I definitely feel like tacked on multiplayer has become an issue as of late. Most of it seems to come from third person shooters in the vein of Gears of War style multiplayer. It is generic and uncreative and it doesn't make me want to play the game online if it brings nothing to the table to separate it from the rest.
I personally think a lot of these prominent single player games would better benefit from taking the online scene in another direction. I understand the appeal of wanting to have multiplayer to push DLC sales and increase the longevity of the product. But a simple competitive multiplayer may not be the best answer for all. A cooperative online aspect might be better for some. Whether it be the main story or new missions like Splinter Cell, that will work for a few games. "Horde" mode or "waves" will also work for a lot of the more actiony games and it is also something that can help with DLC sales of new maps and characters. It is something Resident Evil does well with Mercenaries mode. Finally, twists on traditional competitive multiplayer are always welcomed. Twists like how Left 4 Dead allows a mix of competitive and cooperative play with some playing the survivors and some playing the infected. Or how Rockstar allows you to have the large open world of its games and the social aspect with friends.
I hope things like this is what developers look into more for the future of online gaming rather than putting in a "gears of war" style competitive play that is dull and uninspired.
