I’m heading back home for Thanksgiving this year, and whenever I get to see my little brother we like to have a marathon Nintendo session (that is, we play video games- I call everything Nintendo). We have very specific taste in the games we enjoy, though, and I haven’t been able to come up with another one like the previous ones we liked most. So, are there any games that have the following characteristics?
[ul][li]Co-op play: this one is a dealbreaker. One of us generally masters the game way before the other, so if we’re not on the same team, it’s a good bet it will degenerate into real-world violence. And, of course, taking turns is out of the question.[/li][li]Dynasty Warriors-style hack and slash mayhem: basically, gameplay that consists largely of (or nothing but) sprinting around killing people with various implements. I know, that describes a lot of games, but here’s where it gets specific:[/li][li]The kill count/reward system: In the Dynasty Warriors series, like I said, you run around chopping people up. While you do, a little counter at the bottom tells you how many enemies each player has vanquished on that level. That little counter, along with the post-round experience tally, provides most of our entertainment. Whoever kills more people, or kills them more effectively, is rewarded with a sweeter weapon, or a stronger character, or a funny hat, or whatever, and so is proven superior. It’s like a race with added violence. We like it.[/ul][/li]
That’s pretty much it. If it helps any, Dynasty/Samurai Warriors and LOTR: Return of the King are basically perfect examples of what I’m looking for, and if anybody remembers Knights of the Round from the SNES, that was the original one. So, anything remotely like these games out there for the PS2 or Xbox?
Barring that, if anybody could just recommend any good, simple co-op game which would provide a weekend’s worth of entertainment, I’d appreciate that, too.
Off the top of my head, I can think of the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliances, but I can’t remember which one’s supposed to be better (there are two). There’s also X-men Legends, which I hear is pretty fun. I haven’t played them myself, so you might want to poke around for some reviews instead of taking my word for it.
Hunter: The Reckoning offered pretty solid co-op play, although it tends to go from mostly melee in the early game to mostly ranged weapons by the end. The controls take some getting used to but feel totally natural once you get it. I can’t speak for how good the sequels were.
Champions of Norrath is a game in the vein of the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games if you try them and like them, but I honestly wasn’t that impressed by it.
I like the suggestions so far. Never played any of them, but they all look like they could fit the bill. Any others? Let me stress that the game doesn’t really have to be all that good, so long as it can provide a few hours worth of button-mashing fury. I don’t need depth, or plot, or groundbreaking graphics. Those are bonuses. I just want to sit there all night pounding away at the X button without getting bored.
I have to throw this out there since it is probably the best damn co-op game ever…but how about Halo? I know its not exp. based, or a hack/slash type game. But I have never had more fun playing a co-op game then I did with Halo.
I second Champions of Norrath. It has all of the features you mentioned, plus it looks and sounds amazing. After you’re done beating it, you can play through it again with your saved character and beat it on an even harder difficulty, and pick up stronger weapons, and meet stronger enemies along the way, so it has tons of replay value. It’s also online. Me and my friends had a blast with it.
Baldurs Gate Dark Allience is good too, it was after all, made by the same guys who did Champions, and even runs on the same engine. However, it feels like a stripped down Champions, and doesn’t have as many features. The upside with BG: DA is that it runs for $20 in most stores.
I highly recommend X-Men: Legends. It doesn’t quite have the rewards system you’re looking for, but there is experience for kills, as well as equipment in the game. If you’re a comic fan even in the slightest, or were a fan of the movies, this is the game for you.
I can’t tell from your OP what sort of hardware you want to run this game on. You say it isn’t necessarily Nintendo, so could it be PC? If so, I recommend Neverwinter Nights. Lots of great multiplayer modules are available for download, and it is a game you can play for years.