A buddy of mine from grad school and I have been trying to stay in touch by gaming once a week. We both prefer co-operative games, and both have Macs. So far, we’ve played Spiral Knights and Dungeon Defenders, but are starting to tire of both. Does anyone have any suggestions for other co-op games we could try? Price is an object, so games under about $5 (or better yet, free) are definitely preferred.
Check Steam; they have significantly expanded the Mac OS games they have and a lot of them are co-op.
I just saw a new platformer today called Rush Bros., in fact. I think the 2fer deal was $13.
I think the new Jagged Alliance is also co-op (turn based strategy, kinda like Frozen Synapse but set in jungle combat instead of building interiors).
They make games for the Mac? 
Okay, joking aside, I’m pretty sure that Trine 2 is both Co-op and available on the Mac, but if you’re looking for something like Dungeon Defenders, it make not be your cup of tea.
Well, tell me more. What sort of cup of tea is Trine 2?
Trine 2 is a terrific game, for a platformer.
Hm, that actually looks kind of fun. Can it be played by two people, though, or does it require three? The text there talked about “three heroes”.
I don’t actually know how the co-op works, but in the single player, you switch between heroes, so I would guess that in two player co-op, a button push causes you to switch to whatever hero is not currently “in use”.
The video seemed to show two at a time so I’m guessing it’s really 2-person co-op. You can also play it single player but I’m not sure three player is possible (despite there being three ‘classes’).
Of course, you wanted to know if it can be played two-player and that’s a yes.
Edit: According to the game description at the store, it plays 1-3 players.
Monaco is a rather fun heist co-op (4 players, but you can play with 2 just fine). It’s currently $15, with a Mac release date of “TBD,” but once it does release, you could probably catch it on a Steam sale for less.
Diablo 2! I’ve been playing since it first came out, some of that time on a Mac. IIRC, the retail box has both versions, but you can download them directly from the Blizzard website.
I just started playing again because, like you, I had a friend that I wanted to play with. It’s still a lot of fun.
Edit : Just saw the price range - this is like $20 for the game + expansion, with free online play.
Oh, we both already have Diablo II, and have already played the heck out of it. It took a very long time to happen (we definitely got our moneys’ worth out of it), but we’re both tired with it by now.
Trine 2: Complete Story is on sale for $3.99 today from Steam.
Key is good for PC, Mac and Linux.
Mac = PC with an Apple OS.
Would you guys consider dual booting windows? If so, the sky’s the limit in terms of games to play.
“Looking for a cheap game” is not really consistent with “spend $100 on a new OS just to be able to play it”.
I’ve called up my friend, though, and we’ll definitely consider that sale on Trine 2.
Fair enough.
I’ll suggest Civ V, which supports Mac OS. Great to do co-op with vs AI and it’s less than 8 bucks right now on Steam. $14 if you want to pick upt he expansiona long with it.
Awesomenauts is.. awesome 
It’s a 2D take on the DOTA/ARTS genre. Lots of fun.
I’d also keep my eye open for a Steam sale on Borderlands 2 and Portal 2. Some of the best co-op gameplay there is right there, and they’ve both gone on sale for peanuts in the past. Left 4 dead 2 is usually on sale for a couple of bucks on Steam sales as well.
DP
Note that a three pack is $7.99, same price as buying two single copies. Just in case you ever make a third friend who would want to join in.
Really? I hated Awesomenauts. It seemed frustrating, lacking in options, and generally just not entertaining.
But then, it’s the first “MOBA” I’ve played, so maybe I just hate the genre.
I found it a lot of fun to just sit back and battle it out. Its definately a much more approachable MOBA game, that’s for sure.
I’m still losing to bots in DOTA 2. 