Co-op gaming strikes back

Red Alert 3
Call of Duty: World at War
Left 4 Dead

I'm really pleased with these games having online coop mode for their single player campaign. I hope more games will come out with decent coop options. What do you think?

Totally agree, this is something games always promise, and always let you down on by not delivering. Alien vs predator online co-op would be awesome

Fable 2 has this on xbox.

AvP has had coop since 2001.

Co-op is great as long as it isn't used as an excuse by cheap publishers to scimp on the single player experience - you know, "the single player game can be completed in five hours, but, hey, you can play it co-op!"

COD:WAW co-op is fantastic fun - but I would like to see co-op being more than just singleplayer missions with more than one person. For example, in COD the objectives are all the same, given to each player, and the cut scenes play exactly the same for each player. It would be really nice to get an objective each, which all feed each other - like infiltrating a base, one player has to plant charges while another has to retrieve documents etc. Or one has to get high, to snipe the opponents that may take out the guys going in.

Also, and this has been a big bugbear of mine for years: games are still the same old linear thing of move forward, complete this objective, keep trying and dying until you complete it, then move on. I would love to see a more branching narrative - for example, succeeding or failing an objective are both valid, and take you down different paths. Maybe you couldn't radio in a rescue chopper, so instead of heading for the LZ you go for plan B - head back to the hangar and commandeer a jeep to bust out, things like that. Of course that's true of singleplayer too, but with co-op where each player has different, complementary objectives (perhaps little optional side-objectives too) the replay value would be enormous.

Fallout 3 Co Op would be great...but I read there is a fallout mmo in development.

I also recommend RA3 coop. It's so much fun.

@JustLuke: That reminds me, also System Shock can be played as co-op. Surely not a game which you can finish in a few hours, or even in a few weeks!

Speaking of system shock 2 co-op, it is whole lotta fun. And if I remember correctly, while it is linear--- there is alot you can pass up/and or make bad decisions that affect you down the road. Or in our case, screw you.

Me and norki tried and tried. We could not beat the last boss. I think we may have bad character class choices, and missed items earlier on...can't remember the specifics.

What you are complaining about, linear gameplay, is exactly what you are asking for, in rigid game roles.

One of the best co-op games of all time, for me atleast the one that defined the genre of co-operative gameplay, was Hidden & Dangerous. I played many lan parties with it with either 3 or 4 person teams, and we'd each try each others tactics, there was no rigidly definied tactial path - most missions could be completed in any number of ways. The result being that one player would be the 'captain' and instruct the other players on their role.

Over the internet however I can see how such an approach would simply lead to having a team of 4 individuals. Which in turn would require dumbed down difficulty to before you know it you got Quake teamplay.

I wish they would bring more split screen gameplay back as opposed to online co-op. Online play is really fun, but if you have a bunch of friends over you either have to play a four player free for all or rotate controllers in the online setting.

This is one of the pro's of Halo 3 over COD4 and Metal of Honor Heroes 2.

Basically what I mean to say is that with co-op capabilities should come split screen as well.

COD: WAW's Nazi Zombies mode is the most fun I've had in a while, great co-op! I wonder what Left 4 Dead is like in comparison.

I used to love Coop via modem back in the Doom/Hexen/Quake days and then it disappeared from FPS games which was a real shame. I prefer it to deathmatch as I like the teamwork element. Hope it makes a comeback.

I tried System Shock 2 as coop but the 2nd player was not able to upgrade! It was a travesty. Perhaps this got patched.

I agree. I won't play a game unless it's coop or team-based in some way. Challenge myself to independently beat a computer?...uh i'll pass on wasting my time by myself on pointless accomplishments, and basic team vs team in fps has been the same old crap for a while.

They need more co-op games. Sven coop was the best coop game i've played with, but something more modern with the same idea would just rock my socks off.

RA3s co-op is worthless to me until they implement LAN play.

Co-op is my favorite game type! I've been a member of the Sven Co-op team for years now. (prolly one of the first co-op mods around)

Glad to see more games featuring this!

Perfect Dark XBox360 version has a co-op mode (;-)

Co-op gameplay has got more and more attention from a while now. Other recent games with co-op story mode are:

Gears of War
Mercenaries 2 (only through internet, like Red Alert 3)
Kane & Lynch Dead Men
Full Spectrum Warrior 1 & 2
Guitar Hero 3 (Aerosmith sadly lacks the co-op carrier mode)

Resident evil 5 will have CO-OP and that is GOING BE BRILLIANT!

Been playing Left 4 Dead for 2 days now. It is so much fun if you play with the right guys. (Yeah some players just run all the map, they don't wait for you, some shoot you etc.) It's best to play it via LAN with your RL friends. Don't forget to open up the voice chat too :)

I heard Left 4 dead is abit like resident evil game isnt it?

Well, not much. Yes there are zombies and yes you are trying to reach the evacuation point but you battle with hordes of running zombies with your 4 people team, there are 4 campaign and each campaign has 5 small levels. You can heal each other, fight together etc. etc. While I don't think that this game worth $50, price should be dropped in a couple of months. Get it when it's cheaper.

Does COD: WAW at split screen Co-Op for the single player campaigN? I got a PS3 and need a good split screen co-op game to play with my brother.

bump for good justice