By Aylon Herbet
Below are my picks for the top ten co-op games of the last five years.
I picked five years because that’s how long my fiance and I have been together, and I wanted to look back on some of the games we could have - but didn’t - play together as well as some of the games we did manage to co-op.
Due to these criteria, some co-op games won’t be on this list - such as Journey or Dark Souls - regardless of whether they're otherwise worthy, because you cannot control who you play with.
Anyway, now that you know the grounds rules, here's my list:
10: Syndicate
On release, Syndicate got a lot of mixed reviews. While the original series was a popular isometric tactics game in the '90s, the franchise relaunched as a first-person-shooter.
While I cannot speak to the singleplayer, I can say that Syndicate had a really great set of co-op missions, with their own basic plot.
Each player uses a different character and there is a fairly deep leveling system, where you can get new abilities and really specialize in what you bring to your team. These missions were often extremely challenging and good teamwork was required for success, which is also the best sign of a good co-op experience.
If you can find four friends to play it with, I highly recommend giving this often forgotten game a go.
9: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
It’s surprising it took so long but even real-time strategy (RTS) games are starting to add co-op to their experiences, and the best of the lot (in my opinion) is Dawn of War II by Relic Games.
Throughout the whole campaign you can have a buddy hop in and help out. In DoW II you don’t control an army like most RTSs, instead you control up to five squads that are each controlled like a single unit. It was similar to a tactical action RPG, especially since each squad had very different abilities/weapons.
In co-op, your ally would take control of some of the those squads, which meant you didn’t have to split your attention as much as you would while playing alone.
Like most games on this list, coming up with a strategy together and coordinating your attacks so one player can provide cover fire while another flanks the enemies is a lot of fun. If you enjoy RTSs and playing with friends, you cannot go wrong with DoW II and its expansions.
8: Mass Effect 3
This is the reason there isn’t a Gears of War game on this list. The third-person shooting in Mass Effect is fairly similar to the Gears series, however here you also get "space magic", so it’s a clear winner in that regard.
Sure, you cannot co-op through the main game, but personally I always thought Gears’ best co-op experience was found in Horde Mode anyway, and that’s exactly what Mass Effect 3 brings to the table.
Four-player Horde Mode with Space Magic and Space Zombies as a possible enemy. Added to this are the regular challenges Bioware put out to the community (with loot rewards), and the various aliens/classes you could play and level up (opening new skills, weapons etc.) While a lot of people didn’t bother looking at this, for those that did it was highly addictive and a lot of fun.
7: Splinter Cell: Conviction co-op missions
Splinter Cell’s trademark stealth gameplay (with a slight dose of possible action) is even better when you add a buddy spy to join the mix for these co-op special missions.
Moving around a level, co-ordinating your path through guard patrols, or syncing up a beautiful co-op mark and execute is all very satisfying. While I have not played the recent Splinter Cell: Blacklist, I can only assume its co-op is at least just as fun as Conviction’s was. Stealthing your way through a mission is definitely challenging, but it's also extremely satisfying once pulled off.
6: Borderlands 2
I have a confession to make. I actually don’t enjoy Borderlands 2 with just two people. I find it tedious and just going through the motions.
However, once you have three or four players together, man is this game a blast. It must have something to do with the extra chaos those players bring, but the game just feels much more action heavy and enjoyable for me. Not to mention that the quality of loot goes up with more players, which is a big thing for that game.
With that said, more players also means more people who are likely to pick up that shiny new gun before you. So take the bitter with the better, I suppose.
5: Portal 2
While I wish there was more of a story to the side missions in the excellent Portal 2, it was still a lot of fun making my way through these with my fiance. None of the puzzles are possible alone.
You need to work together with your partner, and a lot of the game will be spent staring at a room, both of you trying to figure out the solution. Once one of you gets it and gives instructions to the other until they finally realise themselves… it’s really a special piece of magic.
This is especially good for people who love puzzle games and usually play them with someone else watching anyway, while you think together.
4: PayDay 2
I recently reviewed PayDay 2 and found it to be an excellent co-op game in the vein of Left 4 Dead, except you're on a team of criminals pulling off heists for money (rather than trying to survive a zombie apocalypse).
There’s also fairly deep class/RPG system, and at the end of a successful job you’re reward with not only cash but a sweet sweet loot drop - or more money. The shooting is good fun, and the game can be extremely challenging, so you’ll need a reliable team to back you up and work together if you want to get the job done right or - often - done at all.
3: Dead Island
While a lot of people enjoyed Dead Island, I wonder how many got the pleasure of playing it co-op. While you’d think having someone with you to survive a zombie breakout would help, you’d be wrong.
In the case of Dead Island, where you need to scrounge around for weapons in the environment (especially when the paddle you’re currently using breaks in the middle of a fight), it means there’s less to go around.
Dead Island is a lot like Borderlands with its basic RPG mechanics, loot drops, and open world environment. The difference is that the atmosphere is a lot scarier and the combat is mostly Melee.
I’ll admit the last third of the game isn’t as interesting as the start, and it does become way too easy. However, the first 10-20 hours are totally worth it alone, and my fiance & I had a blast surviving this doomed paradise together.
2: Diablo III
Despite what a lot of people say, I still think Diablo III is a great game. Yes, the end-game didn’t have much replayability, the loot drop system was busted because of the Auction House, and my fiance & I eventually got bored with it. But all that said, we only got to that point after enjoying roughly sixty hours of the game.
I don’t care what you say, but any game you play for sixty hours cannot be that bad.
Doing this with one - three friends is a lot of fun, working together and strategizing how to take on the tougher enemies. Best of all is when those gold items start dropping and you get to share in the joy of getting an awesome new piece of gear.
While I haven’t played it, I hear the recently released console version might be even better than the PC one, and it seems like the perfect game for some couch co-op on the same screen.
1: Left 4 Dead 2
This is the ultimate co-op experience. You play one of four survivors after the rest of the world suffers an infection breakout (zombies.) Each missions involves your team of survivors making your way through multiple stages until you reach a final survival mission, in order to make your escape.
The gameplay is thrilling, tons of fun, and highly dependent on your team working and moving together.
If someone tries to go lone wolf, they will most likely die a lonely death. This is because of the brilliant mechanics built into the game where there are certain enemies that if they get you, you need your friends to save you.
In Left 4 Dead, you cannot make it through alone, with most games involving a mix of calmly, quietly making your way through an area and screaming, panicky terror as a horde of zombies come running at your from all directions. It is an absolute blast and easily the best co-op experience I’ve ever had in gaming.
Out of all the games on this list, this was the only one where I’d come home and my fiance would ask me when we were going to start playing. While she isn’t a core gamer, this was the game that gave her her first positive gaming experience and a willingness to try others.
And for that, it will always have a special place in our hearts - and our relationship.
NZGamer.com
source: newshub archive
