Video games have progressed a long way since the era of Pac-man, Galaga, Asteroids, and Centipede. With the progression of technology and the internet, gaming created a way for friends and family to get together and have fun. However, with the fruition of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, it seems like split screen co-op games are slowly fading out. This can be a huge disappointment for some because playing games together with friends while you’re sitting down right next to your buddy on the couch is a completely different experience than playing games online with people. However, even though these games can be a bit hard to come by, they aren’t dead. So here’s a list of some of the best split screen co-op games that you can play with your friends still.
Castle Crashers – If you have an Xbox One the remastered version of Castle Crashers is available for download. This game is a blast with friends, especially when you’re sitting down right next to them. If you have three other buddies with you, this game is insanely fun. This side scrolling beat-em-up game had to be the first game on this list and is almost a must buy for any local co-op gamers. The game mixes together action, adventure, comedy, and just enough competition between you and your buddies to make the game a blast to play.
Rocket League – The indie game that took the Internet by storm. When this game became free for Playstation+ members it exploded with popularity. Because of the attention that this game received, it developed a competitive eport scene almost instantly. Even though this game can get crazy competitive while playing online, it’s still a great game to play with friends while you’re hanging out at home together. Who knew driving around in a car and playing soccer at the same time would mix so well together? If you haven’t played this one with your friends, you really have to give a try.
Borderlands – You could pick any of the Borderlands games to be honest, but Borderlands 2 is widely accepted as the best one to grab. Plus you can snag Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for pretty cheap now since it’s been out for a while. This game isn’t bad when you play it alone, but when played with friends is where Borderlands really shines. The plethora of guns and the different available characters make the game amazing to play when you have a few people squeezed on the couch together. If you’re a fan of RPG elements and shooting things with your friends, you have to pick this one up.
Gears of War – Gears of War may be one of the bloodiest games of all time, but it’s also up there as one of the best shooters of all time. You could pick any of the games in the franchise and have a good time. Even though this game can sometimes be extremely frustrating, it is certainly most rewarding when you finally beat it. Plus, the story lines about Dom and Marcus are great. The characters are likable and throughout the entire series the games have it all, from nail-biting excitement to sad moments. If you like third-person shooters and are in the mood for some gory violence, this game is a must.
Magicka 2 – Friendly fire is on for this one! Magicka 2 is a top down view game that is a lot of fun with friends. Sort of like a fighting game, you need to input different combinations of buttons in order to do specific spells. In this game, you’re a wizard which you can customize with different hats, robes, and staffs. You’re going to have to experiment a bit in order to get the spells down, but therein lies the charm of the game. It’s a hilariously fun action-adventure that usually ends up with you fighting each other due to friendly fire incidents, which generally proceed in a chaotic wizard brawl between you and your buddies.
The Lego games – You could pick any of the games in the Lego franchise, all of them are great. With the new Lego Star Wars game out, you can pick that up and have a blast. Lego has adapted its building block toys into the mainstream media rather well. The movie is a great watch with friends, and their games are a great play with friends as well. You can pick your favorite of the many Lego games. Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Batman, and the list goes on. All of them are great co-op games and you can’t really go wrong with any of them.
Portal – If you’re a fan of puzzle games, the co-op in Portal is great. Figuring out puzzles with portal guns while playing with a friend is super rewarding. It’s even fun if you’re the odd man out, and you’re just watching the game being played. Watching people play Portal and helping them out with the puzzles is almost just as rewarding as playing the game itself. A game that is fun to just simply watch is a tough task to accomplish, yet Portal manages to do it. If you like puzzles, and you got a buddy that likes puzzles, you can’t go wrong here.
Halo – Probably the franchise that got the co-op shooter aspect down before anyone else. This list wouldn’t be complete without Halo. Take your pick from any of the games, and you’ll have a great time. Taking down aliens, saving the planet, blowing up giant super weapons that can cause galactic wide mass destruction, and all this in a days work. If you haven’t played the campaign to any of the Halo games with a friend, you really should because you’re missing out on a great experience.
There are many games that are great to sit down and play with friends that aren’t on this list as well. Nintendo typically does very well in making local co-op games. However, with the direction that video games seem to be going in, one might ask whether local co-op play is on its way to extinction. Hopefully not, because I think video games should retain the power to bring people together to have a good time, and online play doesn’t quite cut it.
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