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[SeanyQuest]

NOT A CHANCE. You think Marathon is going to save you?

Go find yourself one (popular) multiplayer fps that doesn't have SBMM percentages baked in to your aim assist, enemy hitboxes, time to kill, etc.

I go from killing a guy no problem in one match to filling a dudes head with bullets the next match and he's the one who walks away.

These games are so tainted by these psychological factors you don't even know what is actually real.

The golden era started in about 05 or 06 and basically ended with bad company 2

 

[Griffon]

MP games have been massively popular for literal decades. I know you're not young OP, you should know.

 

[Impotaku]

Paid online with tons of micro transactions? Nah, this was the golden age of multiplayer.

Exactly this, as shit as a lot of the n64 library is. 4 player right out of the box made it the goto multiplayer games console in the day. A lot of weekends were spent at friends all battling away on goldeneye, Mario kart, perfect dark & destroying those friendships on Mario party. Something way more fun about been all together on local multiplayer.

 

[Paasei]

It's already in decline. Convenience doesn't add a whole lot to it, other than taking away what I write down underneath.

Golden age was/is when games had dedicated servers that could also be hosted by individuals. Every server was it's own little community.
It felt more special, because it was special. It was unheard of that you could speak to people from all over instantly in real time. That charm is gone.
Meanwhile the opposite is at play right now. It's convenient, easy and usually the games even free. That allows for everyone to jump in, which in a way is good for a game's lifespan.
However, online communities are somewhat anonymous. So either there's no interactivity anymore to "protec the playerbase, or it is enabled so toxic assholes can come in with their only mission to fuck you over.

Late 90s to early 00s was the pinnacle of online gaming for me. I don't play multiplayer today unless it's (online) co-op. I've had my great times with it, but I've outgrown the attitudes of the general playerbase.

Wolfenstein
MoHAA
Battlefield 1942 (even the demo version was fucking great to play)
CoD1, 2 and 4
Red Faction
WoW
Funny how all of these are PC games. Says a lot.

There are many other great examples, even for console games, but then the list would go on and on. And I also haven't played everything so I can't talk about them in terms of my own experiences.
Just like I will never say all people are like what I described, or tried to, but it sure as shit is a very general and therefor accurate enough view to how I experience online games currently.

 

[Rockondevil]

Take me back to the halo 2 era and others around that time.
Game chat is so much better than party chat. I wish party chat never existed.

 

[BlackTron]

In the span of five years we got 4 port N64, PSO, Starcraft/Half-life LANs, Melee, and Halo. And I had more fun playing the PC version of Halo online before 2 came out more than all future versions combined.

I have no disillusions about ever having that much fun gaming ever again.

Adding gamechat to OP calls into question the true nature of his mind. It almost has to be a misguided troll attempt, which is better than being a misguided flex. He should study more arthands threads.

 

[Pasta la Vista]

If all those fail, we're going to start blaming you for it and start calling you Men_That_Curses

 

[SJRB]

I love how I'm always 50/50 on Men_in_Boxes being a troll or just straight up brain damaged.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Adding gamechat to OP calls into question the true nature of his mind.

It simply illustrates Nintendos invigorated focus on multiplayer.

In 2017, Nintendo didn't value it.
In 2025, they do.

 

[BlackTron]

It simply illustrates Nintendos invigorated focus on multiplayer.

In 2017, Nintendo didn't value it.
In 2025, they do.

You know I gave you credit for having gamechat because I thought it meant you couldn't possibly be serious. Not sure what came over me there.

 

[Nintendo's Witch]

This thread is now happening in 2007

 

[Radical_3d]

2007.

 

[corgiix3]

lol the golden age of multiplayer was 2001-2012 and that's not up for debate I'm afraid.

 

[Bond007]

I think this post proves the Golden age is long gone for this. lmao

 

[cormack12]

Died with community based servers.

When the population was high but you could skip across 5/6 servers and always find 3/4 regulars chatting smack. Was a golden age.

Multiplayer population is much larger now but I don't think it's a better experience. Matchmaking with random (which I do appreciate) just to run through a level passively shooting etc. Just feels a bit hollow. You either carry or get carried.

 

[yurinka]

Nah, it was in the 90s: in the arcades you had stuff like Street Fighter II, Ridge Racer and Daytona USA plus Capcom or Konami beat'em ups like Alien vs Predator or TMNT Turtles in Time. At home tons of couch local multiplayer in games like first Mario Kart, Tekken or PES games, plus the early network multiplayer with stuff like Starcraft, Doom and so on.