Apr 23 2009
From Gears of War 2 to Fable 2, the common thread is co-op
Let’s face it, there’s a ton of awesome games on the market these days, but most of us are watching our dollars more than before. So how do we choose which good games to buy and which good games to pass over?
For a while, I noticed that my spending habits were leaning towards Xbox 360 software because of the perk of earning Achievements. Nowadays, there’s a new selling point for me: co-op.
Resident Evil 5 shot up to a must-have for me as soon as it was announced that there would be co-op play.
I doubt I’m alone. Some gamers grow up with siblings and friends to game with, but for me gaming has traditionally been a way for me to kill free time by myself. Things have changed, my free time is being shared with someone else, and now if I want to play a game, I’m probably going to look for something that we can play together.
And guys don’t be jealous because I found a woman who likes to play Resident Evil. There are more fish in the sea for you, too!
YouTube video of co-op play in Gears of War 2. I loved the single player campaign, but it’s the co-op mode that keeps me (us) occasionally coming back to this high-energy shooter.
When I heard rumblings that Fable 2 may feature co-op, it bounced right onto the radar for me, despite my never finishing the first one.
It’s a powerful and addicting gameplay option that lets players of different skill levels work together. Plus, if the skill sets are lopsided, it keeps one player from seeing the game over screen like would be the case in fighting games, competitive shooters and racing games.
Even the Wii version of Lego Indiana Jones was infinitely more rewarding when tackled cooperatively.
It’s a new trend in that it’s becoming so prominent a feature in so many games, but I’m not complaining. The key for me, though, is it has to be local play. Online is a great feature, but if I can’t share the screen from the couch, I’m not interested. You’ve been warned, game developers. If you want my cash, you know what you’ve got to do.
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