The problem with modern co-op games

Looking back on co-op games from the Sega megadrive generation, I feel that co-op was much more in depth and actually felt like a part of the game. Nowadays it seems that co-op is almost an add on, in an era where multiplayer is the norm. Co-op gameplay should invovle players working together towards a common goal, whereas multiplayer is more competitive. I just find it hard to accept that multiplayer can be more fun to play with a friend when compared to a decent 2 player game.

Most modern co-op games do not revolve around a 2 player campaign, but rather go for the easier option of online multiplayer. Meaning that if you want to play through the campaign with your friends, you can forget about it. Now I am well aware that there are games out there attempting to address this, but they don’t seem to be able to quite get there.

For example, FEAR3 has great co-op gameplay (although the game itself is rather mediocre) , both players have different abilities and they have to work together to succeed in missions. The “scary” parts of the game are especially fun, particularly when something scary would pop up for one player and not the other (causing you both to shit your pants). However, the campaign was extremely short and the FPS parts of the game felt very repetitive.

I wasn't scared at all....

But it’s not just shooters which have problems with decent co-op gameplay. Let’s now take a look at White Knight Chronicles – an RPG. The co-op in WKC is not a co-op campaign, but a separate online mode where you can complete quests with a friend. However, there is an extremely large catch; you can only unlock new quests by playing the game in single player mode. Meaning that if one of you has gone ahead and unlocked a new quest, your co-op partner will have to do the same. You also have to be a certain level to unlock some quests. This basically means that you might as well play through the whole game single player before you even bother – which to me kind of defeats the purpose of it all.

However, there are a few games which still do co-op gameplay well, Portal 2 is probably one of the best examples. They have a whole separate co-op campaign and actively encourage the 2 players to work together. Left 4 dead 2 is another - you can choose to play online multiplayer, or create a game for friends only and have the other players as AI. Even indie games such as Terraria are managing to incorporate a decent co-op experience. These games have proven that it can be done, so why isn’t it? 

 

Looking back over some of the old school games, a majority of them had a 2 player option. Nowadays, it’s much more difficult to find a game to play co-op – especially if you are playing on a console rather than a PC. For the Sega megadrive there are endless co-op games to choose from, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Street Fighter, Toejam & Earl, Sunset Riders, Contra – Bad Cops, and well the list goes on.

 

I just feel that there seems to be too much focus on milking cash cows rather than actually making a decent co-op experience (and this doesn’t just apply to call of duty). Although it’s not feasible to say that all games should have co-op, I believe that those which do should at least spend time making them as enjoyable as the single player campaign. Perhaps the developers think that all gamers are socially inept and wouldn’t have friends to play with anyway? I remain doubtful about the future of co-op games, so in the meantime I think I’ll stick to Portal 2.