History Main / MisbegottenMultiplayerMode

There are video games designed primarily or exclusively for two or more players, ranging from CoOpMultiplayer to CompetitiveMultiplayer. Many video games, however, are really designed for a single player, and become painful with more than one player; other games may merely treat their multiplayer mode as nothing more than an afterthought (that sometimes exist only because [[ExecutiveMeddling the developers were forced to add it in]]).

* While ''VideoGame/Tetris99'' is built around online battles with up to 98 opponents, the local multiplayer modes leave something to be desired. 2P Share Battle allows two players to play on the same device...but the two players' playfields are arranged ''vertically'' rather than the traditional horizontal arrangement, and since ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' playfields have a 1:2 aspect ratio, this means each player's share of the screen will be quite small. Local Arena allows up to 8 players to play via local wireless connection, and here at least each player has a full-sized playfield. Both modes still add CPU opponents to have 99 entrants, so you can't have a local multiplayer match that's just between you and other humans.

* While ''VideoGame/Tetris99'' is built around online battles with up to 98 opponents, the local multiplayer modes leave something to be desired. 2P Share Battle allows two players to play on the same device...but the two players' playfields are arranged ''vertically'', and since ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' playfields have a roughly 1:2 aspect ratio, this means each player's share of the screen will be ''quite'' small. Local Arena allows up to 8 players to play via local wireless connection, and here at least each player has a full-sized playfield. Both modes still add CPU opponents to have 99 entrants, so you can't have a local multiplayer match that's just between you and other humans.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' was designed primarily for 2-player co-op... except the last chapter starring Ada that was originally meant for one player. Responding to consumer complaints, Capcom patched in a barebones second player, an unnamed, generic agent that can't open chests or doors yet can somehow [[SpecialEffectFailure warp directly to where Ada is after she uses her grappling hook]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* Tom Clancy's ''VideoGame/GhostRecon'' was a decidedly difficult and engrossing game in single-player, due to the fact that bullets kill, and you want to keep your teammates alive for future missions. Good tactical placement of each member in the squad (to cover each other and lay down suppressing fire) is paramount, and stealth movement is therefore also very important. Of course, in Co-Op multiplayer mode, coordinating a surgical offensive is far more difficult, but is really pointless because unless all players are rubbish they can often work alone, killing enemies by the dozens whenever they spot them. It really takes the fun out of the game, and even placing hundreds of bots on the map doesn't really change anything.

* ''Videogame/{{STALKER}}'''s multiplayer was passable, but very so different from the single player (WideOpenSandbox singleplayer horror, run-and-gun arena multiplayer). A large amount of technical issues made many players consider ''STALKER'' to be an effectively singleplayer game; It required ''nine'' ports to be forwarded to play online, effectively every server was located in Russia or Ukraine with insane ping for NA players, the game had an average-at-best netcode, and the initial ObviousBeta of the first two games causing players to crash left-and-right. The {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} release of the game running "up-to-date" on an old patch certainly didn't help.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' has a multiplayer mode in the original [=PS2=] version that isn't really fleshed out. The camera tries to keep both players in view and if they get too far apart, the camera zooms out and makes it hard to keep track who is where. Weapons that are only used in first person view like sniper rifles and rocket launchers can't be used since the camera switch would make the other player not visible. Co-op mode only allows either rampages or free roaming and the second player can't be used to assist player one in the story missions. Lastly, if either player dies, both are forced to respawn. The mode was outright removed in later ports and rereleases. The fan-made ''Multi Theft Auto'', on the other hand, is much better received.

* The developers of ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' themselves despised the [[ExecutiveMeddling publisher-mandated]] multiplayer mode, calling it a tumor hanging off the game. Where the main game is ''Literature/HeartOfDarkness'' in [[SceneryGorn the ruins of Dubai]], the multiplayer is an uninspired, generic collection of modes with little playtesting or thought put into it - it crashes constantly, you can kill people in less than a second, before they have a chance to realize they're being shot, ''and'' there's a hardcore mode that removes all HUD elements... [[DidntThinkThisThrough in a third person shooter where HUD elements are the only way to aim guns that are not sniper rifles]]. They themselves played no part in its development: it was outsourced to another studio altogether. Considering the game's nature as a deconstruction of modern military shooter games, it's justified that the multiplayer would be like that.

[[folder:Third-Person Shooter]]

* The Arcade mode of ''VideoGame/FinalFightStreetwise'' is the game's only multiplayer mode, and "rough" is an understatement for its polish level. There are only four levels, enemy spawns are geared for two players so playing solo means dealing with huge mobs that surround you, there are only three lives and no continues to be had, food spawns are insufficient for two players, there's no lock-on and CameraScrew is in full effect. And to top it off, beating the whole thing yields no reward whatsoever, not even an "AWinnerIsYou" congratulations screen.

* In the FanWork ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'', you could battle it out with two players... but [[CameraScrew the camera always follows the first player]], ignoring the second. [[VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash2 Its sequel]] fixes this issue, making its multiplayer infinitely more playable.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' takes all the problems that the ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' games had for its multiplayer and adds even more issues. Along with sharing lives between players, power-ups that one player can steal from the rest of the group, CameraScrew, and bouncing off of each other, ''3D World'' also maps many of the context sensitive actions to a single button. This means that if you decide to press the button to run and you're next to another player, you'll wind up grabbing them instead.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria''. Armatization fuses two characters into a single far more powerful one... leaving whoever was controlling the second character sitting there twiddling their thumbs. The pairs that can fuse are always slots 1 & 2, and 3 & 4... so if you have only two players and want to work around the issue by having the second player control the other pair, they need to have controller ''3''. Worse, the already [[CameraScrew abysmal camera]] seems to get further confused by multiple players being present.

** The original version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' for the {{UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}} allowed you to play in two player mode, which just meant that the second player could control a few of the characters in battle. If they happened to be bitter about being made second player, this person could, instead of attacking the monsters during battle, kill the characters assigned to first player, allowing them to take over control.

** ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'' features a multiplayer mode where players could create and share contracts with each other. The gist of it that the player could load any of the missions found in the game and set new objectives. They could mark up to three random [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] found in the level as targets, kill them and then leave via an escape route of their choice. After that the contract could be uploaded and other players could replay it for a better score. The mode was eventually shut down in 2018 as developer Creator/IOInteractive parted ways with publisher Creator/SquareEnix, and the entire weapon and disguise collection aspect of ''Absolution'' and a few achievements/trophies are completely unobtainable now.
** ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' features "Ghost Mode", a competitive multiplayer mode where two players raced to see who can kill the most targets without being spotted on two maps. The unpopularity of the mode eventually led to the servers being shut down, and is outright ommitted in ''VideoGame/Hitman3''.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' has a multiplayer mode in the original [=PS2=] version that isn't really fleshed out. The camera tries to keep both players in view and if they get too far apart, the camera zooms out and makes it hard to keep track who is where. Weapons that are only used in first person view like sniper rifles and rocket launchers can't be used since the camera switch would make the other player not visible. Co-op mode only allows either rampages or free roaming and the second player can't be used to assist player one in the story missions. Lastly, if either player dies, both are forced to respawn. The mode was outright removed in later portts and rereleases. The fan-made ''Multi Theft Auto'', on the other hand, is much better received.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' has a fairly odd one: It was a 3v3v2 game, the 2 being Batman and Robin, and the 3s being Joker and Bane's gangs. The Gangs play like an ordinary 3rd Person Shooter, and the Heroes play like, well, a Batman Arkham Game. The result wasn't bad, exactly, but it ''was'' mostly forgotten shortly after the game's release. The mode was taken offline shortly after due to the lack of interest.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' is solid proof that Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad. Even though most never realized it, the multiplayer mode in this game checks off all the criteria -- it was thrown in at the last minute without Nintendo or even higher-ups at Rare knowing, and almost didn't even make it into the final product until they relented and agreed it wasn't worth the trouble of removing it considering how late the game already was. It would wind up becoming one of the most beloved features of the game and proved the viability of multiplayer in a first-person shooter on consoles. Only on closer inspection do the signs become more obvious: the multiplayer wasn't advertised anywhere on the box aside from the obligatory player count specification; the stages are lifted straight from the single player mode, which were clearly not designed to be deathmatch arenas; while there are a number of customization options, it's fairly lacking in depth compared to a game that would have made it a priority; and it has a handful of ideas that probably sounded neat but which just [[GameBreaker break the game]], such as [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Oddjob]] being playable despite him being so short the game does not allow you to shoot him with free-aimed shots.

* The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' games, from ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood]]'' to ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'', feature competitive multiplayer modes where the player, as a Templar training in the Animus, uses a variety of avatars to kill targets while escaping pursuers. The mode, while not outright unpopular, was largely neglected by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} and eventually disappeared from the series. [[UpdatedRerelease Remasters]] of the games for newer consoles outright removed the multiplayer modes.

** ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'' features a multiplayer mode where players could create and share contracts with each other. The gist of it that the player could load any of the missions found in the game and set new objectives. They could mark up to three random [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] found in the level as targets, kill them and then leave via an escape route of their choice. After that the contract could be uploaded and other players could replay it for a better score. The mode was eventually shut down in 2018 as developer Creator/IOInteractive parted ways with publisher Creator/SquareEnix, and the entire weapon and disguse collection aspect of ''Absolution'' and a few achievements/trophies are completely unobtainable now.

* The original version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' for the {{UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem}} allowed you to play in two player mode, which just meant that the second player could control a few of the characters in battle. If they happened to be bitter about being made second player, this person could, instead of attacking the monsters during battle, kill the characters assigned to first player, allowing them to take over control.

[[folder:Simulation]]

* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' and ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable feature a multiplayer mode, where players competed to see who can finish single player missions the fastest, or collect the most treasures within a time limit.
** ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' has a multiplayer mode, arena-style, as part of its chasing after then-current trends design philosophy. It has absolutely zero bearing with the game and as most such examples, was tacked [[ExecutiveMeddling on the demand of execs]]. Unsurprisingly, the gunplay is just flat-out terrible, since the base game was never designed for two human-controlled characters trying to shoot each other and the whole mode was panned by both critics and playerbase. Despite that and to make things even weirder, [[VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider both]] [[VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider sequels]] have ever-increasing online mode, with leveling, card system and timed challenges, while keeping all the original issues.

* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' has a multiplayer mode, arena-style, as part of its chasing after then-current trends design philosophy. It has absolutely zero bearing with the game and as most such examples, was tacked [[ExecutiveMeddling on the demand of execs]]. Unsurprisingly, the gunplay is just flat-out terrible, since the base game was never designed for two human-controlled characters trying to shoot each other and the whole mode was panned by both critics and playerbase. Despite that and to make things even weirder, [[VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider both]] [[VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider sequels]] have ever-increasing online mode, with leveling, card system and timed challenges, while keeping all the original issues.

* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'' on [=PS3=] and Xbox 360 has a multiplayer mode where players control the Ghostbusters in either defending ghost disrupters while they charge, or capturing ghosts in a set time limit. It was quickly taken offline due to lack of interest, and was outright removed in the PC port and 2019 remasters.

* The multiplayer modes in ''VideoGame/{{Painkiller}}'' are considered by some to be an afterthought, shoehorned on top of the single-player mode by the publishers' demand...but that didn't stop the Cyberathlete Professional League from choosing ''Painkiller'' as their official 2005 World Tour game. Subverted by the Lite Edition, which only contains the multiplayer mode.
* The UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable version of the ''[[VideoGame/PeterJacksonsKingKong Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie]]'' added a [=WiFi=] multiplayer mode: Both of you played the same level in single-player, and the person who completed it fastest "won".

* The 2009 ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein|2009}}''. While [[VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein the previous entry in its series]] was known for its excellent multiplayer, the new game managed to completely ignore the majority (if not all) of the innovations RTCW brought. No wonder, just about every fan of RTCW's/''Enemy Territory's'' multiplayer consider the 2009 game to be a complete joke in this regard. Heck, the team responsible for the multiplayer component getting fired on release speaks volumes. [[VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder The next game in the series]] got rid of multiplayer entirely. It didn't help that it had graphics downgraded compared to the single-player version.

* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock 2}}'' had multiplayer that was [[SoOkayItsAverage passable]] unlike some of the examples here, but was still an incredibly obvious afterthought. This was a strange decision for a sequel to a ''very'' successful game lauded for being a first-rate single player experience. Predictably, it was largely ignored by most players. When [[WordOfGod Ken Levine]] confirmed what many suspected, ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' will have no multiplayer, the fans rejoiced. What's weird is that Levine's team commissioned at least one magazine article actually bragging about how much time the writers spent on ''[=BioShock=] 2'''s multiplayer mode, trying to fit the multiplayer mode into the ''[=BioShock=]'' canon as a little snapshot of how Rapture went to hell. Tellingly, the ''[=BioShock 2=]'' Multiplayer wasn't even included in the remastered ''[=BioShock=]: The Collection''.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' includes a lackluster competitive multiplayer mode. Up to four players can play as {{Palette Swap}}ped Samuses (the cool-looking armor upgrades from the main game aren't available even as skins) in a few standard split-screen modes (deathmatch, capture-the-flag, etc.) on some unimaginative maps. There are a few [[MultiplayerOnlyItem Multiplayer-Only Items]]. It was seemingly thrown in just because multiplayer was big in [=FPSs=] at the time (thanks to ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''), even though ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games are all about exploration and puzzle-solving no matter what the player's viewpoint is. An [[https://shinesparkers.net/interviews/jack-mathews/ interview]] with the developer said the multiplayer was originally planned to be much bigger with unique playable characters, but it got cut in favor of focusing on single player. The developer says in the final game, multiplayer probably should've been cut.
** In a [[InvertedTrope reverse case,]] ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' added a much more popular and developed multiplayer mode, but at the expense of a criticized single-player mode. The next installments, ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Corruption]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM Other M]]'', return to single-player only.
* Inverted in the original ''Videogame/{{Tribes}}'' and its sequel, where the "singleplayer" mode was little more than a glorified JustifiedTutorial that could be blasted through in under two hours. Instant Action would give you a singleplayer battle with bots that were usually [[ArtificialBrilliance pretty competent]] but [[ArtificialStupidity couldn't use the game's]] AscendedGlitch, 'skiing', that the whole series was built on. ''Videogame/TribesVengeance'' has both a proper singleplayer and multiplayer, though ''Tribes Ascend'' drops singleplayer entirely.
* Also inverted in ''Videogame/{{Titanfall}}'', which was designed to be a multiplayer game first. The singleplayer 'campaign' is essentially a short lineup of AI skirmish battles with an ExcusePlot to tie them together. ''VideoGame/Titanfall2'' had a critically-acclaimed single-player campaign while also expanding on the multiplayer, averting this entirely.
* ''Videogame/TheDarkness'' includes a tacked-on selection of multiplayer modes, featuring the ability to shapeshift into a wall-crawling Darkling at will ([[MultiplayerOnlyItem which isn't present in singleplayer]]). However, the game types are uninteresting and the maps are a visually-boring assortment of tight corridors, which fail to take advantage of the Darkling's superior speed and agility.
* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'', in singleplayer, is a dark, horror-themed shooter with BulletTime mechanics, incredible enemy AI, and a lot of supernatural nasties to deal with. ''First Encounter Assault Recon'' multiplayer is about as generic as you could get for 2005, taking singleplayer levels and dropping player spawns in for them to shoot each other over and over in with none of the various other good things about the game. Later games put progressively more effort into making the multiplayer worthwhile, so far as to have the third game be designed for co-op play, but it's still telling that ''Project Origin''[='=] multiplayer had already been abandoned entirely several years ''before'' it actually went offline with [=GameSpy's=] demise.
* Despite the single player being fine bar a few minor glitches, split-screen co-op on ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' is borderline unplayable on Xbox One & UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, suffering from severe framerate drops, sub-par graphics (even when compared to the second games' co-op mode) and audio glitches, simple tasks like opening the menu causing the game to freeze and stutter, notifications completely obscuring the view for the player in the top half of the screen, plus [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking no option to play with vertical split-screen for those that prefer it.]] This is especially jarring as the Borderlands franchise has always championed co-op play as a selling point rather than tacking it on as an afterthought.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' is solid proof that Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad. Even though most never realized it, the multiplayer mode in this game checks off all the criteria -- it was thrown in at the last minute without Nintendo or even higher-ups at Rare knowing, and almost didn't even make it into the final product until they relented and agreed it wasn't worth the trouble of removing it considering how late the game already was. It would wind up becoming one of the most beloved features of the game and proved the viability of multiplayer in a first-person shooter on consoles. Only on closer inspection do the signs become more obvious: the multiplayer wasn't advertised anywhere on the box aside from the obligatory player count specification; the stages are lifted straight from the single player mode, which were clearly not designed to be deathmatch arenas; while there are a number of customization options, it's fairly lacking in depth compared to a game that would have made it a priority; and it has a handful of ideas that probably sounded neat but which just [[GameBreaker break the game]], such as [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Oddjob]] being playable despite him being so short the game does not allow you to shoot him with free-aimed shots.

* ''{{VideoGame/Gauntlet}}'' is a classic arcade game meant to be played with two people, and its sequel with four. The PC port can also be played with four people, if they can somehow all fit at ''a single keyboard''.

* The Wii U and Switch versions of ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' feature a very basic splitscreen multiplayer mode, allowing a second player to join in Adventure Mode missions. The multiplayer mode is serviceable but often suffers from performance issues, particularly the Switch version when in handheld mode. Capturing keeps also tends to take a lot longer, as fewer enemies can spawn at once due to the game having to render two areas of the map at once. This means that having more allies and fewer enemies actually makes many missions ''harder'' to win! The more common reason to play in multiplayer is that the second player isn't bound by the [[RequiredPartyMember character restrictions]] that many missions enforce on Player One, allowing single players to get around being forced to play as a character they don't like by connecting a second controller and just leaving the first character parked in the Allied Base for the entire mission.

* ''VideoGame/DuckHunt:'' A little known fact about the game is that a second player can use the controller to control how the ducks move. The second player can use this to make the game easier or harder. If your friend decides to be a dick, good luck.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' and ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis are an odd case. They have competitive multiplayer modes, which are fine, but you can also have 2 players in single-player mode. Player 1 controls Sonic, while Player 2 controls Tails... but if Tails goes offscreen, which happens often, you have to wait until he flies back onscreen and lands. If Tails dies, he comes back the same as if he goes offscreen, but if Sonic dies, both players go back to the last checkpoint. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. On the other hand, if you can get someone to play with you during the Special Stages, getting the Chaos Emeralds becomes much easier. The Special Stages work much better with multiple players than the acts do. It's also possible for a second player to control Tails in the stages of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' where he follows Sonic; this cannot be done through Stage Select.
** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' bought back this feature (except in the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} version for some reason) where a second player can control the helper characters (minus Black Doom, Eggman, and oddly, Charmy). Not very useful in "get to the goal" missions for the same reasons mentioned above in ''Sonic 2'' and ''3''. However, instead of having to wait for the helper to re-appear if he/she falls off camera, this game now has the option to call him/her back to your side with a simple tap on the D-Pad, which makes it actually worth it in alternate missions like "collect X rings" or "kill X enemies". For added hilarity, you can use characters in their opposite missions: have fun using Sonic to beat GUN soldiers and then have him complain on Shadow.
** The Sonic Simulator in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' for the Wii came with a 2 Player Mode, allowing another player to play as another Sonic or a Mii and help out. This came with a couple glaring issues, including the ability to target your ally with a Homing Attack and stun him/her, the camera only focusing on the player in the lead (and ''killing the other player if they go too far offscreen''), and giving an instant GameOver if both players die at once, regardless of lives remaining. 1.5 Players mode keeps all of these issues but lightens the frustration by allowing Player 2 to drop in/drop out and have unlimited lives.
* ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'':
** Lampshaded by Cranky in the manual for ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', which has a quite barebones multiplayer mode that serves as nothing more than a fun distraction.
** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' and ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze Tropical Freeze]]'' have a co-op mode which seems to benefit gameplay as both Kongs can move separately AND tag along to use the single-player version moves. However, due to the NintendoHard difficulty and that, unlike the ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' sub-series, players share lives, it can become a hindrance.

* ''VideoGame/LoveLiveSchoolIdolFestival'' has the occasional Score Match event. In a Score Match, up to four players (with CPU players filling in empty spaces if there are any when matchmaking ends) play a song together and earn event points based on their standing at the end. Unfortunately, there are two issues with this. First, you cannot see your opponents' scores until the end of the song, so matches feel more like lotteries. Second, ''LLSIF'' is a game where the cards you put into your formation influence your score alongside with your in-song performance; you can play the song perfectly and still lose out to someone who doesn't but has better cards than you, or worse come in last place, making you feel like you may as well have goofed off completely. It's rather telling that the next idol rhythm game Bushiroad would publish, ''VideoGame/BangDreamGirlsBandParty'' instead uses CoOpMultiplayer.
* ''VideoGame/{{GITADORA}}'' typically averts this trope, being a pair of music games, ''[=GuitarFreaks=]'' and ''drummania'', that are designed to be linked to each other so that up to three players can play as a simulated band. However, this trope comes into play with the two versions of the games that allow linking up with ''Keyboardmania'', as a three-game Session Play limits the songlist to about 10 songs.

* The original version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' for the {{UsefulNotes/SNES}} allowed you to play in two player mode, which just meant that the second player could control a few of the characters in battle. If they happened to be bitter about being made second player, this person could, instead of attacking the monsters during battle, kill the characters assigned to first player, allowing them to take over control.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' also allowed to give control of some characters to player 2.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' did it too, probably as a throwback.

* Troika, the makers of ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'', were [[ExecutiveMeddling forced to include a multiplayer mode by Sierra]]. [[WriterRevolt They promptly hacked out a single module and an almost completely unplayable interface]], which was promptly laughed at by the fan community.

* Believe it or not, but the early Infinity Engine video games (''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'') were all geared towards multiplayer as a legacy of their prototype, ''Battleground Infinity''. Although the multiplayer modes in those games were quite sound, they have been completely overshadowed by the single-player campaigns, so very few actually remember them nowadays. The multiplayer mode for ''Baldur's Gate'' is still mentioned in some guides, walkthroughs, etc.: it is possible to use it to have an all-player created party without actually being multiplayer. In fact, the Multi-player feature is incredibly useful...in single-player! Because of the ability to freely import and export characters in multiplayer, players can form their own parties that aren't constrained to the sometimes underwhelming {{NPC}}s, as mentioned, even the main character can freely be swapped in and out without restriction. Saved games can be set up to certain locations of the game that allow different characters to try them quickly, and of course exploits can be done to make uber characters.
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' was also designed to be a multiplayer game. Then they learned finding teammates was impossible, and people really liked Story-Driven Single-Player {{Role Playing Game}}s anyway. Hence the expansion packs and sequel added more story and more optional party members.
* ''Videogame/DeusEx'' is a very open-ended first person FPS/RPG with an emphasis on its [[AllMythsAreTrue story]]. The multiplayer, however, is essentially a bunnyhopping arena shooter similar to ''Videogame/{{Quake}}'', though not quite as fast paced.

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIITheDrownedCity'' allows up to five players to fight some {{Superboss}}es. However, you can only dispatch and control one character from your guild, and if you don't have a full five-person party you'll have to use variants of the boss fights that add [=NPCs=] to your party, who can be liable to cripple your party with ArtificialStupidity, or make do with an incomplete party if you don't want CPU teammates.
* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Pokémon [=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]]]'' has multiplayer mini-games on the new bonus islands. Most people have never even played them because they can only be played with two human players, and since the Game Boy Advance didn't have wireless functionality built in, you needed two copies of the game, two [=GBAs=], two wireless adaptors, and have the requisite Pokémon (Pikachu or Dodrio) in both players' parties to boot. Jump through all these hoops and all you get are two sub-''VideoGame/MarioParty'' button-tapping games with static sprites. The fact that you need to get an exorbitantly high score (200 points when points are given to you one at a time) in ''both'' games to get a star on your trainer card is a big reason why most trainers don't consider the stars to be worth it in the first place.

* ''VideoGame/DeadRising2: Off the Record'' had an odd co-operative mode. It wasn't actively hateful, but it required co-operation in a game that really didn't encourage such behavior. Players would quickly diverge in order to get more weapons and zombie packs for themselves, and would frequently curse whenever the other player was too far away to have seen the cool thing they just did (in a game that is all about killing things in crazy and imaginative ways). [[TimedMission The missions were also timed]], which mixed poorly with the requirement for player consensus in order to move between the different areas.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' "shipped" with a free multiplayer component called ''Re:Verse'', similarly to how ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake'' include ''Resistance''. The reason "shipped" is in quotes is because that mode, a PVP fragfest, was initially only available as a limited-time beta, and then postponed indefinitely while Capcom continued to tinker with it. When it finally became publically available in the tail end of October 2022 -- nearly ''two years'' since its announcement -- very little had actually changed from the beta besides the addition of a [[RewardsPass battle pass]]. After the aforementioned ''Resistance'' had brought some decent cooperative gameplay to the table (albeit nothing as full-fledged as ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak'', what with ''Resistance'' being an AsymmetricMultiplayer game), fans were dismayed that ''Re:Verse'' went right back for the PVP angle that Capcom had been chasing after with titles such as ''VideoGame/UmbrellaCorps''.

* ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy'' is primarily a first person shooter with PsychicPowers. It has a [=CoOp=] mode that allows Player 1 to steer and shoot the weapons, and Player 2 to control the psychic powers. Unless both players are on the same page on what to do, things can get very... strange. Considering the dev team had so much trouble assigning buttons they couldn't find a way to fit in rolling or dodging (and thus both are absent from the game), this would be an ideal solution to games with lots of powers... if you had four arms or really good teamwork with player two (but lets be honest, the first is likelier). One game along these lines was the original ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' on the SNES, in which one player did the steering and the other aimed the turret.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' has a multiplayer mode that isn't really fleshed out. The camera tries to keep both players in view and if they get too far apart, the camera zooms out and makes it hard to keep track who is where. Weapons that are only used in first person view like sniper rifles and rocket launchers can't be used since the camera switch would make the other player not visible. Co-op mode only allows either rampages or free roaming and the second player can't be used to assist player one in the story missions. Lastly, if either player dies, both are forced to respawn.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' had a fairly odd one: It was a 3v3v2 game, the 2 being Batman and Robin, and the 3s being Joker and Bane's gangs. The Gangs play like an ordinary 3rd Person Shooter, and the Heroes play like, well, a Batman Arkham Game. The result wasn't bad, exactly, but it ''was'' mostly forgotten shortly after the game's release.

** ''VideoGame/UruAgesBeyondMyst'' tried this, in MMO format. Now the game is free to play.
** According to lore, after Space Quest 6, Sierra was trying to develop Space Quest 7 into a multiplayer game, multiplayer being the next big thing in the late 90s.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanForever'' is already a game that's SoOkayItsAverage at best, but the levels are clearly not designed for co-operative play, given that awkward clipping starts to occur in an attempt to keep both characters on the screen, and some platforms are just above the top of the screen but which have to be accessed with the grappling hook in order to proceed; with two players, this requires ungodly co-ordination, otherwise the clipping will cause one or both players to fall. Also, the duel mode is meant to be reminiscent of ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', but the Riddler Thug is grossly overpowered and there's no differentiation between players using the same character, which is baffling considering the enemies ''do'' have palette swaps in the main game.

* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' for UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} has a head-to-head mode that is regarded as this by many people, though others will argue that this mode is actually a very deep and intense battle of the wits and people are mainly disappointed that they can only play as recolored clones of Little Mac as opposed to popular characters like King Hippo or Super Macho Man.
* The Versus Mode in the first ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' is more of a novelty than a serious component of the game. The characters beside Robert and Ryo were clearly not designed with player usage in mind, being wildly unbalanced, having odd properties (Ryuhaku Todoh only has one special move, Mr. Big can't jump) and no desperation moves (something fixed in the SNES port of the game).

** With three or four players, the game goes straight back into this trope. To compensate for three or even four players being able to get a lot more done in a very short time, [[FakeDifficulty the money goals to get 1, 2, or 3 stars are greatly increased.]] It seems fair on paper, since the game would otherwise be too easy, but [[FakeBalance the increased goals actually make some levels even more difficult than with two players.]] In fact, Level 6-3 is very close to impossible (if not ''outright impossible)'' with three or more players.

--> '''[[https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131767/secrets_of_the_sages_level_design.php Tim Willits]]:''' Making a map great for both DM and SP is a very difficult task. Usually if it's great for DM it'll be too circular for SP, and if it's a fun SP map it's usually too straight for DM.