single-player experience

In the 2010s, publishers began adding multiplayer modes to single-player titles to combat the used game market, often resulting in subpar experiences overshadowed by franchises like Call of Duty. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed introduced a multiplayer mode where players tracked and eliminated targets in a stealth-based environment, but the experience was often undermined by chaotic playstyles. BioShock 2's multiplayer mode, set in Rapture, allowed players to use plasmids in FPS battles, but was marred by connectivity issues and was omitted in the 2016 remaster. Mass Effect 3 featured cooperative multiplayer missions that required teamwork and allowed players to embody various alien races, but the necessity to grind multiplayer for 'War Assets' alienated single-player fans. Singularity's multiplayer allowed players to choose between TMD-equipped soldiers and mutated monsters, but the novelty quickly wore off due to limited gameplay options. Honourable mentions include Splinter Cell: The Spies vs Mercs for its asymmetric gameplay, Batman: Arkham Origins for its stealth dynamics, Max Payne 3 for its cinematic feel, Dead Space 2 for its human vs. Necromorph gameplay, Tomb Raider's struggle with competitive mechanics, Spec Ops: The Line's disjointed multiplayer, and Red Faction Guerrilla's effective open-world destruction mechanics.