Gaming
Games
These are the couch co-op games you need to play
With A Way Out bringing split-screen back with a bang, these are the couch co-op classics you and your friends need to check out.
Until the growing hype surrounding the upcoming launch of prison break drama A Way Out, the couch co-op had begun to fade into obscurity. Whereas once upon a time you and a chum could while away hours on the same team and the same couch, battling alongside each other to best whatever challenge was before you, modern multiplayer is played almost exclusively online. This has empowered co-op players with greater flexibility but has lost the tangible charm of offering up a high-five once a particularly difficult obstacle has been overcome.
With this warm glow of nostalgia returning thanks to Hazelight’s recent adventure, we’re taking a glance back at the classic co-op games you need to play, from old school 2D side-scrollers, to hardcore shooters and hidden gems.
Streets of Rage
This list could easily be populated by titles from classic Sega consoles, yet in the interest of diversity we’ve opted for just the one. This was not an easy choice, with two goliaths casting a long shadow over the co-op landscape: Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. We’ve gone for the former, with the Streets of Rage trilogy responsible for many players’ first taste of co-op action, following its release in the early 90s.
Players would punch, kick, and throw their way through hordes of enemies while also obliterating parts of the scenery, helpfully containing health-giving food (we’re still confused as to why there’d be an apple in a phonebox). With an incredible soundtrack, brilliantly enjoyable combat and a suitably boo-worthy baddie in Mr X, the game is still a joy to play. Chances are, you’ve enjoyed Streets of Rage, but if you haven’t – grab yourself a Mega Drive and a friend, because you don’t know what you’re missing.
Die Hard Arcade
Perhaps one of the lesser known entries on the list, Die Hard Arcade was released on perennial underdog Sega Saturn (with a later release on PS2 in Japan), and those who got to experience its punchy charms will likely remember it as a pure blast of co-op fun.
Released the same year as the better known PlayStation 1 hit, Die Hard Trilogy, which offered three different types of game in one, pretty good package, Die Hard Arcade simplified things with a 3D beat ‘em up where you and a friend choose between either the blockily rendered John McClane or his blonde sidekick Kris Thompson. In-fact, the arguments among friends, each eager to play as the rogueish McClane rather than the foppish Kris, could last longer than most levels.
A fairly ludicrous plot (save the president’s daughter from an assortment of villains, including a biker and a sumo wrestler) and sometimes glitchy gameplay was offset by the satisfying combat, array of weaponry on offer (the boxy rocket launcher was a favourite), and hilariously OTT quick time events. It may cost a pretty penny to pick up now (around $70 on eBay), but its status as a classic couch co-op is assured.
Metal Slug
A list of couch co-op games without the mighty Metal Slug would be like a Doom title without the BFG – sure, it could work, but something vital would be missing. The run and gun series has spawned umpteen instalments, including spin-offs, but for many, the original’s still the best. Set in the now not-too-distant future of 2028, Metal Slug has you and a friend wade through waves of enemies armed with glut of firepower (that will be constantly in use), as well as your trusty knife for any close encounters. The game also has destructible environments, while the level-closing tank-based sections are an absolute joy for those eager to wreak even more havoc.
The plot is pretty incidental – what matters is the anarchic co-op action that’s delivered in spades. While it may be most familiar to people who regularly sought solace in the sticky floors of the local arcade, Metal Slug has appeared on numerous consoles throughout the years, blessing friends with the chance to blast their way through a true co-op classic from the comfort of the couch.
Secret of Mana
With the remake of Secret of Mana hitting our screens only recently, and to lukewarm reviews, now’s a good chance to cast our eyes back at the original and what made it so special. The NES JRPG had beautiful pixel art, an at-the-time innovative battle system, and most importantly for many players, a brilliant co-op mode. While it may now seem odd to play an expansive RPG with a friend sat beside you (though we’d certainly welcome the opportunity), Secret of Mana’s co-op mode worked brilliantly.
While co-op is present in the 2018 remake, its deficiencies only serves to highlight how special it was when the game first arrived. Allowing additional players to drop in and out of the game at will, Secret of Mana was the perfect opportunity for friends to embark on what felt like an epic adventure, together. While many co-op games are focused on frenetic action and combined firepower to overcome obstacles, Secret of Mana used teamwork in a different way, letting players complement one another through their characters’ strengths and weaknesses in order to better explore this massive world. Secret of Mana’s co-op offered something different, and still stands the test of time.
TimeSplitters 2
Co-op shooters come in many different forms. It would’ve been very easy to include the arcade-stylings of Time Crisis 2 or House of the Dead in this list, but we all know that these were far better experienced under the lights of the arcade, rather than from the comfort of the couch. TimeSplitters 2, however, offered a local co-op experience that positively sang. While the first game set the ball rolling with an enjoyable co-op romp through a fairly limited story mode, TimeSplitters 2 is when the series really came into its own, able to stand out from its monolithic forebears like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark.
TimeSplitters 2 offered players the chance to fight through different time periods in a deeper Story mode, with brilliant levels including the Blade Runner-esque Neo Tokyo and the wonderfully realised Wild West setting bringing the series’ concept to life. The ability to play through these levels, completing the broad range of missions with a friend, added another string to the game’s already-comprehensive bow. For anyone eager for a slice of classic FPS, co-op action, look no further than TimeSplitters 2.
Left 4 Dead
Another FPS, but one that’s very different from the previous entry on this list. Left 4 Dead is the first in developers’ Valve’s monstrously successful multiplayer thriller series – a game so good it managed to stand out from the seemingly endless supply of apocalyptic zombie titles that shuffled onto our screens in the latter part of the last decade. The setup is simple: players have a choice of four different playable characters, each immune to the zombie plague ravaging the world’s population, and it’s your job to help them survive.
The game’s split screen co-op is light on plot but high on knuckle-gnawingly tense action. You must fight through different locales in stages, and if every member of your party falls you restart at the last checkpoint. The fact that you’re able to share first aid meds makes cooperation an absolute must, especially if you’re to survive the sheer number of infected that can overwhelm you and your friends in a matter of seconds. Indeed, these are no shambling, stiff-limbed zombies. They’re raging, screaming, running beasts, making survival even more challenging, and the game even more tense. Couple this with the crippling fear of stumbling upon one of the game’s meaner foes (especially the dreaded Witch), and Left 4 Dead offers players one of the most gripping couch co-op experiences ever.
TowerFall: Ascension
TowerFall: Ascension may be best known for its Deathmatch/platform-style multiplayer, in which you battle against friends while also jumping around a lot and avoiding traps (it’s a lot better then that sounds, trust us), but its co-op Quest mode is absolutely superb, and should not be missed. Developers Matt Makes Games recently brought the sublime Celeste into the world, and TowerFall: Ascension is a similarly challenging, charming 2D adventure, but one that can and should be enjoyed with friends.
In the game you’re tasked with bringing down enemies with a single arrow, and every time you fire it, you have to go and retrieve it if you want to use it again – with this in mind, a little help from your friend comes in incredibly useful. You’ll both die, a lot, and you may want to avoid standing in each other’s line of sight as controllers may well be flung if a wrong move is made, but for players who long for a challenge and dig the game’s retro aesthetic, TowerFall: Ascension offers a brilliant throwback to an age where couch co-op wasn’t an exception, but a vital part of how we enjoyed video games.
