up and play, yet deeply tactical for those who were in it for the long haul. Then there were the graphics! On a console (the Nintendo 64) dominated by blocky or cartoony settings and characters Goldeneye stood apart as a landmark in scenery design and visuals effects. The introduction of the zoomable sniper scope was considered by many to be a neat little gimmick; little did they know that aiming down a scope would become one of the primary features of the L1/LT button moving forward. The large variety of weapons, maps and game modes was also a winning move and yet more features that would later define FPS multiplayer design.

Matt wants me to mention at this time that the graphics have aged “HORRENDOUSLY”. This is true; his words are stronger than any I could possibly muster.

Goldeneye will forever stand as one of the leading examples of split-screen gaming. The four-player mode was a revelation at the time, but many still consider it to be the best multiplayer mode of all time. The brilliant split-screen of games like Halo and Call of Duty can directly trace their roots back to Goldeneye. It’s a legendary game with a legendary reputation, and will no doubt forever live in the minds of those who gathered at their friends’ houses for a night of The Man with the Golden Gun.

Looking Within - Split-screen Memories

Confession time: I’ve only ever played Goldeneye from a retrospective point of view. I was too young to play the game in its heyday so never got to experience it properly. My Goldeneye was, somewhat ironically, James Bond 007: Nightfire. Nightfire never achieved the critical or commercial success of its older brother but to 12-year-old me, that meant nothing. I played Nightfire a hell of a lot with my friends in the early naughties; in my opinion it expertly captures the feel of Goldeneye (don’t hurt me), while providing some brilliant twists on FPS design. The hugely customisable multiplayer games made playing with up to four friends an absolute joy.

The maps were also fantastic and perhaps the one element of the game that was truly superior to Goldeneye (please, not the face). I’ve got some fond memories of jumping between the gondolas on the snow levels, finding and dominating with the Golden Gun and running around the map as Baron Samedi. Oh and Oddjob’s hat, that thing was awesome. It’s one of the few titles that I can confidently say sparked my passion for gaming and led me to writing about them. Wait, I just remembered the Ronin suitcase-turret; man that thing was bad-ass. I distinctly recall just about all of my friends, from the overtly nerdy to the criminally cool, playing Nightfire all the damn time; much like Goldeneye, this was a game that appealed to a lot of people.

My love for all things shooter, split-screen and James Bond originated with Nightfire. It’s not only a game that I enjoyed immensely as a kid, but it’s a game that’s had an immense impact on my life and me as a person. I bet there’s not a Nightfire player out there who can’t insta-kill with a hat from 100 yards; talk about life skills.

Looking Forward - Split-screen games of the future

This week’s looking forward has the honour of hosting an upcoming game that actually has split-screen support confirmed. In this day and age, that’s a wonderful rarity. Saying that, there’s also a slight anomaly involved. The game is Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, the strange spin-off project from PopCap that sees the popular PvZ world translated to a 3rd person co-op shooter. The game looks to be an optimistic venture, if nothing else, and I for one am certainly interested in how PopCap handle a much more complicated game such as this.

The news of Garden Warfare’s split-screen mode, which broke a week ago, has proven to be a bit of a mixed blessing. While, on the surface, it’s great news for dads and mums who could finally have a game to replace Lego Marvel Superheroes, there’s some bad news for those who have yet to buy into the next generation of consoles. Strangely, the split-screen mode will only be available on the Xbox One version of the game, not Xbox 360 or PC (although the latter is hardly a surprise). This is likely due to a performance issue with the game’s engine on Xbox 360; it does after all, take almost double the processing power to provide split-screen in many games.

It’s unfortunate news for those who were looking forward to playing the game with friends on 360. Despite this, I’m glad to see that PopCap have followed through on their promise that this would be a truly cooperative experience; Garden Warfare looks to be a natural fit for couch co-op. It’s also a good sign of things to come. The additional power of the PS4 and Xbox One could open up the doors for developers to implement split-screen in next-gen games more often.

 

That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Sofa Sharers goes live every two weeks on a Friday so be sure to check back here at GameGrin for the latest edition. Let’s not let split-screen die, but help it rise from the ashes like a Phoenix!