Poll: Cooperation in Videogames

[Aeope]

Cooperation, or co-op for short, can be a great addition to many games. If you have a good friend (online or real-life) who you mesh with, it can be a great way to spend a weekend.

What are your opinions on co-op games? Should co-op be optional (ala Dark Souls) or highly recommended (ala Army of Two/Gears of War)?

Also, do you think console games that have co-op should have achievements related to playing with a partner?

 

[Akytalusia]

i love co-op. it should be recommended, but not on a practicaly required sort of level. there shouldn't be anything specificaly impossible to do solo, but making challenges that are unreasonably challenging to solo is a-ok. and no, i don't support achievements that require a partner.

 

[Aeope]

My biggest problem with games designed with co-op in mind is that the AI bot for solo play is usually horrendous. The original Army of Two was terrible with this, seeing how you could only order him to Offensively/Defensively either Attack/Hold Position. You couldn't mark targets or order him to a location.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I love co-op, but mainly of the split screen variety. The people you are paired up with online usually are of a mixed bag. For instance sometimes in F4D you can be teamed with people who help each other out and work as a teams; while other times you get grade A ass hats, who charge through the map and really do leave you for dead as you battle the hordes of zombies they triggered and didn't bother to kill on the way to the safehouse.

 

[IlikeLolis]

All games should have a Tails in them


I don't care if I can be part of the storyline, as long as I can fly around and bug Sonic; I'm Having more fun than he is.

 

[Aeope]

All games should have a Tails in them


I don't care if I can be part of the storyline, as long as I can fly around and bug Sonic; I'm Having more fun than he is.

Haha, I know what you mean.

 

[rohansoldier]

I love co op in games like gears of war and borderlands as it is fun to play the game with your mates and it also drastically extends the life time of the game.

That is why I seriously doubt I will ever pick up space marine, I completed it solo during a rental and it has no co-op at all or offline multiplayer (my xbox live membership has expired and I have no intention to renew it currently, at least not for the full year).

If it had co-op for the campaign and offline multiplayer, it might have been a different story. Until the sequel introduces these things, I will be sticking to Gears 3.

I am even looking forward to co op in mass effect 3 (as long as it is possible offline and doesn't mess up the single player), even though this would not have been my first choice of game to include it.

 

[Red Bomb]

I enjoy co-op, especially with friends (L4D/Borderlands style) but I won't buy a game based just on it's co-op or there lack of.
I am quite happy to play a really decent single player story, if it's got a multiplayer/co-op option all the better.
Not so hot on just being thrown in with loads of people you don't know. Most people online are cool but douche-bags are pretty rife in most mass co-op games (looking at you CoD).

 

[windlenot]

I really like co op split screen. I was really upset when I realized Dead Island wasn't split Screen. I still like it, play it on my own, but split screen woulda been great.

 

[CarlsonAndPeeters]

Best co-op experience ever has been Portal 2, closely followed by Dark Souls.

I like games that look at co-op a little differently, instead of it just being "shoot twice as many people with twice as many players." Portal 2 has co-op in a genre that doesn't see co-op very often, and it really did take teamwork to solve the puzzles. Dark Souls is just brilliant and hilarious.

But yeah, co-op is definitely great if the developers put time into it (tacked on anything is always bad) and make it optional.

 

[Aeope]

Best co-op experience ever has been Portal 2, closely followed by Dark Souls.

I like games that look at co-op a little differently, instead of it just being "shoot twice as many people with twice as many players." Portal 2 has co-op in a genre that doesn't see co-op very often, and it really did take teamwork to solve the puzzles. Dark Souls is just brilliant and hilarious.

But yeah, co-op is definitely great if the developers put time into it (tacked on anything is always bad) and make it optional.

Definitely, my friend and I had a great time with Portal 2 (even if I did most of the thinking ). The use of two sets of portals gave the creators a lot of working room with their puzzles and was a pleasant surprise for what I thought would be a tacked-on multiplayer.

 

[Aeope]

I really like co op split screen. I was really upset when I realized Dead Island wasn't split Screen. I still like it, play it on my own, but split screen woulda been great.

It doesn't? Darn. I was planning on getting it to play with my sister.

Is it good otherwise? How's the online?

 

[Shoggoth2588]

While I like Co-Op, I strongly prefer it when you can play with people on the same console, in the same room and, on the same TV. I've recently started a co-op campaign of Halo 2 with my GF and plan on getting her into Gears of War 2. Sadly, we can't play Saint's Row 2 together...

I also hate how some games will really show off their awesome multiplayer aspects then, once you get it home, you realize it's an online-only feature...an online only feature you have to enter a code or, pay extra to access anyway! It's like a bait-and-switch.

 

[Nouw]

Yes, only if optional. It's really annoying when you're forced to play with AI. And usually they're terrible!

 

[Aeope]

Also, another question; which way do you like having the screen divided on split-screen? I think it was Halo 2 that had an option to diagonally divide it, which I thought was neat.

 

[windlenot]

I really like co op split screen. I was really upset when I realized Dead Island wasn't split Screen. I still like it, play it on my own, but split screen woulda been great.

It doesn't? Darn. I was planning on getting it to play with my sister.

Is it good otherwise? How's the online?

I liked it. It's gotten a lot of flak for some things, graphical and programming glitches, but it has that effect where you want to keep playing for some reason. It's got plenty of content.

The online co op is kinda strange where it finds players close to your chapter, rather than level. Or so it seems. Maybe it does and I just don't know it. It works if people have mics and aren't stupid, but it's better if you know someone.

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

I remember playing the PlayStation 2 version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent with a friend. We started the co-op campaign on the first mission in Iceland and didn't advance beyond the first room - we were having too much fun throwing snowballs and stun grenades at each other.

It still brings warm feelings to my heart.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I love co op in games like gears of war and borderlands as it is fun to play the game with your mates and it also drastically extends the life time of the game.

this.

easily did 50+ playthroughs of GoW 1 because of how awesome the co op worked out with a friend, and actually just did borderlands co op last night with a good friend, it was awesome, played for a solid 3 hours having a blast (too bad a few of the monster guys were tough as shit to beat since we teamed up...)