Give Me Co-op or Give me death!!

I want more games to have more options for co-op. Developers might as well face it, with the birth of online console based game play co-op has to be the new standard.

I look at games these days and I see so many great ones that could have a co-op function and it’s just not there. I really had not thought about how much games where missing this feature until I played the Left 4 Dead demo. All I kept thinking the first time I played with friends was “Why don’t all game have this feature?” Granted there are some games that should stay single player because to have co-op would feel too much like a gimmick. Then there are those games that have co-op and have dropped the ball completely.

I remember when I first heard of the co-op on Fable 2 I was amazed and it was a huge let down when I first experienced it. Then there are games like Crackdown. It had 2 player co-op and it was very nice. Imagine if you could have had 4 player co-op. Another game that comes to mind is GTA4. It should have had some sort of co-op story to it. Come on, I mean Saint’s Row did it. Granted, I have yet to play SR2 and it will be some time before I do, but from what I can understand it is amazing the fun you can have with the co-op.

I remember when all people wanted was some kind of online feature. It did not matter what as long as you could play with friends. The thing is, we as gamers have evolved. We want more from our online capabilities. It seems that as we have evolved into knowing what we want the game developers are a few steps behind us. Some of the best games I have ever played were games that had a co-op function. I take a game that I now loath as a prime example of what I’m talking about. Halo3.

When I got Halo3 I was so excited for the co-op that when I started up the campaign I did not even try it on single player. I went straight for the co-op. As a matter of fact I don’t think I have ever played through that campaign in a single player game. Not because I suck at the game, but because it is so much more fun with your friends. I have never made it a secret that I’m not a fan of Halo or any FPS. I will always have a spot for Halo as it has brought me so much fun with the co-op. Speaking of FPS. That is one of the key factors on me wanting to lay my hands on CoD:WaW. It has a 4 player story co-op.

Even some of the ps3 games are jumping on the train. Look at Resistance 2. Not only does it have co-op, but it has 8 player co-op. That for me is enough of a reason to pick it up even though I’m not a fan of the series. I think the point I’m trying to make is, if you have co-op in a game, the game is bound to be better because it becomes more of a ‘fun’ thing to do. It gives you more of a reason to pick up that controller. More importantly it gives you a reason to stay in contact with your friends. So now November is upon us and Left 4 Dead is almost here. Let’s all find that reason and pick up that controller.