12 Video Game Genres That Desperately Need A Comeback

7. Local Multiplayer Games

The Genre: Alright, so it's not strictly a genre of games in of itself, but from the mid-90s to the mid-2000s, the majority of racing and shooting games boasted a multiplayer component which began with local, 4-player split-screen and maybe, just maybe, ventured online too. Who can forget the kings of the genre like Goldeneye 007, TimeSplitters and Mario Kart? What Happened: The Internet happened, and as developers began to realise that people loved playing online with their buddies, they progressively put less effort into couch play, to the point that it's pretty much a rarity these days. Mario Kart 8 allows 4-player local split-screen play, but Call of Duty has now deigned to just 2-player split-screen locally. Plus, even when it is in a game, developers seem to downplay its presence, perhaps in the hope of killing the trend outright. Why It Needs A Comeback: Because, despite what devs think, plenty of people still spend a Friday night at their buddy's place playing multiplayer games in a small group of 3 or 4, a pastime that's been severely diminished by this trend. Some games will keep carrying the torch, no doubt, but it's going to become less and less frequent as time passes.