In an age where online multiplayer has become a necessity for a game to be successful, but nearing the end of a generation where servers are starting to be closed, I felt it time to look back at some of some of the games that have offered up my personal favourite online competitive multiplayer experiences.

A brief look at which games really stood out amongst an overcrowded market of multiplayer these days. And who knows, if the servers are still up on a game, I may see you online. (If you too, share my obscure tastes in video games)

Let’s start with some of the obvious ones.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Metal Gear Online)

The crown jewels of all online competitive multiplayer games. Whilst its time recently came for it to be closed down, the time spent on this is still unrivalled.

It’s not often I can say… I excelled at a game, or was good at it… but with Metal Gear Online I found my true calling. Especially in the rescue mode. Game modes where you are pitted against each other with only one life, no respawns, I have always enjoyed more. And it just so happens this time, I was also apparently rather nifty at. I had reached the top 3 in the leaderboards, with the other 4 around me being people I regularly bumped into whilst playing the game, there was this sense of communal spirit around.

The gameplay was just so pure and tight. Nothing felt out of place, and there was an absolute plethora of content to be played, explored and unlocked. Then came all the wonderful DLC.

I can’t quite put my finger on what made MGO the almost perfect experience online. But it was a contagion of everything, the fact it all gelled so well and was actually fun to play. It’s just a shame it’s came to an end, as memories from countless hours of rolling around in barrels and reading… ‘magazines’ will forever be burned in my mind.

Pew. Pew.

SOCOM Confrontation

Well, probably one of my biggest surprises. I’ve always been sceptical about online multiplayer only games, but this was going for £3.99 one day, so I picked it up on a whim.

And what do you know, it actually worked. Focusing everything into an online experience really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

However, like every game this had its drawbacks, and generally it was the fashion in which the game was played by others is why I remembered on the whole, I’m not a fan of online multiplayer. With everyone taking the game so serious, and it being so “MLG” there was only a small period of time I could spend playing it.

Which is a shame, as in the short while I did manage to string together some games with likeminded individuals before getting kicked for not being the Chuck Norris of video games I found a game, which again, employed the no respawn feature I adore so much, with controls and visuals that came together to bring a very satisfying experience to my life.

Le ‘soup

Unreal Tournament 3

A series which is famed for its brilliant multiplayer, and I can attest as Unreal Tournament 2004 is one of my favourite games to date.

With UT3 came a online multiplayer that I am still, to this day get everything out of. What with huge free DLC map packs, a modding community and everything the base game has to offer.

But what really made this game stand out, in my mind, was the fun factor it gave off so prominently. It almost spoke to me directly, it knows there is nothing I like more than over the top ragdoll physics. But without hesitation it gives me that, death feigning and hoverboards.

Those 3 things alone is what has sparked hours and hours into this game. I’ll be the first to admit, it doesn’t win me many games, and my team mates generally don’t agree with me flinging myself around in the background. But it’s offered me personal enjoyment, and that’s all that really matters in the long run.

Starring Tom Cruise on ‘roids

Resistance: Fall of Man

I’ll be honest, this may be more of a nostalgia hit than anything, but like many, this was the first game I played on the PS3, and jumping into the online multiplayer for the first time really hit home just what the 7th generation could bring.

Before this, brief stints on Killzone and SOCOM online were the only experiences I’d had playing online on a console, I’d been overly used to it on PC, but now, it was right here, and so easy to access.

But not only the fact it was such a brilliantly simple feature, the fact that it was beautifully crafted. Hours have been spent on the roof of the Cathedral with friends throwing grenades at each other and watching as we ragdoll of the building. … It may not sound like much, but it’s the little things in life.

/Nostalgia trip

Singularity

My award for biggest surprise on PS3 goes to Singularity. The single player was pretty good, but by jingo, the multiplayer was incredible. The fact it done it’s own thing, and actually made it work was such a shock I couldn’t stop playing it.

The majority of games, would have played it safe here and pitted two human teams against each other, but taking a Dead Space 2 approach and knocking about as the monsters with their respective attacks, powers and attributes was such a good move. Not only that, but they felt balanced, the maps worked wonderfully for them, and whilst there may not have been a huge player base, the few games I got in will always stick in my memory for their unique feel and genuine fun factor.

‘Sick’ of hearing no one played this.

Red Faction: Guerrilla

If not Singularity, then Red Faction: Guerrilla easily takes the crown for most surprising online multiplayer. I stand by my decision to constantly say RFG is one of the most finely crafted games this generation, offering everything from an awesome single player, a great local multiplayer party mode, and the online offering.

Whilst a few games could easily be spoilt by people just wanting to wreck the maps, the majority of games, especially capture the flag modes, were absolute adrenaline fuelled carnage. The backpacks and customisation were absolutely brilliant. Countless times there have been matches where rhino backpacks have been the order of the day, and been spammed thoroughly throughout every destructible object, and indeed organic matter in their way.

Cool guys fly towards explosions.

F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin

I maybe a tad biased here, as I will follow everything F.E.A.R to the ends of the earth. But F.E.A.Rs multiplayer was excellent, and was only doubled with the release of Project Origin.

Whilst I could go on for hours saying it was a timeless classic, failsafe was the epitome of team based gameplay. All I need to say is their free map DLC, and more importantly pinball, is… genius.

Practically from the day it was released, I never looked at anything else, all it was missing was the occasional pinball being launched. … But that coupled with the Type 12 pulse weapon would have literally just been a death fest.

High score!

Bioshock 2

I know not one person agrees with me here, but trust me, I’m used to that.

Bioshock 2s multiplayer was just so damn fun. It was small, enclosed frag fests. Matches rarely lasted more than a minute before everyone raged and left, and for this reason alone I feel it needs to be included.

The rush for the Big Daddy suit itself was such that everyone who didn’t grab it, immediately left screaming “OP” and other obscenities, that I was left laughing myself into an early grave.

Before returning back to my lobby and interacting with the pointless objects.

/Witty caption

Uncharted 2: Among Theives

Another game that stepped out of the biggest of boots from an amazing single player first game and into the fray of multiplayer.

But just like Bioshock 2, this did it to a t. Ok, maybe it did it a bit better, and it’s more widely regarded as an actual good experience than Bioshock 2, and I can easily sympathise with that.

If this were an actual top 20, or 10, or 5, or even 3 list, I would most likely knock it up there with the best of them. They managed to keep the incredibly fluid and action packed single player through to the interwebs, and each mode and map held something special, it’s not often you get such a complete package from an online competitive game like Uncharted 2s offering, but it was glorious in every way.

Nates hair is still sexy.

Medal Of Honor

This was possibly my final choice out of all games for this list… but it came down to one simple memory I’ll have on it.

Amongst the actually, quite good balancing, close combat maps, and including a Clean Sweep game mode granting you all no respawn it was easily a contender.

But, one memory I’ll always have, is on said game mode, the most MLG of all games ever witnessed on their servers, just me and one of the Opposing Forces left, everyone screaming at me not to do anything stupid.

I see him in the distance approaching, I nudge forward to get a closer look through my sights to pull off the final kill and grant us a victory against all the odds, and I hit the sprint button and lurch forward off the building landing right in front of the enemy, swiftly being shot in quite a facial area. It was then I realised I genuinely suck at video games… and with online multiplayer I can share my skills, or lack of with the world to the demise of everyone on my team.

Every. Screenshot. Looks. The. Same.

Far Cry 2

I am still yet to complete the single player on this game…

So I decided to make a bee line for the multiplayer offering… and by no means was I disappointed. Whilst it had a tendency to be a tad buggy, on the whole it was frantic mayhem with custom maps and of course the ever infamous rollercoaster tracks.

Whether the game had a map editor or not, I would still strongly consider this a contender as the maps themselves were a strong mix, the vehicles were fun, and overall it well rounded multiplayer experience.

Some explosive gameplay.

Aliens VS Predator

This is probably one game that everyone has forgotten about already in anticipation of Colonial Marines… if it ever gets finally released.

However the multiplayer on AvP was such a unique experience I couldn’t bear to leave it out. Playing as the Aliens was, I think I speak for everyone when I say the crème de la crème of it. Whilst, on their own the marines and Predators could have made a pretty strong offering, the Alien controls and general gameplay made the multiplayer an absolutely class act, and kept me on edge whilst facing against them.

Yup, that boldy sums up the whole game.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift

So… would you look at that there is a game on here that doesn’t involve guns, or killing. ….

…Well almost anyway. Pacific Rift is easily my favourite racer this generation. And I put this here for the community alone. A game, which heavily relies on crashing and damage and ramming as key game elements, certainly had one backward fan base at its knees. If you ever played this online, I adore you.

Countless times I would choose a monster truck on tracks that didn’t warrant it, just so I could destroy and annoy every. Other. Player on whatever lesser vehicle they had chosen. The messages I have got back after races, and even during are some of the best rage cases I have witnessed.

It wasn’t just making people rage quit 3 seconds into a race that made me love this online. It was being unbeaten on Paradise Beach, and being unbeaten on an ATV that made the rageheads eat their words when they’d come back to me with “Name the vehicle and track and I bet I’ll beat you” except, there would be more obscenities in the message than that. /Bragging

Extreme chicken.

Timeshift

Think yourselves lucky, I almost included HAZE in this spot.

Say what you like about Timeshift, I have never understood the hate this game got. I love everything about it… and the multiplayer was just ingenious. Keeping time manipulation in, keeping the high gore level, and adding some truly classic FPS maps and designs made for a truly wonderful experience which died down way too fast for my liking.

Complete with dramatic black bars.

Awesomenauts

So, we reach the PSN titles I felt were just fantastic.

Starting with the newest game on the list, and one I think everyone raves about… but hasn’t actually played.

Awesomenauts was such a shock to me, I initially didn’t ‘get’ it… it was only on the subsequent play about a week later I saw the charm and expertly crafted characters I have came to know and love.

It’s just a shame the map/mode offering was so weak as this could have been an absolute killer of a game. But from what is there to play, there is plenty of cause for some brilliant teamwork and shouting OP!, Nerf! Every 5 seconds.

If you like bright colours, you’ll love this.

Geon

Oh… what’s that? No one has heard of it?

Shall I just move on then?

It’s… a game with some cubes, that you use to jump on other cubes… and pick up pellets to score?

Ok, I don’t know what I was doing when playing this, I could have been absolutely intoxicated and still wouldn’t have understood what was going on… but, with the 1 or 2 games I got in before everyone left the online for counselling I found an absolutely enthralling fast paced game of “wut”

This image should clear everything up. … … No?

Critter Crunch

It may not be quite the hardcore pow, pow game that I’ve came to know and love. But it’s still to this day a go to game for a quick fix of beating… or losing in my case.

There’s just something about the charm and mechanics of it, that playing the competitive multiplayer side of it, is just down right fun, and even being completely beaten and shamed, you just need one more game to meet your recommended daily allowance of D’awww

The most brutal game, ever.

Modern Combat: Domination

Whilst the EU still wait for Counter Strike Global Offensive to launch, topical I know. Modern Combat Domination is the best we have.

And by knows means is it just a substitute, think of it as Counter Strike 1.6 lite. It’s a genuine call back to olden days of online shooting fun. And whilst it may be pretty light on content, what is there is enjoyable and enough to warrant plenty of hours of enjoyment.

/Nostalgia trip 2.0

Battlefield 1943

So, would it be possible to make an online multiplayer list without including a Battlefield or CoD game?

Well here it is, and whilst it may seem like the rank outsider, I genuinely have had an inexplicable amount of fun playing this.

Whilst, much like Modern Combat there isn’t much in terms of actual content, even less so in this, what is there, is so well made you don’t notice it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I have easily got to grips with it, and adore spamming the Anti Air guns to see that satisfying explosion I’ve come to know and love from the 80s movies.

Saving Private Ryan with added saturation.

Lead & Gold: Gangs of the Wild West

This game, out of the blue landed on my HDD, and didn’t bother playing it for quite some time. However, what I found lurking under what seemed to be a hefty overpriced demo of a much larger game, was a solid multiplayer game, with some surprisingly good team tactics and intuitive map designs.

It’s one of the games I wish I played a lot more, but now, only being able to find a game organising it amongst friends, it still gives me a kick I have been unable to find in other games. I’ve heard it described as a Wild West Team Fortress ,and I can see why, to me, it’s every bit as cooky and frantic fun as Valves masterpiece, but with many hidden tricks up its sleeve.

 

Just pretend this is your beloved Red Dead Redemption

And so, there you go, 20 of my absolute favourite online competitive multiplayer experiences. And whilst they may not all still be available, or soon to have the plug pulled. Each one will live with me for quite some time in one way or another. There are plenty of other games I have enjoyed online, many of which any sane and normal person wouldn’t hesitiate to add to a list, Starhawk, Battlefield Bad Company, MX vs ATV Reflex and Crash Commando to name a few… ok, maybe not… all games everyone else loved.

May the lord have mercy upon ours souls.

I don’t know how to end articles.

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