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wolfiedafloof @lemmy.world

Best Co-Op Games?

What are the best co-op games you enjoy? Anything from the modern games, to the old games.

For me, I'm aiming for PC games, or a game that can be easily emulated like PS2 games or GameBoy Advance.

Main focus, is that you are supposed to play 2 players or more (and are actually fun to play) with little to no internet. (Trying to prepare in advance)

75 comments

  • I have three recommendations.

     

    Split Fiction is a master class in game design. The split screen is so integrated into the experience that even online multiplayer is in split screen. The screens are a part of the story.

    The gameplay is constantly changing to the point that discovering new mechanics becomes the gameplay loop.

    The level designs are so clever that you'll have several moments that feel scripted but were actually just inevitable because of how we play games.

    To give a snapshot of the experience: there was one scene where my character was driving a motorcycle along the sides of skyscrapers, doing the craziest stunts imaginable, and my wife's character was sitting on the back frantically trying to solve a series of CAPTCHAs on her phone. She was so focused on keeping a steady hand that she barely noticed the death-defying stunts happening literally out of the corner of her eye.

    By the end of it I was like, "Did you see that??" and it turns out she did not. It was absurd and hilarious, and it's the kind of storytelling that only works in a video game.

     

    My current obsession is UFO 50, which is a collection of 50 "retro" games. In real life they're all new, but the story of the game is that they're from a company from the 80s called UFOsoft, and then there's a dark meta narrative hidden in the background.

    Which is all just a framing device for 50 games, most of which are good, some of which are amazing, and half of which are couch co-op multiplayer. It's like exploring the Switch's retro NES collection for hidden gems, except there's a lot more gems.

    There are beat 'em ups, obscure sports games, some platformers, tactics games, a little bit of everything.

    I've enlisted my wife to help me, because a lot of these games are just begging to be grinded out in co-op.

    I got the game when I saw someone describe it as "a master class in game design", and I thought, "that's the phrase I've just been using to describe Split Fiction."

     

    And finally, I recommend Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, because that's the multiplayer game I've been recommending for almost ten years.

    You each play as adorable creatures in an adorable space ship that you customize as you go. The ship has several stations that need to be manned, including the captain's seat, navigation, a directional shield, and multiple weapons.

    But you each can only man one station at a time. So if you need to stay on the shield but a new enemy is approaching from the other side, then that means the captain is going to have to jump on a weapon and leave the ship adrift.

    You may have arguments over which type of weapons to add to your ship or over who's better at piloting which kind of engine. Or maybe you'll work together in perfect harmony, relying on each other's strengths and covering each other's weaknesses as you adapt to every new challenge. Both ways are fun.

    Also great for up to 4 players.

  • Reminds me of playing Doom 2 co-op with my brother. I wanted to just play the game but he'd end up shooting me instead until I cried.

    Good times.

  • The Neo Geo Metal Slug games were extremely fun to play side by side with a friend. Just note Metal Slug 2 has lag problems due to the engine used, but it was later ported to MS3's engine as Metal Slug X.

    Also, most versions of the games on PC come with the ROMs, if you'd rather use your own emulator.

    Another set of games we also enjoyed a lot were the River City Girls games. Just had to use health cheats on the SNES game repurposed because it was getting too hard for the time we had. "<.<

  • Borderlands. The first one. The game is amazing by yourself and slightly better with friends. It's not meant to be worse either way. It's just a lot of fun.

    The later BL games were made the same way, but I haven't found any of the sequels (/"Pre-Sequel") to be as engaging as the original. They are bigger and more ambitious, though, with BL2 being a fan favorite. I just really like the Soldier (Roland) from the first game. The other games don't have a character I like playing as much as him, so I'd rather join the original rather than settle for a lesser character.

    Actually, the best co-op game is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. It's played with your left hand and your right hand. I'm being a bit of a smartass, but technically it does qualify as co-op because two characters on the screen are being independently controlled and they must work together. But it is specifically designed to be played by one person. Your dominant hand should control the older brother, with the analog stick moving him and either trigger doing the action, whatever that may be (it's basically a one-button game, plus the stick). Your other hand controls the younger brother, same thing. So naturally the older brother runs straight and does what you expect but the little brother tends to stumble and waver. All intentional. Also, don't bother with the remake. It breaks a few things and honestly doesn't look much better. Different art style, not better. Just play the original. You can get it on GOG on sale all the time for like $2-3. Also, it'll take ~4 hours to complete and you'll probably never want to play it again (but recommend it to everyone). I actually bought the remake (mistake) and had my wife play it. For the hell of it, I speed ran both of them (this was on Xbox) for the achievements. Then I did the same on the original. Interestingly, you do not have to complete the game to get all the achievements! You don't even have to complete the final fight, or do the climactic scene before the final fight. Before you're even aware the climactic scene is coming, you sit on a bench and blip, there's the last achievement, if you're doing an Achievement% run, that's when you call time. (I'm not a competitive speed runner. I just did the runs to pop the achievements before uninstalling them.)

  • For playing with my kid I got:

    • Untitled Goose Game
    • Pizza Possum
    • Stardew Valley
    • Shift Happens

    These are all couch co-op for us.

  • magicka 1 and 2 has couch and/or online coop, it's challenging, chaotic fun, with some pretty funny jokes
    if you get into emulation, cooptimus hides older platforms under "classic", but it has another dropdown to filter them more precisely

  • Kuri Kuri Mix. PS2. FromSoft's forgotten game.

    Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance was good too. Felt like Gauntlet.

  • Rainbow Six 1 (GOG) and 3 (Steam) are both playable via LAN and some of my favorite co-op games ever. The first game may require hacking some easy-to-read level config files to make them finishable, but 3 doesn't have that problem. Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear isn't available for purchase anymore. I hear SWAT 4 (GOG) is great for scratching this itch too, but I haven't played it myself.

    While not so story focused, you could also co-op Star Wars: Battlefront II; the good one, from 2005 (GOG).

  • I posted a review here earlier this year, but A Way Out was an excellent 2-player co-op game! I really enjoyed it. Story rich puzzles with some action interspersed. And it's split-screen even if you're playing online, so you can see what your partner is up to and coordinate with them. The ending was heart-wrenching too! Such an emotionally impacting story. Check out my review for a spoiler-free intro to that game.

75 comments