We usually like to post good news, but something tells me that a lot of fans are going to be disappointed by this information. With all of the awesome things we’ve been seeing about the new TMNT title from Platinum Games, it might come as a shock to discover that this beat ’em up won’t have any local co-op gameplay. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly unexpected, as the recent trend in gaming has been to move away from traditional local multiplayer options toward online multiplayer. Many gamers detest this movement in the industry, but one of the developers has a fairly decent explanation for why this was necessary in their Mutants in Manhattan game:
“We actually really wanted to do local couch co-op, but the problem is if you do, then you have to split the screen, and suddenly your 60FPS situation gets a lot worse, and it also starts limiting, technically, the things you can do, so we had to go with online only.”
If you think about it, this actually does make a lot of sense. In a world where graphics have become so important, it’s not usually considered acceptable to sacrifice the image quality of the game in favor of a gameplay mode that will allow the traditional old school experience. Some will say that they could have just made a 2D animated sidescrolling beat ’em up game, but what if that wasn’t a part of the vision for this title? If Platinum Games wants to make their Mutants in Manhattan game look as good as possible, they should be able to take that route without fear of repercussion from fans who desire something a little different.
To be fair, I can understand the frustration over a lack of local co-op gameplay, but I don’t think it’ll be that much of an issue when it comes to the Mutants in Manhattan game. Yes, it would be nice to play a new TMNT game with traditional couch multiplayer, but it’s not necessarily a deal breaker if the title doesn’t include this feature. Those are just my two cents on the matter, but I’m sure that the fans will chime in with their own opinions as well. What do you think? Should Mutants in Manhattan have local co-op, or is online multiplayer just as good? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments below or via facebook/twitter.