Co-op campaigns are a rarity these days, and that should change
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This is near and dear to me, and I'd say it goes beyond just co-op. We used to get "the whole package" with a game. Arguably Call of Duty is one of the few still offering it. We used to have games with campaigns and multiplayer. Story mode and challenge rooms. Other modes of play sitting alongside the main event to round out the package. Now developers look at any data point to see how many people are using it, and if the number isn't high enough, they cut it. But that's a mistake. Most people might only dip their toes into these side features, but they can usually be implemented relatively cheaply (because of asset reuse), and they can add a ton of value even if most players don't spend a lot of time in them. Co-op is one of those things.
The games that used to offer these co-op modes tended to stop getting attention from their publishers. Then once they've got a multiplayer mode, they try to make it a live service and monetize it instead of just letting it be. I was screaming at my monitor when I read that Naughty Dog open letter about canceling the Last of Us multiplayer game that said they had two choices and neither of them was making a multiplayer game that they just sold for a box price and didn't manage as a live service; the possibility, seemingly, had never even crossed their minds. Co-op games can't just be a campaign you play through once with a friend; they have to PVE grinds where you play the same content over and over until the next pack of it comes out in a few weeks. The likes of a Baldur's Gate 3 or an It Takes Two feel rare by comparison.
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I agree, but also not every game works with coop campaign.
A game like Metroid Prime or Hollow Knight would be fundamentally different if they had coop campaign. Meanwhile, some games like Call of Duty and other shooters, generally having more players does not detract from the game overall, and would generally make little difference other than needing encounters to be balanced for more than one player.
Basically, put it in where it belongs. Not a fan of shoving stuff in that does not fit or belong in the game.
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I'd still say the Gears franchise owns the shooter coop throne. Every game in the series supports at least 2 player, with 3 & judgement being 4 player, and 5 being 3 player. And they go out of their way to make coop different than regular campaigns too; there are several points, usually one in each level, where you have to split up
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Forgot about Gears. Yeah, those were awesome to co-op
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Gears 5 is still a tour de force of how to do a modern game. It's got cosmetics, customization, an acceptable (but not great) story, decent PvP, and imo the absolute best PvE. Nothing has managed to dethrone horde in 5+ years
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If you likes it takes two, in march the same studio should release "split fiction".
Other titles that come to mind: cuphead, untitled goose game, overcooked (!), valheim.
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Split fiction looks super cool!
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I don't mean to advertise but I do watch this channel for inspiration gaming sessions with friends: https://youtu.be/ViCP7O9q-Vk ( co-op bros)
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Arma 3 offers a unique coop experience due to Arma's nature. Worth a try if you have a group of friends to play with.
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Bring back Army of Two lol
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It makes me so mad when I see game on steam feature "online co-op" and in reality the co-op in game is "join your friend and help him sometimes as a guest" Dark Souls style. I swear me and my friend had to refund like 5 games recently just because it turned out all of them had that. Now we just play Valheim while waiting for something good to drop.
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I'm sorry but if I've already paid $60 for a video game, I shouldn't also be required to make a friend just to be able to experience the entirety of the content this game offers, in the manner it was originally intended to be experienced.
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Its a few released, these are last years:
https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?campaign=true&release_year=2024&playerCount=2
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Which games were those? I like that form of co-op as well, but I'd like to see a few tweaks compared to how From does it.
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Ghost Recon. Outriders. There are more. And old games are still fun.
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I have played It Takes two.
It did not require my friend to buy the game when we wanted to play together.
Further, the game was like 5$
