Let the great debate begin! It's that time of year. The end of 2012 brings about another round table discussion by the Co-Optimus staff on what our Cooperative Game of the Year should be. You, our beloved readers, have already made your voices heard in our community polls for Co-Op GOTY and Indie Co-Op GOTY.
We've been having feverish discussions on the topic ourselves. Well, it's more like lighthearted chat room banter, until someone (Jason) posts something nonsensical and borderline offensive. Then the debate quickly devolves into a race to post the stupidest thing one can find on the internet. We've learned a lot about each other in these talks... probably too much.
Today we put forth our thoughts on some of the biggest cooperative games of the year. Each staff member selected their favorite games from a list of Co-Optimus's highest scoring titles of 2012. We then offered up our thoughts on the game, and why it should be considered for GOTY. The seven following titles received the most attention. In no particular order (I'm lying, it's alphabetical) here are the staff's thoughts on the GOTY contenders. Our official Co-Op GOTY and Indie Co-Op GOTY will be posted on Monday. Enjoy.
(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Co-Op Review
"The first Borderlands was one of the best co-op games of this generation, and Borderlands 2 is even better. With more story, character classes that are designed to synergize, and a crazy amount of content (with more to come), I can see this being a co-op staple for some time." - Mike
"For reasons I can't fully described, Borderlands 2 scratched my loot grinding/finding itch in a way Diablo 3 couldn't. I think it's the over-the-top humor and fantastic script that gave this game more appeal for me. The DLC has been steady and good, and the raid bosses at the end bring even more cooperation into an already great cooperative title." - Jason
"This game has some of the best polish, storyline, graphics, items, characters, and the best dialogue I ever heard in a video game since Portal 2. ...this game was worth every penny and I will be playing this game for a long time to come." - Chris
"Gearbox got all the co-op features right, added some new features, and spewed loot all over Pandora. They probably could have sold me Borderlands with a "2" sticker on it, but I'm glad Gearbox poured so much love and effort into making Borderlands 2 an even better game." - Eric
(Xbox 360)
Co-Op Review
"While the campaign is top notch and always a blast with a friend, Spartan Ops fell a bit short to put this in the upper echelon of co-op Halo titles." - Nick
"I'll admit it: I'm a Halo fanboy. But most of my experience with the series has been in games without Master Chief. I never really understood what the big deal about John-117 was. That all changed by the time I was finished with the prologue in Halo 4. The campaign is challenging, with brilliantly realized locations and new enemies that kept things fresh. Spartan Ops really steals the show for me, though; serialized, story-based missions are a good fit for DLC and will extend the lifespan of the game dramatically. Easily the best console game I played this year." - Marc
"After five years of Halo games without Master Chief and Cortana, it was time. The pair came back with an engaging story and a flood of emotion packed into a Cortana sized data chip. Spartan Ops may not fill the void left by Firefight, but it is still a lot of fun to run through the bite-sized missions with a few buddies. Earlier in the year I stated I was a bit worried about where Halo would go in 343's hands; I was foolish to worry. They did a fantastic job." - Eric
(PlayStation 3)
Co-Op Review
"Beautiful in it's simplicity, Journey offers a gameplay experience unlike any other. The game compels strangers, tenuously joined in an ephemeral partnership, to journey together. And the soundtrack is boss as hell."- Andrew
"Life is a journey, not a destination," some guy said. This game seems founded upon that quote as the entire joy of it all comes from the experience(s) you have while playing through it. Whether you play through it alone, with just one other person, or an ever-changing group of persons, the experience is different and meaningful each time. It's hard to ignore a title that." - Jason
"Quite simply, this is one of the most beautiful and unique experiences I've ever had in a video game. When I found that I had completed the entire game with the same co-op partner whose name I never knew, my heart went all aflutter." - Mike
(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U)
Co-Op Review
"I've always loved Bioware games, and have longed for more of them to have co-op. I got my wish with Mass Effect 3, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the result." - Tally
"The different classes and races made for a great mix-and-match dynamic to the whole affair, though certain combinations could lead to a rather disappointing run for some teams. Action/RPG games looking to add a co-op mode to their own title should definitely take a look at what Mass Effect 3 did right with this." - Jason
"Like my Uncle Hugh, Mass Effect is a series that doesn't visit enough for my liking. The third outing upped the action, but also kept the story elements that have made the Mass Effect games some of the best RPGs this generation. The co-op was action packed and fun. There is nothing quite like floating someone up into the air whilst everyone else peppers them with bullets, like the most popular Pinata at the party." - Sam
"I totally expected the multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 to be a tacked-on affair, but it's a fantastic variant on the wave-based survival concept. I loved the ability to experiment with different character classes and unlock ever more powerful equipment for them to use. A great palate cleanser after that ending fiasco." - Mike
(PC)
Co-Op Review
"Robot Entertainment listened to their fans and crafted a finely tuned co-op experience in a game that's not just another shooter or tower defense game, but a hybrid of the two." - Nick
"As soon as co-op was announced, I called it: Orcs Must Die 2 is my indie Co-Op Game of the Year. A full co-op campaign, a new hero with sweet new abilities, and brilliant level design make this one so, so good. There's plenty to do here, and trying new strategies to earn more stars to get new abilities is so fun it keeps you coming back again and again." - Marc
"Slaughtering orcs in co-op really shouldn't be so fun - but it totally is! The fast and frantic action of the first game, but now with co-op? This was truly some of the most fun I've had in co-op this year." - Tally
(PC, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network)
Co-Op Review
"Shoot Many Robots is a sweet old-school, side-scrolling, shooter. The tough difficulty, gonzo loot, and combo co-op kept me coming back well after I reached the level cap. The later levels are completely insane. Bring friends or die."- Andrew
"More nuts leads to bigger guns, resulting in shooting many more robots. The lovechild of Metal Slug and Diablo spawned one of this year's greatest co-op experiences. - Locke
"There's something about a grown man wearing a pink tutu, space suit helmet, baby carrier, and shooting garden gnomes out of a rocket launcher, that just tickles me the right way. Slaughtering robots is strangely amusing, and it's even better with friends. Add loot, bizarre gear and a great sense of humor, and you've got a game that will occupy me for quite some time." - Eric
(PC)
Co-Op Review
"Torchlight 1 was a great game. Torchlight 2 is co-op dungeon crawler perfection. Diablo 3 was entertaining for awhile, but the "end game" left a bad taste in my mouth. Then Torchlight 2 came along, and I never opened Diablo 3 again. This was truly this year's dungeon crawler for me." - Tally
"In a year filled with Action RPGs, Torchlight 2 stood out to me as the best co-op experience. With flexible character building, fast-paced combat and charm to spare, Torchlight 2 remains one of my favorites of the year." - Mike
"There's something about Torchlight 2 that just makes you smile the whole time you are playing. The writing, the pacing, the positive feedback loop of receiving loot and levelling up. Maybe it's simply grabbing some friends to clear up some dungeons melt the day away while entranced in the charm of Torchlight 2." - Locke
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There you have it. Plenty of other titles have been tossed about: A Virus Named Tom, Awesomenauts, Diablo 3, Lego Batman 2, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, Sniper Elite V2, and even Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage got a nod. We played a wide variety of games this year, and our staff is made up of a diverse crew of gamers. We'll continue the debate over the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday to see Co-Optimus's official winners of Co-Op GOTY and Indie Co-Op GOTY.