Am I the only person who loathes co-op games at this point?

ByWatterson

Member
Background: Fully recovered Destiny fan. What eventually turned me off of Destiny was its abandonment of any meaningful focus on PVP. Now, it's just a threadbare story wrapped around activities that are only fun if you're running at least a four-stack.

And then Gotham Knights. And Redfall. And Outriders. And Suicide Squad. And.

PVP can be more fun with friends, but it can also be completely enjoyable without. Single player, obviously is good on its own. But who is the user who wants to get a game that only is fun if you schedule time and coordinate with three other people? Is this person exclusively 16-22? Seems like a job just to be able to coordinate and play.

Bottom line, if someone says, "It can be played fully single player for the story experience," that's my biggest red flag in gaming.

EDIT: Couch co-op still great. Loved It Takes Two.
 
Last edited:
I love co-op games. I loathe online co-op games.
 
I love co-op games. I loathe online co-op games.

Yep.

I'll add to this, online co-op games are often poorly designed and contain all of the most cynical game design traits (based around monetisation) found in modern games.

Co-op games designed to be played locally are simply designed around the players interacting with each other and having a good time, nothing more, nothing less.
 
I hate it when they shoehorn it into SP games like RE5. The only MP games I play are PvE and I do enjoy those. I've got hundreds of joyous hours in Killing Floor 1 and 2. Darktide is really fun also. I would probably like them more if I had someone to play them with. The time I have for gaming is asshole early in the morning on weekends, and that doesn't seem to be a popular time to play.
 
Gears 5 online coop with a friend/family member is a dream come true👌👍

Outriders is next on our schedule - I already know that I'll love it.

I hate it when they shoehorn it into SP games like RE5.
I hate it when single player games that could easily have a coop multiplayer mode don't have that mode. Single player is better for experiencing the story at my own pace, but coop multiplayer is what usually makes me really learn and appreciate the gameplay mechanics.

Exception: if there is no actual gameplay that deserves to be referred to as such. A multiplayer mode doesn't add much then of course.
 
Last edited:
Coop is just a way for companies to include the most uncreative dull gameplay possible, and still make it stomachable since having friends with you makes even watching paint dry enjoyable. see : suicide squad, avengers. It all comes down to - spending less money developing and refining fun gameplay, rake in more profit by putting grind-saver MTX in the game. all about money.
 
And then Gotham Knights
Question Mark What GIF by MOODMAN

This is literally a single player story driven game, that can be played in co-op.
 
Coop is just a way for companies to include the most uncreative dull gameplay possible, and still make it stomachable since having friends with you makes even watching paint dry enjoyable. see : suicide squad, avengers. It all comes down to - spending less money developing and refining fun gameplay, rake in more profit by putting grind-saver MTX in the game. all about money.

You said it better. Yes, this is precisely how I feel. It serves almost no gameplay function at all about 80% of the time.
 
Coop is just a way for companies to include the most uncreative dull gameplay possible, and still make it stomachable since having friends with you makes even watching paint dry enjoyable. see : suicide squad, avengers. It all comes down to - spending less money developing and refining fun gameplay, rake in more profit by putting grind-saver MTX in the game. all about money.
Not including coop multiplayer is usually a good way to protect dull gameplay from getting exposed as such.
 
Gears 5 online coop with a friend/family member is a dream come true👌👍

Outriders is next on our schedule - I already know that I'll love it.


I hate it when single player games that could easily have a coop multiplayer mode don't have that mode. Single player is better for experiencing the story at my own pace, but coop multiplayer is what usually makes me really learn and appreciate the gameplay mechanics.

Exception: if there is no actual gameplay that deserves to be referred to as such. A multiplayer mode doesn't add much then of course.
"easily" is a bit of an underestimation. You'd need to rewrite all the enemy and boss AI.
 
I don't like them, instead of being added to Singleplayer, they are instead of SP, and the so called Solo title isn't Singleplayer either, they are Gaas for me to add monetization if they are popular, instead of a fun mode to play with friends, as well as the SP, Wolfenstein Youngblood, Fallout 76, etc and i believe Redfall is as well, roll on Starfield!.
 
Not including coop multiplayer is usually a good way to protect dull gameplay from getting exposed as such.
this makes no sense since gameplay is scrutinized the most on its own merits when it doesn't have the social factor that can save it. All coop games out their are the most boring shallow experiences you'll ever see in gaming. What gameplay nuance do you have in destiny?
 
I enjoy some online co-op games if they have a good matchmaking system to play with randoms and thers little or no need for comunication. Had a great time playing Monster Hunter World and FFXIV. Like OP said my only problem with online co-op games is when they require better comunication, like doing raids in Destiny 1, this was what eventually made me drop the game as playing with randoms was just frustating and matching time with friends times was incovenient.
 
Last edited:
Looks like the bad kind of co-op. Play some Shredder's Revenge or SoR4 instead. Offline of course.
 
Last edited:
this makes no sense since gameplay is scrutinized the most on its own merits when it doesn't have the social factor that can save it. All coop games out their are the most boring shallow experiences you'll ever see in gaming. What gameplay nuance do you have in destiny?

Try playing one of the new Monster Hunter games in coop. Extremely deep combat system.
 
Definitely not, I HATE coop too or any MP.
The only co-op/multiplayer game I may love is ALL in the same room like back in time, THAT is funny.

wii u bowser GIF
 
Last edited:
this makes no sense since gameplay is scrutinized the most on its own merits when it doesn't have the social factor that can save it. All coop games out their are the most boring shallow experiences you'll ever see in gaming.
Seems to be a matter of opinion. "All" is a strong word.
What gameplay nuance do you have in destiny?
I don't play Destiny because it looks extremely boring to me.
 
The Day Before looks interesting. I haven't played any co-op horror games since RE6, and so I yearn to play something with my sister or my nephew.
 
Did you ever play Conflict Desert Storm graphics were rubbish gameplay ok but you could play 4 player local co op and it was fun, there would be a tank to kill and you have a downed teammate next to the tank who had the rockets to kill it.
 
I know when I am window shopping on steam, a lot of games do look interesting, then I see they are co-op focused and I back out. They are usually disapointing playing single player.
 
I just wish I was younger and had a bunch of friends that would be all able to play at the same time. As I dont coop games are generally just a tease for me.
 
I play coop with my son all the time, both online and couch, best thing ever. Wouldn't play with randoms though.
 
Last edited:
I like single player games that have optional co-op.

I had a blast with my brother and my best friend playing Borderlands 1. One of the best gaming experiences of my life.
I also had tons of fun playing Aliens Vs Predator with a friend.

Then forced GAAS ruined everything.
 
I have a few close friends and co op is amazing on the right games. Gears, Vermintide, Diablo 2 resurrected . Shit, even stuff like dying light 2 is a blast in co op. I use them as palette cleansers between my big single player RPGs etc.

Love co op games, do you guys not have friends that you just want to hang with and play games?

Shredders revenge?
 
I enjoy coop games, but mostly PVE. Getting a squad coordinated to play a game is a pain in the ass the older you get sadly. The reason I quit siege is because my friends and I are barely online anymore at the same time to play ranked games.

Getting a good multiplayer session of anything requires a lot of planning and happens once in a blue moon.

Couch coop I can play with the wife and have a good time.
 
Last edited:
Got into co-op only a few years ago, but have played tons of stuff like Halo, Outriders, Gears, Sea of Thieves and now Grounded with my friends - these are some of my favourite gaming memories. Just needs a bit of planning to sort out everybody's schedules.
 
Everybody has their preference, but I'll take single-player and co-op games over the borefest of competitive multiplayer games (especially free to play service based ones) any day.
 
I have no interest in online/multiplayer games. I play all my games 99% single player, offline and every once in a while couch co-op with my girlfriend. Like old-school Golden Axe or Bubble Bobble, or indeed It takes two. That one was allright.

The last thing I want out of gaming is competition, and interaction with other people.
 
Last edited:
Co-op is the future and it's great. I think most games will have a co-op mode in some form. It keeps players engaged in the game for a long long time.
 
Co-op games are great. Not of fan of MP games like Fortnite, CoD, etc. these days. Recently playing Terraria and Sons of the Forest with my son. We occasionally return to Sea of Thieves, L4D2, and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. Looking forward to giving Redfall a try.
 
Coop games aren't necessarily the issue for me. There's too many coop games leaning into the live service model at the moment.

Give me a campaign that you can drop in and out of like Gears of War and I'm happy. Sure its pretty much a shared shooting gallery, but there is no mismatch in progression between players etc and it's just a fun game to run through.

I really enjoy coop games designed around two players working together like A Way Out, It Takes Two or Portal 2's coop mode.

I'm a bit sick of levelling systems where a friend jumps into my game with all this insane gear. You're never quote at the same part of the game so it's hard to progress together etc.
 
I've been playing video games with my brother and the same two friends for over 20 years at this point. I appreciate how many four-player co-op games still exist, although we don't really play Destiny, Gotham Knights or are interested in Suicide Squad. When the four of us play together, we mostly just play Tom Clancy games, and when I play with just one of them, we play things like Gears of War, Resident Evil 5, Far Cry, etc.
 
When it comes to multiplayer games, I'm pretty much at the point where aside from the occasional Mario Kart I have no interest in PvP at all. I significantly prefer Co-Op.

In general though, I tend to avoid multiplayer stuff all together outside of WoW (and even then, I play solo 90% of the time).
 
I feel that co-op highlights the limitations of modern game technology. The vast majority of co-op games could theoretically be soloed. Any game AI will be crushed by a persistent player. Adding one or more players makes things even easier. Developers lean on artificial mechanics like enrage timers, increased health pools, or encounter specific spells which belong to different classes. I dislike these types of games. I end up bored pretty quickly after killing the same stupid AI over and over to get a widget that adds +3 strength so that I can defeat the next idiot ai who fights practically the same way.

I enjoy cooperative experiences. Sailing in Sea of Thieves is phenomenal. Players are responsible for different tasks. Good communication is essential to surviving long term. Foxhole's logistics and organizational component is another example of good cooperative mechanics. Some guys mine, some guys haul, some guys fight. I tend to enjoy multiplayer sandboxes because they encourage grouping and foster strong cooperation to win.
 
I keep seeing people use gotcha games as an example of why they hate online co-op games, my guys youre playing the wrong games. I love me some co-op games, you just need to pick something that can also work well as a single player or just online version of couch-coop

Games that come to mind are games like monster hunter, halo, souls games (i loves playing co-op with my friends in DS3, bloodborne and elden ring), L4D2, and even super mario 3d world (switch version, since the wii u version didnt have online co-op)
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom