The Rise Of Online Multiplayer Games And The Collapse Of Couch Co-Op

Perhaps most telling was when Barry and co. met Gideon, Eobard Thawne’s interactive future Siri. Possessing knowledge of the future, Gideon named Barry Allen/The Flash as the founding member of… something, before she was cut off. No prizes for guessing what that was supposed to be. We also know that Thawne messed with the timeline, causing Barry to become The Flash several years earlier than he would’ve been originally. This would explain how he could be operating as a fully-fledged and experienced superhero for years, before any news starts trickling in from Gotham about a bat-themed vigilante, or the world becomes enamored with a certain heroic Kryptonian. With the timeline we’ve been given by the TV show, this could all just be waiting to happen around the cor

While the whole editorial staff contributed to our 2015 awards, we wanted to allow everybody the opportunity to publicly name their personal top 10 games of the year. While many did play the majority of releases in 2015, please remember that unlike our main awards, the editors are not naming the best games, but their personal favorites out of the selection they played.


Any Dota 2 player might remember the feeling of seeing League 's champion roster and saying, "Wait, I know these heroes..." Sure, both games will obviously draw from the original source material in Warcraft III . And with similar fantasy elements, there's bound to be a magic archer, a knight, and a barbarian. There will be a fishperson and a dragon. Yet despite this, Dota 2 players are even recognizing similar skills that are being rehashed into League champions. Well, it's hard to deny some of the uncanny similarities, but League never claimed to be origi


Starting Championship Manager 70s Legends is an incredibly daunting prospect. Clearly identifying its PC gaming heritage, it’s a game filled with menus, stats and far, far too many options. If you’re unfamiliar with the MOBA game News’s setup, it can make you think: ‘Oh man, what on Earth do I do now

None of these point to a Justice League by themselves, but switched-on fans will notice a few small, yet crucial bits of information. A future newspaper confirms the existence of Wayne Enterprises. Barry mentions off-hand that a test pilot from Ferris Aircraft has gone missing, Rip Hunter makes note of "Dark Knights" and "Men of Steel", and Jay Garrick confirms the existence of both Atlantis and Aquaman on his Earth. Given that Earth-2 has all of the same characters who live only slightly divergent lives, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that Atlantis exists on Earth-1 - it’s just still beneath the wa


See, for me, sports are always best when they rely solely on an individual. You get to see the pain, the torment, the years-of-training, all build up to this one final event and, if they succeed, it’s a happiness that is unparalleled. Soccer is a team game — if you mess up, who cares? You’ve got ten other people to look after


By contrast, at the beginning of every Dota 2 match, the player starts with a clean slate. The only thing that carries over from previous matches is the player. League champions can start out with a core direction already built, perhaps taking attack runes and offensive masteries. But in Dota 2, similar traits can only be gained in-game. When a hero levels up, they can choose to rank up 'talents' rather than skills. These bonuses are unique to each hero, often offering players distinct, permanent choi

Combining characters across all of Blizzard’s properties made Storm of Heroes feel like the Smash Bros. of MMO games. It’s a clever move on their part and one that I felt drew fans of yesteryear back to the good fight. Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo and more combine heroes and villains to bring a full-on war between factions. The amazing promotional trailers made wanting to play Storm of Heroes even more enticing. Even if you’re terrible at MMO games, you can still enjoy the sights and sounds of nostalgia in a new world.

Again, Pokémon is my favorite series and without any title in 2015, I found Yo-Kai Watch to be an excellent substitute. Comparing the two is definitely easy but after playing Yo-Kai Watch and watching the cartoon, it’s worth noting Yo-Kai Watch can stand on its own. The mix of kooky characters is great and each one having its own personality makes the game a unique experience. Yo-Kai Watch is a wonderful RPG for those in search of something that’s just plain fun. I would consider this game as my best 3DS title of the year.


Better graphics capabilities. There are a few big reasons for this shift to online multiplayer. The first is purely practical : as the quality of graphics and gameplay increases, more resources are required. If you're already running a game that requires a lot of power because of technical specifications, imagine doubling, tripling, or quadrupling that for split-screen modes. That kind of local play functionality may require a downgrade in graphics—a sacrifice many gamers just aren't willing to make for local multiplayer modes. That's part of the reason games with simpler graphics— Super Smash Bros. , Mario Kart , or any of the numerous rhythm games—most frequently include local multiplayer. It's less of a strain on the system, and gamers generally don't sit down to play Mario Kart for a realistic virtual experie