Everyone enjoys a good single-player gaming experience, right? Well maybe not those who are addicted to MMOs. But the average console gamer certainly likes to be able to sit down on a couch/chair/bed/floor and immerse themselves in a game, without a companion there to annoyingly remind them that they're not in fact a character in the game world, but are indeed just a person sitting on a couch/chair/bed/floor and pressing buttons. But some games work well with two players. Some games can be just as immersive and just as fun when you have a friend tagging along with you, and it can provide a great way to spend time with those that you either like or tolerate. So without further rambling, here's my rundown of my favorite co-op games that I own:
#7 - LittleBigPlanet
This is an odd choice for the list, considering that I have not actually played LBP in co-op yet. However, the structure of the game means that I don't have to in order to judge how fun it could be. Solo play and co-op play are part of the same experience in LBP, meaning that you could play through the entire game by yourself, or you could also ask a friend to come along for th ride with you. Certain parts of levels are reserved for only two players, and they are completely optional and not required for you to be able to pass the finish line. They provide a good incentive for those people who played through the level alone to come back and retry it, this time with a LittleBigBuddy. So based on my experience with the game playing solo, I know that having another player there would be just as fun, if not more. If you're looking for a casual, easy-to-play co-op experience, LBP is a great choice.
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#6 - Golden Axe
I'm going to be quite honest...Golden Axe is a rather difficult game when you're playing solo, and in my opinion, it gets even harder when you decide to play it with a friend. However, if you both have the right attitude, it can be a lot of fun. The accidental hits on your partner, the lines like "hey you messed up my pattern!", and the increased difficulty of the enemies must all be taken in stride and with a mindset of fun. If you won't be able to stand your partner accidentaly killing you, you may want to avoid co-op here. But hacking and slashing your way through the waves of enemies and eventually teaming up to take down Death Bringer is a very cool experience, and one that should not be missed if you can rope a friend into the mix with you.
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#5 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2-3
Both MW2 and MW3 have an excellent variety of SpecOps missions to satisfy those who are not content with simply the campaign or with multiplayer. You can complete many of these missions alone, although most of the time, it's obvious that they were designed for two players, because of the fact that playing alone can be a real pain in the neck. The game certainly doesn't take it easy on you when you lack a partner, so before going for the record scores, get a buddy. I should also note that in MW3, there is Survival co-op, which pits you and a partner against infinite waves of enemies until you both bite the virtual dust. It's fun, but poorly designed because the difficulty on all the maps is set and not able to be adjusted. This means that some of the maps are always set to easy difficulty, and some are always set to insane difficulty, and you can't switch it. Still, if you want a good FPS co-op game that you can easily pick up and play with a friend, without worrying about following a story setup or anything like that, check out the MW games.
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#4 - Streets of Rage (Series)
The SOR series sort of falls into the same category as what I said about Golden Axe, except for the fact that you can play and enjoy all three SOR games, because unlike Golden Axe, the sequels aren't completely awful. Stll, you'll likely have to deal with your teammate causing you more grief than help, and you'll definitely have an easier time if you decide to play through the game by yourself. But flipping your partner in the air and setting them up for a flying kick attack is obviously unique to co-op play, and if you and a friend want to take on a greater challenge in SOR together, then there's no reason to consider not doing it. Battling to take out Mr. X before your friend does can be tons of fun.
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#3 - Battlefield 3
I actually just finished playing through all of the six BF3 co-op missions with a good friend of mine tonight, and I have to say that despite the ridiculously weak story that the developers tried to throw into the mode, the missions were very fun, although certain sections can be tedious if you and your buddy decide to try for all the PSN trophies that you can get. It's basically standard fare for an FPC co-op experience...you and your friend progress through the mission, listing to orders and completing the objectives. If your buddy goes down, you can revive him if you have the time. The missions have a nice variety between normal ground combat, a few vehicle sections (including one helicopter mission), some stealth gameplay, and some sniper gameplay. If you want some co-op war action with a friend, look no further. My biggest complaint is actually that the missions are rather short.
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#2 - Portal 2
This is clearly the most unique co-op experience on this list. Not only do you have to fully depend on your partner most of the time, but the entire setup of the mode seems to insist that you need to play it with a close friend, and not with a random player. In fact, the game seems to go to a great length to hide the matchmaking feature for co-op, and also gives you a warning when you go to use it, saying that playing with a friend is much more reasonable. And I absolutely agree. Playing with a random person would be more of a chore and excercise in patience than anything else, especially if you have to constantly lead the way in solving all the puzzles. If you have a good friend who will either join you online or join you in person, I highly recommend playing this game together. It combines great puzzles with a great story, great humor, and great sense of companionship.
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#1 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
To begin with the top pick, I do own Uncharted 3. I simply feel that Uncharted 2 is better, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the difficulty in UC2's co-op mode is easier than the difficulty in UC3, even when it's ramped up to its fullest. Enemy types are simpler, easier to spot, and not as hard to bring down with actual team tactics. Also, there are much better options in UC2. For example, you can choose to set up a private match where you only play Survival, or only play Gold Rush, or only play Siege, etc. In UC3, you can't do this...you are only able to play a standard mode which mixes all three of those variations into arena battles. Both games have adventure co-op, but I only played through all the missions in UC2, because I essentially gave up on UC3 altogether after a short time had passed since completing the story mode. Adventure missions are fun and difficult, challenging players to work together and accomplish a certain goal. Arena co-op is generally where the meat is though, and playing with up to two other friends as you battle it out to stay alive and rack up kills is immensely fun, and really doesn't get old. As such, UC2 is my pick for the best co-op game in this list, and if you haven't ever tried it...you should. It's that simple.
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That does it for this blog, and I hope you have enjoyed the read. Before I end though, I'd like to make a few additional update notes...
1) I watched "Spirited Away" last night after my friend dylan417 recommended it very highly in his blog. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, and overall I would give it a 4/5 on Netflix based on its creativity and the fact that it's very hard not to fall in love with Chihiro as a character.
2) For all who read this blog and also own or are planning to buyBattlefield 3, you can go to www.actofvalor.com/bf3/ to catch a trailer for the upcoming movie and also collect 5 free dogtags that you can use in the game.
3) When I purchased my slim PS3 late last year, I also got a voucher code for 30 free days of Playstation Plus. I noticed that in the fine print on the card, it said I would automatically be given a regular subscription and charged for it after the free period had expired. And so rather than deal with all that hassle, I haven't ever used the code, and I still have it. It expires on the 30th of this month, so if anybody would like it, I will be willing to send it to you either through PSN or through a private message here at Gamespot. I'll give it to the first person who asks me. Just beware of this as well...if you buy something like DLC that is exclusive to PSN Plus users, it MIGHT vanish once you get rid of the membership after the free period expires. I would recommend only using the trial period to download free items that are exclusive to PSN Plus, or to purchase items that are available to both PSN Plus users and standard users.
Once again, thanks for reading and please comment. God bless you all.