This is not what co-op looks like.
Let's talk co-op! Spelunker HD is fun. With a friend, it's even more fun. You can play with four players locally or six people online. Each player gets their own screen. Not only that, each player gets to see everyone else's screen, whether they are playing or not. Did I just confuse you? Allow me to illustrate.
Four player local co-op. Nice.
Two player co-op... Huh?
Six player online co-op. Kind of cool?
Three player online co-op? Blah! Gwah! Ugh!
I am fortunate enough to play on a 55-inch screen in a large living room that my wife's law degree paid for. This is what I had to do to my living room in order to play couch co-op with her.
Not pictured: 80% of my living room..
55 inches of love just got turned into 24 inches of WTF. As you can see by my professional level photography, the unused screens remain displayed during gameplay, online or offline. Holy crap, does that suck. If I was left to my own finances, first off, I'd be homeless; but if I had a home, I'd probably be sporting the 19-inch tube TV I have in the garage. Co-op in this game would be unplayable on that screen. I guess that's where the HD in Spelunker HD comes in. It should have been called Spelunker Big Ass HD. That would have at least prepared me. And no, through all the powers of Google, I could not find a way to turn off the dead screens while playing co-op. If you know how, PLEASE let me know. I will add a full point to my co-op score.
It's a real shame, too, because co-op is a blast to play, locally or online. Spelunker HD is a charming, difficult platformer that delivers in content and challenge. If you can forgive the dead screens and enjoy the hardcore difficulty, I highly suggest you pick it up. It is available now for $9.99 exclusively on the PlayStation Network.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Team up as you work your way through environmental puzzles, and take out baddies!
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.