I was super excited for Hunted: The Demon's Forge as the idea seemed really awesome to me, but what I was even more excited to be able to play with a friend on my couch, since this is a game where you play the entire campaign with two people. So I was shocked when I found out that this game will not have any split-screen, when it would be the perfect game for it. So what is up Bethesda? Does anyone else think this game would be benefit from split-screen.

Not really, split screen annoys me. I like playing Xbox live better. It's hard playing a game on half a screen for me, my TV isn't some 40" monster or anything lol

I don't like split screen.

Probably won't get this until I can snag it at a low price then. Split screen isn't always needed, I mean for a hack n slash why not just have both characters on 1 screen? Worked for games like LOTR return of the king which was similar in a way, and really I had the most fun out of that game due to being able to play it with a buddy on the ps2 without online, probably would not have played it so much otherwise. Shame.

Well, that's something I wasn't expecting lol. I haven't been following this game much so I just kinda assumed I could play with people on the same X-Box. Hell , Halo had split-screen and this game looks like it's MEANT to be played with another person. How could it NOT have the option?

Co-Op splitscreen isn't a case of having a huge TV, it's about interacting with your friends while they're there. Recently - And for a very strange reason, game developers have gone away from putting in "On-The-Couch" splitscreen for better visual effects/physics. I love Co-Op games, whether it's LAN, online or when my friends are in the same room. For a game such as Hunted, to not have "on the couch" co-op is going to be a big disapointment. Family members wont be able to play together unless they're on seperate consoles, friends wont be able to come over for the night, play a bloody action game and have a few laughs. It's really, very disapointing.

The game itself is currently in Alpha, but unless they decide to add On-The-Couch splitscreen now, I can't see it happening. =/ And that's a big shame, the old hack and slash PC games had LAN capability and that is what made them so exciting and genius. One can only hope it changes.

Edit: Might I also point out, that On The Couch is free compared to Xbox Live, making it something students and young advlts would much prefer because not everyone can afford to pay for Xbox Live.

Xbox live is like $50 a year. That's like working a half day at McDonald's and never working again lol.

Personally, I haven't had friends over (especially to stay over) since like middle school. I can talk just as well with a head-set. Just my opinion anyway.

Golden Axe had a great couch co-op system, but that's because the game was very linear (you have to beat all the enemies in one area before you can proceed).

I don't suppose there's something like PC dual-monitor support for the consoles? Wouldn't that be awesome: you get one TV, your buddy gets the other, and you play the same game on the couch. Assuming you have a second TV...

Still, the game would need to be highly contrived to keep both characters on one screen, especially since we are in the 3D age now (not 2D) with player controlled cameras.

Possible solution: single screen when both characters are in the same area, but split screen when the characters are out of each other's field of view.

In the end, I don't know if even that would work - insofar as not making the game feel restrictive and detracting from the single-player experience.

The devs should at least allow LAN-style gameplay, without players needing to depend on servers for local multiplayer. Example: PS2 Sony Online is dead, so I can't play Champions of Norrath "online."

Prefer split-screen to both characters on the same screen, personally. There'd better be on-the-couch co-op, though. Forget inviting people over - I just want to be able to play with my wife.

Since this game is co-op centric I don't see any logic behind not including split-screen. I already have Xbox Live by the way, I just prefer to do coop split screen with a friend. If this really is the case then I won't be purchasing this as none of my friends are going to, and I could have played with them anyway with split screen.

That's... wait... you mean you really haven't had friends come over to just hang since middle school???


To be honest, I find it great fun whenever I'm home on break to go to the local video rental store and grab a game with a friend and spend all night (and most of the morning) trying to beat it. It's a hell of a lot more fun than playing with some random stranger over the internet (not that that can't be fun either, I just prefer the real world sometimes ).

seriously,no split-screen?!?!?

That's madness!

I saw all the videos,I was super excited "Oh yeah this is a huge game,maybe I could convince my girlfriend to play a good game with me I'm annoying playing easy games and all those things for Nintendo Wii."

BUT NO.....no split screen

I don't think Bethesda will miss my 69,90€.....but I'm not gonna buying it

With sadness,from Italy

Why would you require split screen? from the gameplay videos I saw (from E3), it looked pretty fluid, with the two controlled characters able to work closely or apart from each other. I can't see how split screen would really matter in this case. :shrug:

To play together with friends?

I'm starting hating this online-oriented games.

Yeah same here, though my fiance rather than wife. Finding games we can both play snuggled on the couch has been a real chore lately. We'll buy anything if it has on the couch co-op, but it seems like everyone wants you to have two consoles, two games, and two online accounts lately. :/ Either that, or the co-op is just, fight boss battles together - after you've beaten the game!! I don't want to fight boss battles after I've already done it, I want to actually play the game with my spouse.

I was all excited for this game, from the articles I read on it it seemed like it was going to be cool, and co-op. But does it really not have on the couch co-op??

I've always wanted to get my friend into playing what few split-screen co-op games there are on the Xbox 360, but whenever I ask him if he wants to come over and play, he always says "Well why don't we just use Live?"

Makes me angry. That's not the point! It's the immediacy of the other person you're playing with being right there, so if they do something cheap you can smack them. He's such an introverted loser he can't even come over and play games :shakehead:

Actually talking to someone in the room with you, and the fun you can have, does not compare with talking to their disembodied voice over a microphone. I need to find a friend with the same sort of ideas as me!

I think that it would be nice if it was in split screen. So then my boyfriend wouldn't have to go out and by his own copy.
It would have be nice if he could save that money and buy something else with it, But whatever.

...I can't imagine why he wouldn't want to visit you.

I was going to recommend you get LBP and LBP2 this winter when I realized that this is a multi-platform forum and most of you have Xbox's by the sounds of it.

Anyways, on topic. I am quite distressed to hear this. There has been a huge lack of split screen action games lately and I, for one, am not liking it at all. Split screen in a game is a huge plus. Playing online with a friend is fun, but honestly, its ten times better if the person your playing with is right next to you.

If there is no local co-op I see no reason to get the game.

Devs should really consider more on supporting dual monitors coop mode

It's quite possible that spit-screen isn't included because a console can't handle running the game like that. If that's true than dual-monitor would be nixed as well.

This is very sad. I was looking forward to playing this with my buddy [who does not have x-box live or the internet for that matter at his house]

Couch Co-Op is one of our favorite activities! :shakehead:

My boyfriend and I were very excited about this game, because we thought it would be something we could play together. When I saw the pre-order bonus content today, I almost did go ahead and pre-order a copy, but as I read more about the game, I realized that there seems to be NO local co-op in the game. This came as a shock. Why would a game focused on co-op play exclude same-sofa co-op?

The lack of local co-op means that we cannot play together, unless we bought another Xbox 360 and another TV and played in separate rooms, which sort of defeats the purpose. At any rate, the game seems perfect for couples to play together. I can be the pretty elf, plinking arrows and casting spells, and he can be the manly man, charging into the fray and smashing things. That sounds like a good time!

I do not want to play online with strangers. And if I were feeling masochistic enough to attempt to play a dungeon-crawling fantasy game with people I have never met, I would reactivate my World of Warcraft account.

My boyfriend and I have been having so much fun playing Borderlands together, and we are looking for our next fun co-op game. It looks like that will be Fable III, not Hunted, which is a shame because we were both really excited about this game. I am still holding out hope that local co-op play might be added to Hunted: the Demon's Forge, but the bottom line is this:

If the final version of Hunted: the Demon's Forge does NOT include local co-op, I might rent it and play the single-player mode, although for that type of play Dragon Age II would probably be far more fun. But if the final version of Hunted DOES include local co-op, I would pre-order it in a heartbeat (that assassin character skin is awesome), and I have no doubt that my boyfriend and I would spend many happy hours with the game.

~Erica

I can't imagine split screen was cut because they didn't feel like implementing it or didn't feel like enough people would be interested in it. Chances are something else forced this feature out - which would also mean that it can't be added in later.

I'd personally guess the game pushed the hardware too much for it to handle split screen. Some things, like what textures it's got in the buffer, don't need to be doubled for split screen but when it comes to rendering what you see it's got double-duty. For a game that is already pushing the limits of the console's graphical capabilities it simply isn't possible to double up.

Obviously you're basing your decision on what the game can deliver, not if the decision to remove this feature can be rationally explained. However I do think it's unlikely that split screen will be added later. Some people have suggested that maybe two people can play on one system without split screen but after watching the videos that seems unlikely to me.