With the critically acclaimed success of It Takes Two I got to thinking what other games are really good in coop, but then I thought no Javier…….what coop games are best if your partner/friend/dog doesn’t like video games, or at least doesn’t play them? Now I definitely wouldn’t put ITT in this category because despite being a cute and charming platformer it has some very difficult segments, and bosses, which will most likely challenge even the most experienced gamer, or you know……..me and Mike. I have spoken before about the fact that Animal Crossing cracked the spell for my missus’ lack of gaming, so lets start there!
Animaaaaaal crosssing, this is almost definitely the best game on the list for someone who doesn’t pick up a controller that often. As described at the end of this video I got it for my fair lady for Xmas last year and we spent a lot of time drinking port, eating cheese and buying pointless shit for our island. I’ll be honest we pretty much abandoned it after mid Jan but now it’s had various updates and there’s and Easter bunny, and Mario gear, it’s had a bit more play time again. The best thing about it is that there’s nothing difficult about it, all you’re doing is walking around catching bugs and fish and having a merry time. Now of course this may not excite those of us who enjoy action RPGs but it’s perfect for someone who wants to get into gaming. For me I still enjoy playing it as a coop game and occasionally late at night when watching TV. Anyway this is most definitely a good one to play together and could be a good gift 😉
These are essentially party games, I mean one of them is actually called PARTY. I think there’s a good in between in terms of the difficulty on these games, this is easily the easiest/most nerfed Mario Kart but that does make it very accessible. I personally enjoy both of these the most with a dinrk or two, for us a grand prix on MK is usually part of our pre-drinks, usually before we can’t see more than 2 metres in front of our face and can’t tell right from left…….Anyway… I know they aren’t coop but lets hope one of you doesn’t get too competitive and ruin the relationship forever. Mario Party can definitely drag a bit but the mini games could be seen as good ways at getting used to lots of different controls in one go. Plus it has some pretty fun side games.
I feel like it’d be odd at this point if you hadn’t at least tried Overcooked 1, 2 or one of it’s clones (Tools Up, Moving Out, Totally Reliable Delivery Service) but in case you haven’t…. Overcooked is a game where you must get meals out to customers who are ordering non stop but set within insane scenarios which make it almost impossible to actually cook the meals, you’ve probably seen videos. It is definitely more challenging than the first 2 on the list, and you may only be able to get so far within the game, but it’s definitely a good one to try. The fun insanity is challenging, and will most certainly test your communication skills, but will surely make you stronger if you can make it through and cook all those meals, or deliver all those parcels!
I hadn’t heard of this game until pretty recently, it’s essentially a really fucking easy light side scrolling RPG. It has your typical hero story, evil overlord, world going bad vibe with damage numbers etc. What’s especially fun is that you can play this as a team, or a pair I should say and take on many groups of enemies who want to killll you. It’s a good one to play together as the more experience one can take on more of the combat whilst the other rolls around in the bushes. This is a very cool game but be warned it could be one more for the experienced gamer and the other one could get bored, totally not speaking from personal experience here…….
Why wouldn’t you want to combine being responsible for saving each other with getting the bejeezus scared out of ya! Whilst elements of the game can be challenging it would provide a lot of fun for the non experienced one to kill off all of your characters as they can’t time their button presses, personally I’m a big fan of that. If you haven’t played these games you’re responsible for taking a group of characters (with some famous faces to boot) through a playable horror film, controlling a character each via a split screen, to try and get them all to the end of it! I’m personally of the opinion that these games are truly inspired, especially if you’re a fan of horror movies. Whilst the have a very ‘b movie’ feel this makes it all the more enjoyable. Why not just find an inexperienced scaredy cat and surprise them with one of these!
Speaking of inspired games A Way Out will give a you a coop experience like no other, not only with ingenious gameplay but also with a twisty turny story. Now much like It Takes Two this may well not be for someone who hasn’t played a tonne of games, or gets frustrated when they’re a bit too complex. However it cannot be missed, and it could be a game that you work towards! A way out is the story of 2 absolute lads that are escaping prison, you will play one of them each as you go on the run, learning more about each other and yourself. Not only does the game jump seamlessly from exploration, to combat, to puzzle solving, but it also has loads of fun mini games for you to get competitive with. I hadn’t played a coop game like it ever before, and only it takes two has matched it. Josef Fares is a the god of coop and needs to be on every coop game ever created!
Are there some glaringly obvious games I’m missing here? Please let me know @RespawningUK