PLAYER 2 PRESS START / The TOP 10 Best Local Co+Op Games on Steam

Steam can often times be a one-man show. Most games on PC are designed with a single player or online community in mind. This certainly doesn’t help matters when your friends come over and you don’t have a single locally cooperative game in your Steam library- nobody wants to watch you play your single player games while they sit there and do nothing! Fortunately, every once and awhile on Steam, a game rolls around that offers local co-op play so your friends can tag along for the fun. With this in mind, I’ve created a top ten list for the BEST LOCAL CO-OP GAMES ON STEAM (for 2-4 players).

10. Awesomenauts 

Awesomenauts is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game that uniquely blends the MOBA goal of protecting your base from the enemy team with elements of side-scrolling platformers. The game oozes personality with its art style reflecting that of an action-packed 80’s saturday morning cartoon (FREAKING GLORIOUS). Awesomenauts is great for co-op because it has 3 vs 3 team battles where up to 3 local players can form a team to go against A.I. players or battle other players online. Awesomenauts allows heavy customization of your character both with appearance and abilities- so each round can be totally unique. This game is great to play locally because you can instantly strategize with your friends over how your team will take over the enemy base. While I don’t play this game as heavily as some of the others on this list, it was still well worth the purchase- oh, and did I mention it had an awesome theme song? IT DOES.

9. The Cave

So a monk, an archaeologist, a hillbilly, a scientist, a couple of Creepy Twins, a knight, and a time traveler walk into a cave and- oh, I forget the rest. The cave is a unique platforming game created by Double-Fine (one of my favorite game developers in existence). The Cave is a game told from the perspective of a talking cave- up to 3 local players can choose 3 of 7 wildly unique characters with their own special abilities to take down into the heart of the talking cave in each play-through. By solving puzzles with friends, you dig deeper and deeper through the cave and find dark tales of each character’s past that continue to haunt them. What’s great about the game is that a good deal of it is made up by the characters you choose- based on the 3 characters you grab at the beginning, you will be thrown into 3 different worlds when you explore the cave and are then subject to dark (but quite humorous) stories of their pasts. You can play through the game 3 times and experience all of the different stories that the game has to offer- but at the same time, you will have to experience parts of the game that stay the same throughout and that can be a bit annoying if you’re trying to play them all in a short period of time. The Cave offers up a lot of laughs and is very fun to play with friends (solving puzzles together is where the real co-op comes in)- I’ve played through it many times and it’s highly recommended.

8. Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine

Have you ever wanted to plan a heist with your friends just like Danny Ocean, but didn’t want to have to deal with all the trouble of getting arrested? Well, with Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine, you can live out those heist fantasies to the extreme. Monaco is a unique top-down indie game that supports up to four players who can each choose from a number of unique characters that have their own heisting skills. The game has an interesting design and art-style: it’s super minimalistic and the map looks like a blue-print or the clue game-board, but once your characters step through rooms and use their peripheral vision, they add a splash of color and reality to these blue-prints and bring the plan to life. It’s a wildly original game and the heists can go smooth or totally haywire based on how well your team works together. It’s a blast to play with friends and, personally, I love it when the plan doesn’t come together as guards hunt the team down: everybody loses their minds.

7. Trine 2

Right off the bat- any friend playing Trine 2 with you will notice that it is A) BEAUTIFUL and B) CRAZY AMOUNTS OF FUN TO PLAY. The game is about 3 travelers (controlled by up to 3 players) going on a mystical quest to save their kingdom from a dark evil. The story is simple, but the gameplay is rich. This is a rare co-op game because the characters are so wildly diverse that you will need all of them to solve puzzles whereas most co-op games can be completed with any character of your choosing. The wizard can magically create boxes from thin air that will help elevate players to higher ground but is fairly weak in battle, the thief is extremely mobile and uses her archery and grappling abilities to take care of business from a distance, and the brutish knight can use his sword, shield, and hammer to take down enemies or destroy environments in order to progress. The game has a great mix of action and puzzles so that you can partake in senseless violence at one moment and discuss puzzle solutions with your friends in the next moment. This title is definitely better with friends than by yourself because the diversity of the characters makes the game feel like it should be played cooperatively.

6. Guacamelee!

Holy Frijoles, Guacamelee is good! Guacamelee is one of the best metroid-vania type games I have ever had the pleasure of playing (y’know, besides metroid and castlevania). Metroid-vania games are games that focus on exploration and action in equal propensity and Guacamelee does this well. In fact, Guacamelee does this so well that they went and outdid themselves by adding co-op to the game, something that really hasn’t been done in metroid-vania games before. Boasting a great ‘day of the dead’ theme that dictates its artstyle and music- Guacamelee feels as good as it is to play. With action, puzzles, and much exploration to do- grabbing a second seasoned gamer and picking up Guacamelee is a great idea. However, playing co-op with a friend that isn’t as experienced with these games or playing it with a friend who drops-in halfway through the game can get frustrating as it definitely requires some skill to make progress through the wild world of Guacamelee.

5. Serious Sam 3

Why so serious? Well it’s certainly not because you’re playing Serious Sam 3. Serious Sam 3 is an action shooter game from Cro-Team (the guys who brought you previous Serious Sam installments)- and might I say, one of the craziest action shooter games I’ve ever played. Shooters come a dime-a-dozen these days and Serious Sam definitely sets itself apart by being both bat-shit crazy and tons of fun to play with friends. With 4 player local co-op, it’s a blast to sit down with friends and blaze through hordes upon hordes of alien enemies. The game’s wild customization allows everyone to choose their own character,  choose what style of cursor they want to appear onscreen, and even if they want traditional blood and gore or if they want something ridiculous like candy spilling out of their dead enemies. The game is a roaring good time and the sheer ridiculousness of the game will keep you and your pals coming back for more fun. One of the best parts of the game is when your group of friends is getting chased down by a gang of headless kamikaze bombers that *somehow* scream AUGHHHH at you while they charge toward your face!

4. Spelunky

Spelunky is a one of a kind game. It’s one of those rare games that takes the idea of spelunking through randomly generated tombs and explores that concept to its full potential. Part rogue-like, part arcade game- this indie hit makes you feel like Indiana Jones if Indy was 100 times more likely to die when exploring old crypts. Spelunky offers 4 player local co-op and puts you and your friends into a series of extremely difficult tombs that you could easily die in after a few seconds of entering. With booby-traps, bombs, snakes, mummies, and more- you and your friends must carefully put one foot in front of the other to reach the exit of each stage and, if you die, that’s it- you have to start over. It’s a frustrating but rewarding experience and, even though I keep dying in this punishingly difficult game, I keep coming back for more because it’s too much fun. The advantage of playing with friends is that, compared to the single player experience, you have the opportunity to revive your friends in the next level and keep surviving. So while the game is harsh to its players, co-op offers some slack given that you could accidentally kill your friend if you set off a trap or throw a bomb and then bring that person back in the next level. Recommended for groups of friends that won’t break their friendships up over a video-game because, otherwise, you’re S.O.L.

3. Dungeon Defenders

Tower Defense games aren’t my cup of tea- but, there are a few exceptions to the rule such as Plants Vs. Zombies and DUNGEON DEFENDERS. For me, tower defense games usually fall short of being fun because I often don’t feel involved- there’s a sense of not being there when you manage resources and watch the action unfold as you say to yourself ‘man, I wish I was fighting that battle instead of spectating’. Dungeon Defenders ails this tower-defense ill because it allows you do things typical of tower-defense like manage resources and plant sentries while BEING INVOLVED in the action. The ability to fight alongside 4 other players in dungeon defenders while maintaining your defenses is great- so great that it deserves a number 3 spot on my list. 4 players can choose from a variety of different characters each with their own weapon class and defense resources- they then take to the battlefield where they have minutes to set up defenses to protect their sacred ‘eternia shards’ and then take on the approaching army of darkness (sorry, no boomsticks). The game is an excellent example of mixing individual thought and strategy with teamwork and muscle to take on countless goblin gangs. Every level is unique, the difficulty is very flexible so that anyone can learn to play, and the action is unparalleled for a co-op game.

2. Portal 2

Here’s the deal: if you haven’t played Portal 2 yet, be it single player or multiplayer, YOU NEED TO. Portal 2 is easily up on my list of favorite games of all time- and while its single-player campaign is superb, its co-op elevates it to a new level of greatness. Portal 2 is a wonderful puzzler that involves the use of a portal gun to solve all of its puzzles- each gun comes equipped with two portals that can be placed in the environment and link to eachother. This concept was explored expertly in the first portal game when players would solve puzzles based strongly on physics and switch-activation by using the two portals creatively. After the first, many gamers wondered where a second portal game could take us and, more importantly, HOW COULD IT OUTDO ITSELF? The answer is simply this: add two players and four portals and you have a co-op masterpiece. It would be pointless for me to try and detail the charm of solving physics-puzzles with a friend and that feeling of victory that subsequently washes over you when you can very well experience it for yourself. Portal 2 explores the true nature of co-op: Teamwork. Not only is Portal 2 a great puzzle solving exercise, it’s a great friendship building exercise as well.

1. Castle Crashers

Something was definitely lost when the world of gaming went from going to the arcade to staying in the house-hold. Arcade-Cabinet Games like ‘The Simpsons Arcade Game’ or ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game’ brought on a sense of comradery when friends stood side-by side taking on enemies in these side-scrolling beat ’em ups. While the PC and home consoles have certainly led to a decrease in the amount of co-op arcade beat ’em ups being made, Castle Crashers breaks that mold and gives us that wholesome hack n’ slash experience once again. But developers ‘The Behemoth’ never bring back  beaten, dead-horses like retro arcade brawlers without putting their own fresh twist on them- and with Castle Crashers, they went all out. Where else can you grab 4 players and hack your way through a traditional medieval landscape with light-sabers and magic powers? Where else can you fight a giant “Cat-Fish” which is LITERALLY a hybrid cat/fish that shoots hairballs at you? Where else can you get a game that forces you to fight to the death over the love of a princess minutes after you all work together to save her? Nowhere else but Castle Crashers. This game is made for co-op and it offers a fun and deep experience for anybody who picks up a controller to play. Nothing says fun like hanging out with your buddies, grabbing a couple of beers, crashing castles, and saving royal babes all on a Saturday night.

REVIEW of Gunpoint / When Private Eyes Fly

The world of spies and detectives has always been a favorite of mine- whether it is the ridiculous nature and high Ocatane thrills brought on by James Bond or the chilling mysteries found in the shadow covered worlds of Noire, there’s always something exciting to be found. As for the steam game Gunpoint, a 2D game about a super-sleuth involved in corporate espionage, the excitement of the spy genre is kept alive through a series of levels where you break into buildings and steal precious data. While the game isn’t what I’d consider to be revolutionary, it is still tons of fun to play and I was drawn in enough to finish the campaign in one sitting (about 3 hours) give or take a couple of bathroom breaks. Gunpoint is available for PC, with Mac and Linux ports waiting to be announced, and is developed by Tom Francis of ‘Suspicious Developments’.

I really like the level layouts- it’s like peering into a dollhouse… FOR SPIES.

First thing’s first, let’s address the elephant in the room- the three hour campaign. A lot of gamers are turned off by shorter games, but at $9.99 USD- the quality and execution of the levels in the game make it worth your while. As much as I would love a longer game because of the amount of fun I was having, I felt like the game effectively told a story and had a natural progression of difficulty in 3 hours and didn’t have to drag on forever. This is sort of a relief because there are some games that have excellent gameplay mechanics, but drag on forever until you step away from the screen and say “You know what? This is getting old.” For Gunpoint, it just doesn’t ‘get old’: the levels are well made and the constant introduction of new and exciting gameplay elements kept me drawn in. Gunpoint also boasts a beautiful, yet simplistic, art-style. 16-bit graphics keep all of the character’s faces a mystery in the game, but the art-style also brings out beautiful, dark, and rainy cityscapes, giving the player that feeling of being in a world made for two-timing crooks. The dominant element of each level, though, is the large building or buildings that our protagonist, super-spy Richard Conway, must traverse through without getting picked off by the guards in order to retrieve valuable information or hack a computer. It’s a simple concept, but it’s expertly done.

I wish I could control circuits wirelessly- that way I wouldn’t have to get up from bed to turn the light switch off.

Aside from the aesthetics of the game, we have what makes this game pure joy to pick up- the awesome gameplay. Our hero, Richard Conway, controls smoothly and he has a lot of nifty game-changing gadgets at his disposal. Right off the bat, we get to play with one of the coolest things in the game: Richard’s bullfrog-brand pants that give him the ability to jump at great distances- these pants let Richard jump onto buildings and use his magnetic gloves to scale the walls with ease. The jumping mechanic allows the player to break and enter from rooftops or crash through glass windows and make one hell of an entrance for the guards seconds before they shoot you. This mechanic also allows you to pin a guard down and punch him out- this element of sleuthing was pretty fun and made the game that much more exciting. The second major gadget at the player’s disposal is the crosslink tool. The crosslink tool is the biggest puzzle element in the game and its use of the entire game environment justifies why the game is designed in a two-dimensional perspective. This tool allows the player to switch into a shadowy cross-link vision that reveals the bare bones of the electric wiring in any given building and allows that player to then rewire same-colored elements to eachother. To illustrate- let’s say the building has a blue light switch connected to a blue light- in the crosslink mode, I could take the light-switch connection and wire it to a blue colored door- then, when I go to flip the switch, the door opens. This puzzle element gives the player total freedom to play with wiring and it’s a ton of fun to see all of the possibilities of ‘crosslinking’. Later down the road, you are given the option to be not-so-sneaky when you are offered a gun and the ability to kick down doors- while these abilities are worth playing with, it can give you a lower rating when you complete a level as it can alert guards easier (especially the gun: when there’s a gunshot, you have 30ish seconds to clear out of the building or a sniper will appear).

Spies tend to be grammatically correct when they text- I wish my friends texted more eloquently…

While the game boasts no spoken dialogue or cinematic elements, the text messages that open up each mission display some great writing that sets up a nice story given that this game focuses its energies on good level design. The writing is hilarious and I like the option to choose what dialogue you will respond with- you can be a straight businessman or a snarky pain in the ass at any given time. And while story helps bring us to an ending all-too-soon, it does help create a sense of being in this world of danger and espionage and, honestly, without it- the game wouldn’t be as good. The game also has this nice sort of ‘choose your own profile story’ at the end of the game, too, which is a nice touch that I think most players will appreciate in terms of story. But, as the story does come to an end, there is hope for those who wish to stay in the world of Gunpoint for a little while longer because of the game’s specialized level editor that lets players create and play their own levels. While level creation tools aren’t my favorite thing in the world, this creation tool was a nice addition and, after playing with it for a few minutes, I found that it functions well for those who want to use it. My only issue with this offering is that it currently has no way of sharing created content with online friends. Steam Workshop has been integrated into many games and allows for players to share their created content- I think Gunpoint would benefit from having steam workshop integration in the future (maybe when that mac/linux update rolls around?) because, while I’m not fond of level creation, I love playing other people’s levels as it allows for a game to take on an extended life after the main campaign is completed.

DEFENESTRATION!

By now- I’m sure you get the impression that I really enjoy this game- and I do. Fans of indie games and puzzle games will more likely than not warm up to this title. Is it worth $9.99 USD? My answer to you is YES if you really want to experience this title right now- my other answer would be WAIT if you want to get a good deal on it in the summer or winter sale. Personally, I picked up the game for $4.99 USD when it went on sale last week and it was totally worth it. The game is wholly impressive for having been developed by one guy and the soundtrack (done by three different gentlemen) is nice and jazzy throughout. I’m all for you buying this game full price in order to support the developer- but if the opportunity does present it self, make sure to pick it up when it goes on sale.

MY STEAM RECOMMENDATION: BUY, BUY, BUY!

• expert level design
• freedom to tackle a stage however you want to
• Great experience for a good price
• Features a level editor…
• …but is lacking a way to share these levels
• Falls on the short side of things

REVIEW of “Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs” -despite the amnesia, I didn’t forget to scream.

Since the release of the indie-horror smash, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it has been hard for me to forget the lasting impression that this survival-horror game has had on me- and any time that I try to go back to steam and play as the Amnesia riddled protagonist, Daniel, I’m struck with anxiety and dark forebodings because it is such a well-polished horror experience. With the level of trauma the game brought me, you’d think anything like it would turn me away for good, but something about being scared witless in the first game intrigued me to the point that I was drawn in to playing the new Amnesia game that released last Tuesday, September 10^th titled A Machine For Pigs on PC, Mac, and Linux. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a wholly fresh experience from new developers The Chinese Room, whose previous work includes an indie game titled Dear Esther, a well-received game that puts all of its emphasis on narrative as you walk around a mysterious island and are read letters by the narrator who wrote them. The development torch has been passed from original Amensia developers, Frictional Games, to The Chinese Room because the previous team is now working on an entirely new project. Passing this game on to The Chinese Room has resulted in an entirely new horror experience that acknowledges the overall feeling of helplessness found in the first game, but decides to take a completely different approach to this horror series by way of a dominantly horrific story. While hardcore fans of the first game will be less than ecstatic to find that some of the more in-game horror has taken back seat to a more unsettling narrative, other players will be completely swept away by the fantastic ambiance and haunting tale that this installment of the series has to offer.

spooky AND good looking

The story follows Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist who wakes up in his own kingdom, an over-sized meat processing factory in London, on the final night of 1899- just before the turn of the century.  At the beginning of the game, found journal entries suggest that pigs are killed and processed into food for the common people here, but a little exploring and the pulling of a few levers reveal hidden passageways that suggest other goings-on in the factory that are not generally viewed as good business practice. Aside from discovering the horrid truth behind this factory, your character’s true driving factor in the game comes from a voice on the phone that suggests you do what he tells you, otherwise your children will die. In order to continue on through the game, you hold a lamp to light the dark corridors of the factory much like in the first game. While both games don’t allow you weapons and give you only a lamp to work with- this game makes the lamp more of a navigation tool than a necessary item. In the first Amnesia, players were forced to scrounge for lamp oil and constantly use their lamp or else be subject to insanity (via insanity meter) which would result in hallucinations and other un-fun events; In this installment of the series, The Chinese Room has purposed the lamp, which now requires no fuel, to illuminate a path through the ambient and dark environments and to flicker when you’re about to be hunted down by evil pig-men.  OH! DID I MENTION THAT THERE ARE EVIL PIG-CREATURES IN THIS GAME?! Yeah, like the first game, there are creatures on patrol in parts of the game that are pretty unhappy with you and are more than willing to chase you around to make you scream bloody murder. These segments are the most horrific parts of the game, but they unfortunately become less scary toward the end of the story.

You’d think evil pigs would behave in pig-church, but that’s not the case.

Perhaps my biggest complaint about Machine for Pigs is the wasted potential for being consistently horrific like its predecessor. Act one of the game was perfectly terrifying: some of the most haunting and well made environments like the mansion and church exist within the first act and some of the biggest scares are here, too. The second act starts out promising: but once you reach the floodgates, the game shifts focus from having terrifying gameplay and story, to just being a scary story. The second act promises the player great things when it shows infested waters with an invisible water monster sloshing around and narrow corridors that are PERFECT for being chased by pig monsters- but my anticipation of the scare was worse than the level itself: I never had to encounter the invisible monster and I was never chased down the winding corridors. WASTED POTENTIAL. While the final act of the story is very cool and the excitement levels run high, there is little that the game does to scare me and the pig creatures fail to make me scream because the story has unveiled the truth about them- yes they’re still scary-looking, but now I understand what they are and not being able to understand them was part of what made them scary in the first place.

How’s it hanging, pigs?

If you’re still unsure about picking up this title on Steam because of what I just said- it’s still worth playing. The game is still a wonderful piece of horror storytelling and the video-game medium allows the player to BE the character which is much more heart-pounding than watching a film where you’re constantly yelling “Look behind you!” to the protagonist in hopes that they will actually see the monster- if you don’t look behind you for a monster, it’s your own damn fault. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of controller-support- I played the game with the controller and it was very intuitive (it’s also nice because you can sit away from your monitor instead of getting face to face with pig monsters like you would with a keyboard and mouse). At the end of the game, I was satisfied with being able to experience the ambient environments, hear the great sound design and soundtrack (If you didn’t think opera was creepy, you will now), and step into the shoes of a troubled character and discover his story of desperation and madness. Players looking to scream and cry through a horror game will likely be disappointed with this game, but anyone up to hear a good tale of greed and evil will want to sit down and step into the twisted world of Oswald Mandus.

Full moon? Thank goodness it’s just pigs and not werewolves!

MY STEAM RECOMMENDATION: BUY IT

• Great atmosphere
• Nice story
• Some genuinely frightening parts…
• … But it could have been scarier

 

Mmm! Do you smell that? It’s that wonderful ‘new-blog’ smell. Welcome to my shiny, new blog: Steam of Consciousness.
“What is Steam of Consciousness?” you may be asking… or not. Well I’ll tell you whether you want to know or not: it’s a blog all about this wonderful digital distribution software called “Steam” and the video-games and software that exist on it.

In an age of video-games that cost 60 dollars to play on consoles- it’s becoming hard for the average person to just flat-out throw money at games that may or may not be good. I am in the same boat of people who have a hard time coughing up 60+ dollars for video-games and I almost fell for buying a video game console again- almost. But, as the story goes, the internet pointed me in the direction of the affordable and fun world of P.C. Gaming and the great P.C./Mac/Linux gaming program: Steam. Steam offers a myriad of exciting games from AAA titles like your Grand-Theft-Autos and your Mass-Effects to indie-developed games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Spelunky that are available to purchase for more than reasonable prices (especially during the summer and christmas sales!) By the way- if you haven’t heard of Steam before, now is your chance: http://store.steampowered.com

About 3 years and roughly 200 games later, I have found myself hooked into the interesting world of Steam Gaming.
Hello, I’m Jacob Garr and I’m a Steam Gamer– I haven’t quite recovered from this addiction, though, and I don’t intend to.
But don’t think of me as some guy who sits down and plays Steam ALL day- a lot of these games have been impulse buys when major game titles went on sale for mere dollars and have been played for minutes, not hours. That’s the best and worst thing about steam: there’s always something on sale- and leave it to me to get too overzealous and buy damn-near everything they have to offer. I know I’m not the only one either, I see my friends and co-workers with huge Steam libraries, too- so I wondered if there was something I could do to help this growing outbreak of impulse buys for people who aren’t me and help people find games that they will actually want to play in the future. The best solution I had was to take Steam Games I own and post my thoughts on them in this very blog. In doing this, I hope to help narrow the scope for steam gamers so that they can find games that appeal to them instead of buying a bunch of games they may or may not play. Another goal of this blog is to introduce those who have not even heard of Steam or certain video games that they may be interested in to these things. This is a blog by a game enthusiast for game enthusiasts.

Weekly- on Mondays- I will be making posts about various Steam games, both new and old, and what my thoughts are about them. If you are visiting this blog and like video-games, I humbly request that you come back each week and learn something new about a game you may not have heard about or just scan your eyes over the page to look at the pretty pictures (PLEASE DO! I’M DESPERATELY BEGGING YOU TO COME BACK).

I am very excited to be starting this blog and it would be a great accomplishment if I could direct someone to a video-game that they absolutely love by posting about it here. So welcome to Steam of Consciousness… uh, I ran out of things to say here. Quick! Think of an exit strategy- hmmm… Dancing Penguin in top-hat? Dancing penguin in top-hat.

The dancing penguin exit strategy proves a success!