History Main / SocializationBonus

* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'''s AI bots don't have the necessary perception to leave a partner untreated when temporary health is a better option, they can't use any kind of grenades, and they frequently interrupt your shooting by giving you pills or adrenaline at the most inopportune times, and in [[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 the second game]], they don't collect special ammo or use melee weapons either. They aren't ''completely'' [[ArtificialStupidity incompetent]], being able to shoot very accurately and very rarely getting lost, but they're vastly inferior even to somewhat inexperienced human players.

* With the [=SpotPass=] and [=StreetPass=] features of the Nintendo3DS, Nintendo has integrated this trope into a system itself rather than a game.

* ''TraumaCenter: New Blood'' can be completed entirely in singleplayer, but having a competent partner in co-op makes some operations much easier: not only do you have a second pair of hands, but you can use both Healing Touches in the same operation.

* This is what makes ''RockBand'' fun, as the main meat of the game (the Band World Tour) is only accessible in multiplayer. The more players, the better.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII DS'', sending a sufficient number of mail messages to other owners of that game via the NintendoDS e-mailer unlocks the LethalJokeCharacter class and extra dungeon.

* Some of the sidequests and MultipleEndings in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak'' would only work on Multiplayer because of triggered events. [[LostForever Too bad, because there's no multiplayer for those games any more.]]

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime 3: Corruption'' includes a feature wherein you can use "credit" icons obtained in the game to buy extra stuff. The green credits, however, can't be obtained on your own... you have to have someone on your Wii's friend list send you "Friend Vouchers" that ''they'' got on ''their'' game (the vouchers are totally useless on your own game.) Players also have to make sure their friend has the same version of the game, otherwise the feature won't work. The entire concept has collapsed due to Nintendo shutting down their Nintendo WFC service, meaning that any unlockables related to the friend vouchers are now LostForever.

** The socialization aspect of the series is most likely the reason why the main Pokemon series will never be done on a console; because the series relies heavily on meeting new players while on the go in order to trade and battle with them, plus it is also done in-universe, Nintendo assumes people will go out and find other trainers to battle and trade with. It's all fine and dandy if you live in a heavily populated area (like most of Japan), but if you live in a quiet place like a small countryside town or a farm, you're boned. In other words, you have to go out, explore, and meet new people in order to get more Pokemon, just like you do in the actual games. [[TakeAThirdOption Or you can emulate the game and run a]] [[GameMod ROM hack]].

* If you GottaCatchThemAll in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', you must engage in this, since not only are the Pokémon [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo divided up between games]], but every generation has some Pokémon which only evolve when traded, and each campaign can catch only one starter Pokémon without trading. Also, Pokémon obtained in trades gain experience faster than Pokémon caught in your own game.

* If you GottaCatchThemAll in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', you must engage in this, since not only are the Pokémon [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo divided up between games]], but every generation has some Pokémon which only evolve when traded. Also, Pokémon obtained in trades gain experience faster than Pokémon caught in your own game.

** Each campaign can catch only one starter Pokémon without trading.

* Many {{Facebook}} games are ''downright impossible'' to play alone, because the game refuses to give you items which are required for certain quests. Instead, you must beg for them from your friends, which requires either alienating your real-life friends with endless "Send me TwentyBearAsses!" requests or making "friends" with perfect strangers who happen to already play the game (and hope that they do not quit playing or run amok on your wall).

Supremely awesome if one actually has ''access'' to friends who own the game; a FanConvention is a great place to do this. Modern consoles and handhelds are able to go online, so many games with these features also include anonymous internet matchmaking.

Supremely annoying if no access is possible due to location, you're replaying an older game that isn't in sync with whatever is popular these days, or you simply don't have any friends, or at least any who are just as interested in the game as you are. In this case, you might have to buy multiple copies and play with family, give them as gifts, word-of-mouth advertise to get your friends to buy the game, or just play entirely on your own on both copies. (This can make some Socialization Bonuses seem more like RevenueEnhancingDevices.)

* While not required, all ''{{Creatures}}'' games allowed players to save their Creatures as discrete files and give them to friends (or put them in stasis for six generations, or clone umpteen times), and ''Docking Station'' introduced the ability to send them over the internet within the game. Additionally, ''Creatures 2'' was somewhat backward-compatible, allowing creatures from the first game to be converted for the second.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' has Mission Mode, which lets you replay completed missions from Story Mode in order to gain Mission Crowns, which can be redeemed for bonuses from the Moogle. While the mode is designed to be played with freinds, it can be played solo (The English versions are more clear on this) though the enemy stats are boosted regardless, making it NintendoHard. Still, you do get EXP even if you fail, so you can keep trying until you're strong enough to win. Playing Mission Mode is the only way to obtain the maximum number of inventory slots available, and it is the only feasible way to reach Lv. 100, as the gaps between levels are so wide at the end of the game that playing without level multipliers (some of which are only available in Mission Mode) would qualify as a LowLevelRun.

* Crafting in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. The best foods are Hi Meins. Creating them is a three-step process, each step requiring the level 15 skill of a different class. The last step actually requires that you ''be'' a Mysticality class, so [[NewGamePlus skill perms]] won't help you there.
** There are also [[BonusDungeon Hobopolis, the Slimetube, and Dreadsylvania]] which require you to be in a Clan in order to play in them, and while it is possible to get the best rewards in Slimetube [[AvertedTrope by yourself]], you'll want a team of 6 people in order to find the best items in Hobopolis, and some parts of Dreadsylvania (such as the items needed to unlock [[BonusBoss the hardmode versions of the bosses]]) require co-operation between clan mates.
** And the mall, as well as trading in general. Honestly, despite the label of an MMORPG, Kingdom Of Loathing is a single player game with a few socialization bonuses.

* ''[[GaiaOnline zOMG!]]'' places a heavy emphasis on socialization. The game is designed in such a way that if you don't find some people to crew with, you're not going to progress very far. In fact, the path to the FinalBoss for the launch chapter requires synchronization between at least 3 players to open. In addition, your character gets bonuses by interacting with other players, called [[TheForce G'hi]] bonuses. You can fill your G'hi up by visiting Barton Town or joining a 6 person crew. But if your G'hi runs out, all of your bonuses will be gone until you can get more G'hi.

* In a cruel inversion of MultiplayerDifficultySpike, ''VideoGame/Sanctum2'' gives each player a fixed amount of resources depending on the level and current wave, ''irrespective of the number of players actually present''. The number of enemies isn't scaled either, and the game is balanced on the assumption that you will always have four players. Playing solo leaves you with a quarter the resources you're supposed to have, making the game [[NintendoHard incredibly difficult]].

* Many powerful chips in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series are only possible via this method.

** Each campaign can catch only one starter Pokémon without trading. This, combined with the [[SaveGameLimits limit]] of one campaign per Game Card, leads to destructive behavior in "[[http://notalwaysright.com/gotta-catch-his-son/24609 Gotta Catch His Son]]" on ''Website/NotAlwaysRight''.

* In a cruel inversion of MultiplayerDifficultySpike, ''VideoGame/Sanctum2'' gives each player gets a fixed amount of resources depending on the level and current wave, ''irrespective of the number of players actually present''. The number of enemies isn't scaled either, and the game is balanced on the assumption that you will always have four players. Playing solo leaves you with a quarter the resources you're supposed to have, making the game [[NintendoHard incredibly difficult]].

** The socialization aspect of the series is most likely the reason why the main Pokemon series will never be done on a console; because the series relies heavily on meeting new players while on the go in order to trade and battle with them, plus it is also done in-universe, Nintendo assumes people will go out and find other trainers to battle and trade with. It's fine and dandy if you live in a heavily populated area but if you live in a quiet town, you're boned. In other words, you have to go out, explore, and meet new people in order to get more Pokemon, just like you do in the actual games.

->''[[MultipleEndings But this is not a true ending!]] [[GuideDangIt Come here with your friends!]]''
-->-- ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble''

An aspect of the game in which one can get additional content or powerups by interacting with other people who own the game. And then there are the games that can ''only'' be played in Multi-Player.

* Some ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' achievements (particularly the Medic achievements required for the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Bonesaw]], before the requirements got lowered) require the use of {{Steam}}'s not-entirely-intuitive Friends list.

* Speaking of Zelda, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'' each have two flavors of this bonus: Firstly, a pair of players of either game can link their systems up to trade magic rings, in a manner that ought to be familiar to anyone who's played Pokémon. Secondly, a collection of cryptic passwords, along with vague hints for their intended recipients, are sometimes spoken by NPCs in each game. Writing down the password and telling it to the respective NPC in the other game will unlock a bonus for that game, and occasionally a very powerful one at that. This system is even utilized at the end of each game, too; typing in the password from after the end credits of one game into a new save file of the other will allow one to play a "linked game", which ties together their storylines and even enables a TrueEnding for both of them. The password system was cleverly designed such that, while a single player with both games will be able to fully experience it, it could also be effectively used for a pair of friends who each have a different version.