The 411 Games Top 5 7.29.10: Week 73 - Favorite Co-Op Games

Posted by Todd Vote on 07.29.2010

From the World of Warcraft and the series of Lego Games to Left 4 Dead and Halo, the 411 Games Staff breaks down their Top 5 Co-Op Games in the latest edition of the 411 Games Top 5! See which games made the list and why!


Comment Time with Toddo!

lol @ guy who cant beat modern warfare 2 on veteran
Posted By: guest (Guest) on July 22, 2010 at 04:37 AM

MW2 Veteran is by far the easiest of all the CODS.
Posted By: Guest#4235 (Guest) on July 22, 2010 at 07:47 AM

Go ahead and laugh, I'm cool with that. I'm sure you to in all of your gaming badassery have never gotten stuck on any part of any game ever in the history of video games, right? Either way, no I still have not beaten this. The part towards the end where you are trying to escape the airplane graveyard in a jeep keeps giving me fits. Sadly, it is not the other vehicles that are killing me, but some enemy from a distance. I think I am going to have to restart the chapter. But with this being the first COD I have attempted to finish on Veteran, I thought I was doing alright.

"Crowning the witch" in L4D easily makes my list and I can't believe it's not on any of the lists here. It was always fun to go with a group and decide who was going to be the one to take the chance of one-shotting her before she jacked you up... no other fans of that one here?
Posted By: Guest#1460 (Guest) on July 22, 2010 at 08:50 AM

You know, this one here did nothing but piss me off. No matter what I did I could not get this one at all. I'd shoot the bitch, and I just cannot get the sweet spot.



I feel that co-op campaigns should be a fairly unique experience. To be honest, most co-op campaigns these days are identical to the single player campaign only you suddenly have the ability to be revived. While these games are still fun in their own right, they have not really nailed the feeling of working together to reach a common goal. They are more like we are working alongside one another more than we are working together. Aside from a Gears of War, or a Left 4 Dead where certain things actually require you to rely on your team-mates, most co-op campaigns now days are just a simple extension of the single player game. Perhaps I am a bit jaded, and that is the way co-op games have always been for the most part. Very rarely is a game designed with the co-op experience in mind first.

This week I tasked the writers with giving me their absolute favorite co-op campaign experiences. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip.

READER VOICE Dominic HolleyHONORABLE MENTIONS

Battletoads/Double Dragon - Due to my young age at the time, this is the first and ONLY Battletoads game I have ever played to this day (pimple FTW, by the way), and even when I did buy it, I got it because I loved Double Dragon. Well, needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the awesomeness of the 'toads and ended up liking their moves more than the brothers Lee. I hated the motor/hovercycle stage, but that's about the only complaint I have, and it was only because I sucked at games back then.

Simpsons Arcade - Anytime I went to Chuck-e-Cheese I knew where I would be the whole time: in the arcade, blowing all my tokens on game credits, fuck the tickets!!! Anyway, I couldn't get enough of the great arcade selection they had there, and while Simpsons arcade was a blast, there were two other games that this game couldn't match, and I'm sure most of you probably know exactly what two I am talking about (and even if you don't, you will see them both, trust me).

5.Final Fight - Oh, come on, we knew that Capcom plug was coming somewhere. Seriously, though, I had never seen the arcade cabinet for this game until I had the SNES version for about a year or so, so you could just imagine the joy I felt when I played it, not only because it was co-op, but...Muthafuckin' GUY, son! It was at that moment that I noticed that Final Fight was damn near a side scrolling version of Street Fighter (and I knew jack and shit about Capcom back then so I never made THAT connection). I mean, what I had first noticed was that Cody and Dictator Bison (SF II turbo/champion edition) does the same jump kick, but when I seen that Guy could Hurricane Kick, well blow me the fuck down, because Final Fight just got about 3 times better than it already was.

4.X-Men Legends 2 - I could have picked M: UA (because we all know they sorta dropped the ball on 2, although it is still a decent game, just not as great as the others), but I though XML 2 had the slight edge, a nice portion of both UAs' rosters we expendable to me and I used every single character in XML 2 not begrudgingly, but because they were all very fun to play with, even if you didn't necessarily like the person you were playing with.



3.Streets of Rage 2 - This is arguably the best 16 bit beat 'em up of all time, and definitely one of my favorites, even though I hate myself for placing it above Final Fight, but a spade is a spade, and STR 2 is...well if you have a problem with it, Max Thunder would like to have a word with you. Max: THUNDAAAHHHH! If you actually just attempted to have a word with Max, just be happy he didn't give you an atomic drop.

2.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The only thing that could have made this game better was if they had included all of the stages from the console version, in which case Turtles in Time would probably be the better of the two had they ported the console version to the arcade instead, but another story for another day. When played with all 4 turtles, the fun can not be measured in no way, shape or form. It takes a hell of a game to keep this out of my number one spot and that game is...

1.Bucky O' Hare - Ok, I'm sorry, that's not right...

1.X-Men - The majority of my best co-op experiences are shared with my best coin-op experiences, and let me just say, if you thought 4 player co-op was insane try playing this with all 6 X-Men and tell me this isn't coin-op nirvana, because it is dammit and you know it! Now getting stuck with Dazzler is a problem, but that's a small gripe for the game that officially turned me on to comics and that shitty one-shot "Pryde of the X-Men" pilot that kinda sucked but I would have still watched it to support Marvel in hopes that they would improve the product (Avengers, Spider-Man Unlimited and season 2 of Iron Man, aside, they were just about unwatchable). All in all, while I loved TMNT because it was action packed and I have probably seen every episode of the cartoon, I knew nothing about the comics so I was much more deeply invested into the X-men game, and also because Colossus was the beast he is supposed to be, although I still don't know why his X-Factor was exploding (...I think) on people, but it was awesome nonetheless.

Stephen RandleHONORABLE MENTIONS

Left 4 Dead - If you're not playing this with 3 other friends, in a darkened room with no other noise but the game, you are entirely missing the point.

Any 40+ hour RPG - Okay, so they aren't really co-op games, but back in the days of 3-day rentals, the only way you're ever going to beat, say, Breath of Fire II before you have to return it is by assembling your friends and tag-teaming the game during an all-nighter.

5.Diablo/Diablo II - And likely Diablo III as well. My fondest memories of these games are in university dorms, in big groups over the network, blowing through every level of the game in a single night.

4.LEGO Batman/Indiana Jones/Star Wars - We're not counting Harry Potter because I hate him. Classic franchises, gameplay that was fun and completely tongue-in-cheek, and because you can't actually die, you can just play forever and not care so much when you miss that precision jump that sends you to your doom.

3.EA's NHL series - Five people. One room. One season. Throw in pre-created characters representing ourselves, and you have a game that was the highlight of the summer, every year.



2.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game - The bane of my youth, my best friend and I never actually managed to beat it. And yet we were still obsessed with it, and we could actually track our improved progress every week. If video games had never moved on from the NES, we'd probably still be playing this.

1.World of Warcraft - It's a cheap answer, but some of the most fun I've had with video games goes back to the original, pre-expansion WoW, where there was only one 40-man raid, but nearly a dozen dungeons that could be run with 5 or 10 people. This led to "dungeon run nights", where my guild would pick a dungeon at random, run it, and then pick another, and so on until too many people fell asleep to allow us to continue. Throw in voice chat, and guild of truly insane friends, and you've got an all-night party.

Jeremy ThomasHONORABLE MENTIONS

Marvel Ultimate Alliance - This would probably be higher if they came out with MUA 2 for the PC, because I am not a console gamer and I'm still burned about that. Either way, this thing is a blast as a group.

Contra Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start. This was one of the original great co-op games and it was an absolute blast to run through as a duo.

5.Rock Band - I've never played this game solo. However, I will jump at the chance to play this with others every chance I get. It's a great way to kill a few hours, get yourself worked up and generally rock the house. I usually sang, which to people who have heard me sing is pretty funny to think of. But hey, better that than drum--rhythm is not one of my talents.

4.Left 4 Dead - What can be more fun than playing a game with your friend? Killing zombies with your friends. I'll be honest, I was never very good at the L4D series, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy myself. For hacking up zombies with your friends, you should accept no substitute.



3.Star Wars: Battlefront II - Probably not the most popular Star Wars game of all-time, this for me was the most fun to play as a group. It's the tactical game I enjoyed more and when you had a group that could work well together, you were nigh-unbeatable. And if you could get a hero going? Game over, man.

2.WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role - This has always been one of my favorite games on console to play in a group. The exhibition matches were fun enough by themselves, as were the Create-A-Pay-Per-Views, but multiplayer exhibition mode was a blast. Get the CAW going, make some bad-asses and just tear into the WWF talent. Good times for all.

1.World of Warcraft - I don't think this is cheap at all. Not everyone who plays WoW goes in for the group experience, but some of the most fun I've had in the game is in instances or battlegrounds that rely on a group atmosphere. And this is coming from someone who doesn't raid. It involves everyone having to work together to fulfill different roles and like Stephen said, get a group of your nuttiest friends together and even if you don't clear the newest dungeon you're still having a blast. I have a player in my guild that is known for teased good-naturedly about being a dangerous guy to run with and running with him have been some of my favorite runs. Good times.

Lee PriceHONORABLE MENTIONS

World of Warcraft - I may not be a fan, but this is the biggest co-op game in the world. It deserves its due.

5.Pro Evolution Soccer Series - I may have raked the latest entry over the coals a little bit in my review, but I still spend far, far too much time on Pro Evo co-op with my best mate. Granted I used to enjoy it a lot more before Konami decided to get rid of 95% of the features and replace gameplay with cheapness. I do still enjoy it, just not as much as I used to.

4.Guitar Hero/Rock Band - This is one of the few games that I could endure playing over Xbox Live. Guitar Hero and Rock Band co-op is always a bit of fun, and it is the perfect party game for when you are drunk and looking to make enough noise to piss of the neighbours. The depth in the series means that gamers can also really enjoy the whole thing if they find equally skilled players, because being the one good player at a party can get tiresome.



3.Halo - I enjoy a bit of Halo at the best of times. Especially the first title. The addition of co-op just makes the whole thing that much more fun. I've lost count of the amount of times my Halo co-op games have degenerated into a mess of everyone throwing sticky grenades at everyone else. I love it though.

2.Left 4 Dead - This is the very definition of a co-op experience, and would be number one if I hadn't just finished writing this week's Retronomicon. My rose tinted glasses are still on though and, if I'm honest, my number one choice has provided me with just a tad more fun. Having said that, with the right group of people, Left 4 Dead is a riot. Never has a zombie apocalypse been this much fun.

1.Streets of Rage - Come on, I'm the retro guy so how could this not be number one? I love me some Streets of Rage and I've lost count of the amount of hours I spent throwing my friends over my shoulder in game so that they could perform a super flying kick. Or yelling German Suplex every single time I executed a throw in game. I love Streets of Rage and all of its sequels. Number 2 could have gone here quite easily as well.

Trace Aber
First off, it should be mentioned that I didn't really get to play a lot of co-op games in my youth due to not living around a bunch of kids. So, that being said, you'll have to forgive me if this list is filled with fairly recent games.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Donkey Kong Country - I'm putting this here because when I was a kid I thought the idea of playing DKC with a friend sounded awesome. But, when I finally got to play it, it was disappointing. I was hoping we would both be running wild and collecting bananas, but instead we had to take turns and tag out? What the hell?

5.Borderlands -I wish I could rank this higher but I never got to give this game the shot it truly deserves. While I did manage to finish a good portion of the game, my group of friends and I couldn't seem to decide when to play together and I ended up selling the game a month or so ago. I'm sure I'll pick it back up down the line when I can introduce somebody new to it, but until then it'll have to take the number five spot.

4.Castle Crashers - I found this game when my girlfriend's brother asked me if I wanted to play the first time I went to their house. After about five minutes of hacking and slashing my way through a colorful world filled with interesting characters, I was in love. I went home and bought the game the same night and though I never did end up beating it (my Xbox got the RROD and I lost my save files), I still have fond memories of eating sandwiches to make me a giant.



3.Streets of Rage -Among the first co-op games I completed with a friend, this series of games still ranks up there as some of my favorites. Granted, the story is pretty generic and the combat is rather limited looking back, but I still have fun returning to the streets and beating up some baddies with a pipe. I mean, who doesn't?

2.NHL 3 on 3 Hockey -I've spent countless hours beating this game in every way possible with my friends, setting up every variety of gameplay until we destroyed any and all competition. That being said, we don't play it as much as we used to, but this arcade game was a surprise hit with me and still ranks up there as one of my best spending decisions. Hell, I even played this last Friday and still had a blast...even if we won by 18 points.

1.Left 4 Dead - Ahhh, the original L4D, how I love thee. While the second one was pretty good, it didn't capture my attention (and the attention of my friends) quite like the first. Before zombies became all the rage in games, L4D seemed like a pretty unique title and it worked great. Having three other teammates to work with made for either a pleasant or horrible experience, but once you figured out the right team the game was a blast.

Adam LarckHONORABLE MENTIONS

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time - Turtles in Time had a lot of fun moments as you and a friend took on waves of enemies.

Rock Band - Rock Band is alright by yourself, but the co-op gameplay is really where it's at.

5.Castle Crashers - Probably one of the best beat'em ups I've played, the game gives a lot of character options (once you've unlocked them) and just a lot of melee fun. Some of the best fun in this game comes when you rescue the princess, though. After working together to get to beat the boss, you take each other on to see who can earn the kiss.

4.Marvel Ultimate Alliance - I actually like this entire series of games, along with X-Men Legends. Getting four players together to take on some of Marvel's bigger villains is always fun. Plus, with actual players you can get some strategy going by deciding who will attack which enemies and any combo attacks will be done.



3.Left 4 Dead - This is a game all about co-op. Getting through this game alive with four people, especially on harder levels, requires a lot of communication. Plus, teammates can share pills, health packs and even revive each other. Thankfully, if players get stressed at each other, they can take each other on in versus mode.

2.Halo - I never play the campaign in this series by myself. I just never can get into them. Instead, I always found some friends to go through the game with. I find it more enjoyable to wander around with friends and explore the area together. Plus, getting a full team running in a few Warthogs into a huge battle always felt great.

1.Borderlands - Probably one of top games, Borderlands lives and breathes with its co-op. Getting four people that are decked out right can make the game a breeze, but still offers a lot of fun trying to find the best loot. Thankfully, it seems as if the fourth DLC may be getting announced soon, giving me another reason to get the friends back into the game.

Todd VoteHONORABLE MENTIONS

The Simpsons Arcade Game - This game was a blast, and the team up moves between the different family members were always fun. If I remember right, Bart and Lisa would run around crying like two kids abandoned in a mall. It's a shame this one never made it to home consoles.

Left 4 Dead - Left 4 Dead just barely misses the Top 5. But thats not to say it's not one of the better co-op experiences on the current consoles.

5.Gears of War 2 - In my opinion Gears is as close to a real co-op experience as we have gotten on the current generation. Gears is a campaign that is designed for co-op from the ground up. It's a rare occasion where the single player campaign is an extension of the co-op campaign instead of the other way around.

4.TMNT Arcade - Man I love being a turtle. Then again, who didn't love this game? Whether it was in the Arcade, the home version dubbed TMNT2: The Arcade Game, or the re-release on Xbox Live and The PSN. This game is still just as fun to turn on as it was all them years ago in the arcade. If you ask me, that says something about the quality of this game.

3.Contra - Ah, Contra... Quick, whats the 30 life code? Now, how many of you remembered the code right away? Yeah, me too.



2.Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - After MK Mythologies: Sub Zero, and that lame ass game with Jax in it, nobody expected anything at all out of another 3rd person MK game. I know I was pleasantly surprised when I took the plunge and bought this one on release day. Not only was the game fun, but it was actually a really good game. There was something satisfying about being able to juggle an opponent between Kung Lao and Liu Kang, then slappin a fatality on him. Oh and the Kung Lao fatality from the upcoming MK game? You know the hat as a circular saw one? The one everybody is calling the most brutal fatality they've seen yet? Yeah he had that in this game. Booyah!

1.The Warriors - The Warriors, as done by Rockstar Games, not that crapfest that was released on XBLA. This game was so much fun to play. I loved, how when both players were in the same area, you would see one screen. The co-op was not limited by this as both players could literally go anywhere they wanted, and didn't have to stick together. The game handled this by seamlessly switching to a split screen when the two of you got separated. Very well done, and a game I still have fond memories of.


Bonus Video:
In another video borrowed from the Music 5 &1,, this was just to cool to not share.




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Well that does it for another week of the Top 5. Be sure to let us know of your Best co-op experiences, as well as anything you want to see in a future edition of the Top 5 below. See ya in seven.

Around the site:

Living Live with Trace Aber

Retronomicon With Lee Price

Four Player Co-op with quizmaster Stephen Randle

The Hush Hush News Report with Jeremy Thomas

And I leave you to ponder this thought:
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