Single-screen co-op games for Xbox?

January 15, 2006 3:33 AM

What are some good single-screen co-op games for the Xbox?

My wife and I had a blast playing Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. We're going to get Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance I and II. Are there any similar single-screen co-op titles we might like? We're not interested in 3D shooters, thanks.

posted by obiwanwasabi to sports, hobbies, & recreation (15 comments total)

It's not quite in the same vein as the other titles you mention, but my girlfriend and I really enjoyed Lego Star Wars. She doesn't like most games, but we had good fun playing this one - just the right mix of shooting and puzzles, plus there it is a genuinely cooperative 2-player; each player has different skills and you can't progress without working together.
posted by greycap at 3:49 AM on January 15, 2006

I played Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks with a friend and we had much fun. Though the other MK Games have their focus on Player vs. Player, this part of the series has the focus on the co-op mode where you have to fight against enemies in the good old Double Dragon beat'em up style. A warning: It has some nasty freezing bugs and I don't think it's similar to the games you mentioned, but I decide to post it because I had a lot of fun with it.
posted by donut at 5:21 AM on January 15, 2006

I second the Lego Star Wars game because Luke just can't open the bridges without an R2D2! It may sound like a silly game but it is MAD fun.
posted by Makebusy7 at 6:18 AM on January 15, 2006

Alien Hominid is a side-scrolling shooter with "hand-drawn" style graphics reminiscent of PaRappa. It's a lot of fun, but it's chaotic and hard.
posted by MegoSteve at 6:38 AM on January 15, 2006

It's not a single-screen -- each player has their own half, though you can fight near each other and increase your attack strength -- but the Dynasty Warriors series got my wife hooked on games with me.

Stay away from Samurai Warriors or DW5, though -- I haven't played SW on the Xbox, but on the PS2 it was a mite slow. DW5 was unplayable in co-op mode, because enemies -- especially bosses -- tend to disappear in the heat of all the action and wail on you. Just too many onscreen characters. DW4 was probably the pinnacle of playability on the Xbox.

I agree with the others about Lego Star Wars. We loved that one!

Another I've played that seems promising is The Red Star. The publisher [Acclaim] went out of business and so the game is sort of in limbo, but pre-release copies hit the 'net and if your Xbox is modded you could play it if you can find it.
posted by britain at 6:43 AM on January 15, 2006

I forgot to mention the Lord of the Rings action games from EA: The Two Towers and Return of the King. Both have very fun two-player co-ops. Oh, and the X-Men Legends games.
posted by britain at 6:44 AM on January 15, 2006

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory has excellent, truly co-operative co-op, though the learning curve is higher than with other games (Say, the excellent, fun for all ages Lego Star Wars). It's not a 3d shooter either, really.
posted by Hildago at 7:48 AM on January 15, 2006

I actually can't think of any other single-screen co-op games, but these are a couple excellent split-screen ones:

Stubbs the Zombie is a lot of fun, but it might be a little too shooter-y for you. It says on the box it uses the Halo engine, but it's more of a 3rd person action/brain-eating game.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is great, and is very heavy on cooperation. Most tasks are impossible to complete by yourself.
posted by Sibrax at 7:53 AM on January 15, 2006

How about 2D side-scrollers, similar to Contra from the NES? I think Metal Slug 4 & 5 (one game/disc) is a fairly detailed and clever sidescroller.

Tip: for any of the games listed, visit GameTrailers.com and you can download demo footage, including video-file reviews of the gameplay/action and trailer-like commercials for them, to get a general feel for it before you even buy it.
posted by vanoakenfold at 11:31 AM on January 15, 2006

Brothers in Arms does co-operative split screen. But Lego Star Wars is the daddy.
posted by Navek Rednam at 11:33 AM on January 15, 2006

Also plenty of "co-op" sports games to choose from, where you could be on the same team against the computer, or 13 year olds on XBOX Live.
posted by Hildago at 2:38 PM on January 15, 2006

Both X-Men Legends games, definitely.
posted by Remy at 2:45 PM on January 15, 2006

had a good time with a couple of friends playing a shrek game...shrek 2 i think it was. winning eleven has coop play agianst the computer and is available for the xbox i think although I've only played it on ps2; it's a soccer game and my favorite console game ever, but maybe you have to be a soccer fan to feel that way.
posted by juv3nal at 3:42 PM on January 15, 2006

should mention that if you have the time to spare over a weekend, that shrek game is not very long, so probably go for a rental rather than purchase.
posted by juv3nal at 3:43 PM on January 15, 2006

Check out the Hunter: The Reckoning games. They use a very similar engine to Baldur's Gate and FBOS. You should also check out the Gauntlet games, I found them a bit simple, but Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows has a more complex control system (not completely hack-and-slash).

There are many many cooperative arcade games that were both fun and had a similar style. I've had lots of fun playing MacMAME and the old Dungeons and Dragons arcade games with friends.
posted by onalark at 4:36 PM on January 15, 2006