What's a good, heavily-replayable, multiplayer FPS with big and/or diverse maps?
September 15, 2010 7:48 AM Subscribe
Ask MeFi which older, local-multiplayer-focused FPS is right for you.
So the Mrs. and I have decided we need to start playing an FPS over our home network. I don't know a lot about this particular game genre, and have paid almost no attention to it since Jedi Academy. Even Halo is almost totally unfamiliar to us.
Here are our required parameters:
- Must run on Win XP. We typically use Hamachi to facilitate this sort of thing.
- Local multiplayer focused. We will not be playing against strangers online. The thing we really want is great, expansive multiplayer maps that can really be explored. Entire multiplayer campaigns would be nice.
- Can run smoothly on an older laptop. To provide a sense of what I mean by "older," this laptop can run Civ IV, but it's moderately choppy. The other computer in the mix is a heavy-duty desktop that will be able to run just about anything.
Our preference is for something set in the past--World War II is about as recent as we would want to go, and earlier is better--but if the other conditions are met, we could go present-day or futuristic.
This is all I can think of now, but don't be afraid to respond with questions as well as answers.
So the Mrs. and I have decided we need to start playing an FPS over our home network. I don't know a lot about this particular game genre, and have paid almost no attention to it since Jedi Academy. Even Halo is almost totally unfamiliar to us.
Here are our required parameters:
- Must run on Win XP. We typically use Hamachi to facilitate this sort of thing.
- Local multiplayer focused. We will not be playing against strangers online. The thing we really want is great, expansive multiplayer maps that can really be explored. Entire multiplayer campaigns would be nice.
- Can run smoothly on an older laptop. To provide a sense of what I mean by "older," this laptop can run Civ IV, but it's moderately choppy. The other computer in the mix is a heavy-duty desktop that will be able to run just about anything.
Our preference is for something set in the past--World War II is about as recent as we would want to go, and earlier is better--but if the other conditions are met, we could go present-day or futuristic.
This is all I can think of now, but don't be afraid to respond with questions as well as answers.
If we played something like that where I work, and I'm not saying that we do, we might play this one: Unreal Tournament 2004.
posted by Gainesvillain at 8:32 AM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Gainesvillain at 8:32 AM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
Operation Flashpoint might meet your criteria of having very expansive maps, but the game itself is set more during the cold war of the 80's than WWII. It's an older game so should run decently on older hardware. The mod scene for it was once fairly active which included some downloads to change the feel of maps to look more like WWII or Vietnam, etc. It's more of a simulation FPS than an arcade style one, so expect a much slower pace (one bullet kills are common).
If you give it some time however, and ignore some of the animation glitches, it can be a very rewarding multiplayer experience...probably one of the most immersive FPS multiplayer games I've ever tried. There's also a built in scenario editor for building your own encounters.
posted by samsara at 8:37 AM on September 15, 2010
If you give it some time however, and ignore some of the animation glitches, it can be a very rewarding multiplayer experience...probably one of the most immersive FPS multiplayer games I've ever tried. There's also a built in scenario editor for building your own encounters.
posted by samsara at 8:37 AM on September 15, 2010
Oops, gave you the newer OFP page, Here is the earlier one which should run on the laptop.
posted by samsara at 8:41 AM on September 15, 2010
posted by samsara at 8:41 AM on September 15, 2010
Seconding Gainesvillain:
UT2004 is a great game for light pick-up play; there are lots of play styles for various types of games, fun fillers, and reasonably intelligent bots if you want to team up with your spouse instead of going head-to-head.
Total fail on "story" or "campaign" elements, though.
posted by Shepherd at 8:41 AM on September 15, 2010
UT2004 is a great game for light pick-up play; there are lots of play styles for various types of games, fun fillers, and reasonably intelligent bots if you want to team up with your spouse instead of going head-to-head.
Total fail on "story" or "campaign" elements, though.
posted by Shepherd at 8:41 AM on September 15, 2010
Response by poster: We are probably looking at both co-op and vs. play.
posted by AugieAugustus at 9:03 AM on September 15, 2010
posted by AugieAugustus at 9:03 AM on September 15, 2010
Gotta throw out there Counter Strike and seconding Unreal Tournament 2004. Really check out any game based on the half life engine or UT.
posted by handbanana at 9:13 AM on September 15, 2010
posted by handbanana at 9:13 AM on September 15, 2010
samsara: "Operation Flashpoint might meet your criteria of having very expansive maps, but the game itself is set more during the cold war of the 80's than WWII. It's an older game so should run decently on older hardware. The mod scene for it was once fairly active which included some downloads to change the feel of maps to look more like WWII or Vietnam, etc. It's more of a simulation FPS than an arcade style one, so expect a much slower pace (one bullet kills are common).
If you give it some time however, and ignore some of the animation glitches, it can be a very rewarding multiplayer experience...probably one of the most immersive FPS multiplayer games I've ever tried. There's also a built in scenario editor for building your own encounters."
Yes, yes YES! This is the first thing I thought of. There is a WWII mod that works great and the maps, even by today's standards, are huge. Even if your rigs are slower than todays' gaming boxes, you should still be able to run it. Love this game.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 11:50 AM on September 15, 2010
If you give it some time however, and ignore some of the animation glitches, it can be a very rewarding multiplayer experience...probably one of the most immersive FPS multiplayer games I've ever tried. There's also a built in scenario editor for building your own encounters."
Yes, yes YES! This is the first thing I thought of. There is a WWII mod that works great and the maps, even by today's standards, are huge. Even if your rigs are slower than todays' gaming boxes, you should still be able to run it. Love this game.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 11:50 AM on September 15, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
My friends and I always enjoyed Sven Coop, which is a mod for Half-Life. Along with being able to play through the original Half-Life story cooperatively, it comes included with tons of different flavors of custom maps to explore.
posted by Herschel at 7:56 AM on September 15, 2010