Easier cooperative games?

[burn_654]

Hi everyone! I know of a few great cooperative games - love me some Contra and Lifeforce...but a lot I lean towards are hard in difficulty. I now have a girlfriend who wants to play some games with me, but is just learning. (started her out with Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart. :) ) But she doesn't like competitive stuff yet because I'm more practiced by nature.

I'd like to stick around nes-snes-genesis era (as her family had some of this when she grew up) but just about any generation up to ps2 and wii would be welcome. Turtles in Time came to mind, for example.

What are some of the easier co-op games you've played that would still be fun for a seasoned game veteran to play?


Edit: simpler controls are also a plus. Not to put her down but dual-analog games might not be for her yet until she gets more used to it.

[Robocop2]

ToeJam and Earl is fairly easy and imo much more entertaining as a two player experience than as a single player

[Aussie2B]

Donkey Kong Country?

I know you already said that you've been playing Mario Kart, but did you try Double Dash? You can play cooperatively, and if you're the driver, she basically doesn't have to worry about screwing up at all. At worst she might miss a good opportunity to throw an item or do an attack that sends you careening off a ledge.

[treismac]

Jackal is a cooperative Konami game that is cheap and fun for the NES.

Streets of Rage II for the Genesis is worth checking out.

Tengen's Tetris for the NES has a cooperative feature that ya'll might like playing.

Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers is a pretty rockin' Capcom cooperative for the NES.

Bubble Bobble by Taito is a popular one for many girls with its cutesy graphics. It was actually designed to grab the quarters of girls. The original and sequel are both on the NES. The original isn't too bad price wise, but the second is a bit... (ahem)... steep.

Super Spike V' Ball for the NES has a cooperative mode that I use to enjoy tremendously.

Despite its slow down with two players, River City Ransom on the NES is an iconic cooperative game with rpg elements that is tons of fun.

If she likes Life Force, she'll love Crisis Force by Konami!!! This is a Famicom game that never made it to the USA. If you can find it on ebay, buy it!! Trust me. :D

Rampage by Data East might entertain ya'll for ten minutes or so before the monotony becomes so overbearing that you want to bash your head against the Nintendo.

[j_factor]

World of Illusion has a great co-op mode.

[Richie]

Try Trog for the NES. Also, Ms. Pac-Man for the Genesis has cooperative play. Not sure if the NES version does, but it might.

[burn_654]

These are some good ideas. I'll definitely get her to try Chip and Dale.

Double Dash, I am indeed a fan of. It didn't occur to me that I could keep her in the 'partner' seat and have her just handle the items/hitting people. That might work out.

Bubble Bobble's not a bad idea either. I'll have to get an actual copy.

I actually meant that I like Life Force...it's too difficult for her :P Although I will definitely agree that Crisis Force is cool.



What do people think of picking up New Super Mario Bros. for 2-player? Worth my time? Can any of the console Zelda: Four Swords games be done with just two people?


Keep em' coming!

[uglyjack]

Bubble Bobble by Taito is a popular one for many girls with its cutesy graphics. It was actually designed to grab the quarters of girls. The original and sequel are both on the NES. The original isn't too bad price wise, but the second is a bit... (ahem)... steep.

The second game does not feature cooperative two player. You take turns ala SMB.

[Gameguy]

The Golden Axe games are pretty fun with co-op.

[Steven]

I've always enjoyed Run Saber and Arkanoid: Doh It Again! both on SNES.

It doesn't get much simpler than Arkanoid. Oh, and if you're down for importing, check out Sanrio Smash on SFC too. It's like Pong with Hello Kitty characters. Don't be quick to disregard it, it's actually quite fun, especially when played against a pal.

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_74601/SanrioPinball.gif

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/6501/74322.html

edit: oops you said cooperative. still, i recommend sanrio smash nevertheless!

[davidbrit2]

Go for some of the old Atari/Midway classics:

Gauntlet
Xenophobe
Xybots

[j1e]

An NES game that rarely gets mentioned: Monsters in My Pocket. Very fun and easy 2 player game. Get it!

[tpugmire]

Since you mentioned the Wii, all of the Lego games are cooperative and pretty easy. They are also fun and fairly cheap.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

My wife and I play co-op games a lot, and the ones we keep going back to are Bubble Bobble and Bomberman. The NES and SMS versions of Bubble Bobble are both solid, but so is Bubble Bobble Plus on the WiiWare. For Bomberman, I recommend the first one on the SNES.

[CapnCrunch53]

What do people think of picking up New Super Mario Bros. for 2-player? Worth my time? Can any of the console Zelda: Four Swords games be done with just two people?

I have no first-hand experience with the Wii NSMB, but I've heard it's pretty fun with two players from some friends. I've also heard that more than 2 players gets annoying though.

Zelda: FSA does indeed work with two people. I played through it with my buddy in an evening and it was great fun. A word of warning: make sure the gameboys are fully charged/have fresh batteries (depending on the model). If the system runs out of batteries during play it boots you out of the level and makes you start that level all over, rather than just pausing or dropping one player out... it's INCREDIBLY frustrating.

I'd also recommend another game that's very cheap to pick up: Guerrilla War on the NES. It's a fun Konami top-down shooter with co-op, and it's very forgiving: you have unlimited lives, and when you die you restart at the same spot, no restarting the level or anything. That game would be a breeze with two players, and despite the easiness it's still very fun in my opinion.

[skaar]

You may actually find it worth busting out the game genie. Unless you're trying to hone her gameplay skillz and build yourself a gaming warrior - just enjoy the game without the difficulty.

Infinite lives or time or health codes can be good if you just want to play through something for the fun of it. You also might enjoy some time with MAME, unlimited quarters and a huge library of 2 player games on there.

[j_factor]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I've always liked Rainbow Islands more than Bubble Bobble.

[treismac]

What do people think of picking up New Super Mario Bros. for 2-player? Worth my time?

I found the New Super Mario Bos. Wii to be an excellent Mario platformer game. As far as multiple payers go, it was definitely more interesting with other people than it was enriching. Honestly, I think the level designs suffered because the game was made so a bunch of people could play at the same time while moving in a linear path. Regardless, I recommend it.

[treismac]

The second game does not feature cooperative two player. You take turns ala SMB.

Oh. I own the original and I just assumed that the sequel allowed simultaneous play too. My bad.

[Ro-J]

Some great games have been mentioned, but two I didn't see were Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES) and Heavy Barrel (NES). ZAMN is a classic and a blast to play with a second person. Heavy Barrel is a lot like Ikari Warriors, but playable. My 5 year old and I have logged a lot of hours with Heavy Barrel and it's definitely one of his favorites (fun, but not too hard).

[TurboGenesis]

One game I like to mention, and my wife and I enjoy playing, together…

The Adventures of Cookie & Cream on the PlayStation 2. Its a fun, cute game and you can even play using one controller… perfect for getting close with the lady friend LOL

http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUGxheXN0YXRpb25fMi9DbGFzc2ljXyZfUHV6emxlL1 B1enpsZV9HYW1lcw==/the_adventures_of_cookie_and_cream_frontcover_larg e_nSHpAnrhWCKovGO.jpg

another fun game, one my wife and I play together…

Twinkle Star Sprites.

http://www.lastbossvideogames.co.uk/pub/files/Saturn%20covers/.thumbnails/1302341950_Twinkle%20Star%20Sprites%20front_w250_h 250.jpg

Though TSS may be a bit more difficult to come by as it was Japanese only on various consoles: Neo Geo AES and MVS, Saturn, Dreamcast, and a sequal of sorts on the PlayStation 2…

[treismac]

Ooo, Oooo, Ooooooo!! Try Balloon Fight for the NES! You can either cooperate or attack each other- both are fun. ;)

Once again for the NES, Clu Clu Land is an interesting take on the Pac-Man maze game genre, which is fun with either one or two players.

[treismac]

Try Trog for the NES. Also, Ms. Pac-Man for the Genesis has cooperative play. Not sure if the NES version does, but it might.

The NES version of Ms. Pac-Man* has cooperative play, too.

*Apparently, it is only the Tengen version and not the licensed Namco version that has cooperative play.

[davidbrit2]

The NES version of Ms. Pac-Man has cooperative play, too.

The unlicensed Tengen release does (it's pretty much the same as the Genesis version). The licensed Namco version is just a basic arcade port.

[treismac]

The unlicensed Tengen release does (it's pretty much the same as the Genesis version). The licensed Namco version is just a basic arcade port.

Oh... I assumed it was similar to how the respective Namco and Tengen versions of Pac-Man were the same thing.

Also, unlicensed Tengen games are sexy. :onfire:

[Drixxel]

A handful that spring to mind:

8 Eyes on NES can be quite a challenge but the 2nd player controls Cutrus, Orin's falcon, and takes more of a supporting role. The control for Cutrus is on the restrictive side, as you don't have total freedom of movement, but it may be one way to have your girl take part in what is ultimately a much more difficult platformer.

NES Pipe Dream has a wicked cooperative mode that will definitely tax your ability to work as a team, assuming that Pipe Dream strikes a chord with you.

Kirby Super Star on SNES features immensely fun two player support in its platforming sections with the second player controlling Kirby's manifested helper.

Genesis Battletoads & Double Dragon is a fun, comic co-op beat-'em-up that's neither as difficult as the punishing SNES version nor the original.

[Emperor Megas]

Party games are competitive, but most of them are simple fun. There's a Mario Party series which doesn't really need any introduction, but some others I enjoyed are:

Bomberman Jetters (Gamecube)
Fusion Frenzy (XBOX)
Shrek Super Party (XBOX)
Super Bomberman (SNES) - cooperative or battle mode
Twisted (3DO)
Zhadnost: The People's Party (3DO)

Puzzle games can always be lop-sided when you have a veteran versus a novice, but one game my s/o could always hold her own with me was Trip'D (3DO).

[MachineGex]

Zombies Ate my Neighbors is a great two player game. I also love playing Snow Bros. with a partner.

[retroman]

its a little more up to date, but girls love Wii Sports and Wii Resort, or anything GuitarHero.

[Richie]

Bubble Bobble by Taito is a popular one for many girls with its cutesy graphics. It was actually designed to grab the quarters of girls.


I've tried a few times to find some information that supports this claim, but I'm coming up short. Got a source?

[burn_654]

I wondered which release of Ms. Pac-man had a co-op mode...I played it on a famiclone once and it seemed pretty awesome. Now that I know it's the Tengen version I'll have to track that down.

I don't mind the idea of playing Balloon Fight - I was thinking original Mario Bros. but to be fair the controls for the us version are a little stiff to someone more used to the later Mario games. Which is why Balloon Fight might fare a little better with her.

I certainly like the idea of Cookie and Cream...is that expensive/hard to pick up? I don't think I've seen it before, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

Also I almost completely forgot that Bomberman has co-op modes! I've played so much competitive Bomberman 2, Super Bomberman 3 and Saturn Bomberman (10 player mode was a hit at college) that I neglected that idea. It's definitely easy to pick up and play.

I love Kirby SuperStar but I've played that game to death with friends sadly :P We might try that down the line.

Lego games are not a bad idea either, I'll have to check some out.

Anything cute or featuring anime characters (as she's into some of it) could be a plus here too. I can swap trick with my Saturn so I could look into Twinkle Star Sprites.
*Oh! Another plus would be anything that has a facsimile on GBA/GBC, as I let her borrow my Gameboy SP for a while. So she could get used to the game and play with me when she visits.


This is good stuff guys!

[ownerizer]

Turtles in Time for the SNES was my absolute favorite co-op game of all time.

[Aussie2B]

its a little more up to date, but girls love Wii Sports and Wii Resort, or anything GuitarHero.

Uh, can we please refrain from talking as if all women share a like mind? It's fine to make those suggestions, but not all women are guaranteed to love Wii Sports, Wii Resort, and Guitar Hero.

[jcalder8]

Uh, can we please refrain from talking as if all women share a like mind? It's fine to make those suggestions, but not all women are guaranteed to love Wii Sports, Wii Resort, and Guitar Hero.
Yeah, they like Barbie and cooking too.... just kidding :D

My wife loves the Lego games and Dr Mario but mainly because she can kick ass at that.

[Emperor Megas]

Uh, can we please refrain from talking as if all women share a like mind? It's fine to make those suggestions, but not all women are guaranteed to love Wii Sports, Wii Resort, and Guitar Hero.He didn't suggest anything of the sort; he said "girls".

[TurboGenesis]

I've got one more suggestion, but its on a less popular console…

Centipede, for the Atari 7800. 7800 Centipede has two player mode that is both cooperative and competetive.

And Centipede is notorious and infamous for being a favorite among many women… as well as being co-programed by a woman (Dona Bailey)

[MachineGex]

If you are gonna get Tengen's Ms. Pacman, make sure you play around with the options and levels. They have some really cool extra levels on that game that are not on any other version of pacman. I think it is called weird or strange in the options.

[treismac]

I've tried a few times to find some information that supports this claim, but I'm coming up short. Got a source?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6q4GY6g26I

The interview comes from the Taito Legends collection on the PS2 (and apparently the Xbox and PC too). At 5:34 the designer of Bubble Bobble, Fukio "MTJ" Mitsuji, is asked, "How did you come up with the cute characters?" He begins talking about Bubble Bobble begins at 3:40, by the way.

[Richie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6q4GY6g26I

The interview comes from the Taito Legends collection on the PS2 (and apparently the Xbox and PC too). At 5:34 the designer of Bubble Bobble, Fukio "MTJ" Mitsuji, is asked, "How did you come up with the cute characters?" He begins talking about Bubble Bobble begins at 3:40, by the way.

Thanks for the link to the video, Bubble Bobble is probably my favorite game of all time and while I'd heard it was designed for couples to play together, I didn't realize that was due to the fact that women rarely played arcade games at that time in Japan.

[kupomogli]

People mentioned Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands. While not NES, I'd suggest Taito Legends.

Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, Operation Wolf, Operation Thunderbolt, and Ninja Kids are some amazing multiplayer titles.

[Zama]

Street of Rage 2 is pretty easy for jolly cooperative :)

[RJ]

I would say go ahead & try the orig. Mario Bros w/ her- the single-screen one where the creatures come out the top pipes. People seem to forget this game when they think of Mario games. It's on Virtual Console for $5, prob. less in NES cart form. Cant seem to find one in handheld form though, there's a similar game on GBA (it's NOT the original.)

The game physics are hysterical w/ 2 players- bumping into/off each other, punching the floor under your opponent, etc. But the beauty of it is you can play co-op OR 1 on 1.

Let her hang around at the bottom getting coins while you get the creatures, or divide the screen: you do the top levels, she patrols the bottom/POW switch, etc.

Controls cant be much simpler: L or R & jump. No up or down.


Joust has similar gameplay, but hitting an enemy requires more precision. Oh yeah, & NOTHING beats multiplayer Gauntlet.

[Cornelius]

I would say go ahead & try the orig. Mario Bros w/ her- the single-screen one where the creatures come out the top pipes. People seem to forget this game when they think of Mario games. It's on Virtual Console for $5, prob. less in NES cart form. Cant seem to find one in handheld form though, there's a similar game on GBA (it's NOT the original.)

The game physics are hysterical w/ 2 players- bumping into/off each other, punching the floor under your opponent, etc. But the beauty of it is you can play co-op OR 1 on 1.

Let her hang around at the bottom getting coins while you get the creatures, or divide the screen: you do the top levels, she patrols the bottom/POW switch, etc.

Controls cant be much simpler: L or R & jump. No up or down.


Joust has similar gameplay, but hitting an enemy requires more precision. Oh yeah, & NOTHING beats multiplayer Gauntlet.

I was going to suggest Joust also. My wife and I used to play that together quite a lot. The difficulty ramps up pretty quickly, though. For us that was okay because I'm not real good, so even when she ran out of lives she wasn't bored for long. Plus I think you can use the other person's lives when you run out, at least on the NES version.

Was there a dedicated Mario Bros. game on GBA? I know it was available (possibly unlockable?) on one of the Super Mario games, I think it was Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (one of the dumbest titles ever). I think it was also available as an e-reader game. Were those significantly different from the arcade version?

[RJ]

There was a similar GBA title, I played it once. There was a POW switch at the top as well as the bottom, which would change gameplay seriuosly. also, IIRC none of the orig. various MB creratures appeared, just the red/orange spiky thing from SMB. & I want to say you were looking thru some fencing or something that kinda hampered your visibilty of the whole screen.

Theres an e-reader game, apparently rare, which is interesting as I got Animal Crossing for $1 at a garage sale yest. & started it today. Im not chasing down a GBA & an e-reader though. I got MB on VC anyway. A-OK.

[j_factor]

Mario Bros. was actually included in all four Mario Advance games, as well as having an e-Reader version.