Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance IIBrute ForceChampions of NorrathChampions: Return to ArmsContra: Shattered Soldier
That's why IGN's editors on Cheats, FAQs and Guides want to provide you a broader scope of neat co-op games from the past few years. Play 'em, trade 'em, or borrow 'em if you can.
Some of these titles are rare, but they offer solid co-operative experiences. So don't wait, grab some friends and have some summer fun!
Adventures of Cookie and Cream
Availabilty: PS2
Publisher: AgeTec
Developer: FromSoftware
Play Type: Split-Screen (cooperative)
Released: 2001-05-01
About The Game: You and a partner play two bunnies drawn from Japanese myth to save the moon (or something like that). Although one player can manipulate both rabbits via the dual analog sticks, it is far easier to have a second (competent) player help out. The main enemies are traps and time; run into traps and time is docked from your clock. Run out of time in each stage and you need to restart it. There's positively no blood in this sucker, making it a good candidate for younger players. Find out more about Adventures of Cookie and Cream on IGN.com.
Brute Force
Availabilty: Xbox
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Digital Anvil
Play Type: Split-Screen (competitive, cooperative), LAN (competitive)
Released: 2003-05-27
About The Game: This was once of the follow-ups to the more infamous Halo on the Xbox. Brute Force was to be a tactical squad shooter, but wound up with mixed reviews. In it, you play one of four hardened soldiers who form "Brute Force" - some kinda scifi special forces squad. Up to four players can mix it together on the television screen, although at considerable costs to performance. Players can drop in and out of the game as needed and as long as one person remains alive, the other players can simply continue the fight. Find out more about Brute Force on IGN.com.
Doom 3
Availabilty: Xbox
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Play Type: LAN (competitive, cooperative)
Released: 2005-04-03
About The Game: The highly anticipated shooter descended from John Romero's brain child is as straight forward a shooter as you can get. The co-op places two players against a horde of Hellspawn and there you go. Players cannot really "die" since they simply respawn and carry on the fight. This feature makes the game much more relaxed than it seems. Those hard core Doom fans will want the Doom 3 Limited Collectors Edition, which also features Ultimate Doom and Doom 2 Hell on Earth, which allows up to four players to run against Hell. Check out both versions of Doom 3 on IGN.com.
Dungeons and Dragons Collection
Availabilty: Sega Saturn
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Play Type: On-Screen (cooperative)
Released: 1999, Japan only
About The Game: Dungeons and Dragons, once the most popular pen-and-paper RPG franchise, got turned into a coin-op by Capcom in 1996. A few years later, a follow-up came along and introduced more characters and a longer campaign. D&D Collection features both Tower of Doom and Shadows Over Mystara on two separate discs. The game is a side-view beat 'em up (akin to Double Dragon or Final Fight) using sprites as opposed to polygons. Getting this thing to work is a chore, since you need a Memory Expander, a SEGA Saturn that plays Japanese games, and the game (which is quite uncommon). However the classic co-op play may be worth your dollar; different mixes of classes can produce wildly different results and no two sessions can be the same.
Dynasty Warriors 5
Availabilty: PS2
Publisher: Koei
Developer: Omega Force
Play Type: Split-Screen (competitive, cooperative)
Released: 2005-03-29
About The Game: Dynasty Warriors 5 is the latest in Koei's 3D beat 'em up genre. Much like beat 'em ups from before, you can team up with a second player and go about defeating enemy A.I. The intricacies of ancient (Warring States Period) China. For those who are interested in the pre-Tokugawa era of Japan, Koei also has Samurai Warriors. A wide variety of weapons, accessories, and officers open the door for hours of unlocking and play. Find out more about both games on IGN.com.
Elevator Action Returns
Availabilty: Sega Saturn
Publisher: VING
Developer: VING
Play Type: One Screen (cooperative)
Released: 1997, Japan only
About The Game: Elevator Action Returns is a high-grade follow-up to the classic Elevator Action from the coin-op and NES platforms. This time, you can have two players and select from a team of three operatives. Although the game is short, the Saturn port is arcade-perfect. However, like the aforementioned D&D Collection, you will need a SEGA Saturn that plays Japanese games. The game is fairly uncommon, but you might have to work at it to find it as well.
Final Fight 3
Availabilty: Super NES
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Play Type: One Screen (cooperative)
Released: 1996
About The Game: Final Fight III, the last of the 16-bit Final Fight games is a classic side-view beat 'em up with responsive controls and a dynamic pathing system. Very dated, the cartridge is uncommon and hard to come by (it was released around the time the Nintendo 4 launched), so you will need to work on getting it. It is an excellent fighter and having two-players is a blast. Optional rules make Final Fight 3 a more playable game than say, Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle 3; for example, you can remove friendly fire and double-team opponents easily.
LEGO Star Wars
Availabilty: PS2, Xbox
Publisher: Giant Interactive
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Play Type: One Screen (cooperative)
Released: 2005-03-29
About The Game: Star Wars games are common, but few have the ability to incorporate two-player co-operative action as smoothly as LEGO Star Wars. The game basically covers all the major events from Episode I to Episode III. A cast of characters from the most recent Star Wars movies may be played, although they are the low-res LEGO characters you buy from LEGO kits. The game is geared towards younger players (no blood) but the game is seriously fun in its own strange way. Get more info on LEGO Star Wars at IGN.com.
ObsCure
Availabilty: PS2, Xbox
Publisher: DreamCatcher
Developer: Hydravision
Play Type: One Screen (cooperative)
Released: 2005-04-04
About The Game: Imagine Resident Evil or Silent Hill but with two players instead of one. ObsCure is a quiet little title from Dreamcatcher that puts you in charge of a party of high school students uncovering some kinda horror at their school. Controls are bizarre (it's a European developer) and some of the mechanics are mismatched. However, for a keen horror experience with a friend, you might want to consider giving Obscure a try. Find out more about ObsCure on IGN.com.
Project Eden
Availabilty: PS2
Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Core
Play Type: Split-Screen (competitive, cooperative)
Released: 2001-09-25
About The Game: This is one of the rare few launch titles on the PS2 that has held up rather well, at least in the eyes of adventure oriented gamers. You control a squad of four specialists in a large, futuristic environment on top of a large metropolis. Players can jump in and out of the game as needed. Although the primary genre of this game is exploration and puzzle solving, there is some fighting. Project Eden was worked on by some of the same persons involved with the Tombraider franchise, and some of the quirkiness of the game will have been familiar to long-time fans. More on Project Eden can be found on IGN.com.
SEGA Classics Collection
Availabilty: PS2
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: SEGA 3D Ages
Play Type: Various (cooperative)
Released: 2005-03-22
About The Game: SEGA Classics Collection has one or two good co-op titles, albeit simple retro-oriented ones. Alien Syndrome, Golden Axe, and Tant R Bonanza are the only co-op titles on the compiliation and all are fairly simple shooters or beat 'em ups. All three are fairly quick games, but for the price of the compiliation (budget priced), you might be taken by the availability of these re-made classics on the PS2. Check out more on SEGA Classics Collection at IGN.com.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Availabilty: Xbox
Publisher: UbiSoft
Developer: UbiSoft Montreal
Play Type: Split-Screen (competitive, cooperative), LAN (competitive, cooperative)
Released: 2005-03-29
About The Game: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise has been billed as a cheap mock-up of Metal Gear, but the most recent installment, Chaos Theory, has proven how a co-operative stealth/spy action game can be quite plausible and lucrative. Although the co-operative missions are a very small part of the overall game, the co-op missions are a delight playing with a friend as you team up against A.I. and maintaining stealth. UbiSoft improved the game's controls and mechanics to a hiretho peak level in the franchise, and if you're looking for some co-op spy fun, this is one game you may want to check out. More on Splinter Cell Chaos Theory may be found on IGN.com.
Trizeal
Availabilty: Dreamcast
Publisher: Triangle
Developer: Triangle
Play Type: One Screen (cooperative)
Released: 2005-04-27, Japan only
About The Game: Do you like shoot 'em ups? Do spaceships that pack the firepower of several army divisions but get blown apart in one hit appeal to your sensibility? Then you might want to take a look at Trizeal for the SEGA Dreamcast. A Japanese release, you might have to do some finagling to get this to work. Trizeal puts you in charge of a tri-former ship that has different weapons depending on the form you choose (much like the Macross coin-op). How you power-up your ship will make its current weapon more powerful. Additionally, a bonus ship from XII Stag can be unlocked by entering a secret code, letting you team it up with the normal ship. For the secret code and more on Trizeal, head to IGN.com.
More Recommendations
Here are some more quick recommendations (in no particular order):
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