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