An incomplete list of 'The Greatest Co-Op Games of All Time'

by Eric Caoili on Mar 27th 2008 6:00PM

We love "Greatest of All Time" lists as much as the next guy, but Exploding Barrel's tally of the best cooperative multiplayer titles has a few glaring holes that we felt would be irresponsible to ignore. For your reference, here's their top ten:

Ikari Warriors
Contra
Doom
Double Dragon
Golden Axe

Halo 3
Lego Star Wars
Gears of War
Toe Jam & Earl
Rock Band

While the list pays proper tribute to fanboy favorites like Contra and Toejam & Earl, we have a few suggestions for improving this "draft."

First on the agenda, expand the list to include the classics pictured above. Second, replace the "inferior" games with more appropriate titles. We're sure no one would mind if we switched out Doom with Secret of Mana. While we're at it, let's cross out Halo 3 and pencil in TMNT II: The Arcade Game. And Gears of War? More like Gears of Let's Play Zombies Ate My Neighbors Instead, right?

Now that you've heard our arguments, what co-op games would you rank up there?

[Via GoNintendo]

Source

Tags: coop, gunstar-heroes, list, multiplayer, river-city-ransom

Reader Comments (52)

Why there isn't a SINGLE Kirby game on there is beyond me.

Either Kirby Super Star or Kirby's Dream Land 3 for the SNES.

Definitely agreed.

Highly agreed.

Kirby Super Star and Kirby's Dream Land 3 were some of the best memories I have for co-op games.

Bubble Bobble is definitely my favorite co-op game. Also I like Double Dragon II a lot more than the first one. Turtles in Time is another really good game too, but TMNT II is probably better.

and Rescue Rangers for the nes

Ah yes, I remember that game :D
You'll love this: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/chipndale

Agreed as well.

Im with Phil on this one, not ONE kirby game? Me n' my pals would play Kirby superstar so much...

I think Gauntlet Legends deserves an honorable mention

I second TMNT: Turtles in Time.

Then there was the Power Rangers: The Movie game for SNES.
That game had awesome co-op!

Needs Ikaruga, as I NEEDED a co-op partner to beat that game, the first time I/We beat it. :D

Also needs Gradius V, but that is understandable if they don't pick that GV. (Gradius V is so underrated. Sure, it is very different, but it is very well designed. Although I do wish it had more creative stages in which the series is known for.)

Actually, Gradius series in General, sure, not all of the games had Co-Op, but the ones that were awesome. Gradius Gaiden, Gradius V, The last 3 Parodius games (except SNES versions), and of course, the wonderful Salamander and Life Force games.

Where's the Guardian Heroes love?!?!

Late reply, but:
OH HECK YES! That game is so good at Co-Op, it makes this list looks like a joke! A FREAKIN' JOKE!

Seriously, Guardian Heroes was the best Co-Op experience I've ever had in my entire life.

Zombies ate my Neighbors is THE sh**! I LOVE that game!!!

Freaking Diablo II.

Uh, I'm pretty sure you should leave Doom alone there. Hell, that should be # 1 on the list of best co-op games. I've found that it's replay value is endless in co-op. What the hell does Secret of Mana have on Doom? If you want more classic titles on the list, Doom IS over 10 years old, you know...
Yet, I will agree with you on Halo 3, which is basically Halo 2.5 and Halo 2 wouldn't belong in the top 10 either.

WTH? Halo 3's 4 player Co-op is unbeatable... In fact it's the only way I play the game. I LOVE the whole thing of Me and my roommate on one TV, playing with 2 friends online. Halo 3 isn't the best FPS ever, but it's not the worst ever, as seems popular online opinion. These are so notable because it seems like Developers have forgotten about Co-op nowadays.

The Co-op is so rare, that I enjoy any game with a good Co-op game. Halo 3, Gears of War, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Resistance Fall Of Man.

Well given that doom wasn't a very good game to begin with, I'd say SoM has just about everything on it. I should also point out that SoM released in north america before doom did. For it's time doom was just simple point and click compared to the far superior System Shock. While I realize we're talking coop, adding another player hardly makes a mindless borefest one of the best coop games of all time. Doom won't be missed, SoM deserves the highest praise.

Agreed Vic, Doom is an amazing co-op experience, secrets of what?

Doom 1 is the best game available for the 360.

Halo 3 is awesome, but I don't really see it as a co-op game. I play campaign alone, and when I play multiplayer, it's a competitive game or a team game. Then again, the functionality is there to do 2 players in campaign, so it does have co-op.

However, Super Smash Bros. Brawl lets you do pretty much all of the single player modes with 2 people. You can even do side games like Home Run Contest with 2 people. It would make a good addition to the list.

And of course, Rock Band is definitely co-op. Enough said on that. Same could go for Guitar Hero 3, but it's not the main point of the game as it is in RB.

MarioKart also is a good game to co-op on, in Grand Prix mode. My friend and I did that with Double Dash when it first came out, unlocked pretty much everything quickly because we were able to take out twice as many opponents and essentially double our chances of winning by teaming up.

Those are about all of the games I can remember that had co-op modes for their single player story mode or adventure game modes.

I can sort of forgive the lack of Streets of Rage, or even the lack of Golden Axe, but no Dynasty Warriors? It's the only game that keeps the spirit of the 2 player beat-em-up games alive.

Golden Axe is on the list!

Doh! But Streets of Rage > Golden Axe. Everyone knows that.

Lists suck.

Most will probably will laugh, but my brother and I used to play "Guerrilla War" (by SNK) for NES for hours on end. There was just something about its simplicity and ferocious (yet predictable) battles that kept us coming back for more.

If they ever released that for the VC, my brother and I would probably cease to have a social life on the weekends for the foreseeable future after said release.

I whole heartedly second Guerrilla War. Nothing says co-op like busting up Cuba as Ernetsto Guevara and Fidel Castro!

Jackal, NES Version, also gets a nod from me.

Also, as for Halo 3. Hell yes it should be on the list, might as well just clump the series together though... they are all excellent co-op games. DOOM stays as well, whomever called it a bad game should be ashamed of themselves.

needs more earth defense force

Actually it's kind of funny...TMNT2 and Secret of Mana would have been the suggestions, and I would have taken out Halo and Doom for them, as well.

As for swapping Gears for Zombies...I haven't played either game, actually (shame on me for not playing a classic like that...oh and I don't own a 360 either...) so I can't judge. But given the rest of it all, I'd say I have faith and will agree with you there...

Are you counting arcade as well? If so, then you forgot The Simpsons arcade game and The X-Men arcade game. 2 games I could never play alone. LOL

Both great games, but they're just running on the TMNT engine, which was undoubtedly more popular then. Great memories on all of those machines, especially the 6-player XMen!

2. Jackal.

4. Sonic 2

Beyond those painfully obvious omissions, I am pleasantly surprised to see ToeJam & Earl on the list and agree with all their choice. I'd probably push Rock Band and DOOM off the list to make room for mine.

Upon further reflection ... NO GAUNTLET? Sure, there's a competitive element to the game (grabbing treasure and food before the others) but without cooperation you won't get very far.

Come on,
Where are Chrono Trigger and Rock N' Roll Racing?
Every once in a while I still have to go back to my SNES and play these games...

Chrono Trigger had co-op? D: HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS

Ops, I reply it before reading the whole thing. :P
I guess Chrono Trigger doesn't count...
But Rock N' Roll Racing still counts as co-op ;)

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures definitely deserves a spot on the list.

I hated Gears of War. Don't ask me why, I just did.

But anyway, I would actually put Mario Kart: Double Dash up there. That game was a hell of a lot of fun to play the entire 16 courses with a friend.

I would also put Brawl up there as well. Brawl Co-op is phenomenal. I don't care what anybody says.

Turtles in Time, Four Swords Adventures, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, and also I second that Power Rangers movie game. That game was the shit. Also, nobody probably remembers this game, but POCKY & ROCKY.

Maybe I'm just naming games that actually had Co-op that I liked rather than what should be on the list. The day I turned 5 was when the N64 came out. I didn't really play games with a lot of other people back then.

Man, while TMNT the Arcade game was good, the NES port was terrible.

I have to second Zelda: 4 Swords adventure though.

Also. while Gunstar Heroes is a great game, in co-op sucks because you're both basically the same color, and you always end up throwing each other into enemies, killing yourselves quite quickly.

Wheres Gauntlet Legends and Hunter the Reckoning.

I agree with the many and the few: Why isn't Kirby Super Star up there?

Completely fantastic game.

... I do agree that many of those things in that list are correct.

... The Simpsons the arcade game? I can't believe that wasn't the first thing in everyones mind.

Too old?

How bout:
Smash TV
Heavy Barrel
Metal Slug
Lucky and Wild
Tekken Tag (2 vs 2 teams)
(Insert co-op shoot em up of choice mine is STG Strike Gunner SNES)

I see GoW, and Halo 3 made the list...
Disappointing.

Oh, and Mario Kart: Double Dash.

Man do I feel stupid or what?

Simpsons arcade game = GODLY

I actually thought that... but I didn't know arcade-only choices were allowed...

Let me just say your suggestions of Turtles and Mana are perfect. I would strip many of the games up there for games that are actually FUN to play with other people. "Mario Kart 64?" Uh, yeah! And the only FPS's I would allow up there would be "GoldenEye 007" and MAYBE "Counter-Strike."

D'oh! Co-op, yes. . . . I get it now. Boy, am I embarrassed. Well, I would put the Simpsons arcade game up there as well as "Sunset Riders." The only games I'd really agree with on the list are "Contra" and "Double Dragon." "Secret of Mana" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" deserve to be on the list. I would add "Turtles in Time," though. The Turtles were great in co-op games.

A great random rental 2 years ago was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Battle Nexus. It has all of the fun of the original TMNT2 Arcade on NES, but with updated cell shaded graphics.

joe&mac.... anyone??

And how about some Wii games, huh?! Besides Lego Star Wars, what do we have?

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An incomplete list of 'The Greatest Co-Op Games of All Time'

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