co-op
Latest
It takes two to duo content
Spinksville has a great post up about the great benefits and joy of duoing in MMOs, or playing alongside one other person as you level your way up. I haven't been able to duo in a while, but I have done one character with a good friend -- he played a Priest and I tanked on my Warrior, and we shot up through to max level (even before the leveling changes) just because not only did our characters compliment each other, but we knew each others' play styles and were able to take on lots of big mobs and quests without a problem. I agree with Spinks: playing the game alongside someone you know well is the perfect mix of a singleplayer and MMO game.There are certainly issues -- if one of you plays more than the other and pulls ahead or falls behind, it's not quite as fun for either of you. But especially if you're both playing alts and you've got good, regular amounts of time to play together, it can be really fun. In fact, it's kind of surprising that Blizzard and other MMO companies haven't gone in for more of the very-small group play -- singleplayer instances got a pass, but then again, phasing has changed things since then, and the LFG system has improved, so maybe it's time for Blizzard to put some two-player content in the mix.It would definitely be great to see some official support for two-player content -- not everyone has a partner to play with all the time, but I think you'll find way more two-player groups in the game than you will find full raids of 25 people, and that group certainly gets their share of things to do. Spinks makes some great suggestions about duo content, and it's definitely a realm of gameplay that a lot of MMOs haven't yet officially explored.
Comic-Con 2009: Thar's 'Gold Rush' in that thar Uncharted 2 video
Much to our relief, the great Gold Rush of Aught-Nine will not be spent sifting through a day's worth of meager mine pickings and cursing the celebratory eruptions echoing from upstream. (Darned Jarvis, ye lucky ol' snaggletooth.) No, we'll be hiking up our trousers for a much more rousing mission, hauling tail from a hail of bullets as we simultaneously pillage the old world of yummy treasure with our friends. Oh, and murder lots of pirates Serbian militia dudes ... with our friends.Above, Uncharted 2's "Gold Rush" co-op mode is revealed. Watch as Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer narrates the action -- and his own grisly demise -- from the Comic-Con show floor. Additionally, we've contacted Arne to verify whether or not Gold Rush will make it into the upcoming multiplayer demo. We'll let you know just as soon as he respawns.
Three million people played Dead Space
The sobering second half of that sentence? Only 1.5 million people bought it new. Speaking on the official EA podcast, Glen Schofield, EA studio manager for the Dead Space team, said that while the team had discussed adding co-op, he didn't believe the lack of that feature is what sent the game tape flying back to GameStop after players had solved it.Schofield explained, "We were up against Fallout, which was a 50-hour game to begin with. So, we didn't look at it and say we have to have online. What we said we've got to be bang for the buck."So, would you have held on to Dead Space longer if you could have gotten the pee scared out of you with a friend?[Via Kotaku]
New Global Agenda gameplay vids show off customization and PvP
As the shooter-MMO hybrid Global Agenda enters closed beta this month, the team at Hi-Rez Studios has begun to release more videos showing off gameplay footage. John Walker over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun hunted down and rounded up the new videos from Gametrailers, which give us a good look at how the game is shaping up. The first video shows off the character creation process, with a cut scene explaining your introduction to the world, trapped and floating in a cloning tank monitored by machines, then rescued by armored human allies. That's followed up by footage of other character creation options in Global Agenda, from the look of your agent's body to armor customization, as well as showing how large and open the game's social hubs will be. Even better, there are two more videos that show off Global Agenda's combat, demonstrating both co-op gameplay and PvP. We've got video embeds of the combat footage after the jump:
Infinity Ward says 2 is the magic number for Modern Warfare co-op
Why can't every developer be Infinity Ward? When asked by Videogamer.com why Modern Warfare 2's co-op was limited to two players, spokesman Robert Bowling said, "Two player seemed to be the magic number for co-op. That's when it stayed really fun and intense without becoming a clusterf**k of things."Bowling also said that the whole game won't be playable in co-op because the developer is "crafting a very specific experience" and doesn't want to "ruin that by cramming co-op into it." While it's nice to see a company stick to its guns like that, we figure developers who sell a hojillion copies of a game can pretty much write their own menus.
Halo 3: ODST brings four-player co-op with Firefight mode
Those rings in space keep a-spinnin' as Bungie has revealed a new mode for upcoming Halo 3: ODST. Firefight mode will bring more than just the titular battles involving firearms, as it will allow up to four players to play co-operatively over Xbox Live or system link. These four stalwart ODST troopers will be tasked with dispatching wave after wave of attacking Covenant forces (think Horde mode ... with plasma grenades). Firefight mode will also include vehicles and, as an added twist, incorporate skull modifiers as you progress. And if your friends doubt the four Killtaculars in a row you just netted, you'll be able to point them toward the persistent leaderboards before you kick them out of your house and never talk to them again.%Gallery-64703%
High Voltage announces another new Wii game: 'The Grinder'
The Conduit developer High Voltage Software has announced another new Wii game, and, like Gladiator A.D., it's a brutally violent game designed to attract the bloodthirsty "hardcore gamer." The Grinder is an online co-op FPS starring "a sort of the cryptobiological A-Team," in the words of High Voltage's Eric Nofsinger, who goes on to refer to "a team of freelance hunters that ruthlessly exterminate savage armies of bloodthirsty monsters."The FPS shows a clear (and acknowledged) Left 4 Dead influence, with each member of the team different in skills and personality. The game differs from L4D in that instead of just zombies, your team fights werewolves, vampires and all manner of other mythical shootables.
Joystiq hands-on: Spyborgs
click to enlarge Nintendo fans may not be able to get their hands on Bionic Commando, but Capcom may have something even better for Wii owners. Spyborgs has its own bionic cybernetic arm-enhanced warrior, and it's but one of three characters you can play as in Spyborgs.So, what are the Spyborgs? They're an elite team of good guys, each with a unique cybernetic attachment. However, a former Spyborg has gone rogue, capturing heroes in an evil attempt to -- wait for it -- TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Or, at the very least, make himself into a god. Just another day in the life of a video game, right? In Spyborgs, players will choose to play as one of the three remaining team members: Stinger, the Bionic Commando wannabe; Clandestine, a nimble, skinny female ninja; and Bouncer, a linebacker-ish robo-dude.%Gallery-24211%
BattleForge trailer goes all tribal drumming on us, price drops
For those of you not playing that other fantasy RTS with giant beasts on PC (*cough* Demigod *cough*), there's always the card-based strategery of Phenomic's BattleForge. The newest trailer released (seen above) showcases not just the massive scale of some rather colorful battles but also some of the most dramatic music we've ever heard. And what does the sound of tribal drumming bring with it? Apparently a price drop, as EA announced today that the game's price is lowering to a more competitive $29.99. We'd love to tell you more about the online-only PC game but when we tried to get a hands-on at New York City Comic Con, wouldn't ya know it, the servers went down. We can, however, point you to the game's website where a free demo is waiting patiently for you to download it.%Gallery-44102%
Joystiq hands-on: Uncharted 2 co-op multiplayer
Click to enlarge Thanks to games like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Gears of War, online co-op gameplay has become an almost obligatory bullet point for modern action games. Naughty Dog has chosen to respond to the trend in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in a way that's slightly different than usual. Rather than shoehorn a second player into an experience already crafted for solo adventure, it's creating a separate side mission designed specifically with two to three players in mind.Three-player co-op? Yeah, we were surprised, too. Having tried it with two other honest-to-goodness live humans, we can report that it not only works, but -- so far -- works very well. The combination of smart A.I. opponents, platforming elements and teamwork-based objectives seems a perfect fit for Uncharted 2. Ah yes, teamwork. It's something we quickly found you need to have nailed down -- preferably with two friends -- lest you wish to spend an afternoon yelling at the person who won't stop shooting to give you a leg up.%Gallery-51151%
Lost Planet 2 hands-on gets us excited for ... getting our hands on it
Traveling to Osaka, Japan has its perks. For one, it's the food capital of Japan, so there's that. On the other hand, it's possible to get your mitts on early code of Lost Planet 2, Capcom's upcoming sequel to its planetary labyrinth action-adventure 360 near-launch title, as GamesRadar discovered this week. In horrifying detail, they describe as a giant lizard (currently named, "salamander") is taken down by a crew of folks: one person takes it's legs, another it's back, and another is intentionally eaten as to attack from the inside -- and eventually drop out of the monster's ... ahem ... nether quarters. According to them, this time we'll see a much bigger focus on co-op, larger and more varied environments and a general focus on "more" -- "more towering bugs, more bosses, more players, more stuff to do." Bigger, better, and more badass, you might say? Hey, that's a good catch-phrase! Someone should get on that!%Gallery-45837%
This Wednesday: Bust up fools in 'The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai' on XBLA
Announced via Major Nelson's podcast last night, this Wednesday's "Days of Arcade" XBLA game will be the 2D, side-scrolling, three-player co-op beat 'em up (breath), The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Coming in at 800 ($10), you might remember Dishwasher from GDC 2008 when, among other XNA titles, it was featured as a free download, showcasing the XNA development tools. Be sure to keep a lookout for the X3F Podcast-born achievement that pays homage to Peter Moore's fake guitar playing prowess! And if you're like us and can't spare the extra spacebucks just yet, feel free to window shop in our gallery below.%Gallery-15513%[Thanks Menno!]
Resident Evil 5's Mercenaries mode goes online
As happy as we were to learn that "Mercenaries" mode was returning for Resident Evil 5, we were a little put out to learn that you could only play with a friend if he was sharing the couch with you. Luckily our disappointment was short-lived, as IGN reports the mode has been patched on 360 to add online play, before the public has even gotten its mitts on it. Update: A patch for the PS3 version has been released.The evil won't be resident for a few days yet, but you can simulate the mode for yourself right now: Just check out these videos and imagine a racist, homophobic 12-year-old is shouting at you and using up all the first aid spray.
Killzone developer mentions co-op DLC
Yes, Killzone 2 is a great game. But you know what would make it even greater? Co-op. Those that play the single-player adventure soon realize that the computer AI partners aren't up to snuff -- a "human" squad-mate would be a much better ally in the fight against the Helghast ... or is it: the Helghast's fight against you ... Producer Angie Smets talked about post-release DLC on the European PlayStation site. She notes that split-screen co-op had to be axed due to the overwhelming graphical demands of the game. However, the team at Guerrilla Games is looking into what they can do once the game is out to the public. "We're investigating [co-op] now for downloadable content," she says. "We're looking at what would be the nicest possible things for downloadable content. We've already started on maps ... we're not allowed to talk about anything else unfortunately!" Additional maps for the multiplayer mode are a must, given today's necessity for multiplayer DLC. However, we're most hoping for some kind of co-op mode. Guerilla Games offered some game-changing updates to its PSP game, Killzone Liberation -- we're hopinng the team will be able to follow suit for Killzone 2. [Via Co-Optimus]
The spirit of WoW in Resistance 2's co-op gameplay
Much has been said on the influence of World of Warcraft on the MMO industry, but comparisons between other games and WoW don't end with massively multiplayer online games. The multiplayer cooperative mode of Resistance 2, a Playstation 3 exclusive from Insomniac Games, bears some similarities in its design to the ubiquitous Blizzard fantasy title in terms of class interdependencies. Insomniac Games co-op lead designer for Resistance 2, Jake Biegel, recently gave an interview with Christian Nutt from Gamasutra on the development of multiplayer cooperative gameplay, and the games that influenced its creation. Of course, the class-based Team Fortress 2 was cited as an influence, but Insomniac Games also looked to World of Warcraft for further inspiration. "We looked at experiences like Team Fortress 2, in which there are dependencies on classes, and games like World of Warcraft, in which there are large amounts of people working in tandem, creating this kind of epic synergy to overcome these encounters that wouldn't be overcomeable as an individual," Biegel says. One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
The Digital Continuum: Blurring the line between co-op and MMO
There has been a flood of co-op games this year, and they've been really popular. People love to play with one another. Everything from Red Alert 3 to LittleBigPlanet shipped with some form of online co-op, people are eating up the co-op experience. And why shouldn't they? It's a whole heaping ton of fun. But of course, the biggest selling co-op experience this year has likely been Wrath of the Lich King.Let's face it, our beloved MMOs are pretty much the thesis of co-op gaming. Granted, you can solo in World of Warcraft if you like, but the core experience of that game is playing with other people -- be they friend, family or complete stranger.Traditional games and MMOs share a lot in common, but they ultimately sit and different ends of the co-op experience spectrum. There is almost certainly a sweet spot somewhere in the middle and I posit that Blizzard has been able to come the closest to it, but there's more ground to be made. In fact, there's one game in particular that could push the itself further towards co-op than any MMO before it: Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Left 4 Dead stats show strong anti-Smoker bias
Valve has collected and released the Achievement statistics for its cooperative, zombie extermination-fest, Left 4 Dead. The most frequently unlocked award amongst Steam users is "Drag and Drop," with 72.6% of players having earned it after splattering a spluttering Smoker zombie before it managed to inflict damage on a fellow survivor. That's sticking to the spirit of the game!Unsurprisingly, nobody's managed to kill 53,595 Infected (yet!) and only 0.2% of players have survived every single campaign on Expert difficulty. That's the one where the AI Director puts a paperweight on the "Spawn Tank" button.
Square Enix donating 'Blood of Bahamut' to DS
How certain are we that Square Enix's current, cryptic countdown will lead to the unveiling of a new RPG? Oh, positive. The latest issue of Japanese mag Shonen Jump (via Gamekyo) has the scoop on Blood of Bahamut, a new DS game that tasks up to four local players with defending their architecturally weird city from attack. Note to prospective city planners: Erecting buildings on the back of a gigantic creature, while aesthetically impressive, generally gives rise to more serious problems. You definitely don't want to be around when your foundation decides to get an aggressive massage.Expect to hear more on the game, including the possibility of US release, sometime after the aforementioned countdown reaches zero.[Thanks, Ferny]
First look at Dragon Quest IX's Wi-Fi mode
Game Watch has a dozen new Dragon Quest IX screens, all of which are now ensconced in our gallery. Besides revealing the obvious (the obvious being: Dragon Quest IX is totally beautiful), they include the first glimpse of the Wi-Fi cooperative multiplayer in action (right). It seems to work logically enough: players take turns to issue commands, with each human participant's choices marked out with color-coded symbols, so you can tell what your allies intend to do, and curse loudly when your mage friend neglects to save you with an antidotal herb and decides to attack instead. Another nice touch is the way your on-screen character's appearance changes as you load him up with equipment and accessories. Just imagining you're wearing all that alchemical bling is soooo 2004. %Gallery-15248%
Fable 2 online co-op patch done, ready for day one
After having all the fun sucked out of that Collector's Edition, it's nice to see Lionhead Studios putting something back into Fable 2 ... even if it is a prominent feature that was promised to be included anyway. That's worth half a cheer, right? According to the game's development blog, the patch enabling online fiend slaying and frolicking has been completed and will be ready for download on day one. That's October 21st if you're in America, and October 24th if you live in Europe. We look forward to leaping into your world and beating meeting your lovely wife.
