Cooperative Games - Suggestions

[fcw3]

Hey all,

My son and I just finished Baulder's Gate. We enjoy playing the multiplayer cooperative fantasy games. We've beaten Gauntlet, Gauntlet Dark Legacy and now Baulder's Gate.

I'm looking for a game similiar to those on a newer system for us to tackle next. I'd prefer if it wasn't an "M"ature game as he's 7 years old.

I heard about Blackstone:Magic and Steel for the Xbox, but I've not heard anything good about it.

Any suggestions ?

FRED

[Gamereviewgod]

Well, I immediately though Baldurs Gate..but I guess that won't help. Halo's great, but not if you don't want violence (then again, Baldurs gate has it's share...).

[fcw3]

It's not the violence as much as graphic violence, language and overt sexuality that concerns me.

I had to watch when I changed armor in Baulder's Gate as I was using a female elf. And there was a couple of concerns about the barmaid...

I was thinking about Halo with its cooperative mode, but my wife is non to keen on him playing the FPS games. Same with the gun games like Virtua Cop.

FRED

[Gamereviewgod]

non to keen on him playing the FPS games. Same with the gun games like Virtua Cop.

But yet she doesn't mind the hackng and slashing of limbs, heads, and other body parts?????????????

[fcw3]

Who can know the thought process of another ? Maybe it has something to do with guns=real violence swords/goblins/magic=fantasy violence.

My son has never had a problem seperating reality and role-playing/fanatasy/games.

But, you have to keep peace in the house...

Anyhow, any suggestions for games ?

FRED

[tynstar]

Maybe it has something to do with guns=real violence swords/goblins/magic=fantasy violence.

In Halo you kill aliens not other people.

It is nice to see a parent care about what the kids are playing. I work part time at a GameStop and see parents get GTA for their kids all the time. They say well they will play it at their friends house. I want to smack those people. >

[IntvGene]

The cooperative games are unfortunately few and far between.. at least the good ones are. If you're willing to go back to the days of the Saturn, there's always Guardian Heroes. Otherwise, D&D Heroes will be coming out for th Xbox and Baldur's Gate 2 is being made also. Xbox has Hunter the Reckoning, but it isn't suitable for a 7 year-old.

I know that you specifically mentioned fantasy, but how about giving sports games a try? You can play on the same team, and it's quite fun. The violence isn't there. Just pick your favorite sport and there's usually at least a couple of choices for it. You can play them for quite a long time with a season mode.

[calthaer]

Unfortunately you're aiming for a type of game that people just don't make enough of nowadays. I take it you're looking for PC games?

If you finished Baldur's Gate, then what about Baldur's Gate II, Icewind Dale, or Icewind Dale II? EDIT you can import your character from Baldur's Gate into BG2.

Dungeon Siege had a multiplayer co-op world. The gameplay isn't all that great compared to its hype IMO, but it is somewhat entertaining and the graphics are good.

If you were doing FPSes at all I'd highly recommend System Shock 2, but that might be a little dark and scary - seriously scary. But it's one of the few games I've played through more than twice and the multiplayer co-op is awesome. I think No One Lives Forever 2 was supposed to have a co-op game, too - that was a sort of 60s / 70s spy FPS.

Doesn't Secret of Mana or one of those other Square games have multiplayer? You could play that one Emulator multiplayer co-op. On the same note there's that Zelda: Four Swords adventure for the GBA.

That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. They really need to make more games with multiplayer coop.

Those are all PC games, too, which I assumed because you just said Baldur's Gate. If what you really meant was Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance which was a different game, then...not sure what to tell you. The XBox doesn't really have a whole lot of great titles to begin with, IMO. EDIT 3 - you may be best off getting an inexpensive second PC and hooking up a network in your house. Lots more coop games for the PC than for any console these days.

EDIT 2 - I also hear that new Final Fantasy Crystal something game for the GameCube is going to be multiplayer coop when you hook up a GBA with it or something.

[Hamsnibit]

Calthaer, I don't believe he is talking about PC since he said newer systems and mentioned Xbox.We'll if you take FPS out of the picture then you aren't left with much as I can think of Halo, Timesplitters 2, Castle Wolfenstein, and Brute Force which all have co-op. I think I'm going to have to go with IntvGene on this one. Try going with some sports games. If you don't like traditional sports try going with the arcade style games like NHL Hitz and NBA Street 2. Both are extremely fun and could be enjoyed by non-sports fans. I have a friend that I play co-op with all the time and he doesn't care for sports, but he enjoys both of those games. I really agree they need to get out more co-op games. Co-op is some of the most fun gaming one can do.

[fcw3]

My bad. I should have said it was Dark Alliance. We generally stick to console gaming.

I forgot about Secret of Mana and Guardian Heroes. I have both of them. Might have to give them a spin.

I've seen those parents buying GTA:VC for 10 year olds. There have been times that I, as a parent, have pointed out the ESRB label on a game to an unsuspecting parent. With certain parents, you can kind of see in their eyes that they are just a puppet and buying little Johnny what he wants. But I've also seen the parent, with full knowledge of what they are buying, say that it is no big deal to them what's in it. That it is just a video game.

We're not big sports game fans. Except for an occasional over-the-top sports game like NFL Blitz.

What we enjoy isn't just playing the games, but working together as a team towards a common goal. Asking what to do here and who should get what item. Following a story and making decision about how to proceed. I'm not sure we'd get the same thing in sports games.

I did mention to my wife that the enemies are aliens in Halo. Any of you married guys know what kind of look I got...


FRED

[scooterb23]

And I'm assuming since you don't want graphic violence, a PS1 game like Loaded would be out of the question...that one's a hoot with two players though

Now that I think of it, beyond sports, I can't think of many of these kinds of games either...

[bargora]

I guess Smash TV (on Playstation "Arcade Party Pack") would be right out as well, although I do love those hand-drawn frames of your eyeball squirting up at the overhead camera when you get squashed. A pity, as two-player is a good time, if not terribly strategic.

If you and your son don't mind cuteness, "The Adventures of Cookie and Cream" is a fun little game for PS2 that was fully designed for cooperative play (and in fact is a pain in the ass to play one-player). Should be cheap these days, too. You play as a pair of bunnies who have to save the day and stuff...

[MarkM2112]

If you like the older games perhaps "The Lost Vikings" for Genesis or SNES might be a good choice...

[zmeston]

If you have a PlayStation 2, get The Adventures of Cookie and Cream. It's one of the best cooperative games ever made, it's E-rated, and it's available for $20 everywhere I see it.

-- Z.