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Two Players, One Console, Cooperative Play?

Posted by Cliff on from the stop-beating-on-each-other-for-once dept.

boredme asks: "With the free time I'll have this summer, I thought I'd get in some quality couch-potato time. I'm married, no children, and our Playstation2 is nice because it can be both more interactive than TV and more social than a computer since it's in the living room. The problem is that the vast majority of two player games are sports or arena fighting games that only allow confrontational interaction; since I have a dozen extra years experience gaming, these competitive games get old very quickly for both of us. What suggestions for cooperative, (not online) multiplayer games do the Slashdot folks have?" Along a similar vein, the Gauntlet games (available for most platforms) offer similar opportunities for co-operative play, but no other titles come to mind right now. What co-op games do you have fun with that you can play using a single console?

"The perfect example of this is Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. The whole game, with storyline, can be played through with one or two players alike. Others, like Jedi Starfighter, are close as they offer a small set of two-player missions that are distinct from the one-player missions. (Googling for this, by the way, has turned up very short lists at best.)

I'm primarily interested in PS2 games, but I still want to know what XBOX, GameCube, or even PS1 or PC games in this category are available. I'd even like to hear about sports games that offer a cooperative mode, or games not yet released."

7 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Cookie and Cream by metamatic · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Cookie and Cream on PlayStation 2.

    Two cutesy Japanese-style bunnies must race up the screen before the timer gets to zero. Various obstacles and puzzles get in their way. The clever bit is that each player needs the help of the other--for example, one player might have to push some logs through the wall to the other side, where the other player can then jump across a river using the logs.

    --
    GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    1. Re:Cookie and Cream by N0decam · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Absolutely. My wife and I enjoyed playing it. Some of the puzzles were a little beyond her ability though, so we frequently swapped controllers so that I could do a frustrating part for her.

      SSX/SSX Tricky are also favorites around our house. My wife races down the mountain (and frequently beats me) while I try to do crazy tricks. Not really co-op though.

      She also enjoys "playing" graphical adventures with me - ie, helping to solve the puzzles, if not actually controlling the character on screen. "Escape From Monkey Island" is one that we really enjoyed together.

      If you want to go back in time, try out "Chew Man Fu" for the TG16, which is the video game that got my Mom hooked on playing video games (she's 52 now, and addicted to Hot Shots Golf 3) Good co-op mode there, but a little hard to track down ;)

  2. Jedi Starfighter for the PS2 by shayborg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I own Jedi Starfighter for the PS2 and its cooperative mode is one of the better ones I've played. Most of the time you and your partner control two different ships but on occasionone of you is the pilot and the other is the gunner on the same ship. Definitely very cool.

    -- shayborg

  3. Chu-Chu Rocket and Super Monkey Ball by devnull17 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Chu-Chu Rocket is a blast, if you can find a Dreamcast at a decent price. And my buddies and I had way too much fun with Super Monkey Ball last year at school.

    Also, Agetec has a game called The Adventures of Cookie and Cream out for PS2 that's basically a 2-player puzzle adventure. It might be just what you're looking for.

  4. useless title by GiMP · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Tonight my wife and I are going to pickup a box of Monopoly from Toys R Us and/or a jigsaw puzzle.

    For video games, I think that the Lost Vikings series for the SNES let you play in co-op.. if not, it should've :)

  5. CONTRA - BEST CO-OP by servicepack158 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What about contra? best co-op game ever. Also like Baluders Gate for PS2 as a CO-OP. I have gauntlet dark legends for PS2 also. Great game.

  6. Re: monopoly by lightspawn · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Tonight my wife and I are going to pickup a box of Monopoly from Toys R Us and/or a jigsaw puzzle.

    NOOOOOOOOOO!

    What is it with you Americans and Monopoly? Each year, hundreds of new board gamesare hoping for a little exposure, a little space on store shelves, and you keep buying Monopoly simpsons edition, Monopoly star wars edition, Monopoly yourcity edition, monopoly golf... Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it! It's not even a good game, for crying out loud! Please just stop it! Or would you rather give Hasbro more money for domain disputes?