Local or couch co-op, where multiple players can enjoy a game together on the same screen, seems to be overlooked more and more these days, as a quick look at our co-op games database can determine. Using the Xbox 360 as a baseline, of the 377 co-op games in the Co-Optimus database, 270 of them included couch co-op, a healthy 72% of the total. Check out this graph showing the data for the next generation of video game systems. Local co-op games are in red, other co-op games in blue.
The Wii U is the clear winner here, with a whopping 80% of co-op titles including local co-op. That’s a better ratio than the Xbox 360! The Playstation 4 comes in second with 64%, with the Xbox One a distant third with a mere 49% of co-op titles featuring couch co-op. For gamers like me, who enjoy playing co-op games with friends and family on the same console, it’s hard to make an argument in favor of any system other than the Wii U.
Love them or hate them, exclusive games are a big deal. “Killer apps” sell game consoles, and all three game companies have strong libraries of exclusive game series. The Wii U delivers exclusives in spades. According to the game lists available on Wikipedia, there are 26 exclusive titles that are unique to the PS4, and 33 to the Xbox One. The Wii U has 110 exclusive games that aren’t available anywhere else. We aren’t talking about shovelware, here, either; Zelda, Mario, Starfox, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and many more storied franchises have Wii U games available now or on the way soon. First-party Nintendo titles are consistently well reviewed, and you cannot play them on PC, Xbox One or PS4.