First Foray into Multiplayer: Part One

I’ve played games for ages, but I never really got on board with the whole multiplayer thing. It had never really appealed to me, so I avoided it.

Of course, as you’ve probably noticed from most of the promised games of this generation (Destiny, Titanfall, The Division, etc.), there is a huge push toward multiplayer for quite a few top tier games. So, I figured that when I got my PS4 at launch, I would dip my toes into the water of multiplayer to see what it was all about.

I’d heard things good and bad about online play, but I had to see for myself. I even bought a Turtle Beach headset. Granted, I got one of the cheaper headsets because I didn’t want to break the bank on something that I might not actually enjoy.

Thus far, I’ve tried out only a few games. Here are my thoughts, and experiences on each.

First though, I’ve found that most people, even though they have their headsets plugged in, don’t speak. They just listen. So that’s what I’ve been doing… listening to the random people noise.

Blacklight: Retribution

This was the first game I tried, as it is a free download on the PSN, and I generally tend to enjoy free. It is a multiplayer only first person shooter, and I really want to like the game. However, being free to play, it does have some issues.

I’ve had server drops, problems with matchmaking, epic lag and other similar issues. However, when the game works, it really can be fun. I like the visor mechanic that lets you see through walls, which adds a new level of strategy and tension.

The game needs some work though for the lag and framerate drops I and other players have been having. I know it’s free, but if they expect folks like me to pay for their in-game items, they’d better have a game that actually works well.

It can be fun, but it can also be frustrating.

This game also happened to be the first place I where I heard about Leetle Beach. More on that in another post though.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

I haven’t had as much time to play this one as much as I would like. It seems fun, and I will probably revisit this game with another post later. However, I jumped in and had no idea what I was doing, so I got my rear handed to me constantly. Although, chances are good the same thing would happen even if I did have a clue.

I really like the idea that it is different from the usual first person shooters out there, and I look forward to trying it again.

In Part Two of the post (out on January 29) we’ll look at my first experiences with Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer. Feel free to regale us with tales of your own multiplayer experiences here in the comments!