2011 was an incredible year for co-op gamers. We saw over 200 different co-op titles released across all platforms for a total of 347 co-op games. That’s a staggering number and up almost 20% from last year in sheer volume alone. When we started this site, co-op was barely a bullet point on the back of a box, now it’s a standard feature in many AAA titles.
In terms of trends for co-op we put a myth to bed this year. We showed how couch co-op gaming isn’t dying, but instead, is actually thriving. We’ve seen a clamouring in our community for more co-op trophies and achievements, which is a big deal to some folks. Not only do they want to be rewarded for playing co-op, they want ALL players rewarded - not just the host. People want to be rewarded for playing co-op, they don’t want to merely be a slave in someone else’s game like we saw in Dungeon Siege 3.
Interest in co-op gaming continues to grow, Co-Optimus’s traffic is proof of that. We grew almost 50% this year in terms of traffic compared to last, with over 5 million unique visitors for 2011. Perhaps the rise of the Kinect and motion control gaming is helping, where once we saw music games dominate the casual market, it’s now dance and family oriented motion control games like Dance Central 2 and Once Upon a Monster.
Sadly all wasn’t well, it seemed co-op gaming for mobile devices was pretty weak all around. So much so, we decided to skip the category all together this year. We felt that something shouldn’t win an award simply because it was just an OK game and only had a competition of 3 or 4 other titles. Perhaps this was attributed to the Nintendo 3DS and a weak launch combined with stiff competition from the phone market. Still, 2012 looks promising on the mobile front with the continued growth of iPad and iOS gaming as well as the launch of the PlayStation Vita in February.
Now, lets look at our favorite games of 2011 across three categories as well as our overall Co-Op Game of the Year.
Best PC Co-Op Title of 2011
While the PC might not have seen as many AAA co-op releases in 2011, it did see an abundance of small studio and indie games shine on the platform. Early in the year we got Magicka from Arrowhead Studios, a brilliant co-op game that blended wizards, elements, and spell casting into an often hilarious adventure. That’s not to say that the big names in PC gaming didn’t make an impact, Portal 2 by all accounts stood out as the co-op game to play on the PC. Valve even extended the game into the console realm by allowing cross platform play with the PlayStation 3 through the game’s two player co-op campaign. Like the game’s single player story, Portal 2’s co-op campaign starring Atlas and P-Body was delightfully entertaining and equally as challenging forcing players to put two heads together instead of one.
It was a fierce battle this year, but emerging victorious as our pick is a little indie shoot-em-up called Jamestown, from Final Form Games. It’s not often that you’ll see a title from this niche genre grab our attention - but the staff fell in love with its quirky setting and brilliantly implemented learning curve.
Most bullet hell shooters in co-op boil down to a second player adding offensive firepower, but Jamestown adds the ability to revive other players, shield your team from bullets, and the different ship archetypes allow players to assume specific roles. Despite only featuring local co-op, being able to easily support 4 players on a single PC is a feat few games accomplish, and was among the most fun we had in co-op this year.
Best PC Co-Op Title of 2011: Jamestown
Runners Up: Portal 2, Magicka
Best Console Co-Op Title of 2011
As always, the competition for the top co-op console game of 2011 was fierce. Portal 2, though released earlier in the year, was a landmark title, taking the inventive, addictive gameplay of the original, and adding in a dedicated two-player co-op campaign that absolutely bent your mind.
Dead Island offered a cooperative open world experience rarely seen on consoles. The bone breaking, limb-severing melee combat allowed four players to brutalize the undead masses as they battled across the zombie infested island paradise of Banoi. Co-op was almost a necessity, as the game's difficulty increased dramatically once players reached the heavily populated slums of Moresby. Legendary loot and well-developed skill trees added depth to the already solid, though slightly less refined, survival horror title.
In the end, adorable robot partners and horrific zombie mobs couldn’t hold up to the polish and visceral glee of Gears of War 3.
The storyline ranged from jaw dropping boss battles to emotionally charged drama, humanizing the characters and wrapping up the epic trilogy perfectly. Four player co-op throughout the campaign, including fan-favorite split-screen with online, would perhaps have been enough. But the revisions in Horde Mode 2.0, the sequel to the mode that made co-op survival waves ubiquitous, took Gears of War 3 over the top as the finest co-op experience on any console this year.
Best Console Co-Op Title: Gears of War 3
Runners Up: Dead Island, Portal 2
Best Downloadable Co-Op Title of 2011
There were so many great downloadable games on consoles this year. While three years ago we were limited to mostly arcade remakes of classic games, innovation has brought several smaller and budget oriented titles to gamers. Coming in at under $15 for most, these downloadable games often offer just as much content and replayability as their $60 counterparts.
We had some pleasant surprises this year too - games that not only were fun and addictive, but oozed style. In fact, our two runners up were very similar in terms of genre - both being tower defense hybrids. Both Iron Brigade (formerly Trenched) and Toy Soldiers: Cold War distinguished themselves in the genre by offering something different along with plenty of style (and humor). Iron Brigade gave us player customization and giant mech battles in a fictional war. Toy Soldiers gave us impressive visuals and controls, mixing things up and adding plenty of comedy as well.
While both these games could easily have been our choice for Downloadable GOTY our winning game also was a tower defense hybrid. Dungeon Defenders did something the other two games didn’t: Trendy Entertainment added in RPG elements making it an addictive, replayable hack and slash as well. With a release on just about every platform from iPhone to Xbox Live, Dungeon Defenders is a game that can be experienced by four friends just about anywhere and anytime.
The four player co-op works incredibly well as players take up defined roles with their own strengths and weaknesses that play off each other. It’s because of this that we’ve awarded it our 2011 Downloadable Co-Op Game of the Year..
Winner: Dungeon Defenders
Runners Up: Iron Brigade, Toy Soldiers: Cold War
2011 Community Picks
So now you know how the staff voted in each category, but what about the co-op community? We conducted polls to find out their thoughts - and here's the outcome.
PC: Portal 2
Console: Gears of War 3
Downloadable: Dungeon Defenders
And now...our choice for Co-Op Game of the Year 2011.
Co-Op Game of the Year 2011
It’s always tough to pick an overall winner with so many great co-op games available. You have to look at a lot of factors - How many players does it support? Is it online? Is it offline? Is it replayable? Is it story based? Is it accessible?
All of these questions are things you ask yourself when trying to pick a co-op game that is head and shoulders above the rest - and when you can answer every one of those questions with the right answer - you know you have your game.
Gears of War 3 is that game, supporting both local and online play for up to four players in campaign as well as five players in Horde and Beast modes. The campaign itself is accessible, allowing players to choose their own difficulty levels and the game is replayable thanks to it’s addictive survival modes. Horde got a significant upgrade adding strategy elements to the mix and Beast is just different enough to make you go back for more.
So it’s with all that, that we gave Gears of War 3 our 2011 Co-Op Game of the Year award.