Sofa Sharers: The Couch Co-Op Hall of Fame

 

We’ve covered a lot of great, great games over the past four months in which Sofa Sharers has been running. What makes them different to the other games out there is their ability to bring people together. There’s nothing like local co-op and the following games are the best of the lot. I’ve collected the top ten games ever to feature local co-op and ranked them for your amusement and feedback. Think there’s a glaring omission, be sure to note it down in the comments below!

Welcome to Sofa Sharers - This is the split-screen hall of fame.

10. WWE Games:

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Professional wrestling giant WWE has a long history in the videogame industry, dating all the way back to 1989. Long enough for the franchise to be within the top 20 best-selling series of all time, in fact. One of the keys to this success is the series’ longstanding commitment to couch co-op. Almost all of the console games support the feature, while many of the most recent titles support up to six players on one device. They’re brilliant games for playing in a large group and have hosted numerous memorable personal moments. One of which I noted in a previous edition of Sofa Sharers. The combination of direct competition and easily understandable gameplay make the WWE games instant hits when playing alongside your friends, even if they’re not into wrestling.

 

9. Castle Crashers:

Sadly, Castle Crashers has never featured in an edition of Sofa Sharers. It wasn’t an intentional decision I can assure you. Castle Crashers is perhaps the best ever indie split-screen game. The whole concept is based around co-op and while playing online is fun, it can’t replace the enjoyment of playing alongside three fellow crashers. The game is one of those gems that doesn’t just feature a co-op mode, but essentially relies upon it. Being a team is crucial to success, but it’s also the best way to have fun. Castle Crashers is a divisive game and one that many people claim is overrated, but I believe it stands as one of the best examples of couch co-op out there.

 

8. Resident Evil 5:

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A co-op game so good I featured it in the first edition of Sofa Sharers. Admittedly, it’s something of a personal favourite, but I know there are plenty of gamers who feel the same way about Resident Evil 5. While many longtime series fans were disappointed by 5’s focus on co-op, it did allow Capcom to create one of their finest two-player titles ever (and that’s no mean feat). The balance something new. If you’ve yet to pick up Resident Evil 5, or have only ever experienced the game in single-player, then you had better get round to it before the previous generation dies off for good.

 

7. Halo

So, I’ll have to put strong personal opinion aside for this one and accept that Halo and its sequels (especially its sequels, in fact) are some of the best split-screen games ever. The classic Halo gameplay became hugely popular largely due to the game’s innovative online multiplayer experience, yet ultimately it was the inclusion of split-screen in those online modes that stood the Halo series apart from its competitors for the long run. I may not like Halo, but I’ve played it countless times due to the simple fact that my friends adore it. Bungie know how to make a game fun, and local co-op was always a matter of importance for them. Here’s hoping their next title, Destiny, follows the same trend.

 

6. LEGO Games

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A game series so good for local co-op, we decided to devote an entire edition of Sofa Sharers to it. From the original Lego Star Wars: The Videogame all the way up to LEGO: The Hobbit, the series has been one of the leading modern examples of the possibilities of split-screen (not including that awful rotating split-screen thing). The LEGO games have become some of the most popular children’s titles in the industry; I’d say that a large part of that success comes from the inclusion of couch co-op. The design choice lets parents play along with their kids, and with franchises that appeal to both young and old alike, it’s the perfect series for the mechanic.

 

5. Street Fighter

There’s one section of the sofa sharing world I’ve regretfully omitted across all editions of this column. Fighting games. I’ve covered so many brilliant titles, I lost track of the one genre that practically relies on the ability to play with, or rather against, your friends/mortal enemies. So here’s my attempt at rectifying that most horrible of mistakes. Street Fighter is generally regarded as the ultimate two player fighting experience and let’s face it, what self-respecting gamer hasn’t given the game a go at least once? Ultimately though, so long as you’ve got a friend beside you, fighting games are tense affairs no matter which one you buy. They’re both historic and modern demonstrations of the power of local co-op.

 

4. Call of Duty

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I’m sure this will be a contentious choice, but I do rather strongly believe that Call of Duty (in particular from CoD4 onwards) is one of the very best split-screen game series ever created. Let’s forget about Nazi zombies for a moment, despite the fact that mode could really have its own entry on this list, Call of Duty has absolutely stellar co-op support. From the simple but exciting four-player split-screen of CoD4 to the innovative specs ops of Modern Warfare 2, all the way to Ghosts’ Extinction mode, there are a huge variety of local co-op options across the entire series, and they’re all excellent. Then there’s zombies, which for me was something of a constant in my friend’s meet-ups for a fair few years. Forgetting the often crippling framerates, Call of Duty will forever be remembered as a great game to play with your mates.

 

3. Pong

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The game where it all began. A list of the greatest local co-op games would be incomplete without the arcade classic that proved to the world the potential of videogames. Not only as a hobby, but also as a great way to spend time with peers. The original Pong was only a co-op game, and there was certainly no internet around to connect people living apart. So when discos, stupid haircuts and whatever else people did in the late 70s didn’t quite fit the mood, Pong became the go-to source of entertainment. Following Pong, many actually questioned the possibilities of a single-player game; afterall, one of the key appeals of Pong was the ability to play with a pal down the pub (and later in the home). If that social aspect was removed, could a videogame really become popular? Time, as ever, proved that theory desperately wrong, but Pong lives on as the grandfather of local co-op.

 

2. Goldeneye 007

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There are probably a few people out there who remember Goldeneye for its gripping plot, or incredible graphics, or well-paced campaign mode. A few. Most, however, remember Goldeneye for the split-screen. Other FPS titles had done it before, but none of them pulled it off with the conviction of this N64 classic. As a single game (as opposed to a series), nothing comes close to Goldeneye; the high-drama of opening fire on your buddy was a relatively new experience for console gamers at the time. It gave the game an incredibly effective unique selling point that went on to influence so many of the FPS games we play today (especially CoD). We’ve shared some brilliant moments with both Goldeneye and its spiritual successor Nightfire; a testament to the impact this game has had on so many lives. It wouldn’t have been the same without our own 006s beside us. Assuming they don’t betray us like Sean Bean did.

 

1. Mario Kart

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Beyond a doubt, the quintessential local co-op game. In the words of our own Andy Mcdonald: “Some games are meant to be played sharing a sofa with your mates.” Mario Kart is an everyman’s game; it’s easy yet brutally punishing, fun yet painfully annoying and a limitless provider of hilarious memories. I’ve had my own fantastic times with Mario Kart, none of which I’ve been able to document in Sofa Sharers, but it has delighted me to see so much feedback for the column themed on people’s love for Mario Kart. It’s a game that has not only found its way deep into the gaming world, but also into the hearts and minds of the general public. While Pong created the core concept of playing games together, Mario Kart took the ball and ran with it. There’s no better game to play with other folks on the same sofa. For this column, that’s the ultimate praise.

Sad to say, this will be the penultimate edition of Sofa Sharers, or at least for the foreseeable future. The next edition in two weeks time will be the tenth and final Sofa Sharers, and it will be a very special version. Thanks for reading; feel free to go back through previous iterations if you haven’t already and remember... Let’s not let split-screen die, but help it rise from the ashes like a Phoenix!