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.

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/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).