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Best 2+ Player Video Games?
Twinbee asks: "I was wondering what you lot would consider the best 2+ player games of all time. Apart from games for mixed skill players, this has never been asked on Slashdot before, so it would be interesting to see. From my own experience and research, it looks as though a top 50 would include games such as Streetfighter 2, World of Warcraft, Speedball 2, Super Mario Kart, SWIV, Ikaruga, Stunt Car Racer, Super Monkey Ball, Puzzle Fighter, and Mario Party. Whether they are competitive or cooperative, Slippery slope or Perpetual comeback, 2-player or multiplayer, retro or cutting edge, I want to hear them! I would prefer MMOG games not to be included, unless there is a good deal of interaction between the people in the 'same house' (e.g. perhaps they can team up and play against the world)."
without a doubt Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube
one person playing, the other one telling him/her what to do!
Super Smash Bros.
No, not the crappy 3D ones where you're constantly fighting the camera.
Original old-school Gauntlet. You can get copies of it in one of the Capcom greatest hits collections for Gamecube or PS2, I believe.
I can't really think of anything else comparable.
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monkey ball
Helps if you are drunk too
Monstar L
it's the best multiplayer notepad ever invented
Halo 1 (2 we dont enjoy as much, but each to his own) (X-box)
Super Smash Brothers (Game Cube)
Total Annihilation (Also See, Supreme Commander, which will have Co-Op) (Pc)
Monkey Ball (Game Cube, or soon to be Wii)
Eye Toy (PS2)
To be honest for multiplayer in the front room/ House, its usually easyer to go the console route, but for online, the PC is still where its At- but if you have 5 or 6 pc's networked up all the time, PC still works
TBH, its also dependent on if you want Co-Op or 1v1/+
Try DEFCON: http://www.everybody-dies.com/.
Diablo II is a great deal of fun over TCPIP with a roommate.
Mario Part is the bomb.
Punching to the stomach is more effective than unplugging the controller.
Everyone should have a favorite fighter game (DBZ: Budokai 3, for me and my friends....none of whom can even stand Dragonball).
Halo 2, why not very fun (for me) in single player, actually has a rocking multiplayer mode.
Playing against other people on the room IS better than playing online.
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Warlords for the Atari 2600. Seriously, it is the most fun I've ever had with a multiplayer console game.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am master of my fate and captain of my soul.
- Herzog Zwei : Genesis - Windjammers : Neo Geo - Neverwinter Nights Coop : PC - River City Ransom : NES - System Shock 2 Coop : PC - Double Dragon 2 : Arcade - Pro Evolution Soccer (any version): PS2 (my friends play this all the time) - Gauntlet 2 : Arcade / Amiga / Genesis - Spy vs. Spy : C64 - Gran Turismo (any version) : PSX / PS2 - Goal! : Amiga - King of Fighters (any version) : Neo Geo and, of course... - Bubble Bobble!
Hack your mind out of its sandbox.
I remember having a blast playing Uniracers with my little brother on the SNES.
But for all out, beer fueled, geeky faux machismo, nothing promotes high fives and trash talk better than Halo 2.
I'm not sure if Doom qualifies as a derivative of Wolf3D, or if Quake qualifies as a derivative of Doom. But I'm pretty sure whatever the best multiplayer game is, it was either made by id Software, or got the concept from a game by id Software. The only other game I've had as much fun with would have to be Streetfighter 2, but that was in the list in the summary. I suppose Tetris would have to be in there somewhere; it can be entertaining with the right people in the right state of "fun". But not "hours and hours on end" type fun.
I've had little more fun than wasting my boss on the LAN at the office in Quake and/or Duke Nukem 3D (I don't think Duke3D could take its multiplayer credit without mentioning id Software). The nice thing about Duke3D was of course Build; it was a piece of cake to make a cool looking fortress that resembled your office (or whatever) to play around in.
Note: I don't play MMORPG's.
Why, Guitar Hero 2 of course. GH1 was mediocre at best as a two player game, but GH2 is sweet as a two player game thanks to both cooperative multiplayer and the new pro-face off. It's easy to learn, challenging as hell, and each player can play at their skill level so nobody feels like they're just wasting their time.
It makes a great party game.
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter is pretty cool on cooperative multiplayer too.
Nothing to see here
Takes a lot to beat things like:
;-)
Monopoly - very competitive....
Scrabble
Chess
Canasta
Sure, you don't need a TV/Console to play these, but pausing them is a whole lot easier, and you get to drink and play simultaneously.
Additionally, you could get your parents to play too.
gus
P.S. There was no specification to ensure they were "computer" games....
.. if only.
Counter-Strike
also, Goldeneye on the N64,and lanning any version of Quake in the late 90's early 00's
In a world of acronyms, the words are the real victims.
Ballblazer was my favorite. early 3d, quick games, fast paced play, and you could sneak looks at the other half of the screen to check out your opponent.
Worms and Worms 3D. These are all-time classics. In my opinion these will provide most fun and you can't take these games too seriously.
How can one forget golden eye for n64. It almost brings tears to my eyes.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. But on Linux you've got to try Frozen Bubble - the latest version offers multiplayer mode with up to 5 players, over the Internet or LAN.
Starcraft should probably also be mentioned, one of the most played games ever released.
-Filik
Battle Kart powaaa !!! :)
Other than that I don't think any game has kept my friends (and me) in front of a tv as much as Winning Eleven
Warlords, WarCraft (I, II or III), StarCraft, Half-Life, Aliens vs Predator, Counter Strike... these are all classic games, which should run well on older pcs. Half-Life is a particular favourite of mine, and my gaming group. Every now and then it degenerates in to a game of whack-whack sticks (what we call the crowbars). :P
Julie Moult is an idiot.
Gears of War - excellent 2 player co-op and 8-player deathmatch
Perfect Dark - decent co-op and deathmatch
Call of Duty 3 - some of the best multiplayer i've played on the 360 (24 players max) 4 player split screen (no co-op)
and then there's plenty of sports games and racing games (Project Gotham Racing 3 and Test Drive Unlimited are excellent)
Serious Sam and Serious Sam 2nd Encounter on two PC's in cooperative game mode. Both great games and a lot of fun right up to (but NOT including) the end-game.
[Insert pithy quote here]
Even if you have to find a used copy of the game, Saturn console, 2 multitaps, and 10 controllers to play it in all its glory, it is far worth it. Without any sort of networking mumbo-jumbo, you can play with up to 10 players! 10 player Bomberman is great. 8 player is better with a bigger variety of levels. Anyone can pick up Bomberman in a few minutes to play it and from what I've always seen, newbies are pretty evenly matched to seasoned players because the seasoned players get cocky and make more mistakes. And instead of the usual droll of bombermen in different colors, in multiplayer you get to choose characters from previous Hudsonsoft games like Bonk or Milon or Master Hudson (from Adventure Island). It's a shame it came to the US a system with such little popularity. I pull out my Saturn far more often than any other old system I have (including Dreamcast) just so I can play the ultimate manifestation of 2D Bomberman (and Legend of Oasis but that's not a multiplayer game).
One of the best multiplayer games ever was M.U.L.E., one of the many innovative games produced by the old Electronic Arts (back when they promoted programmers and game designers like rock stars).
Another good one, as many have mentioned, was the original Gauntlet. Along the same lines, the Baldur's Gate games for the PS2 were pretty good.
Sex! It's the best 2 player game ever invented! :)
Like someone else said, it all depends on what you like and what you have available (as a platform). I'm only including games that I've played and liked. Each section is roughly ordered from best to worst game.
If you like brawling action:
Ratchet: Deadlocked (PS2)
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (GC, PS2, Xbox)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (GC, PS2, Xbox)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (GC, PS2, Xbox)
Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu (GC, PC, PS2, Xbox)
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (PC, PS2, Xbox)
If you like quasi-rpg brawlers:
X-Men Legends (PS2, Xbox, GC)
X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (GC, PS2, Xbox)
Champions of Norrath (PS2)
Champions of Norrath 2: Return to Arms (PS2)
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (GC, PS2, Xbox)
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (PS2, Xbox)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (GC)
Hunter the Reckoning (GC, Xbox)
Hunter the Reckoning: Wayward (PS2)
Hunter the Reckoning: Redeemer (Xbox)
Fallout Brotherhood of Steel (PS2, Xbox)
If you like racing games:
Super Monkey Ball (GC)
Gran Tourismo 3 & 4 (PS2)
Jak X Combat Racing (PS2)
If you like first person shooters:
Halo (PC, Xbox)
Halo 2 (PC, Xbox)
Half-Life (PS2)
If you like Roleplaying Games:
World of Warcraft (PC x2)
Valkerie Profile 2: Silmeria (PS2)
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (PS2)
If you like RTS games:
Starcraft (PC x2)
Warcraft III (PC x2)
Total Annihilation (PC x2)
Warcraft II (PC x2)
Warcraft I (PC x2)
If you like strategy games:
Civilization III & IV (PC)
Alpha Centauri (+ Alien Crossfire Expansion) (PC)
Master of Orion II (PC)
Master of Magic (PC)
I know I'm missing quite a few games from that list, but those are the ones I've played and enjoyed playing.
Fanatically anti-fanatical
Axis & Allies. Or AAA the open source version being developed at sf.net. It's like risk but biger, longer, more complicated, and with way cooler looking pieces. Seriously, try it out if you like RISK.
One of the most fun 2-3 player RPG game (1 player till 30 minutes into the game, then its 2-3 player from there) i have ever played. Real time fighting, leveling up weapons, its a game where im dissapointed Squaresoft/Square Enix doesnt make sequel games with the same gameplay. Its a game i would snatch up instantly if it just had new weapons/storyline/bosses and just had the same gameplay.
Bubble bobble is a bit dated now, but still fun and engaging. If you can somehow find it, bubble-bobble two is also multiplayer (I think up to 4), has some more up-to-date graphics+sound, and is as equally addicting as the original.
All hail the power of the multi-tap! Play as the Boy, Girl, and the Sprite, or...
Face each other in the four-for-all (with CPU as fill-in) in Bomberman or Smash Brothers
And you can actually play split-screen on one PC, though this usually means some players will be usings joypads or something.
For team versus - UT2004 onslaught or assault. Great for co-op against bots or full team-vs-team if you have a lot of friends.
For 1 on 1 - Tekken.
Free-for-all - Total Annihilation.
I quit!
That game was one of the best especially since im not too great at fighting games, making smash bros less attractive to me.
Co-op in the halo series can't be topped...
I was introduced to that game early this year, and have been playing it frequently with friends/relatives ever since. One of the things that is so great about it is the flexibility of the number of players. It is still really fun with 2, 3, or 4 people. With some expansion sets, you can get up to 5 or 6, but I haven't played with that many yet.
We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
All the "you dont know jack" games, and the 2d worms games were absolutely perfect to even get absolute non-gamers playing.
Sadly, the 3D Worms sucks... (the concept is just completely incompatible with a 3d playfield. I just wish the designers would get that idea, too, and make a sequel one can actually enjoy)
HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
Star Control 2 in Super Melee mode. It's basically a 1-on-1 space combat arcade game, but it has a lot of depth. There are 25 very different and unique ships to choose between and they all have advantages and disadvantages; some are slow, others are fast. Some rely on raw firepower while others rely on strange innovative devices like tractor beams. Before the game starts each player chooses ships for his fleet and that makes it suitable for tournament play among friends.
You can get the GPL port here (GPL). Oh, and when you're tired of blasting your friends out of the sky, the single player game itself is probably one of the best ever made.