Do You Prefer Playing Multiplayer Games Locally or Over the Internet?

[Pilot_51]

Local is obviously better if you like hanging out with friends and doing more with them than just gaming and chatting, it also has the advantage of almost 0 latency.
The downside is that it often requires a good amount of setting up, especially when dealing with PCs and lots of friends that need to bring some of their equipment.
In my case, I play weekly over LAN with my 3 siblings, usually Unreal Tournament 2004 on PC, but for the most part we're in separate rooms and we use voice chat.

However, technology is getting better all the time and voice chat quality is to the point where your friends sound almost like they're in the same room with you, and you could use webcams to see the reactions of your friends much like you would if they were in the same room. The only thing really missing is the physical bit, which might actually be an advantage depending on the kind of friends you have.

I do most of my gaming online because there are always people to play with and the potential for many more friends. Some of my best online friends I talk with (via voice and sometimes webcam) for a few hours every day and play a good variety of games. Unfortunately almost all of my local friends aren't into PC gaming much, mostly consoles or nothing, so unless I acquire some local friends that are into PC gaming I'm mostly stuck with my siblings and online friends to get my social gaming fix.

[ojdon]

Well if it's a co-op campaign with my little brother or friends then it would have to be local. But if it's a mass team then it would be best over the internet since we can't cram all of us in one room. :P

[kjetil1991]

internet! more people to play with =)

[bumfacekilla]

Locally! There's nothing like being able to give your rival a dead arm after he red-shells you inches from the finish line on Mario Kart!

[newb_fo_life]

I must say lan's at my house are the funnest thing ever,one time we had 10 people over from my brothers clan and they all brought their pc's and we played cod4 zombies xD

But you cant have lans every day but multiplayer online is a substitute

[irishwhip]

4 player goldeneye with good friends, or
halo 3 with a bunch of random 12 year olds who call you a ****** or a jew at every opportunity.
i know what i prefer.

[Hypershell]

Local, for sure, although that probably has a lot to do with my focus on Nintendo consoles (it took that good ol' U.S. Economic Stimulus for me to even nab my own PS2, needless to say I lack a PS3 or 360). They love to F*@#! up with online. I'm trying to imagine what besides the DS Pokemon games has come close to getting it right. Mario Kart Wii has great random play, but Friend play fails on all Wii games due to those damn game-specific codes. I get that Nintendo isn't going to let people chat with strangers for fear of soccer mom backlash, but there's no excuse for not tying Friends to Console Codes.

The only advantage to online play is that everyone has their own screen, and that advantage applies only to home consoles since everyone has their own on handhelds anyway. I like to play with friends over a long distance, but it has yet to feel truly connected.

Of course, many of the best local multiplayer games are those that don't require a split screen in the first place. Smash Bros., Contra, and TMNT4: Turtles In Time. My only big split-screen multiplayer games are Mario Kart and Star Wars Rebel Strike.

[dejkirkby]

Local is definitely better as you can whoop the $#@! out of your mates (on the games)!
Although I must say it's fun making Baboon and Mr_Nick666 cry by decimating them on Mario Kart Wii!!!!

[lumo]

local without a doubt - its just disappointing that most games on 360 nowadays dont even think about splitscreen play or make it really badly, the last good 4 player shooter was timesplitters 2, great weapons crazy characters and actual bots for local play so you and 3 mates can destroy a team of 8 other players. COD 4 was amazing but only a basic splitscreen mode and no functions for bots or to take 4 players online like 3, pure is a great game perfectly designed for splitscreen play, but not implemented. the only games that work locally anymore are rock band/GH, pro evo/fifa and mario kart and smash bros on wii - if anyone has found a decent shooter for 360 for local play let me know.

[blaz3d]

wragg i play worms on live with friends and find it just as fun as when im playing with them round my house. id like to kill your worms sumtime!