Poll: Why would you ever Co-op with a stranger?

[TheTygerfire]

Besides Left 4 Dead and possibly Halo 3 (since it's 4-player as well), I can't see any time where playing a game Co-op with a complete stranger is a good idea. You are completely in the dark about how open your partner is to taking suggestion and direction, how skilled they are at the game, and how seriously they take the game itself.

Take Resident Evil 5. You friend can't get to their Xbox this week. You want to knock out a few levels while he's gone, and you need a Sheva, so you get an annoying kid who picked up the game this morning and can't play worth shit. You end up failing miserably and your fun is ruined by the terrible partner picked for you. Or worse yet they go off gung-ho and die, leaving you to clean up alone.

Actually...now that I think about it, maybe Left 4 Dead should only be played with friends too. :\

 

[BolognaBaloney]

Well it can't be any worse than playing without a partner in RE5, Sheva's fuckin' retarded AI.

 

[lostclause]

Kind of agreed but if you just need someone for a hard level, either as an extra gun or a walking respawn point (thinking halo here), I can kind of see why.
Edit: Or to replace retarded AI. I realise I've been ninja'd but I'm thinking of say the LEGO games where you need a bit of extra control.

 

[Trendkill6]

I don't mind playing with strangers because I know that while my chance of actually getting to play with a competent player is low, they are out there.

That and if you had my friends you'd be better playing alone...with twice the amount of eneimes...

 

[Flour]

I'm currently forced to play with strangers in WoW, but I found an easy solution to this problem. Just be the most important person in the group.(healer, they're harder to find on my server than tanks since most people don't want to heal)

I get annoyed, you die.
You don't play properly, you die.(aggro/DPS related)
If you don't do what you're supposed to do, you die.(attack the wrong mob, don't use the skill required)

If this happens more than once, you die and I 'accidentally' forget to resurrect you.

 

[bodyklok]

I don't know. I kinda like the idea of meeting some random people and playing games, for me the satisfaction doesn't always come from winning. (Seeing how I don't even do that when I'm with my friends) For me it's just about having fun, and watching someone try, and fail, something for the first time can be pretty funny.

But, then again, it depends on the person in question. Are they willing to take a joke, or do the get really angry and abusive at the slightest provocation? It's all down to the luck of the draw really.

 

[Shock and Awe]

I dont really like co-op with strangers, its way more fun with friends.

 

[The Atheist Knight]

I regularly play Co-op games with my friends. (Left4Dead, Sins of a Solar Empire, Quake Wars & others)

Left4Dead is the only Co-op game i've played so far where I realized i'd gladly take someone who'll be a team player over the most skilled player.

 

[Nouw]

Besides Left 4 Dead and possibly Halo 3 (since it's 4-player as well), I can't see any time where playing a game Co-op with a complete stranger is a good idea. You are completely in the dark about how open your partner is to taking suggestion and direction, how skilled they are at the game, and how seriously they take the game itself.

Take Resident Evil 5. You friend can't get to their Xbox this week. You want to knock out a few levels while he's gone, and you need a Sheva, so you get an annoying kid who picked up the game this morning and can't play worth shit. You end up failing miserably and your fun is ruined by the terrible partner picked for you. Or worse yet they go off gung-ho and die, leaving you to clean up alone.

Actually...now that I think about it, maybe Left 4 Dead should only be played with friends too. :\

Wow thats like me except I'm the kid but I'm actually good at games and I'm a bit older then a kid

OT:I clicked doesn't matter to me as long as they can play well. Heck Combat Arms FireTeam requires co-operation with strangers and I don't mind. Unless blah blah blah

 

[War Penguin]

I only play co-op with my friends and the people they know. If they trust 'em so can I... sorta.

 

[darkgryffon]

I agree with Tygerfire when it comes to RE5 you end up getting stuck with some anoyying person, i ended up wanting to kill sometime this weekend(just got new xbox) forgot to keep the online setting to Rouge so i ended up getting kicked out of my game and i was half way through the level so i quit and possibly lost my date

 

[S53]

Anyone. That's.....how you make friends online.

 

[TaborMallory]

I find it to be the most fun with a friend. Otherwise, it's just another game.

 

[SsilverR]

even the silliest noob beats partner AI 80% of the time

 

[BakaSmurf]

I've played with strangers a few times in Armored Core: For Answer and once in Saint's Row 2, and in both games they always just ran off and did their own thing, not much help, but not a hinderence either, which makes me wonder why they were playing Co-Op in the first place...

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I just don't buy many games where the only practical way to play is co-op. I like to play games at my own pace and in my own way, dammit.

Having said that, you can meet some really great people when you team up with strangers and have a good time. I once had a great time teaming up with some French people who didn't speak much English because they had such a positive attitude. Too often it isn't like that and you get teamed up with people who play more mechanically or stupidly than AI only they spend more time being angry and stupid in chat.

 

[blaze96]

If they can prove themselves competent at the game and not a complete and utter boob, then I don't care.

 

[StigmataDiaboli]

If you mean co-op as in story missions id rather have friends. Heck, me and my mate picked Rainbox 6 vegas to do co-op together through it. However he got Prototype three days later and we never played it after mission one.

 

[Pimppeter2]

I don't really care.. I'd rather have friends. But I play with guys from Oblivionsource commonly.