In many respects, TimeGate's 2009 first-person shooter title Section 8 made the latter mistake, presenting an attractive multiplayer title with a throwaway single-player mode. Unfortunately, some fall short in the multiplayer stakes, offering too few options, limited upgrades and not enough maps, while others neglect the single-player experience, failing to give it the time it deserves or inject any character or personality.
With this in mind, the only way to really stand out is to offer a comprehensive set of game modes. Ultimately it all comes down to the same goal of getting from A to B and killing everything along the way.
Many successful franchises have focused on historic battles or realistic modern skirmishes, while others have adopted a more science-fiction/fantasy style, pitting human super soldiers against hordes of alien invaders. The problem is that there are so many first or third-person titles available that it's hard to distinguish one game from the next. The ability to offer value for money is trickier than it looks for many of today's shooters.
