Coop Games

[Vigormortis]

For as long as I've been playing games, I've always loved a good co-op game. There haven't been many throughout the years and of the ones that exist, most just aren't that good. This is due in large part to the fact that most of these games have coop game modes that were slapped on at the last minute. One of the few that I've always had fun with through the years was Sven Coop. A wonderful, well designed mod for Half-Life. It became a standard requirement for LANs. I also still play co-op in Halo 1 when I get the chance. I mention this only because the gaming industry as a whole seems to have finally realized the untapped potential in designing games from the ground up to be co-op. As I'm sure many of you have noticed there's been an influx of co-op games, most notably Army of Two and to a lesser extent Kane and Lynch. So my question is this. Based on what has been released so far in this bid to adopt co-op gaming as the basis of a title, do we really want the gaming industry as a whole to continue making them? Now, this is my opinion, but I must say I found both Army of Two and Kane and Lynch to be rather lack-luster, in fact, down right disappointing games at best. A look to the future sees many more titles following in the same design philosophy as these titles and I for one think that is regrettable. Because these two games saw slight profits most companies are content to just use the same mold and produce the same forgettable crap. It's the same thing that's happened to so many other genre's I hate to see it happen to one of the few I enjoy anymore. How do you feel about this?

On a side note, I can not honestly say if I'll enjoy Left 4 Dead, but I am really looking forward to it, though I was also looking forward to Army of Two at first. Being made by Valve I can only hope it sticks to their standard of design, but time will tell.

 

[x434343]

What if Half-Life 2 Episode 3 supported co-op? Gordon Freeman and Alyx as playables? Would that make you happy?

 

[Ender21]

you have to look up a game called "the adventures of cookie and cream" not the one for ds... get the one for ps2. it is the epitome of cooperative gaming. and its really damn hard.

 

[LainiWeiz]

I loved Cookie and Cream but never had anyone to play it with
Made it even harder still.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Left 4 Dead, if they pull it off it should be awesome.

 

[Fire Daemon]

I believe a game recently came out....something about an army with one two people.

Try Army of Two, GoW and the Halo's.

 

[Vinnn]

Anyone remember the ingenious Co-Op of Goldeneye 64?
One player controls the movement (forward, back, and sidesteps) while the other controlled the aim?
What an awful idea!
Co-Op games are a lot of fun though, Gears of War had a pretty good system, I remember a few times yelling at the person sitting next to me to cover the back, haha.
All in all, co-op is a lot like paintball; sometimes it results in bonding, but other times in painful bruises and swearing.

 

[LainiWeiz]

Heh I remember that two controller control scheme for Goldeneye.
I was actually quite good at it...well on Agent mode anyway.

 

[L4Y Duke]

Serious Sam had wicked co-op. You can still find an occasional server even today.

 

[Same River New Water]

Huh? I thought I could clearly remember playing Goldeneye in traditional two-person co-op fashion. But apparently that never happened. *twilight zone music*

 

[Selka]

Some friends and I are huge RPG fans, and I can tell you that a lot of traditional tactical RPGs (Shining Force, Final Fantasy Tactics, ect.) can be a lot of fun to play with some friends, even if only one person has the controls. Pick up the Fire Emblem game for Gamecube, and set yourself down with some guys and play it. The amount of strategy which that game requires is immense, and often times an additional person will offer good strategies, suggestions and the such that you would have not thought of yourself. Good way to turn a single player game into a co-op one. If you're not one for RPGs, then give Gears of War a try co-op. I didn't think it was that amazing single player, but with two people playing, a whole new realm of possibilities opens up. Covering an advancing ally, flanking an enemy who won't come out from cover, and taking turns popping out from behind structures to fire adds another dimension to that game. If that doesn't suit your interest, try Umbrella Chronicles. Definitely worth the $6 rental cost (definitely not worth the $50 buying cost) which allows for some fun co-op experiances.

 

[Mr.Expendable]

Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six 3 have become must-haves in LAN parties in my group of friends, solely for the fact that the Co-Op is perfect...

 

[Vinnn]

Yeh Fraser, maybe you dreamed it
I know I used to dream heaps about Goldeneye, the best bond movie to date.
The Hunter game was good, the XBOX one. It had a pretty good arcade style co-op, as did.. what was it called, Gauntlet Legends, on the 64. Except you needed a controller pack to save, so whenever I played it with my cousin we just wouldnt turn the damn thing off

 

[Vigormortis]

What if Half-Life 2 Episode 3 supported co-op? Gordon Freeman and Alyx as playables? Would that make you happy?

Probably not. Seeing as the series has always been designed to be played by one person (in some instances used to make the player feel alone against impossible odds) it would, in my opinion, detract from the play experience. Besides, if they make Alyx playable, they'd destroy any character she's had. There'd be no dialog from her and would make the player actually care less about what happens to her, as in your mind you know it's just your friend playing her. That said, most of the games all of you have listed I've tried. Some weren't bad and some genuinely great fun to play, but again in most cases the co-op was tacked on after the single-player mode was designed. Gears of War was pretty entertaining in 2 player mode, at least for time. It could be the exception I guess as it's co-op mode was the only redeeming factor when looking at it's single-player campaign, lol. What I was wondering though is of the games being made that are co-op based only, will the developers follow the pattern of the bad ones made so far, or will they try something new and better?

I loved Cookie and Cream but never had anyone to play it with
Made it even harder still.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Left 4 Dead, if they pull it off it should be awesome.

Same problems here, on both accounts. I could never find someone WILLING to play Cookie. :/ And, like you, I really hope Left 4 Dead turns out to be as good as they're touting it to be.