2 Players Games Rendering Excitement
The Big 3 for the Only 2 Players
2playergames exude almost universal appeal. The recently increased amount of Multiplayer Gameplay over the web is staggering. The bar has certainly been raised a little from the taking turns with Mario and Luigi styling of Nintendo's yesteryears. Even though the standard multiplayer is at a minimum of four players these days, there is still a special quality about one on one gaming, though it isn't pervasive. The FPS games like Halo and Gears of War really need at least three players to reach their full potential, and RPG's are better suited for the lone gamer. So where does that leave two player games?
If filed down to a point, the blade of the best 2 player games would be three-pronged. The fighting, racing, and sport sub-genres of gaming propose the most definitive conclusions. The fear inherent in this sort of focus-narrowing is that game variety might suffer. Fortunately, the gaming market is so saturated with titles that this is a moot point. In the sports world for example, there have been at least ten years worth of games for every league imaginable. Racing games hold up well in this area too, with many variations on certain themes, like in Driver or Need for Speed. And people keep on buying Street Fighter sequels.
Innumerable games in the sports category are constantly assailed for their repetitive nature. The NBA/NFL/MLB/etc. games repeatedly appear to be almost unchanging, the only difference being a new year in the title. Granted, this criticism is actually usable in a few respects, it doesn't address the prototypical idea of sports gaming: make-believe. The general public assumes that sports games as reality based, even though it takes a fair sized stretch of the imagination to believe the Red Sox could ever beat the Yankees in the pennant. These continued tweaks in gameplay and recorded statistics serve as the veil that covers reality.
2 player games really shine in the racing genre. Games such as Need for Speed, Formula 1, or even Mario cart offer the gamer an immersive and enervating experience. These games take the players through the complete process of customizing a high-end top performance vehicle, maxing all of its stats, and as an ultimate test of your virtual gear-headed aptitudes, racing for the pink slips. Human beings are fascinated by machines that have been built for speed, and a well-made racing simulation is an extreme visceral experience very close to the genuine article.
Finally, the penultimate 2 player game experience: hand to hand combat. These games exemplify some of the earliest successes in big-time commercial gaming. Capcom's Street Fighter 2 has reached a cult level status of popularity in the 21 years since its inception. The same could be said of its younger more brutal rival title: Mortal Kombat. These giants have been dueling for decades and the only determined winner thus far is the consumer. Regardless of personal preference, fighting games are undoubtedly the most competitive, heated, and relatable sort of 2 player game play. Not everyone can hit a home run in the majors, but virtually all people know how to use their fists.
So as has been shown,
2playergames are a lot more fun when they stick to certain established models. Fighting is probably the most intense because of the physical nature of the action in the game. Racing is a lot of fun because of the adaptability of all the variables, as much as for the actual competition. And sports games are carefully kept fantasies based on closely watched realities. The important aspect in all of these categories is the one on one style of antagonism. Though cooperation may have its perks, there's nothing like good old fashioned rivalry to get a party started.
