Multiplayer Features

• Online: A simple designation for whether a game offers online features. If a game lists "Online" as a feature, make sure you have yourself connected to an internet connection or a wireless router, as there's more to the game than just the single-player mode. Although many games list "Online Features" as a bullet point, IGN.com will only list the feature if a game offers online gameplay -- games that simply have leaderboards or downloadable content or are online "Aware" are nice, but they don't count for most gamers as making the game "online." Some handheld game platforms also list this as "Infrastructure Mode."
• Broadband Only: A declining issue with today's proliferation of high-speed internet (and also with our bandwidth-hungry next-gen consoles making modem play impossible in most games), "Broadband Only" indicates that the game cannot be played online without the open high-speed signal of a broadband connection. This was an issue for systems such as the PlayStation 2, which included both modem and broadband connections.
• Supports Online Versus Multiplayer: This online gameplay mode pits players against other players. This kind of Versus play sometimes comes in the form of Team Play whereas groups of online players are split up against each other to challenge each other, while others are simply free-for-all contests. Wherever possible, IGN will identify how many players can play together in Online Versus mode.
• Supports Online Co-Op Multiplayer: This online gameplay mode allows players to join together for a common goal. Sometimes this means that players can enjoy a game's story experience with other gamers, while other times, players simply take on specific Co-Op challenges to see if they can work together well enough to finish the challenge. Wherever possible, IGN will identify how many players can play together in Online Co-Op Multiplayer mode.
• Supports Offline Versus Multiplayer: This local gameplay mode challenges players to play against each other with everybody playing on the same TV (or, in the case of handheld games, with everybody playing on their own game systems in a room.) Sometimes this means split-screen play, or it might mean pass-the-controller play, or it could be that the game is specifically designed for all players to play all at once in the same game environment. No matter how the game works, the bottom line is that winner takes all! Wherever possible, IGN will identify how many players can play together in Offline Versus mode.
• Supports Offline Co-Op Multiplayer: This local gameplay mode brings friends together in the same room to work together in a game. Some Online Co-Op games also offer the same game mode offline, but there are also a number of games that offer Co-Op gameplay in totally unique ways, and some of the best Co-Op gaming is done with everybody huddled around one TV set (or connected up with their handheld game systems.) In Super Mario Galaxy, for example, a second player could collect items while the first player controlled Mario. In River City Ransom, players work together (and occasionally smack each other around) as they make their way through rival gangs. In Secret of Mana, gamers could join or quit out of an epic RPG quest. Sometimes Co-Op games still have competition where players are fighting for the most points, but the point of the game is to operate as a team to make it to the end. Wherever possible, IGN will identify how many players can play together in Offline Co-Op mode.
• Supports Online Clans: A relatively new feature listed on some online game boxes, Online Clan Support means that gamers can join up with teams of gamers and will be associated with that group in online play.
• Supports Online Spectator Mode: A rarely-used but cool feature for gamers who like to watch other gamers play, Online Spectator Mode lets other players eavesdrop on your gameplay session. This is most often used in Fighting or other competitive games, where watching face-offs between the best players might be even more fun and informative than playing the game itself.
• Supports Online Leaderboards: For those who want to know where they stand as experienced gamers, Online Leaderboards allow players to upload their scores for others to view on regional and sometimes global rankings charts.
• System Link / LAN: Sometimes offered in lieu of online play and sometimes offered as an enhancement not possible via a standard online connection, System Link / LAN features allow players to connect multiple machines together. This is most often for multiplayer gaming, but System Link mode can also be used for Multi-Monitor set-ups in games that support it and for other unique cases.