Local multiplayer has sadly become less of a priority for a lot of developers in recent years. While Halo has always allowed groups of friends to gather round a TV with tasty snacks and beverages and murder aliens together, Bungies latest Destiny is strictly online only. Some would say its a sign of the times, that having a sexy HD screen all to yourself and playing online is way better than splitting the screen up and having to share your lovely sofa with those smelly heathens you call friends. Especially when theres always one that manages to spill their bloody drink. For those that grew up with it, though theres nothing like the sense of community that comes with local multiplayer. As fun as playing online is, you cant high five your team mate through a headset and you most certainly cant see the pain on your opponents face when you destroy them on a game. They also wont see your celebratory dance in which you mime fornicating with their dearest relative. And youd just look weird doing it on your own. Alas, all is not lost because we still have a rich library of historic local multiplayer titles to choose from. And there are still a few developers around today that value it enough to put it in their games. The following 14 are fine examples that show local multiplayer at its loud, obnoxious, friendship-ruining best.
14. Twisted Metal
Back in the 1990s, Twisted Metal was the pinnacle of the car combat genre on the good old PS1, but it was always more enjoyable with a friend. Working together to take down enemy vehicles was challenging and rewarding. If that didnt work for you, you could also blow up the Eiffel tower and L.As infamous Hollywood sign for funsies. After Twisted Metal: Black in 2001 the series went off the radar on consoles, which is sad because there arent exactly many car combat games around these days. The iconic series didnt return until 2012, when it punched us in the face with its awesomeness. The PS3s version of Twisted Metal supported local 4-player split-screen action. You could play through the enjoyable campaign with your mates, or take advantage of the games many competitive multiplayer modes. Impressively, Twisted Metals frame-rate doesnt go down the cr*pper when the player count gets maxed. Twisted Metal is enjoyable because theres no other game like it on the market today. It has the depth of a fighter, the variety of weapons of a shooter and the speed of a racer. Oh, and it has a psychotic clown. Gaming definitely needs more of those.
