It makes me so mad when I see game on steam feature “online co-op” and in reality the co-op in game is “join your friend and help him sometimes as a guest” Dark Souls style. I swear me and my friend had to refund like 5 games recently just because it turned out all of them had that. Now we just play Valheim while waiting for something good to drop.
Co-op campaigns are a rarity these days, and that should change
Submitted 3 months ago by Paradox@lemdro.id to games@lemmy.world
https://pdx.su/blog/2025-01-31-co-op-campaigns-are-a-rarity-these-days-and-that-should-change/
Comments
LinuxEnjoyer@lemmy.world 3 months ago
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Which games were those? I like that form of co-op as well, but I’d like to see a few tweaks compared to how From does it.
LinuxEnjoyer@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Monster Hunter Rise, Code Vein, State of Decay 2, there were some others but that’s all I can remember right now.
Sabata11792@ani.social 3 months ago
Please devs, stop assuming I have 3 other friends.
Starayo@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Even if you have more than 3 friends, when you’re an adult and you or your friends have different schedules, may be parents, etc, it can just be a nightmare to get all 4 together at the same time.
Sabata11792@ani.social 3 months ago
Thanks for reminding me about the DnD schedule. Been on a cliff hanger for 3 weeks since one guy got busy at work…
inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 3 months ago
At least most aren’t like FROM software requiring you have two friends.
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 3 months ago
This is near and dear to me, and I’d say it goes beyond just co-op. We used to get “the whole package” with a game. Arguably Call of Duty is one of the few still offering it. We used to have games with campaigns and multiplayer. Story mode and challenge rooms. Other modes of play sitting alongside the main event to round out the package. Now developers look at any data point to see how many people are using it, and if the number isn’t high enough, they cut it. But that’s a mistake. Most people might only dip their toes into these side features, but they can usually be implemented relatively cheaply (because of asset reuse), and they can add a ton of value even if most players don’t spend a lot of time in them. Co-op is one of those things.
The games that used to offer these co-op modes tended to stop getting attention from their publishers. Then once they’ve got a multiplayer mode, they try to make it a live service and monetize it instead of just letting it be. I was screaming at my monitor when I read that Naughty Dog open letter about canceling the Last of Us multiplayer game that said they had two choices and neither of them was making a multiplayer game that they just sold for a box price and didn’t manage as a live service; the possibility, seemingly, had never even crossed their minds. Co-op games can’t just be a campaign you play through once with a friend; they have to PVE grinds where you play the same content over and over until the next pack of it comes out in a few weeks. The likes of a Baldur’s Gate 3 or an It Takes Two feel rare by comparison.
Kelly@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Its a few released, these are last years:
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 3 months ago
That list counts very generously, even with those filters applied.
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Valhiem and Grounded fun co-op. Halo MCC iis still the king of co-op for fps, imo.
I don’t play new games so idk what’s come out recently.Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Wish they could fix the Halo2 co-op issues, but that’s twenty year old spaghetti code. It would be easier to just host the game on one instance, tunnel the second controller input and stream the perspective.
Paradox@lemdro.id 3 months ago
I’d still say the Gears franchise owns the shooter coop throne. Every game in the series supports at least 2 player, with 3 & judgement being 4 player, and 5 being 3 player. And they go out of their way to make coop different than regular campaigns too; there are several points, usually one in each level, where you have to split up
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Forgot about Gears. Yeah, those were awesome to co-op
Eagle0110@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I’m sorry but if I’ve already paid $60 for a video game, I shouldn’t also be required to make a friend just to be able to experience the entirety of the content this game offers, in the manner it was originally intended to be experienced.
WhyAUsername_1@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I have played It Takes two. It did not require my friend to buy the game when we wanted to play together. Further, the game was like 5$
Kelly@lemmy.world 3 months ago
They are just joking about not having friends but the “in the manner it was originally intended” is particularly relevancy for dedicated co-op titles.
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I agree, but also not every game works with coop campaign.
A game like Metroid Prime or Hollow Knight would be fundamentally different if they had coop campaign. Meanwhile, some games like Call of Duty and other shooters, generally having more players does not detract from the game overall, and would generally make little difference other than needing encounters to be balanced for more than one player.
Basically, put it in where it belongs. Not a fan of shoving stuff in that does not fit or belong in the game.
Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Bring back Army of Two lol
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I just want more of my single player games to have optional co-op. I don’t need co-op mechanics, but if it’s an indie game based on GZDoom, it should ship with co-op. The code for that is very old.
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I want less games built around co-op. I don’t have friends to play with.
MITM0@lemmy.world 3 months ago
No, but let’s make it optional
lobut@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I don’t mean to advertise but I do watch this channel for inspiration gaming sessions with friends: youtu.be/ViCP7O9q-Vk ( co-op bros)
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Subnautica 2 will be optional co-op.
Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Yup, we’ve played every Borderlands game, It Takes Two, Palworld, Rotwood, PlateUp, LEGO Harry Potter, Deep Rock Galactic, Outward, Stardew Valley, Cult of the Lamb, Sea of Thieves, Baldur’s Gate 3, Grounded, Don’t Starve Together… I could go on but I could list games for a while. Definitely always looking for new ones though.
deranger@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Portal 2 co-op is dope.
sudneo@lemm.ee 3 months ago
If you likes it takes two, in march the same studio should release “split fiction”.
Other titles that come to mind: cuphead, untitled goose game, overcooked (!), valheim.
runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 months ago
Split fiction looks super cool!
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 3 months ago
Rayman Legends is an amazing couch co-op game if you like platformers. I still think about the musical levels from time to time.
Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Should really check that one out, I’ve always heard good things
Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 3 months ago
There’s heaps of mods for classic games to turn them into co-op, including Doom (3), half life, quake, aliens vs predator, etc.
lemonuri@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
Sure you can play doom 1 and 2 campaigns in co-op. No need for modding. You don’t even need a network card. Just buy a cable to connect both serial-ports on the PCs.
Danitos@reddthat.com 3 months ago
Arma 3 offers a unique coop experience due to Arma’s nature. Worth a try if you have a group of friends to play with.
mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Sea of Stars added co-op for up to 3 players in a recent update
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 months ago
ooo, i was wondering when that Sea of Stars update was coming out, thanks. time to buy it
fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 3 months ago
Ghost Recon. Outriders. There are more.
sexual_tomato@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
Railbound is a fun one
Pilon23@feddit.dk 3 months ago
Our throats hurt from laughing when playing “Chained Together”. It’s short and cheap. We’re happy we picked easy mode for the first play through since that’s already quite challenging