Every couple has their own “thing” that they like to do together. For my husband and I, it’s gaming. We love finding cooperative (co-op) games to play together. I also don’t think you have to be a “gamer” to enjoy a co-op game with your friends or significant other. Some co-op games really make you work together and figure things out. It can be fun to do together 😀
I wanted to give video game recommends once in a while, and I was actually going to start with a different theme. However, with Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I’d start with a few of my favorite co-op games, specifically ones that use pairs 🙂
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (XBLA, PSN, Mobile, PC)
Sypnosis: Two thousand years ago, Totec (guardian of light) managed to imprison Xolotl (keeper of darkness) in the mirror of smoke. Knowing this legend, Lara sought out the mirror and found it, but is unfortunately followed by a band of mercenaries. Their improper handling of the mirror releases Xolotl, and the stone statue of Totec comes to life to help Lara stop Xolotl.
My Thoughts: We were pleasantly surprised by this one. This game is not meant to be part of the Tomb Raider series, and it plays much differently from it. It’s in an arcade style where the view is sort of top down; one controls Lara and the other Totec. They each have different skills, and the game makes you heavily depend on each other to solve puzzles and get through the map. Teamwork is stronger in this game than most other co-ops I’ve played, and I think that’s why we enjoyed this one so much.
Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Sypnosis: Chris, who is now with BSAA instead of STARS, is dispatched to Kijuju, Africa to work with Sheva on stopping a bio-organic weapon from being sold on the black market. However, they find that the locals have been infected with a parasite and that the other BSAA team has been killed.
My Thoughts: Though from the Resident Evil series, I actually view this as more of an action-packed game and not much of a survival horror. It’s not a scary game, but it does play really well as an action co-op.
Chris and Sheva are pretty much equals, so it doesn’t feel like you’re playing an add-on character, and it’s fun to mow down enemies together. There are still a lot of Resident Evil-feeling elements to it, so if you ever wanted to play a Resident Evil game cooperatively, this is the one to try. (Rather than that Raccoon City game, which has not been well received.)
Orcs Must Die! 2 (PC)
Sypnosis: Though the War Mage and Sorceress were enemies in the first game, they team up in the sequel to fight orcs. Rifts have been opening up by their master, and the two must work together to defend them.
My Thoughts: The Orcs Must Die games are tower defense but in a different style. You control a single character who runs around to place the traps, weapons, etc. The second game introduced cooperative play where you can play as the Sorceress from the first game.
The two start with different skills but then have the same selection afterwards. They really toss a lot of enemies at you! It’s important to coordinate with your partner to make sure all paths are taken care of and to communicate when something gets through. I’m normally not into tower defense, but the co-op puts a more interesting spin on it, which is why I really liked this game.
And that’s it for now 🙂 There were other co-ops I wanted to cover too, but I’m limiting it to 3 at a time. Hopefully I’ll remember to do this again because there a ton of games I love. If you’re interested in recommends from another theme, I’d like to know what the theme is!
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
