"There are so many aspects that make up a video game, and this means incredible ideas have the opportunity to exist alongside terrible ones, turning the game as a whole into something not all that remarkable despite containing aspects that are. This video is an examination and celebration of a few games that fall into this category."

My pal Razbuten put out a new essay a few days ago. He explores neat mechanics in mediocre games. While I was watching/listening while cooking dinner, I got to thinking about the bygone era of pack-in multiplayer modes. Because I occasionally get on the same wave length as Raz, of course he talks about this too.

But there was one multiplayer niche that felt like it had a moment in the spotlight during this 360/PS3 generation that I kinda miss—asymmetrical multiplayer.

I'm talking Spies vs. Mercs in Splinter Cell. I'm talking the 3 vs 3 vs 2 multiplayer mode in Batman: Arkham Origins. I'm talking Mario Chase in Nintendo Land.1

Asymmetrical multiplayer hasn't gone away so much as evolved (I couldn't resist) into the social deduction sub-genre of a sub-genre. Think Among Us or SpyParty. At times, I feel like battle royales or (now because I can't get enough of Marathon) extraction shooters have asym design elements in them.

Is asymmetrical multiplayer a "bad" mechanic though? I suppose it is more of a genre. I miss it being the focus though.

Another actual mechanic is miss is a subtle one. I love the few Splinter Cell games that have the color space go black and white when you are in cover and transition to color when you are visible. It's slick and stylish. Mirror's Edge and its Runner Vision could fit here too. More bold colors that make games stand head and shoulders above the rest of the industry while providing gameplay information to the player.

We also need more—I don't really know the term for this—external elements? For example, Metal Gear Solid reading your memory card or the "close your DS" solution in Phantom Hourglass. I've heard a ton about how Eternal Darkness plays with console and TV standards of the time to warp player expectations. Doki Doki Literature Club is a modern example of this too. More games that exist in the world instead of just in the game world, even if it is just for a moment.

That's all I can think of right now, looking back at my shelves of games and this Post-It note that I wrote on while making that dinner. You should go ahead and watch Raz's video.

Footnotes

  1. Honestly, this type of gameplay was a core pitch of the Wii U GamePad at the console's announcement. ↩