Nintendo Believes in Local Multiplayer. Do you?

Earlier this year I snagged a copy of Plants Versus Zombies: Garden Warfare for the 360. I bought it with one purpose in mind: local multiplayer with my wife. My wife enjoys video games, but is not passionate about them. She is, however, a big fan of Plants versus Zombies; this seemed like the perfect title. Except it wasn’t. To my dismay, Garden Warfare did not ship with local multiplayer, or even a way to play with a friend split-screen online in competitive play using just one console. It was a disappointment for sure, but it did have one benefit. I realized right then why I love my Wii U so much. I know for a fact that if Nintendo releases a game on Wii U with any type of mulitplayer feature, local couch play will definitely be an option.

There is no denying that local couch play is on its way out the door. With the advancements in technology and social media, we as a generation are less likely to drive across town to a friends house to play a co-op game. Instead, we both hook up our consoles, connect to our high speed internet, don headsets, and play. Although convenient, something is lost. The more gamers turn their back on all nigh game fests with a bunch of friends on a single console, the more developers will turn their back on local multiplayer.

Many people – including myself – have knocked Nintendo for being a step behind the times. Poor Internet functionality, horrific online interactions, and services that don’t seem complete have hampered the Wii, 3DS and Wii U when it comes to online play. Now that I look at the situation in a new light, perhaps their blunders with worldwide connectivity is a blessing in disguise. You see, Nintendo is not turning its back on local multiplayer. In fact, Nintendo is doing more with local multiplayer than before, allowing five players to play together instead of four. 

It would seem like a bad nightmare if all of a sudden Nintendo decided that only two players could play Mario Kart on one screen, pushing players to utilize the online features instead. It won’t happen, and here’s why: Despite not understanding what online connectivity could do for their platforms, Nintendo is by far the best at keeping families and friends playing together in a single room. This is something that shouldn’t be lost, and it seems to me as if Nintendo is the only one actually trying.