Horseshit.

Now I will elaborate.

Deathmatch sprang to life in 1993 with the advent of Doom. 4 dudes, each computer plugged into the other with the IPX protocol, shooting each other with BFGs. Fast Forward 15 years, and we have... 16 dudes, each computer plugged into the other with the Internets, shooting each other with Rocket Launchers.

The only thing that has changed is the guns, a flag, and the amount of HDR lighting. I am of the vast, silent majority that has nothing to do with multiplayer, cares not about multiplayer, and wishes that games that tout multiplayer as their selling point would please die in a horrendous fire.

The fact is most gamers simply don't care about multiplayer capabilities of games. Sure, you have this and that many people buying Halo or Unreal and going online. These people are a minority, but they are VERY VOCAL. The power of the internet allows them to spout their aggressions. Folks like me, the majority who are happy to enjoy our single-player lives without the interruption of tourettes-stricken teenagers who have somehow coerced their parents into ignoring them for ridiculous amounts of time while they memorize Zanzibar.

The vocal minority is hurting the creative portion of the industry. For all those man-hours pumped into making sure the net protocols work, everything is synced, and all this cross-network malarky is flawless, they could be crafting a finer, more pronounced single-player experience that would uplift us, challenge us, and, oh I dunno, EVOLVE us.

Bioshock is certainly the champion of my cause. The single player game is stellar, compelling, insightful, and well-rounded. Trying to squish a multi-player aspect into the title would have been tedious and obnoxious and may have cost development time several months and a few coats of polish. It may have caused the mouth-breathing Halo addicts to look up from their drool-covered controllers to try the plasmid that shoots bees or the one that shoots flaming death, but that would confuse them. Sniper Rifle Bro, that's how you go.

I like Halo. It's fine. But Halo's popularity was born from its multiplayer. You yank that aspect out of the game and you would never hear a louder "meh" rise up from the Earth.

Also, Unreal Tournament 3 sucks and is boring as hell. It's a worthless piece of software that should quietly rot in a crypt where I can't smell it. I'd rather play Psychonauts a fourth time. in fact, I'm going to do that right now.