Same-console coop games

[Thajocoth]

It seems to me that there's a shortage of same-console simultaneous play coop games nowadays. I'm looking to get some more, and am wondering if people have advice.

Toejam & Earl 2 - Genesis - Old, but good. Platformer game. Collect the Earthlings in jars & reach the ends of the levels.

Crimson Alliance - X360 - Gauntlet style game; kill hordes of enemies, explore some to find hidden areas full of gold & collectibles.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance - X360 - I'd say this is basically another Gauntlet style game, but there's not really much reason to explore. Pretty much go forward, kill enemies, see lots of references to lots of things in the Marvel universe.

Portal 2 coop mode - X360 - First person platformer, lots of great puzzles, a whole lot of fun. Has it's own separate levels & story from the single player.

Trauma Center: New Blood - Wii - The levels are the same, you just get an extra pair of hands for the surgeries. Some levels are fairly impossible without the second player. I remember, in single player, occasionally doing a surgery as 2 players, and setting the second controller to a tool I'd keep running out of, like the laser or whatever, and I'd switch controllers briefly when I'd run out with the first one.

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So, my girl & I are enjoying Crimson Alliance, after which I'm going to have her try Marvel Ultimate Alliance, since it's similar. She's a bit new to games, but she adapts really well & has become very good at CA. She plays a ranged Wizard and I play a melee Assassin... This synergizes really well for us.

Does anyone have coop simultaneous play same-console games they enjoy & might recommend?

[Brother Oni]

This probably wants to be in Gaming (Other).

I'm assuming you have a Wii and Xbox 360?

On the 360:

• Trine 2: 2D platformer
• Castle Crashers: side scrolling beat-em-up
• Any Lego game
• World of Keflings: short but fun building game
• Halo: Reach - may not be to your girlfriend's liking, but has a decent co-op campaign.
• Plants versus Zombies: Not really a proper co-op mode, but is fun.
• Dungeon Siege 3: Hack and slash Diablo clone.
• Harm's Way: free racing/shooting game - one player drives, the other uses trackside mounted turrets to take out the opposition (or the other partner if their aim is bad).

[Thajocoth]

Since video games are a form of media, I assumed this went here & Gaming (Other) referred to other tabletop/board/etc... games. If I'm incorrect, then yeah, this should be moved.

I've got a lot of system, but yeah, the Wii & X360 are my newest two.

I thought the Halo series was all cross-console competitive gaming (so I've never given it more than a second's thought). I won't play anything that's cross console (which is why I don't pay for an XBox Live Gold account). I'm also not competitive (hence the focus on coop). Am I wrong about this game?

I'll look into the games you've listed & see what I think. Thanks for writing it up.

[Somewhere]

Gaming (Other) also covers videogames

If you're fine with using the Wii's Virtual Console service, as well as XBox's Live arcade thingy (mainly for Guardian Heroes), the possibilities explode exponentially.

Aside from that, first off I recommend the Metal Slug Anthology, which should still be inexpensive for the Wii. It contains Metal Slug 1, 2, X, 3, 4, 5, and 6. It is the modern flagship run-and-gun franchise.

[Brother Oni]

Originally Posted by Thajocoth

I thought the Halo series was all cross-console competitive gaming (so I've never given it more than a second's thought). I won't play anything that's cross console (which is why I don't pay for an XBox Live Gold account). I'm also not competitive (hence the focus on coop). Am I wrong about this game?

I can't say for any other game in the series as I haven't played them, but Halo:Reach has a split screen option for playing the co-op campaign. This does not require a Gold account or anything else save a big enough TV and a second controller.

There's even a co-op mode online (Firefight) which has you and other players defending an installation against incoming enemies. Sadly, this does require a Gold account.

You are right in that the vast majority of the online play is competitive multiplayer, but you are not compelled to join in if you don't want to (and indeed can't, without a Gold account).

I'm not sure what you mean by 'cross console' - all the Halo games have been X-box or Xbox 360 only.

I'm not entirely sure there are any games that have multiplayer cross consoles given that Microsoft and Sony are direct competitors in this market; Nintendo doesn't really count as many of the cross platform PS3/Xbox 360 games don't make it across to the Wii.

[SDF]

I play co-op with my girlfriend sometimes.

Borderlands can be fun, but at least on the first one the menu is awkward with two people.

Killzone is really fun with a second person. I let her use really big guns while I pick guys off.

Little Big Planet is really fun with two people as well, and you can get those secret areas.

Resident Evil 5 pretty much requires co-op and it is a blast together.

[Thajocoth]

Originally Posted by Brother Oni

I'm not entirely sure there are any games that have multiplayer cross consoles given that Microsoft and Sony are direct competitors in this market; Nintendo doesn't really count as many of the cross platform PS3/Xbox 360 games don't make it across to the Wii.

"Cross console", not "cross platform". Two 360s talking to each other is more than one console & thus the signals require ethernet. That's enough to be cross console. I do not want that. I do not enjoy that. (And we only have one television & one of each console we have.)

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Yeah, if I had a Sony system, Little Big Planet would be a real obvious choice. Only Sony system I have is a PS2. I'll look into those games mentioned though. Thanks!

[tensai_oni]

Ico is not a coop game at first, but finishing it once unlocks two-player mode where the second player controls Yorda.

And it's an amazing experience, especially when played with a significant other.

[Thajocoth]

Originally Posted by tensai_oni

Ico is not a coop game at first, but finishing it once unlocks two-player mode where the second player controls Yorda.

And it's an amazing experience, especially when played with a significant other.

Really?! I have Ico and have beaten it... Ico is amazing! If she can control Yorda, that would be a GREAT game for us!

[SDF]

Oh, also Tales of Symphonia. It was a PS2 and GC release. It is a jrpg where you can battle with up to four people, and switch in and out party members. The AI is okay, but it can get really fun with even two people. My best friend and I played through it, and it was a blast.

[Brother Oni]

Originally Posted by Thajocoth

"Cross console", not "cross platform". Two 360s talking to each other is more than one console & thus the signals require ethernet. That's enough to be cross console. I do not want that. I do not enjoy that. (And we only have one television & one of each console we have.)

D'oh. Serves me right for posting on insufficient caffeine.

[Zevox]

Originally Posted by Somewhere

Gaming (Other) also covers videogames

And by that he means that almost all of the discussion in Gaming (Other) is about video games. We get the rare thread about something else, but for most part, it may as well be officially renamed as the Video Game section of the forum.

Originally Posted by SDF

Oh, also Tales of Symphonia. It was a PS2 and GC release. It is a jrpg where you can battle with up to four people, and switch in and out party members. The AI is okay, but it can get really fun with even two people. My best friend and I played through it, and it was a blast.

The Tales series as a whole seems to have this as a standard feature. That would include:

Tales of Symphonia (GCN)
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2, 3DS)
Tales of Vesperia (X-Box 360)
Tales of Graces F (PS3)
Tales of Xillia (PS3, releasing later this year outside Japan)

And possibly older ones that I don't have any direct knowledge of, like Tales of Legendia (PS2).

Personally, I'd most highly recommend Abyss and Vesperia. Wouldn't recommend Dawn of the New World unless you play and greatly enjoy the first Tales of Symphonia. It's not bad, but not worth playing as a stand-alone, and even as a sequel to Symphonia it's a let-down.

[Mando Knight]

There's the LEGO Whatever games (Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones, LotR... no sign of stopping any time soon...), which offer same-console drop-in/out co-op play.

[Thajocoth]

I'm glad to see a lot of titles in this thread.

I'm going to add another:
Zelda: Four Swords. I just gotta see how many gameboys I have.

[tensai_oni]

Originally Posted by Thajocoth

Really?! I have Ico and have beaten it... Ico is amazing! If she can control Yorda, that would be a GREAT game for us!

Yes. I have an European edition though, and each edition is remarkably different in terms of extra content. So if you have an American one, that feature might not be in. But I'd check to be sure.

[Ogremindes]

The Cave just came out and looks really interesting. It has shared screen co-op.

Never mind, while it has co-op it's clearly not built for it.

[Gnoman]

Resident Evil 5 and 6 have split-screen co-op.

On a related note, this is the first time I've ever heard Toejam and Earl 2 described as "good". The best I've ever seen it reach was "bland". The original is superb, of course.

[leafman]

Originally Posted by Thajocoth

I thought the Halo series was all cross-console competitive gaming (so I've never given it more than a second's thought). I won't play anything that's cross console (which is why I don't pay for an XBox Live Gold account). I'm also not competitive (hence the focus on coop). Am I wrong about this game?

All of the Halo games, except Halo Wars, have split screen co-op.

[Mutant Sheep]

Originally Posted by Zevox

And by that he means that almost all of the discussion in Gaming (Other) is about video games. We get the rare thread about something else, but for most part, it may as well be officially renamed as the Video Game section of the forum.

Heh. This is only very very true.

Originally Posted by SDF

Oh, also Tales of Symphonia. It was a PS2 and GC release. It is a jrpg where you can battle with up to four people, and switch in and out party members. The AI is okay, but it can get really fun with even two people. My best friend and I played through it, and it was a blast.

The Tales series as a whole seems to have this as a standard feature. That would include:

Tales of Symphonia (GCN)
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2, 3DS)
Tales of Vesperia (X-Box 360)
Tales of Graces F (PS3)
Tales of Xillia (PS3, releasing later this year outside Japan)

Personally, I'd most highly recommend Abyss and Vesperia. Wouldn't recommend Dawn of the New World unless you play and greatly enjoy the first Tales of Symphonia. It's not bad, but not worth playing as a stand-alone, and even as a sequel to Symphonia it's a let-down.

I second the Vesperia and third the Symphonia suggestions, but if you had to pick one I would reccomend Vesparia. It has the same combat, but with more freedom and options. Not to mention graphics that, no offense, are alot better than a 2003 gamecube game. (Symphonia was an AMAZING game, though. 80 hours+, and only took up 4 memory card slots. It was one of the least memory card intensive gamecube games I've ever seen, mostly due to it being 2 discs.) Vesperia also has a better coop system.

[snoopy13a]

I know I've played a co-op Super Mario game on the Wii.

Also, Toe Jam and Earl was better than Toe Jam and Earl II. If you still have a Genesis, Sonic 2 and 3 as well as the old X-Men game are fun.

I played a fun co-op X-Men game for the Gamecube.

One of the best co-op games was Chip 'N Dale's Rescue Rangers for the Nintendo. You could pick up the other chipmunk and throw him at badguys--this wasn't a good thing. The old Nintendo had lots of classic co-op games like Contra and Double Dragon.

There's also Rock Band and some sports games.

[Brother Oni]

Originally Posted by Thajocoth

I'm glad to see a lot of titles in this thread.

I'm going to add another:
Zelda: Four Swords. I just gotta see how many gameboys I have.

If you have enough, you might want to look into the first Crystal Chronicles game on the Game Cube as well.

Just remembered another game: Dungeon Defender on the 360, which is a tower defence game for up to 4 people.
The PC port is very odd though - it's the first PC game I've played with split screen co-op.

[Tiki Snakes]

Yeah, the halo games all have solid splitscreen co-op. It's by far and away my prefered way of experiencing halo. Borderlands which has also already been mentioned is another good co-op franchise.
As long as shooters aren't a problem, I'd also like to recommend Army of Two. The first one is a clunky but quite fresh feeling third person shooter that is perfectly suited to co-op, it's practically the theme of the game. The sequel is infinitely more polished and worth a look even if you pass on the first. It does a great job of introducing you to everything naturally so you don't feel you're missing out even without having tried 1.
Wonderfully over the top.

Can't link you right now, but there's a website you might find useful. Co-optimus I think. All about coop gaming and includes clear information on what types of coop is actually in a game, rather than leaving you guessing from the often misleading info on the back of the game boxes.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I almost feel bad about mentioning them, but the Gears of War franchise is full of sweet, sweet couch co-op.

There is also Splinter Cell: Conviction, but, y'know stealth games can get frustrating.

[OracleofWuffing]

There is a distinct lack of Bubble Bobble in this every thread.

[Psyren]

I'll just leave this here.

Search for the systems you have, then filter by release date and "couch."