co-op what game can't it improve

[Mr Pantomime]

Commas. Not enough commas.
Anyways, I would imagine that Survival Horror with co-op would be perfect.
Imagine Amnesia co-op style. I can scream my lungs out with a friend!

Here; ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

That should tide you over until tommorow.

OT:It only works in games that you have to constantly push forward without really exploring. Otherwise people get bored

 

[Alon Shechter]

Commas. Not enough commas.
Anyways, I would imagine that Survival Horror with co-op would be perfect.
Imagine Amnesia co-op style. I can scream my lungs out with a friend!

Here; ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

That should tide you over until tommorow.

OT:It only works in games that you have to constantly push forward without really exploring. Otherwise people get bored

Can't tell if troll or just angry for some reason.

 

[nuba km]

OT:It only works in games that you have to constantly push forward without really exploring. Otherwise people get bored

why? exploring by yourself is less fun then exploring with a friend.

 

[Squilookle]

How about Myst? The whole joy of such puzzle games is working out the puzzle yourself. Having someone else there to hurry you along or blurt out how to solve something does not improve the gameplay no matter how you look at it.

 

[nuba km]

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it think if the co-op mode was it's own story it could work being but into conversations were both players have to talk (because that happens in real life) both players are their own character.

 

[nuba km]

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that's assuming the other person has played the game before because I have played plenty of co-op games where two people are trying to solve a puzzle together and it's plenty of fun also even without co-op someone can blur out the answer for you.

 

[Squilookle]

But I'm not talking about the 'make one guy stand on a platform while the other opens a door' kind- I mean the really hard scratch your brain till it hurts kind of puzzles. I'll admit there would be some joy to having someone there to witness those shared eureka moments in game, but you can't deny it robs you of the satisfaction of 'working' it out by yourself, and even runs the risk of plunging into a competition of who's the better puzzle solver.

By the way, snipping entire posts does not make your thread very readable. keep the quotes and everyone will know what you're replying to without having to seek it out themselves.

 

[Tharwen]

I present to you...

The Total War series!

Imagine the pain of having to wait while your friend spent 20 minutes organising his build queue. The battles are certainly good with co-op, but I just can't imagine the campaign being anything more than incredibly dull.

 

[Shjade]

OT:It only works in games that you have to constantly push forward without really exploring. Otherwise people get bored

why? exploring by yourself is less fun then exploring with a friend.

Because not everyone is as interested in exploring as everyone else. Friend 1 wants to hang around and explore the area, Friend 2 wants to move to the next area, therefore Friend 2 gets bored waiting for Friend 1.

Games co-op can't improve: Too Human (now with twice the death animations!), I Wanna Be The Guy (because the "co-op" fun of that game is watching someone else play it and mocking them for their failures), The Path (seriously, how would you even implement that?), most Zelda games, Giants: Citizen Kabuto (because nothing could save that game)...eh, that seems like a long enough starter list.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

Can't tell if troll or just angry for some reason.

Just thought it would be good for a chuckle.

OT:It only works in games that you have to constantly push forward without really exploring. Otherwise people get bored

why? exploring by yourself is less fun then exploring with a friend.

In some cases yes, Borderlands did this quite well. But playing with a friend often means going at someones elses pace, which is usually whoever wants to move on first. Thats means you dont get to spend so much time looking around. Even if you can both go on when you want to, if your not with your friend, your not playing co-op, your playing singleplayer where you can occasionally nod to someone in passing

 

[Freethinker101]

One game I'd like to see co-oped is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Being able to run around, and finish missions with others would be interesting, but such things would dampen the quality of the game, in other words; you wanted a weapon, your friend takes the weapon, and sells it; or he/her kills you a ends your fun of missions...

 

[TheTaco007]

Definitely survival horror. It'd take the creepy "alone" feeling out of it.

Also Mario (or other platforming games) cause if one person gets stuck.... That and it'd be hard to keep track of everything happening at once. That's why I don't like Super Smash Bros.

 

[WINDOWCLEAN2]

OT:It only works in games that you have to constantly push forward without really exploring. Otherwise people get bored

why? exploring by yourself is less fun then exploring with a friend.

In your opinion perhaps, What you do have to realise (Shocking as it may seem) is that not everyone will agree with you. If you cannot indefinatley prove you are correct, It is merely an opinion.


Your opinion - Co op Makes games better.

My opinion - If a Game cannot be substantially entertaining on its own, Co op will not improve that.


Adding co-opretive options should be an added feature to games where its fits the context (Army of Two, Kane and Lynch etc) but in games that drive heavily on experiance relating individually to that player (Mass Effect, Fable, Fallout etc) then the Game should not include co op as it draws away from the depth and immersion found in the game.

Short version is effectivly this: Co op makes it just a game, Singleplayer transforms it into a visceral experiance.

 

[nuba km]

But I'm not talking about the 'make one guy stand on a platform while the other opens a door' kind- I mean the really hard scratch your brain till it hurts kind of puzzles. I'll admit there would be some joy to having someone there to witness those shared eureka moments in game, but you can't deny it robs you of the satisfaction of 'working' it out by yourself, and even runs the risk of plunging into a competition of who's the better puzzle solver.

By the way, snipping entire posts does not make your thread very readable. keep the quotes and everyone will know what you're replying to without having to seek it out themselves.

have you ever played a puzzle game when friends are neerby? it's like a brain storm exiting and fun also standing on button open switch isn't really a puzzle try playing Lara croft and the guardian of light co-op it has challenge rooms with actually interesting puzzles also portal 2 will have co-op puzzles and I am sure they will be more then just standing on a switch though standing on switches will be involved.

I present to you...

The Total War series!

Imagine the pain of having to wait while your friend spent 20 minutes organising his build queue. The battles are certainly good with co-op, but I just can't imagine the campaign being anything more than incredibly dull.

I respond with starcraft slightly change things about and you have your co-op.

 

[DeeWiz]

I myself am a huge fan of co-op, especially with my hetero life-mate living across the sea of japan these days(he's in korea, i'm in japan). Anyway co-op can both ruin and enhance a game at the same time.

PLease let me use real world examples. System Shock 2 is one of the scarier get inside your head games out there, it was best described at the time it came out as half-life and hour after the main guy leaves. There is this whole what the hell happened and what is this taking over my ship experience with 3 powers fighting for control. While adding a 2nd player to help share the burden can be fun on subsequent playthrough it should not be experienced the first time that way. A lot of it is getting immersed in this place as the last partly human survivor.

Half-life 2 is another. Great game but with a co-op partner the first time out they are wondering why do they need this Alyx person around and why are these people talking, oh well lets just move on. The story, atomosphere, and immersion are ruined. Ravenholm in co-op is no longer a scary death trap for both parties but a hilarious wonderland of destruction and dismemberment, fun yes, but not how the first time should be. A lot of the player's indvidual sense of achievment is gone since the other player will lean on the veteran player's experience.

The puzzles have to be designed with co-op in mind, but when done well can be greatly rewarding, please see Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. This is THE best co-op experience since L4D, possiblably even better in its core mechanics. There are some truly deliciously evil puzzles in the challenge tombs where you have to trust your partner completely and it can be AWESOME!! I only wish an entire game could be that way, but with the way most people are idiots on the internet I don't see it happening.

--Co-op great, can ruin the intial SP experience if not designed for it. It can also be just as wonderful when designed for it and can help breath life into an old game. Also some games that would be a C+ can become A level through good use of co-op (Borderlands).

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

NOTHING.

I swear there is no game you can't physically enjoy more with a friend. Oh wait actually yes I know there's one it can't improve...

Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit. That's it.

 

[Audio]

I dont think the Mario Galaxy version of co-op did much. Distracting bloody star :E

Dont think co-op would help JRPGs much either. (Although saying that.. Secret of Mana on the SNES so so great as two player, but then again the turn based bollocks wasnt on there <3) Having another party member walking about with you would just slow you down.

 

[Natasha_LB]

I can think of plenty of games that I think coop would have ruined.

The Zelda Series

I am aware of the 4 swords games, but while good, they felt so different to other games in the series. I can't imagine the atmosphere of Ocarina of Time or Majora's mask being improved by coop. I'm sure that Nintendo could have found a way to make it work, but they'd have been very different games.

I've just gotten my Girlfriend in to Zelda, and if she gets stuck she just ask me, she's been playing the Ds games, and even though I've not played those 2, because I have "Zelda Logic" I can always tell her the answer. While it stops her getting stuck, I think that most of the fun comes from figuring out the puzzles, so I'm sure I'm ruining it for her (Even if she doesn't realize it) and I'm pretty certain that a coop Zelda would be ruined for this same reason: Because someone else will steal the fun of solving the puzzles from you.

Super Meat Boy (Or any game which is really hard)

What would coop add to the experience here? Lots of frustration and probably a broken monitor! Having to make the same jumps over and over again, because your mate can't get the hang of the very last one (Even though you got the knack for it ages ago) is a recipe for disaster. the only way to avoid this is to utilize a bubble system, like NSMB's Wii had, but doesn't that kind of ruin the point?

Fallout 3

I want to be stealthy... they want to go in guns blazing
They want to use V.A.T.s alot... I have to keep waiting for the world to unfreeze
I want to explore randomly... then want to follow the story

Eventually I'd just wander off and leave them, and then I'd be playing a single player game... and wondering what the point of the coop was!


Still, If someone had suggested a coop Portal a while ago I'd have laughed pretty hard, and pointed out a load of flaws with that idea too, yet it looks like valve is doing a pretty good job, so perhaps I'm wrong, and coop could work for the above games, and many more, not that I really care... all my friends are dicks!

 

[nuba km]

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too human: it would still be crap but at least crap which you r and your friend can have a laugh about.
I wanna be that guy: you can use your friend to help you jump higher or jumping of him before dies on spikes to get pass th spikes and working together like that can be a lot of fun.
the path: '_' no idea
zelda: co-op could mean more complex puzzles and boss fights meaning greater feeling of accomplished meaning fun.
and I have never heard of you last game so I can't make a command also I never said make the game good I just said improve a polished turt is still a turt but at least it looks nicer.

snip

tough this has happened to me it never stop the experience as a whole to be less fun then playing single player.

snip

easy way to solve the problem have the players help each other by activating light or elevators for each other and having a mechanic that if one player dies so those the other (maybe explosive collars) but still keeping the players separate to keep the feeling of loneliness.

snip

with people that make game from the path to cuthulu saves the world to you really think that non of them will make co-op an experience rather then just a game.

 

[mjc0961]

Spoiler: click me!

Aside from that, people pretty much already got the answers down. Survival horror games, massive RPGs (Fallout and Mass Effect to name a few), certain platformers, games like Heavy Rain... There are plenty of games that would be much worse if they included a co-op mode. Bottom line, some games can pull it off, and some games could never do it without screwing up everything we love about playing them as they currently are.