Co-op gaming has become one of the main traits of this generation of games and consoles, whether online of offline, playing through the single-player campaign with one (or several) of your friends is a far superior way to experience the campaign. We’ve put together a top 10 list of cop-op games you must play with your friends.
10: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Nintendo’s classic Super Mario tale comes to the Wii with a wonderful 2.5D visuals and for the first time on the Wii, a real multilayer Mario game, with the ability for several players to go through the camping together.
9: Halo 3 / Halo ODST
Halo 3′s (and Halo ODST’s) wonderful competitive multiplayer (deathmatch, team deathmatch etc.) overshadows the excellent co-op mode, where up to four players can play together as a squad throughout the campaign. The upcoming Halo Reach is set to expand on the co-op features as well.
8: Little Big Planet
One of the most original and inspiring PS3 games to be released, Little Big Planet is like a much better looking Super Marion Bros. Wii, with some intricate puzzles and levels, and simple, intuitive gameplay where seasoned gamers can play with newcomers. It’s a must-own game for any PS3 owner.
7: Left 4 Dead / Left 4 Dead 2
Valve’s survival horror shooter is a game where co-op is the main feature — and where teamwork is an absolute must. You rely on your buddies to survive hordes of zombies and enemies. Both the original Left 4 Dead and the sequel offer tense, high-paced action for up to four buddies to team up, either offline or online.
6: Army of Two / Army of Two The 40th Day
The quintessential buddy-co-op shooter, where you team up with a friend and take on missions, and it’s where teamwork has an even bigger importance, as some parts of the missions cannot be solved by yourself — you have to rely on your buddy, or if you’re alone, sadly, the AI.
5: Rock Band / Guitar Hero
The games that revolutionized music-based games — or rather, invented them — offer several players to participate in a band, each with an instrument. However, the high cost of the accessories, which can amount to hundreds of dollars for a complete set, is a turnoff for most gamers.
4: Crackdown / Crackdown 2
A futuristic Grand Theft Auto — by the creator of GTA — Crackdown was a sleeper hit in 2007, and one of its main attractions was a wonderful co-op feature where players could together, in the huge city, fight through the missions. Even better, players could just pop in and out and join a mission while you were playing single-player (if you allowed them, of course), and help you out. Or just make things more fun.
3: Borderlands
Gearbox’ stylistic shooter, which combines FPS and RPG, offers up to four gamers to play together through the campaign, take down enemies with tons of guns and share the loot as well.
2: Gears Of War / Gears Of War 2
One of the pivotal games on the Xbox 360, Gears Of War was the first real co-op third person shooter on the console, or at least, the best one. With a strong storyline and awesome set-pieces, Gears Of War and its sequel are the best co-op games you can find on the Xbox 360. Expect Gears Of War 3 to continue the co-op feature that the previous games established.
1: World of Warcraft
Without a doubt, the game that took the MMORPG world by storm. Currently there are over 12 million active WoW players, and hundreds of thousands of guilds, where players group and take on the quests together. Granted, this is true to a vast majority of MMORPGs, but because of World of Warcraft’s massive success, it’s the best co-op game you can play with your friends — and you probably already have.
