Pick 5: Great Co-op Games

/

Great coop games Dead Space 3 is now out and the biggest change for this survival horror is that there is now a drop-in drop-out co-op for the campaign. So it made me think what are my favorite co-op games of this generation. There's a lot I know, but here are 5 special games  that I loved playing with a buddy or three.

Army of Two

ArmofTwo-coop

This isn't the best series, but it's definitely one co-op I had the most fun with a buddy joining me. The aggro mechanic, allowing you or your player to draw fire from your partner, is a great concept that requires teamwork and coordination with your partner. There's also those back to back moments where you just lay waste to all those poor soldiers that can't seem to hit two guys out of cover. The first Army of Two is the best, 40th Day was a joke, and the third game the Devil's Cartel is coming up and I can't wait to play that game for the heck of it.

Saint's Row: The Third

SaintsRowTheThird_coop01

Volition Games got the right idea when they were creating Saint's Row: The Third. Forget multiplayer, let's make the whole campaign playable in 2-player co-op. One of the best decisions ever made because a GTA-ish game that can be played with another player online is great. It's a simple drop-in, drop-out feature and you can literally experience everything the game has to offer with a friend. Saint's Row: The Third is hilarious and obviously doesn't take itself too seriously. It was hard to go through the story since wandering around with a tank messing things up is way more satisfying and disturbing at the same time.

Portal 2

portal2coop-02

One of the best games of 2011. The solo campaign was amazing, and to my surprise the co-op wasn't an after thought for the sake of adding more variety. The co-op is a whole new take with the use of the portal gun with test chambers designed for 2 players to figure out. You are now working with 4 portals, not two. It's a real challenge, pure teamwork and a mic is needed. Don't play the co-op though from some random guy in the internet, some have already done it and ruin the experience by showing you how its done. Grab a friend that's as clueless as you in the co-op and you'll have a great time with Atlas and P-Body.

Trine 1 and 2

trine2_coop

Here's one more game that require a lot of teamwork, but with two buddies instead of one. Trine was my first purchase in the PSN store and it was well worth the $15. This game is quite dull on your own, only when you have two other people controlling the other characters is where it gets interesting. All three character's unique abilities complement one another and requires everybody cooperation in order to reach the end of the stage in one piece. The game was a bit short but well worth the playthrough.

Castle Crashers 

CastleCrashers

If you don't know what Castle Crashers is, then your missing out. This beat 'em up 4-player co-op is a great game to de-stress, have a few beers, and play with some buddies. You are simply a bunch of knights off to save a group of princess' that were captured. It has an amazing cartoon art style that may seem childish at first glance but when you see all the carnage and gore that occurs when you start playing, you will take back that thought. There's level ups, stat building, weapons to unlock, and characters to unlock giving it a strong replay value once your done with it. This game reminded me of the good old days when I was playing the X-Men beat 'em up arcade game. Speaking of which, I think that needs to be remade...

There's a lot of great co-op games that weren't mentioned like Borderlands or even Diablo, but these are the games that I enjoyed the most when playing with friends. What about you? What are your Pick 5?

Trine 2 now out for consoles

/

Trine 2 Trine 2 is honestly the only downloadable game I've been excited for as if it's a triple A title. The sequel has been out for Steam since December 7 but it has finally landed on consoles. It's out now for the PSN(Dec 20) with it coming to Xbox Live a day later(Dec 21).

If you want a game to play with some friends, this is the game. It's a platform that needs a lot of cooperation to progress. Playing the game alone is not the way to go for this kind of game, but luckily you can connect with someone online now so if you do get the game, make a friend.

Compared to the visuals in the first game, Trine 2 is looks amazing. The world now looks alive and vibrant. While the length of the first game was just enough for the price given, I do hope its a tad longer.

Trine 2 will also feature an Unlimited mode which allows you to play any kind of character variation at the same time. Check it out the below, it looks pretty fun having a couple of wizards roaming around creating stuff.

I checked out PSN Store ande Trine 2 costs $14.99(same price in steam) with a demo already out if you plan to just try the game out first. If you haven't played the first game though, I suggest you give Trine a shot. It's still one of the best downloadable games out there and you'll appreciate the changes more in Trine 2.

 

 

Trine 2 gameplay trailer

/

Have a peek at Trine 2's gameplay footage and be amazed on how beautiful the game looks. Me and my buddies had a blast with Trine's creative co-op gameplay. It was fun testing each others trust among one another in the first and i can't wait to do it all over again with the sequel.

If you haven't tried Trine you should get it and I suggest you find a buddy or two to play with. This game is meant to be played as a co-op and you'll be missing a lot of you don't.

Trine 2 has no release date yet but is aiming for a 2011 release. The game will be out for Xbox Live Arcade, PC and PSN.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbG9JwtiEPU&feature=player_embedded]