8 ms·

I hope there is a resurgence of couch co-op games after the lockdown. I have been playing a LOT of games, most of them of just mediocre quality, with my kids. C

I hope there is a resurgence of couch co-op games after the lockdown. I have been playing a LOT of games, most of them of just mediocre quality, with my kids. Co-op makes mediocre games fun most of the time. I wish there were more options available for local co-op games. PS: Don't try to play Outward with your novice gamer kids.

zarkov99 6y ago
What do you recommend for co-op with kids?
- mgolawala 6y ago
  Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Overcooked. Overcooked 2 Up to 4 player Co-op. Incredibly fun games. Source: I play co-op and versus games with my kids. We've incorporated casual video game play into our family time for the past few years.
  - zarkov99 6y ago
    Thanks, I have been trying to do that but didn't quite find the right games (it doesn't help I am on Linux). I'll check your recommendations out.
    - kop316 6y ago
      I second overcooked and overcooked 2. Those are really fun games!
    - DerekL 6y ago
      You can buy Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime and Overcooked! 2 from Steam and play them on SteamOS.
  - bentcorner 6y ago
    "Moving Out" also recently launched that has a similar concept to Overcooked. I've heard it's not as good as OC/OC2 but it might be interesting to try for a change of pace.
- pgoggijr 6y ago
  I picked up Unravel 2 and have been playing it with my non-gamer girlfriend - she's had no problem picking it up and it's quite fun and challenging for both of us, both from a technical perspective (Most puzzles only require precise inputs from one player) and a mind-twister perspective. I believe it is only two player co-op, though, so if you've got more than one kid to entertain then this one might not be for you.
- NDizzle 6y ago
  Smash brothers, Luigi's Mansion, Marvel games on ps4, Lego _____ games. Castle Crashers, Children of Morta. A little more violent, things like risk of rain, chaosbane, diablo 3, inquisitor martyr.
- jelled 6y ago
  On the switch Luigi's Mansion 3 is great. Got close to 10 hours of play working on the main story with my 5 year old playing as gooigi. With everything unlocked my 5 year old and 3 year old have fun roaming around the hotel catching ghosts. Plus there's some fun mini games.
- NDizzle 6y ago
  Check out this site too: https://www.co-optimus.com https://www.co-optimus.com
- DrPhish 6y ago
  Mame has lots of great multiplayer games. As an example, we've been playing Trog and Gain Ground lately as a family. Bubble Bobble is another obvious choice, but really there are thousands of 2-4 player coop games. You can usually set the difficulty directly in the arcade machine setup, or by proxy by limiting yourselves to a certain number of coins. A warning that unlimited coins can just make a game a never-ending grind because you don't have that failure/reflection loop to skill up between attempts and you can end up way beyond your ability to succeed by just feeding coins in.
- koheripbal 6y ago
  This is what we need VR games for - to bring back co-op with the kids!
- sien 6y ago
  The Lego games can be really good with younger kids. FIFA / NBA 2K for older kids.
kipchak 6y ago
Co-Optimus is a good resource for finding couch co-op games. https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?type=couch https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?type=couch Some co-op games ones you might enjoy are Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Magicka, overcooked, hammerwatch, Trine, Rayman Legends or human fall flat. There's also a really big back catalog of arcade or earlier console emulatable local multiplayer co-op games, many of which have gotten ports like Chronicles of Mystara or Gauntlet if you don't want to mess with emulation.
- NDizzle 6y ago
  Yep, you mentioned a bunch of games that I have and forgot about.
- enchiridion 6y ago
  Portal 2
  - egypturnash 6y ago
    Doesn't that require two machines and two screens? "Couch co-op" is for games that can be played with two or more people looking at the same screen, probably while sitting on the same couch.
    - asadlionpk 6y ago
      I remember Portal 2 on Xbox360 was co-op split-screen.
      - logicprog 6y ago
        Recently played couch coop split screen with P2 on an Xbox One. Still works! (:
    - jamesgeck0 6y ago
      The PC version initially appears to be LAN-only, but you can play split-screen using a console command.
autokad 6y ago
I have been playing escape room games on steam with my friend from NYC, lot of fun. We got into it after playing this free two player escape room game: https://www.enchambered.com/puzzles/alone-together/ https://www.enchambered.com/puzzles/alone-together/
- CocaKoala 6y ago
  A game with similar vibes that works really well over conference call is Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. Even better, only one person need own a copy of the game for others to play with them. For anybody who's unfamiliar, the game is thus: one person is stuck in a room with a bomb. They can pick the bomb up, manipulate it, and interact with it, but a clock is ticking and the bomb is going to explode. On the phone with you are the Bomb Defusing Experts, who are armed with a Bomb Defusing Manual for the bomb in question (free PDF, www.bombmanual.com if you're curious). Unfortunately, the manual was written by somebody who loves inscrutable graphs and hates the person reading it. The person with the bomb has to describe the modules on the bomb, e.g. "I see three red wires, a blue wire, and a white wire". The people with the manual then need to instruct them on which wires to cut in order to defuse the bomb correctly, e.g. "Three red wires? Cut the second wire. Wait, hang on - does the bomb have a parallel port? Okay, cut the third wi-WAIT, how many batteries does it have? Did you cut the third wire? thank god, definitely don't cut that one." The bombs can get hard and stressful, but it's a fun asymmetric game that works really well over voice chat.
TAForObvReasons 6y ago
Do you still have your older video game consoles? Some of the games are still playable and still fun decades later
koheripbal 6y ago
Picture this... co-op VR Elder Scrolls/Skyrim. Dungeon crawling with the kids would be incredible. Hearing their screams as they get surprised by their first cave skeleton, and then hear them fall over backwards over the coffee table.... nothing would make me happier right now.
- klmadfejno 6y ago
  VR in rooms is pretty hard. VR with two people in the same room... you better not let them move from where they stand
simonhughes22 6y ago
Streets of Rage 4 is very good. It's cartoony violence, so probably Ok unless you have very young kids.
zhoujianfu 6y ago
I wish Mario Odyssey (2?) had a co-op mode. I want four of us running around the same world looking for power moons at the same time..
- chapium 6y ago
  I think you can do balloons as local coop?
- Buttons840 6y ago
  A 2nd player can control the hat. It's not full co-op but it's something.
dv35z 6y ago
(1) Any suggestions for couples? Like something peaceful and fun, maybe open world? My GF and I played Overcooked 2. She loved it, but honestly I found it way too stressful for me (I felt like I was at work during a Sev1!). I've always played FPS & RTS, and so entire genres of games are just so unfamiliar to me, but I'd love to explore some and see what else fits. Just the other day, we tried Stardew Valley. I never thought that kind of game would interest me, but it's fun walking around the world, going into town, interacting with NPCs. I think those "slightly-more-structured-than-Minecraft" games would be cool. (2.1) What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc. (2.2) Other small group of friends games? I've got a friend who is setting up a minecraft server to play in, but I'd rather have some other small group game where we could team up and either build something (e.g. minecraft clones, or other open world things), or even perform adventures/quests together (I've never played any RPG, and am not particularly interested in the magic/fantasy genre). I know it's a bit dark, but I've always thought a multiplayer/co-op version of This War of Mine would be absolutely incredible. Anyway, if anyone has strong opinions on this, please share!
- NDizzle 6y ago
  "Group of friends commanding a space ship" Star Trek Bridge Crew!!! https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/star-trek/bridge-crew https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/star-trek/bridge-crew It's hilarious with the right group of friends.
- acomjean 6y ago
  What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc. Star Trek Bridge Commander? (Crew?) though it can get kinda stressful. If you have a ps4 Unravel 2 is pretty fun light platform for two people. My GF plays fortnite with her cousins husband and his brothers. This like it. The voice chat is pretty decent and the game is lite for a shooter. Plus the occasional Fortnite concert/DJ set is an interesting break. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/fortnites-party-royale-mode-ditches-the-guns-asks-players-to-chill/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/fortnites-party-royal...
acomjean 6y ago
Couch co-op is the reason for existence of the new intellivision Amico. It due this fall, so I can't tell exactly how good its going to be but they seemed to have come a decent way with it since it first was announced. I had an intellivision growing up and playing sports games with my brothers was a great memory. Back then, all multiplayer was couch based... https://www.intellivisionamico.com https://www.intellivisionamico.com
thatguy0900 6y ago
I've been using https://github.com/lucasassislar/nucleuscoop https://github.com/lucasassislar/nucleuscoop to play borderlands 2 with my nephew, it's a little finniky but it works well. Can't vouch for any other games it supports
scarface74 6y ago
This is a first world solution.... Buy two consoles.... My sons both had one when they were both at home. The older one bought one with his own money.
- astura 6y ago
  Then you'd also need two TVs side-by-side, doesn't seem desirable. You'd also have to buy two copies of every game you wanted to play co-op.
  - nickthegreek 6y ago
    and two copies of the game, maybe 2 online service subscriptions.
  - scarface74 6y ago
    My son uses his computer monitor when friends come over with their consoles and they play side by side. All of our rooms including his are wired for Ethernet and he has a router. It’s like the old days when people use to lug their gaming rigs to each other’s house for LAN parties.
malux85 6y ago
Play geometry wars with them! I’m playing with our kids and it’s great for their dexterity / fine motor control, simple game and good graphics too
graham_paul 6y ago
Pretty sure Outward is not even meant for kids content-wise. It is not even meant for novice/casual gamers
jvrossb 6y ago
If you have access to a PS3 Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is an excellent couch co-op game. Most of the LEGO games are great couch co-op too.

zarkov99 6y ago

What do you recommend for co-op with kids?

mgolawala 6y ago
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Overcooked. Overcooked 2 Up to 4 player Co-op. Incredibly fun games. Source: I play co-op and versus games with my kids. We've incorporated casual video game play into our family time for the past few years.
- zarkov99 6y ago
  Thanks, I have been trying to do that but didn't quite find the right games (it doesn't help I am on Linux). I'll check your recommendations out.
  - kop316 6y ago
    I second overcooked and overcooked 2. Those are really fun games!
  - DerekL 6y ago
    You can buy Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime and Overcooked! 2 from Steam and play them on SteamOS.
- bentcorner 6y ago
  "Moving Out" also recently launched that has a similar concept to Overcooked. I've heard it's not as good as OC/OC2 but it might be interesting to try for a change of pace.
pgoggijr 6y ago
I picked up Unravel 2 and have been playing it with my non-gamer girlfriend - she's had no problem picking it up and it's quite fun and challenging for both of us, both from a technical perspective (Most puzzles only require precise inputs from one player) and a mind-twister perspective. I believe it is only two player co-op, though, so if you've got more than one kid to entertain then this one might not be for you.
NDizzle 6y ago
Smash brothers, Luigi's Mansion, Marvel games on ps4, Lego _____ games. Castle Crashers, Children of Morta. A little more violent, things like risk of rain, chaosbane, diablo 3, inquisitor martyr.
jelled 6y ago
On the switch Luigi's Mansion 3 is great. Got close to 10 hours of play working on the main story with my 5 year old playing as gooigi. With everything unlocked my 5 year old and 3 year old have fun roaming around the hotel catching ghosts. Plus there's some fun mini games.
NDizzle 6y ago
Check out this site too: https://www.co-optimus.com https://www.co-optimus.com
DrPhish 6y ago
Mame has lots of great multiplayer games. As an example, we've been playing Trog and Gain Ground lately as a family. Bubble Bobble is another obvious choice, but really there are thousands of 2-4 player coop games. You can usually set the difficulty directly in the arcade machine setup, or by proxy by limiting yourselves to a certain number of coins. A warning that unlimited coins can just make a game a never-ending grind because you don't have that failure/reflection loop to skill up between attempts and you can end up way beyond your ability to succeed by just feeding coins in.
koheripbal 6y ago
This is what we need VR games for - to bring back co-op with the kids!
sien 6y ago
The Lego games can be really good with younger kids. FIFA / NBA 2K for older kids.

kipchak 6y ago

Co-Optimus is a good resource for finding couch co-op games. https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?type=couch https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?type=couch Some co-op games ones you might enjoy are Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Magicka, overcooked, hammerwatch, Trine, Rayman Legends or human fall flat. There's also a really big back catalog of arcade or earlier console emulatable local multiplayer co-op games, many of which have gotten ports like Chronicles of Mystara or Gauntlet if you don't want to mess with emulation.

NDizzle 6y ago
Yep, you mentioned a bunch of games that I have and forgot about.
enchiridion 6y ago
Portal 2
- egypturnash 6y ago
  Doesn't that require two machines and two screens? "Couch co-op" is for games that can be played with two or more people looking at the same screen, probably while sitting on the same couch.
  - asadlionpk 6y ago
    I remember Portal 2 on Xbox360 was co-op split-screen.
    - logicprog 6y ago
      Recently played couch coop split screen with P2 on an Xbox One. Still works! (:
  - jamesgeck0 6y ago
    The PC version initially appears to be LAN-only, but you can play split-screen using a console command.

autokad 6y ago

I have been playing escape room games on steam with my friend from NYC, lot of fun. We got into it after playing this free two player escape room game: https://www.enchambered.com/puzzles/alone-together/ https://www.enchambered.com/puzzles/alone-together/

CocaKoala 6y ago
A game with similar vibes that works really well over conference call is Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. Even better, only one person need own a copy of the game for others to play with them. For anybody who's unfamiliar, the game is thus: one person is stuck in a room with a bomb. They can pick the bomb up, manipulate it, and interact with it, but a clock is ticking and the bomb is going to explode. On the phone with you are the Bomb Defusing Experts, who are armed with a Bomb Defusing Manual for the bomb in question (free PDF, www.bombmanual.com if you're curious). Unfortunately, the manual was written by somebody who loves inscrutable graphs and hates the person reading it. The person with the bomb has to describe the modules on the bomb, e.g. "I see three red wires, a blue wire, and a white wire". The people with the manual then need to instruct them on which wires to cut in order to defuse the bomb correctly, e.g. "Three red wires? Cut the second wire. Wait, hang on - does the bomb have a parallel port? Okay, cut the third wi-WAIT, how many batteries does it have? Did you cut the third wire? thank god, definitely don't cut that one." The bombs can get hard and stressful, but it's a fun asymmetric game that works really well over voice chat.

TAForObvReasons 6y ago

Do you still have your older video game consoles? Some of the games are still playable and still fun decades later

koheripbal 6y ago

Picture this... co-op VR Elder Scrolls/Skyrim. Dungeon crawling with the kids would be incredible. Hearing their screams as they get surprised by their first cave skeleton, and then hear them fall over backwards over the coffee table.... nothing would make me happier right now.

klmadfejno 6y ago
VR in rooms is pretty hard. VR with two people in the same room... you better not let them move from where they stand

simonhughes22 6y ago

Streets of Rage 4 is very good. It's cartoony violence, so probably Ok unless you have very young kids.

zhoujianfu 6y ago

I wish Mario Odyssey (2?) had a co-op mode. I want four of us running around the same world looking for power moons at the same time..

chapium 6y ago
I think you can do balloons as local coop?
Buttons840 6y ago
A 2nd player can control the hat. It's not full co-op but it's something.

dv35z 6y ago

(1) Any suggestions for couples? Like something peaceful and fun, maybe open world? My GF and I played Overcooked 2. She loved it, but honestly I found it way too stressful for me (I felt like I was at work during a Sev1!). I've always played FPS & RTS, and so entire genres of games are just so unfamiliar to me, but I'd love to explore some and see what else fits. Just the other day, we tried Stardew Valley. I never thought that kind of game would interest me, but it's fun walking around the world, going into town, interacting with NPCs. I think those "slightly-more-structured-than-Minecraft" games would be cool. (2.1) What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc. (2.2) Other small group of friends games? I've got a friend who is setting up a minecraft server to play in, but I'd rather have some other small group game where we could team up and either build something (e.g. minecraft clones, or other open world things), or even perform adventures/quests together (I've never played any RPG, and am not particularly interested in the magic/fantasy genre). I know it's a bit dark, but I've always thought a multiplayer/co-op version of This War of Mine would be absolutely incredible. Anyway, if anyone has strong opinions on this, please share!

NDizzle 6y ago
"Group of friends commanding a space ship" Star Trek Bridge Crew!!! https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/star-trek/bridge-crew https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/star-trek/bridge-crew It's hilarious with the right group of friends.
acomjean 6y ago
What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc. Star Trek Bridge Commander? (Crew?) though it can get kinda stressful. If you have a ps4 Unravel 2 is pretty fun light platform for two people. My GF plays fortnite with her cousins husband and his brothers. This like it. The voice chat is pretty decent and the game is lite for a shooter. Plus the occasional Fortnite concert/DJ set is an interesting break. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/fortnites-party-royale-mode-ditches-the-guns-asks-players-to-chill/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/fortnites-party-royal...

acomjean 6y ago

Couch co-op is the reason for existence of the new intellivision Amico. It due this fall, so I can't tell exactly how good its going to be but they seemed to have come a decent way with it since it first was announced. I had an intellivision growing up and playing sports games with my brothers was a great memory. Back then, all multiplayer was couch based... https://www.intellivisionamico.com https://www.intellivisionamico.com

thatguy0900 6y ago

I've been using https://github.com/lucasassislar/nucleuscoop https://github.com/lucasassislar/nucleuscoop to play borderlands 2 with my nephew, it's a little finniky but it works well. Can't vouch for any other games it supports

scarface74 6y ago

This is a first world solution.... Buy two consoles.... My sons both had one when they were both at home. The older one bought one with his own money.

astura 6y ago
Then you'd also need two TVs side-by-side, doesn't seem desirable. You'd also have to buy two copies of every game you wanted to play co-op.
- nickthegreek 6y ago
  and two copies of the game, maybe 2 online service subscriptions.
- scarface74 6y ago
  My son uses his computer monitor when friends come over with their consoles and they play side by side. All of our rooms including his are wired for Ethernet and he has a router. It’s like the old days when people use to lug their gaming rigs to each other’s house for LAN parties.

malux85 6y ago

Play geometry wars with them! I’m playing with our kids and it’s great for their dexterity / fine motor control, simple game and good graphics too

graham_paul 6y ago

Pretty sure Outward is not even meant for kids content-wise. It is not even meant for novice/casual gamers

jvrossb 6y ago

If you have access to a PS3 Ratchet and Clank All 4 One is an excellent couch co-op game. Most of the LEGO games are great couch co-op too.