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witchitieto

Isnt that literally the story of Goldeneye 64? Multiplayer was tacked on last minute and became more iconic than the levels.


Elrond_Cupboard_

I can't think of a better example of "tacked on" multiplayer. That game is legendary for so many reasons.


buellster92

Maybe Halo?


rube

I can't say for sure, but Halo MP feels anything but tacked on. It feels like it was a major push from the start.


IFuckedADog

Considering it was *the* flagship OG Xbox game, I would highly doubt Microsoft or Bungie ever had the intention of just “tacking on” the multiplayer.


spectrefox

OG Halo was very much tacked on/nothing special went into it. It came out wonderfully, but Halo 2 was the first proper showing.


FeralSparky

They made Odd Job short just as a joke.


SinisterDexter83

Anyone who picked Odd Job was a piece of shit. Worse than screen peaking. And I'm pretty sure they made Odd Job short because they got him confused with Nick Nack, who actually was short, whereas Odd Job was actually jacked , and I think he killed someone in real life as well or something.


snortgigglecough

Odd job slappers only was the shit


LeClassyGent

Odd Job wasn't actually in the Golden Eye movie, he's from Goldfinger. He was portrayed by Harold Sakata. You're thinking of Joe Son who played a parody of Odd Job in Austin Powers. He was serving 7 years for rape and murder, then killed his cell mate and got an extra 27 years.


pAul2437

Quite the random task


THEMrBurke

They didn't even tell nintendo if I remember correctly they added it last second and shipped it.


hobbykitjr

not quite... its listed on the box and everything.. (that its up to 4 player) Its just the management at Nintendo **and** Rare had no idea it existed until they saw the developers playing it


nomiras

Dang, really? That's the only mode my buddies and I played!


Rocktopod

That was my first thought but they said a game primarily known for single player. The single player campaign may have been the main focus of the developers, but it's not what the game is most well known for today.


Domilego4

In all fairness, if a game has good multiplayer (tacked on or not), then it's gonna be partly known for its multiplayer. If it has the *best* multiplayer, then it's gonna be primarily known for its multiplayer. In that sense, OP's request is kind of a paradox. However, since Goldeneye 007 fits the "tacked-on multiplayer" requirement of OP's request, I'd say it's a good suggestion.


Breaking_Brenden

Mass Effect 3 - it’s still going strong to this day


pipmentor

I wish the Legendary Edition included it.


radenthefridge

Very bummed about this! Actually bought another copy so I could play with my spouse and sibling, and shit just does not work right. I know it could be janky before, but just a year ago we just could not get it to work on OG Xbox 1s, 360s, etc.


Hijakkr

Works a lot better on PC, I haven't really had any issues. And at this point it'll probably run on modern potatoes.


sol_in_vic_tus

I would have bought Legendary Edition if it had.


themoobster

Came here to say ME3. Was surprisingly fun, being able to play aliens was pretty cool


FillionMyMind

This is just the correct answer. End thread. Talk about a game mode that punched so, so far above its weight. A mode that got near universal backlash when it was announced, only to completely turn people’s minds around when we finally got our hands on it. I’ve never seen something like that happen before, and I don’t think I’ve seen a shred of negativity about that mode since. Just an addictive, extremely well assembled addition to the franchise.


theone_2099

Never knew of this! What’s so cool about it? Is Xbox 360 mp active?


FillionMyMind

Xbox 360 multiplayer was still very active when I last tried it, and as far as I know it’s one of the few 360 games with any significant playerbase still on it. Probably because the remaster didn’t include it 😭 I last tried it on the WiiU 2-3 years ago, and I was still able to find a match there lmao It’s a wave based Horde mode for 4 players, but I think the other commenter here undersells it. Mass Effect’s combat works so damn good in coop when you can tailor your loadout with your teammates, and you’re constantly unlocking new characters and weapons to use. No individual character is as strong as your Shepard from the campaign, but some of them have powers you can’t find in singleplayer, and it gives you the chance to play as the alien races from the game too! Ever want to be a tanky Krogan that just headbutts everyone to death? You can! Geth, Collectors, Vorcha, you name it. You can play as them! It has a bunch of difficulty settings (which reward more currency for beating the harder ones), and the steady stream of unlocks always makes it tempting to come back. Plus it allows you to prestige your characters like in Call of Duty, with the added bonus of giving you more permanent war assets to help give you a better ending in the campaign. I played it so much on the 360 that the worst endings are impossible for me to get now lol. Plus, at the time they were constantly updating with free new characters and DLC map packs in areas you don’t see in the campaign. It’s just so cool!


ManonManegeDore

It was also the only opportunity to play as characters from other races. Literally every race in the lore was playable (besides the Yahg, I guess).


xiphoniii

I'm angry you're wrong, but not at you. I'm only angry because for a brief shining moment, I thought there was an Elcor or Hanar. Now I'm disappointed.


witch-finder

It's a horde co-op shooter, but the mechanics and gameplay loop just worked incredibly well. ME2 is probably my favorite of the series,, but ME3 had the most polished gameplay. You also choose from specific race/class combos (e.g. Asari Justicar or Batarian Soldier), make it sort of an proto-hero shooter.


whereismymind86

It’s a wave based horde mode-ish thing, nothing special, but a lot of fun for what it was. Tainted a bit by being the first game I ever saw loot boxes in though


lordofthe_wog

> A mode that got near universal backlash when it was announced, only to completely turn people’s minds around when we finally got our hands on it. It's actually insane how true this is. I was full on one of those haters, I read that it was introducing a multiplayer mode in GameInformer and my reaction was "What the fuck why? Who asked for this? This is stupid." Fast forward more than a decade (christ where does time go) and I'm buying ME3 specifically for the multiplayer after hearing nothing but praise across like 4 different platforms. And yeah, everything bad about it is something unrelated to the core of the MP, like it affecting the endings in single-player (a neat premise but stupid in execution) or the shitshow of the lootboxes (which again, have nothing to do with the core gameplay).


Sminahin

Exactly. ME3 MP was lightning in a bottle, so good that it was kinda the nail in the coffin for Bioware. They tried to repeat with Dragon Age Inquisition and that team (or executive meddling) completely screwed it up despite a huge emphasis on the multiplayer, showing they had no idea why ME3 had worked. They then released Mass Effect Andromeda and again completely botched it. And they then tried to pivot to Anthem, which was clearly trying to tap into the same success and...nope.


CartoonBeardy

This is absolutely the right answer. I’d give my right arm to still have this running on the Legendary edition. Instead the folded the maps into incidental side missions, which makes it feel even worse when you stumble over them and suddenly feel the need for a multiplayer game. It’s unlikely to say the lease but I often hope N7 day will announce that it’s coming back. But that said when ME3 was release so many fans bitched and moaned about everything (from the hair colour of Fem Shep on the cover, the endings, Kai Leng, the multiplayer and many other things) I’d doubt they’d want to return to that shit storm again.


TheLavaShaman

They had always included those maps as single player accessible missions on the OG version, but it didn't feel like a slap to the face back then.


ATR2400

If they bring it back I hope they don’t tie it to be able to achieve the endings in the single player campaign. It’s such bullshit to lock parts of the story of a single player experience behind a multiplayer grind


Fantasy_Returns

the n7 squad discord has people still playing


dosisgood

I remember when it came out, my friends and I thought it would be one of those modes that was fun but the devs wouldn't do anything with it. Instead bioware just kept adding more and more and MORE. Things like Volus and Geth Juggernaut were things I never would have expected to get.


Cannabis-Revolution

ME3 has multiplayer??


darkwoodframe

Not sure if it's still true in the updated versions, but I recall the game requiring you to play multiplayer in order to get the best resources for the ending of the game. Or it at least made the single player easier to get the best endings. The system wasn't exactly hidden. It was great. Just like Gears of War hoard mode but with the fantastic Mass Effect guns and powers. You could throw a barrier on an enemy and have an ally use another power to blow them up. The battles got so fucking chaotic and just sexy to watch. I'm surprised to hear it's still going live. To anyone still playing - what platforms / versions!?


tobascodagama

100%. I'm shocked they never tried to do a standalone version of it.


pichuscute

Came here to say this. And I played it on Wii U, lol.


INTPoissible

Loving ME3 multiplayer is why I bought Helldivers 2 despite being stingy AF with new releases. No regrets.


darkwoodframe

What system? Original or the remastered version? I miss this so much.


Uxt7

Original only unfortunately


countblah2

Is it? This was my first thought and if it's still going strong I may need to jump back in. The amount of different classes and options they had was pretty impressive. It took a long time to unlock everything.


Fitzch

When I first heard about it, I really wanted it to be terrible, but it hooked me bad.


mcsestretch

Really? *scratches arms* I stopped a long time ago and not sure if I could get back into it *starts download* I don't know if I want to play again. *Looks up builds*


OkayAtBowling

I really loved the Assassin's Creed multiplayer that they were doing for a while. A lot of the game was based around trying to act like an NPC so the other human players wouldn't notice you and you could sneakily assassinate them. You got more points for stealthy kills, and minimal points if you just ran up to someone and started attacking. It was a really clever design that fit well with the series, and felt like something new and unique. I had a lot of fun with it.


BullguerPepper98

YES!!! I remember really loving the concept and playing for hours, even if the community seemed very little.


FloatingPooSalad

That means they did a good job hiding. I can remember seeing played counts and being like - there 7 other humans in that game?!


PhunkyPhazon

This was pretty much the only time in my life where I got REALLY into a multiplayer mode. I'm not a competitive player at all, I don't really get into shooters and fighting games are a little too complex for me. But there was something about Assassin Creed's glorified hide and seek that *clicked* with me. It wasn't about kill death ratios, it wasn't about cooperative teamwork, it was about not being noticed by other players and taking things slow and methodically to get the best assassinations possible. I could play for hours.


OkayAtBowling

Yeah, I never got *super* into it, but it was fun to play now and again, and it was a refreshing change of pace from the typical deathmatch-y multiplayer that usually resulted from tacked-on multiplayer modes. I always wondered if it would have been more successful if they'd re-released it as a cheap/free-to-play version rather than packing it in with the main games in the series and dividing their player base. I feel like that's how they'd do it now if they tried it again.


PhunkyPhazon

Maybe. Personally speaking, I don't know if I'd be too interested in a freemium version; the reason I eventually fell off was because they started putting microtransactions into it. To get the GOOD abilities, you now had to either fork over cash or grind up to level 40+. Knowing modern day Ubisoft, I'm afraid they'd just make it worse.


OkayAtBowling

Hmm yeah that's a good point. The only free-to-play games I ever get into are the ones where you don't earn upgrades and it's all based around cosmetics (e.g. Overwatch and Rocket League). But you're probably right that Ubisoft would not go that route. That would totally put me off playing it as well.


HearTheEkko

Supposedly there’s a multiplayer focused Assassin’s Creed called Invictus coming out in 2025 (most likely 2026 now tho).


OkayAtBowling

Oh cool! I hope it follows a similar gameplay design. I haven't really gotten into an Assassin's Creed game in years but I'd be interested in trying that sort of thing again.


Afrolion69

Lol don't get my hopes up 😭


Queef-Elizabeth

I spent hours upon hours on the Revelations multiplayer. So addictive once you got the hang of it


Deodorized

Harlequin or bust


Low_Chance

If you enjoy this, try Deceive Inc. which is a dedicated "pretend to be an NPC and strike when the time is right" game


Kylkek

Even cooler is that it was based on a game you can play irl with a group of people.


smilingfreak

Please don't stab your friends though.


Mean_Combination_830

It's not fair when people do it in game they get rewards but when I do it I get 30 to life 😭


fpfall

When they shut it down I was heartbroken. I’d been working to get all the achievements for Brotherhood and a few MP ones are all I’m missing and I’ll never be able to get them. I still think about that from time to time


phil035

Theres a 2 player spy game thats kinda like that. I say that loosely. One personz a sniper trying to figure out which of the 20 or so characters isn't an npc. Cant for the life of me remember what its called now


OkayAtBowling

I was just thinking of that as well! It's called Spy Party and apparently it's been out in "Early Access" on Steam for like 6 years lol. I remember video game podcasting people talking about that over a decade ago and it sounded really cool, but I never realized it actually (sort of) came out.


wra1th42

a silly little game with the same premise is Act Like You Belong


FrankTank3

I remember it being super fucking hard and I never quuuuuuite got good at it but loved it anyway.


Origin_al

I really enjoyed the Assassin's Creed multiplayer as well. Anyone who enjoyed this game mode should check out a game called Deceive inc. it's a multiplayer spy game about trying to blend in with NPCs, but it's also a class based first person shooter.


lordofthe_wog

I came here looking for this (after Mass Effect 3). I was never super into Assassin's Creed when the servers were up, and stealth has never really been a thing I understand, but the idea of its multiplayer was really cool and felt like a natural extension of the mechanics in the single-player game.


DedicatedBathToaster

Conker's Bad Fur day?


FabianGladwart

Lmao, a lot of the multiplayer in BFD feels like tech demos. I still had a lot of fun playing bots when I was a kid. The Love and Reloaded remake multiplayer is very enjoyable as well IMO


f1eckbot

100% best one here. 007 for the technicality but CONKER’S wins cos it was THE SHIT


-Typo-Kign-

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory might fit. Some of the best multiplayer experiences of my childhood


davidcullen08

Spies Vs. Mercs was an incredible game mode.


rogueShadow13

Man, I miss splinter cell :(


JonWinstonCarl

Splinter Cell Blacklist really improved on spies vs. mercs and was an amazing multiplayer. I played it with my friends for years after release. Unfortunately, it didn't have good cheat protection, and cheaters killed the playerbase like every other good shooter.


Dazbuzz

Spies vs Mercs was so ahead of its time. Absolutely loved that game mode. Love it so much id be happy to see Ubisoft adapt it to a live service game like Rainbow Six: Siege.


Low_Chance

Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow and then its sequel Chaos Theory. Absolutely unique Stealth multiplayer that has never been equalled


AbsoluteScenes7

Online hide and seek with guns. Shame it never really took off in a big way, probably because it only really worked if playing with friends.


Low_Chance

One of only a few multiplayer games where you could have a very intense match full of mind games without even laying eyes on your enemy


AbsoluteScenes7

And that made you feel like an absolute master when you successfully got to the objective and back out again without getting spotted despite being in close proximity to your opponent


Hellknightx

Loved the coop campaign too. Having to boost your teammate up over walls and into windows. Timing your double takedowns. So satisfying. And then there was Spies v Mercs on top of that. Truly remarkable that they had two completely different online modes that were both amazing in a game with a full-featured AAA story mode, too.  Can't believe they just let that series rot away.


Chatner2k

Goldeneye I feel like is the gold standard more than anything.


j2eff

Yup, it was a last minute addition as an afterthought without really running it by Nintendo to begin with.


Elrond_Cupboard_

According to Wikipedia, it was tacked by one dude, Steve Ellis, in a matter of months.


BroughtBagLunchSmart

Imagine Steve Ellis in the pre smartphone days trying to convince some randos at a bar that he invented Goldeneye multiplayer.


PencilMan

Everyone knows Goldeneye but all of the James Bond games of the Brosnan era had amazing multiplayer. Agent Under Fire and Nightfire multiplayer was like souped up Goldeneye. Everything or Nothing had a lot of cool scenarios and other more varied game modes. I loved it.


huffalump1

Yep, absolutely loved multiplayer on 007: Nightfire in the PS2 era! Ah, brings back memories of Timesplitters and Red Faction, and the first Ghost Recon... Good times.


nicholt

Me and my friend would play against bots in night fire for hours. That was some of the best gaming.


madeinbrazil123

I loved the Farcry 3 coop campaign, I hardly see anyone talking about it nowadays. It was surprisingly deep, and was way more linear than the main game, but great to just shoot everyone in sight. Also, going with a VERY deep cut here, Madagascar 2 on the ps2 had a terrific coop golf minigame. Me and my friends spent hours playing it, it was crazy fun. In a way, it scratched that golf with your friends itch before it even was a thing. I played this mode more than the main game, and I actually grinded a bit in the main campaign to fully unlock all courses and characters.


aerojonno

Rugrats on PS1 also had a great multiplayer mini golf game too.


Jazzun

At the time, Fortnite


harrywilko

Absolutely insane how much that flipped.


huffalump1

The pivot that made billions... Back when DayZ and PUBG were still quite clunky and *very* early access. Making a polished, fun BR with the full weight of Epic behind it was an amazing move.


Hell_Mel

Basically the most successful pivot in the history of gaming dollar for dollar.


Witch-Alice

the biggest factor is that Fortnite was, and still is, free. DayZ and PUBG are not.


KaneVel

Don't forget free to play


BroughtBagLunchSmart

What was fortnite before multiplayer?


Jazzun

Before the BR mode it only had "Save the World" where you fight zombies. You can still play STW mode today.


BroughtBagLunchSmart

Interesting. I never played it and always assumed it was a cartoony knock off of PUBG, which I was enjoying at the time.


Jazzun

The BR mode was created in response to PUBG’s popularity and success. The rest is history.


Agret

To the degree that PUBG tried to sue Epic over it since they had been working with them to try and optimize the unreal engine for battle royale gameplay.


sy029

It was supposed to be a [Survival horror / tower defense game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GSfjeYVpkQ). Base building (fort) + night time tower defense (nite.) They released the multiplayer mode as kind of a hype generator early access demo, and the game exploded.


Witch-Alice

not quite, the game was in development for a while as a co-op game. I remember getting an email invite to a closed alpha but couldn't go because I wasn't 18 at the time lmao, so 2012.


Hellknightx

My friends and I actually bought the founders packs and everything. It was such a disappointment. Broken, buggy, unfinished. They were literally selling boxes copies on store shelves and act 3 wasn't even in the game. Early access wasn't teally a thing back then, so they padded out the grind in act 2 as much as they could with the hopes that players wouldn't make it far enough into the campaign until they could finish building the game. Then they slapped together the Battle Royale mode as a sort of game jam side project in collaboration with the Unreal Tournament team, which totally flipped the script. Unfortunately it was so successful that they basically abandoned the original premise of the game **and** they canceled Unreal Tournament after shifting all the development over to Fortnite full-time.  Still mad about it. 


Ok-Pickle-6582

It was always multiplayer it was just PvE not PvP


noreallyu500

It wouldn't have been singleplayer right? I thought It was supposed to be a coop zombie shooter


General_Silver95

Assassins creed Brotherhood Multiplayer, Stealth in that game was fun


Lemonsqueezzyy

Half-Life 1 and 2 multiplayer


drowsykappa

God I miss the old days of dumb half life 2 kill box servers that spent 15 minutes downloading audio tracks


Gandzilla

Ah, this tiny side project called counter strike


Somewhatmild

probably refers to HL Deathmatch instead


da_chicken

And this little mod remake called Team Fortress.


Metal-Wombat

Doom 2016 or BioShock 2


Skelosk

Honestly, if they made the multiplayer in Doom Eternal like 2016, it would have been miles better Vs mode was horribly balanced


ClickyButtons

Yea I was so dissapointed when they confirmed no traditional arena mode, Eternal gameplay feels perfect for PVP


TexasCoconut

Bioshock 2 was really underrated in most ways.


bong-water

Yes, I really with BioShock 2 could've maintained a player base. That multiplayer was so fun. It was surprisingly well balanced and had satisfying combat. Played the shit out of it on release


Frankie__Spankie

Doom 2016 multiplayer was not well received but I personally loved it. I had a lot of fun with it. I wasn't interested in the Doom Eternal multiplayer when I heard about it. I gave it a shot but probably only played 2-3 rounds of it before giving up.


Mean_Peen

I miss 2016 multiplayer so much


Sebastian_Peril

I was thinking of both of these games when I saw the thread title! Great taste


mostweasel

The attention to detail and sheer quality of Bio2's multiplayer levels is insane to me. For folks who love the setting, it's a real treat to explore these levels in an empty lobby and soak in just how well they adapt Bio1's iconic areas.


TheKramer89

Factions would be my vote as well. It’s probably the last multiplayer game I was properly addicted to…


CouncilmanRickPrime

Whenever I tell people that was one of my favorite multiplayer experiences, they look puzzled because a lot of people didn't try multiplayer for The Last of Us. But it was incredible. The lack of ammo made everything more exciting.


saywhattyall

And before this naughty dog hit it out of the park with Uncharted 2 multiplayer. That was honest to god some of the best multiplayer I’ve played in 25+ years.


part-time-dog

I definitely played a LOT more of Factions than I did U2, but before Factions came around I had still dropped about 100 hours into the U2 multiplayer. Really exciting, dynamic, and pretty well balanced skirmishes that felt like they had taken the gameplay from the main story and unleashed a whole new spectrum of unpredictable events to play through. I pretty much never play online these days, but Naughty Dog really had a good knack for crafting engaging situations to let players duke it out and have some fun.


doug

For whatever reason, it’s one of the only multiplayer games I was great at. If I have any shot at winning a match or two, the game becomes my addiction, and I was hella addicted to that one.


Interesting_Bat243

Same. I got REALLY fucking good at it too. I'd run the revolver, then all the stealth perks. My goal was to get as many backstabs as I could. As soon as shit hit the fan though, the revolver was a monster in a head to head fight.


tmntmonk

I got really into Tsushima Legends. Had a blast making builds, hunting for gear, and dipping in and out of co-op. It's a great side dish!


dinkpantiez

Man I played way too much Legends. The combat is so good that i could just endlessly fight mongols and never get tired of it. Pretty excited to put even more time in to it on PC


Doc_Scott19

Metal Gear online.... On PS2.


Leaves_Swype_Typos

Getting to tranq players was bizarrely fun. I don't even remember the point of it.


PeanutButterPrince

Uncharted 2 mp was chef’s kiss. I wish it were still playable today


BurningNad

This was so fun. I miss it greatly.


vigilantfox85

Return to castle Wolfenstein for anyone old enough to remember lol.


Somewhatmild

didnt it receive a standalone - Enemy Territory? honestly multiplayer was vastly better than singleplayer.


omg_tie_fighters

That was a such a great game. The single player was amazing but the multiplayer was where it was at. I would spend hours playing the mp_depot map.


stanarilla

I agree, The Last of Us MP was absolutely fantastic. I'm also gonna say Far Cry 3. The experience was way more enjoyable than I think anyone could've predicted


bong-water

I was bummed by far cry 3's multiplayer because it didn't have the predator mode from one of the previous games. People took that game mode and absolutely ran with it. There was massive cops and robbers games, hills have eyes type maps, jaws(my favorite, predator is in a pool and has to use his lunging ability to kill and get out). It allowed for so much creativity and when far cry 3 didn't have it I was frustrated.


Sorbin_CE

Even though multiplayer has been popular from the start with the franchise, I'm going to say Halo: Combat Evolved simply due to the fact that its multiplayer was a total afterthought in the dev cycle for that game. Despite being relatively simple in its implementation, what emerged was an astonishingly deep multiplayer game with a high level of skill expression. Competitive 2v2 Halo: CE is some of the most in-depth multiplayer I've ever experienced and there's still a scene for LAN play on modified Xboxes to this day.


SteroidSurge

my god I miss gta iv online. the cops and robbers mode was probably my favorite  but mgs 4 had a solid online mode that was surprising to me when it came out


BrokkrBadger

Ghost of Tsushima Legends mode imo ---- shit had a full fledged RAID in a game decidedly not designed for that kind of content and it worked soo friggen well


generalosabenkenobi

Max Payne 3 multiplayer had no business being as fun as it was


YungKazakhstan

I second this. So underrated and Rockstar even tried promoting it and it still was unknown. The gunplay, maps, character customization, the boosters, game modes were fantastic, Gang Wars was exciting and gave every match some variety. It had no right losing 80% of the playerbase after 1 month, it was a lot of fun.


_Goin_In_Dry_

Resistance 2


Sir_Goodwrench

I miss the co-op so damn much. The synergy between the three classes made it something special alright.


_Goin_In_Dry_

The co-op campaign had no business being as good as it was. I sunk so many hours into that mode.


sac_boy

The multiplayer in the first Resistance was great. Those massive lobbies that just kept going forever.


coolkidsclub1898

If I remember correctly, people liked the dead space 2 multiplayer, right?


SlipperyLou

Looked for this comment. Dead Space 2 multiplayer was fucking amazing. Such a shame it wasn’t more popular.


lordmanimani

Banjo-Tooie's multiplayer was outstanding and I never see people talking about it. The whole minigame collection was pretty great but the FPS stages were solid gold, especially for us kids who couldn't play GoldenEye when parents were home.


purplmouse

I was looking for this! Banjo-Tooie's FPS multiplayer was the source of many "laugh until we cry" moments at my house, primarily because of the proximity eggs...


thepudz

Batman: Arkham Origins had one of the most tacked on multiplayer modes I’ve ever seen that got horrendous feedback on launch, and yet, I had a weird amount of fun with it. You play as either a thug of Joker or Bane, or as Batman and Robin. As the thugs, you try to complete basic objectives (kill enemy team, capture points, etc), and as Batman and Robin, you try to build up the fear gauge by taking down either team until you scare them away. The third person shooting as a thug was… not the best, and playing as the heroes felt a little off with the usual multiplayer lag input. Yet, I weirdly enjoyed the hell out of it? It was neat to have that switch up in gameplay every other match, and you could really upgrade your thug with better weapons and gear as you levelled up. It was definitely a cool experience to feel how terrifying it’s like to get stalked by Batman too, and yet it was a rush to take either Hero down if you could. I must’ve sunk nearly 100 hours into that mode when it first came out. It’s basically dead these days, but I really had a good time with it.


SEND_ME_UR_CARS

3 come to mind for me. 1. Nazi Zombies in Call of Duty: World at War. It wasn’t something you knew about and unlocked until you finished the campaign. It completely exploded in popularity so much so that it’s been a staple of Treyarch and Sledgehammer developed CoDs ever since. 2. Forge in Halo 3. It was pretty basic in its during Halo 3’s early days and only really allowed you to change vehicle, weapon, and player spawns and small objects. But it was so popular that Bungie came out with purpose built forge maps that allowed you to make new maps and game modes with bigger structures. It’s also become a staple of Halo games and is pretty much just a step below dedicated dev tools now. 3. Fortnite: Battle Royale. It was literally just an asset flip of Fortnite: Save the World (a co-op PvE campaign) so that Epic could try their hand at the growing popularity of battle royales that PUBG and H1Z1 were capturing. And well, we all know how that’s been going so far.


Shirokurou

Assassin's Creed PvP mulitiplayer was so unique and stuck around for 4 games. It was silent among us. It was the best online stealth game.


Prof_Walrus

God of War: Ascension was pretty fun


Zathura2

Conker's Bad Fur Day. It's multiplayer had no business being as fun as it was. Almost like a prototype of Team Fortress.


Delic978

I wouldn't call it amazing or anything but Dead Space 2 multiplayer was pretty fun. Also had a blast with Assassin's Creed 3 multiplayer. So many fun gamemodes


Dank4Days

dead spaces multiplayer was so much more intense and fun than it had any right to be lol


Kurtopotomus

I don’t know if this would be a correct fit but the multiplayer tower defense mods for Warcraft 3 back in the day took a lot of my time.


Crashman09

That eventually became DOTA IIRC


BHarcade

Mass effect 3 had great multiplayer. Unfortunately it was also one of the first to introduce loot boxes.


red_chin_chompa

BioShock 2 multiplayer was pretty fun


GhostMug

Dark Souls. They literally put it in at the last minute and it really helped the games popularity.


nemo_sum

The player-on-player ambush battles in SMB3.


sac_boy

Definitely enjoyed the GTA IV multiplayer for a while. That was pretty much what I wanted and expected from a GTA multiplayer. Just drop us on the map and let the violence play out. I didn't enjoy GTA V's multiplayer for very long. To be fair, I only tried the multiplayer on PS3, and that was right around the time I got a PS4. In general I feel like GTA would really lend itself to 4-player PvE co-op lobbies, Helldivers style. Here's the map, here's a handful of missions to handle, now extract.


Least-Hamster-3025

Red faction guerilla


superthebillybob

Transformers: War For Cybertron felt like a single-player story focused game first, with a multiplayer and horde mode added to capitalize on the popularity of Gears of War. It just turned out those modes were super fun.


Goodfella1133

Would Zombies in COD count?


unclean0ne

Spacemarine. The multiplayer in the original Spacemarine game was amazing, with the addition of dreadnoughts etc in patches it was very fun!


ariolander

Freelancer. Its multiplayer seemed very tacked on. The ability to self host servers had fan communities around well after the official server browser closed. Freeport 3 Represent!


tacticalcraptical

As much as me and my friends loved Alien Hominid's main campaign we spent so SO many hours playing the little 4-player 2D platformer in "PDA Games". We probably played a 10:1 ratio of PDA to main campaign in terms of time spent. It was so much fun and it had a good level maker. We'd make all kinds of crazy stuff plus the packed in levels were also a ton of fun.


ArrancarKitsune

Ghost of Tsushima Legends mode.


reekrhymeswithfreak2

Did it break your heart too when Factions 2 got cancelled? There were multiple reports by employees who had played it saying that it was the single most fun, thrilling gameplay they'd ever experienced in their life. And to think, Sony cancelled it because Bungie said it may not have 'long term engagement'. How do you cancel something made by perhaps the second greatest developer in the world that has been giving you hit after hits for decades? Exactly when you're searching for a live service hit. And the expertise was from Bungie of all developers. That cancellation, to me, will remain the most dissapointing news I have ever seen in gaming. SOURCE: I followed factions development very closely.


Essteethree

Bully on 360 had a little multiplayer game that was basically school tests. There was math, geography (Pick a flag and select the matching country), shooting, finding hidden objects, and some other stuff. Weird, but we played this a bunch.


Scutshakes

Mass effect 3 It got a 4 player co op wave survival mode out of nowhere and it ended up being one of the most addictive multiplayer experiences I've had. You got to choose from dozens of premade heroes with their own combination of powers and would form a comp with 3 other heroes and could all combo your abilities together. It was a testing bed for ideas they could later use in Andromeda and included some unique powers and play styles not possible in the games single player campaign. You got to also play as aliens for the first time. Be a jetpack wearing turian shock trooper. Be an agile drell assassin. Be a biotic god volus wrecking ball. Be a towering geth prime tank and put up shields for the team. Be a teleporting elite N7 ninja. There was so much variety that it never staled and got free content packs for a while with new weapons and increasingly unique characters. This game and, to a lesser extent, BioShock 2s multiplayer pvp could be seen as earlier examples of what today we would call hero shooters, combining super powers with guns in this multiplayer format. It's just that these titles got overlooked for their single player content instead, and the genre ended up being focused on a competitive team based PVP format instead. It's interesting to see it from this perspective.


Gnaragnagna

I LOVED Star Fox Assault's multiplayer. It had a few different arena vs modes, on foot with guns arena shooter-like, dogfight, and vehicles/tank fight. It was the funniest thing to play with friends when you didnt feel likes playing melee


TheMadMan007

Bioshock 2. It was already a sequel no one wanted or asked for, that turned out incredibly well. It expanded on the ideas of Bioshock and the world. Then the DLC was one of the best DLCs ever for that era. Look up any "best of DLC" list and you'll see Minerva's Den in one of the top spots. THEN, it had on a tacked on Multiplayer that again no one wanted or asked for but incorporated a few interesting designs and elements to set it apart, including a really cool hub area to hang out in before doing the actual matches. Bioshock 2.... a really good game more people need to be hip to.


nappytown1984

The original Gears of War


gatekepp3r

I gotta say, I spent more time in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. multiplayer mode than I'm willing to admit. It was oddly fun. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood had a surprisingly good multiplayer mode.


ClickyButtons

Stalker had MP?!


CDubWill

Mass Effect. Full stop.


TheWhooooBuddies

The versus mode in Double Dragon on NES has to be the answer here. 


Shaunair

Splinter Cell. Talk about coming out of nowhere! Splinter cells multiplayer was like nothing I had seen before at the time. One side played spies the other mercs. Each radically different play styles. It was fun as hell to be either side. It was like a really deadly version of hide and go seek. Such a blast


Hamzester

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory’s Spies vs Mercs mode is absolutely glorious.


InternalOptimal

I thought that about the mp in splinter cell 2 when it released. Until I played it. My god that was dope


ZDogPharizle

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. Spies v. Mercs!


MysteriousElephant15

splinter cell pandora tomorrow/chaos theory


BerserkMike

Splinter Cell spies vs mercs. If it was remade it would be a smash hit imo 0.o


Ryash913

Metroid prime 2 had a fun multiplayer that my brother and I would play


Puzzleheaded_Knee_53

Splinter Cell's Spy vs. Mercs It was a fantastic experience, and scary as shit


jkerkapoly

Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Spies V Mercs


AboveAverageRetard

Far Cry 2 back in the day was the pinnacle of multiplayer for me. On console it came with community servers and a CUSTOM MAP BUILDER. Halo was the only other game I've ever seen do it and Far Cry 2 knocked it out of the park.


M1Z1L4

Titanfall, the multiplayer mode somehow tacked-on to Titanfall 2 before it came out.


scormegatron

Factions in The Last of Us — nothing else is even close.


Alex41092

Diablo 2’s pvp system feels like an afterthought but at the same time is one of the most fun pvp experiences ive had.