The return of co-op gaming, and the best of all time!

PLAYING GAMES is great, no question, but playing the same games with buddies can often turn an average title into something truly world class. It’s often an experience that is hard to quantify – as playing the same level of a title alone might feel pretty boring, nothing new to see here, maybe I’ll play something else. But then throw a second player into the mix, or more, and it’s a whole new experience. Sure you might be killing the same zombie hordes (other enemy types are available at all good retailers) but it’s the incidental stuff that makes it fun, the random chat, occasional screw ups and one of a kind moments that you just wouldn’t have solo.

Of course some games tap into that better than others and some understand that it’s also not just the co-op experience that matters – it’s also having a room full of people ready to share in your highs and lows. Games are great, co-op is great too, but local (couch) co-op is best. How else can you literally slap your friend around the head when they mess up for the ten millionth time?

So in the spirit of every marathon gaming session that has lasted into the wee hours with you and your pals huddled around one screen yelling obscenities at one another, it’s time to run down the absolute Hall of Fame list of local co-op games.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

VR games are still a niche property despite headsets being a lot more mainstream than they were, and having a local co-op game requiring only one headset seems insane right? Wrong. Essentially your chosen headset wearer is a bomb disposal expert, only they know absolutely nothing about how to diffuse the bombs they are presented with. That knowledge comes from the other players in the room, who need to quickly leaf through the provided bomb disposal guides (available online, but even better if printed off) and provide the relevant details before said device can explode. It’s like a shouty version of the classic TV show Knightmare, only you have to cut the blue wire, I SAID THE BLUE ONE!!!, rather than grabbing a loaf of bread or sidestepping to the right.