RipTen Videogame Blog » co-op

Shank 2′s Thrilling Co-op Survival Mode Detailed in New Trailer

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00:19 +0000

Shank 2 is out this week and much of the buzz about the sequel is on it’s co-op survival mode. In Survival Mode, gamers can team up with a friend online or locally, and work together to take down hordes of goons in an action-packed, arcade-style brawl. Klei released a new trailer to help show what this new mode entails.

Shank 2 releases February 7th on PC, PSN and XBLA. Check out the trailer below.

Set in a pulp fiction world, Shank 2 puts players back in control of their favorite ex-mobster hitman, Shank. Klei has evolved the combat experience with precise controls, new weapons, smarter enemies, and more advanced combo techniques, all set to the backdrop of beautiful 2D art and animation. Players can put Shank’s trusty arsenal of handguns, chainsaws, grenades, plus all-new weapons to use in order to protect those close to him.

Introducing an all-new Survival Mode, gamers can team up with a friend online or locally, working together to take down hordes of goons in an action-packed, arcade-style brawl. Featuring stunning visuals from Klei’s veteran cartoon director, Jeff Agala, Shank 2 raises the bar even higher for 2D brawlers with art and animation that won Klei multiple awards and nominations, including IGF’s Excellence in Visual Arts nomination, and the Canadian Animator of the Year award for Klei’s lead animator, Aaron Bouthillier.

The Darkness II Developer Diary Discusses Co-op

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:30:53 +0000

2K Games has released a developer diary for The Darkness II. The diary discusses how the Vendettas narrative co-op experience intertwines with the single-player campaign in the game.

Check it out below.

The Darkness II releases February 7th on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Resident Evil 6…Does That Mean 6 Player Co-Op?

Justin Carter — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:39 +0000

Resident Evil 6 has already been revealed, but the rumors don’t stop coming. Even though Leon and Chris will be in different locales, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to game with a friend or two. But how about playing with an extra five people?

The Xbox.com page for the game lists co-op play as up to six players at once. Yeah, that’s right, six. It doesn’t specify if this is for the campaign or a separate game mode, but shooting up zombies together with five other people sounds pretty insane. It’d be Gears of War 3′s Horder mode plus 1000. Capcom hasn’t confirmed whether or not if this is true, but we’ll let you know when it is.

Resident Evil 6 mutates onto stores November 20 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

via Game Informer

Syndicate Co-Op Demo Incoming. Here’s a Trailer.

Justin Carter — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:00:01 +0000

EA’s FPS Syndicate reboot is a little over a month away, and excitement for the game is rising. If you want to get your hands on the electronic, coporate sabotage action, you’re in luck. EA revealed today that a demo will be available for a limited time this month on the Xbox Marketplace and Playstation Network.

Watch the trailer below to see what you can expect in the co-op demo.

Syndicate wipes out the competition February 21 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

via Game Informer

FreddieW Shows Off Battlefield 4 Co-Op

Dave Oshry — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 04:00:56 +0000

Are games getting too realistic? Not if Freddie Wong has anything to say about it.

While Freddie and Brandon were out filming their last video (That awesome Battlefield 3 commercial) they decided to mess around and make a Battlefield 4 co-op video.

Check out Freddie’s other Battlefield 4 video HERE.

Will games ever look this real? Who cares. Just as long as FreddieW keeps making awesome videos, it’s all good.

The Darkness II Has Co-Op and It’s Awesome (Hands On)

Dave Oshry — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:00:54 +0000

Guess what? They’re co-op modes in The Darkness II. Guess what else? I’ve played them and they’re fun as hell.

Let’s get right to it. It’s called Vendettas and if you’ve played any sort of Call of Duty Spec Ops you’ll feel right at home here.

Except this isn’t quite like CoD Spec Ops. Not only do you get to play as one of four very distinct and crazy characters with very distinct and crazy weapons, but each of these characters has their own backstory and they all tie into the main plot of The Darkness II. Thus making vendettas infinitely cooler than Spec Ops. It also supports up to four players. Word.

Before we go any further, check out this trailer to get a better idea of what I’m talking about:

Yes, I quite enjoyed that too.

Now let’s run down the cast courtesy of 2K, shall we?

First up:

Inugami (The Samurai)

Inugami is a very dark character, mentally unstable and driven only by his need for revenge. He names himself after a dog god of Japan that legends say was created from extreme suffering, trained to exact revenge upon the enemies of its master.

Inugami has the power of Swarm. His Swarm power resembles an attack of miniature Yokai demons of all kinds.

He wields Kusanagi – a mystical weapon that was said to have destructive properties. Historical documents dating from the 7^th Century tell of how the Emperor Temmu fell ill as a result of wielding the sword, and how Kusanagi was then removed and placed in a shrine. But even at that time, Kusanagi was already hundreds of years old. Its origins remain unknown.

Here’s my take: Inugami is the stereotypical Samurai Warrior. Silent but deadly and very skilled. Kusunagi controls like one of Jackie’s demon arms, meaning that you can swing the sword around with the thumbstick in any direction you choose while you spray bullets with whatever’s in your other hand.

Each character has brutal execution move that can be used on a stunned or nearly dead opponent. Inugami’s excution is a rather satisfying disemboweling. He pairs well with just about any other character, preferably a ranged character since he will have to get up close and personal to use Kusunagi.

Next we have:

Shoshanna (The Hebrew Hammer)

Shoshanna is an ultra-efficient agent for Mossad, a woman with the highest degree of training. She is highly unimaginative and utterly receptive to the orders of her superiors with the agency. She does not question her mission, nor does she question the existence of the magic she sees all around her. This makes her the perfect operative in New York.

Shoshanna wields the Arm of the Night, a powerful weapon fused with Dark essence. It’s been in her family for over 75 years, though everyone who has carried it before hasn’t lived to see their 30^th birthday. However, for her, the legacy of hunting and destroying evil wherever it hides in the world is worth the price.

She possesses the power of Gun Channeling. Interestingly, the Darkness has become entranced with technology – it knows that the newest weapons are capable of more efficient death and destruction.

Here’s my take: Shoshanna is a ranged character who works best if you fight with reckless abandon. I’ve spent some time with the IDF and I’ve known many a Shoshanna in my day but I’ve never met one as badass as this. Her Arm of the Night is a sawed off shotgun that actually feels quite similar to an 1887 in Modern Warfare 2. And yes, by that I mean it is uber powerful and has far too much range.

Your gameplay with Shoshanna will consist mostly of using an Uzi in one hand then using your Arm of the Night to finish enemies off with the other. You’ll literally hear all sorts of click click boom. As a ranged character who can make her firearms extra powerful via gun channeling, she pairs well with almost any other character. Her execution move involves shooting an enemy in the groin then shoving her shotgun down their throat and blowing their brains out. I want to marry her.

Next up is:

Could Army of Two Become Army of Four?

Justin Carter — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:55:29 +0000

Another day, another rumor related to a future EA game. Thursday, it was Dragon Age, and today it’s Army of Two. Remember the two mercenaries, Salem and Rios? If Kotaku‘s sources are correct, they’ll be coming back with some friends. EA Montreal is rumored to be heading up the third game in the co-op centric series. Apparently, It’s gonna be built on the Frostbite 2 engine, get some assisstance from DICE, and feature 4 player co-op, hence the title, Army of Four.

Just like with the other reported EA games, this is just a rumor. We’ll update as soon as we hear anything. In the meantime, think about it. Four player co-op is all the rage these days, which can only mean one thing: four player air guitar solos. Sqeedleedleeedleeeeeedeeee

Mass Effect 3 Co-Op Will Have DLC, No Splitscreen

Justin Carter — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 02:30:23 +0000

Today on the Bioware Blog, producer Jesse Houston dropped some new info on Mass Effect 3′s co-op. Here’s what we’ve learned:

no Kinect support, because why would you need it to order order your friends around?
Playable races aside from Human and Turian include Drell, Asari, Krogan, and “unexpected” races. Geth, maybe?
There will be character DLC, but whether this means armor pieces, race tatoos, or new races is left up in the air
Co-op’s story is completely separate from single player’s
Seperate Achievements and Trophies for single player and co-op
More weapon and armor customizations
No split-screen co-op or the ability to create an offline server

Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6, 2012 for the 360, PS3, and PC. If you bought a new copy of Battlefield 3, you’ll be able to get in on a co-op demo sometime in January.

RipTen Review: Battlefield 3 (PC, PS3)

Aaron Alexander — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:30:56 +0000

Battlefield 3 is in a tough position. Not only does it have to please veterans of the PC core series, it also has to cater to newer fans familiar with the Bad Company series. EA has also publicly positioned it to rival the Call of Duty series – not an easy feat by any means. Yet, despite all the odds being stacked against DICE’s latest shooter, the game passes every test with flying colors… in most departments.

Perhaps the most notable feature carried over from the Bad Company series is the inclusion of a full single-player campaign – the first for a core Battlefield game (previously, only single-player bot matches were available with little to no narrative.) You’ll spend most of your time playing as Henry Blackburn, a Marine detained and interrogated by members of homeland security. The campaign structure is much like that of Black Ops as you sit down in a chair and play through flashbacks of your previous military campaigns. The ultimate goal here is to find a missing nuclear bomb, which might be used to to level New York City. You’ll traverse some unique and beautiful landscapes while playing singleplayer – from the dusty cities of Iran/Iraq, to million dollar penthouses and Mirrors Edge-like offices in Paris. You won’t also play as Blackburn whilst undergoing missions on the other side of the world though – the game will frequently throw you in the shoes of various pilots and Russian militants all of whom you never get to know very well at all.

Get Back Here Soldier, You're Going Out of Bounds!

The problem here is the campaign is severely limited and also completely boring. It might sound odd to describe “run here and shoot” gameplay as mundane in a first person shooter, but Battlefield 3 does little to nothing in terms of keeping the campaign feeling fresh and exciting. For all the taunting EA have done about the massive maps and free-form nature of the game – none of this is present in the singleplayer. Doing anything other than your strict instructions while playing through SP will result in either your death or a countdown to death for going out of bounds. Seriously. There are few opportunities to flank opponents, or even to think for yourself. It’s also rife with potentially game breaking bugs. AI will occasionally walk through doors (that are required to be opened by them for the game to progress), bump you out of cover, or they’ll look at an enemy face on without firing. These are but a few of the issues I ran into while playing the single player campaign, but the list could go on for centuries.

However, I also have to mention that for a game that taunts vehicular combat as one of it’s strengths, it’s not at all a plus in the campaign. Can I fly the Jet? No, sit in the back and play a on-rails bombing section. Can I drive the Humvee? No, get on the 50.cal for a “brilliant” on-rails turret shooter sequence. Can I drive the Jeep we’re in? No, sit in the back and listen to a conversation. You’ll eventually be able to drive a tank in a straight line, so that should alleviate these issues… right? The story mode is a disappointing trudge through various plot-points that try too hard to be dramatic, ultimately wrapping up with an even weaker ending than expected. However, if the single player does succeed at one thing, it’s teaching you the controls for Battlefield 3′s incredible multiplayer experience.

I Bet You Thought You Could Fly This Jet In Single Player? NOPE.

The Multiplayer in Battlefield 3 is an immense beast – you have the rush mode for Bad Company vets and the Conquest mode for those who prefer the original game’s open playstyle. That’s not to say you should stick to either one though, as the game does a wonderful job of merging the two modes into something truly epic. On the PC, conquest battlefields will be gargantuan in scale, with 64 players fighting it out in Jets, Tanks, Helicopters, Light armoured vehicles and on foot. The console versions may be stuck to a 24 player count, but the maps are designed in such a way that frequent battles are never hard to find. I can assure you that your experience won’t be gimped on the PS3 at all. Quote me on that. The variety of maps are definitely all pleasing to the eye, and work well from a gameplay aspect as well. From the well known tight corridors of Operation Metro, to the sprawling deserts of Operation Firestorm, there’s sure to be a map that entertains you and your playstyle to the fullest.

There’s a large amount of unlockables and incentives to keep playing as well. Each gun can unlock a near armory of attachements, and the various classes will earn new gear that further enhance their capabilities. Vehicles can also unlock new pieces of equipment such as heat seeking missiles, smokescreens and flares. Support players will eventually gain the Mortar to reign death from afar, Engineers will be able to control EOD bots, while Recon’s can drop sensors for vital intel and Assaults will keep soldiers on their feet with defibrilators. Battlefield 3 definitely does a great job of catering to everyone’s playstyle, and the core mechanics are extremely solid and fun to take advantage of. The shooting itself just feels right – each gun has a distinct weight, and most really pack a punch. The vehicles are fun to control, and once you’ve mastered one, you’ll really dominate the battlefield and turn the tide of war.

Conquer This... If You Can.

Hands on Mass Effect 3 Co-Op, Why it’s a Good Thing

Dave Oshry — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:00:57 +0000

When the world finally learned that the Mass Effect series was in fact getting multiplayer, just as many people were concerned as were elated.

“Get yer Call of Duty outta my Mass Effect!!” The roleplayers cried.

However, when Commander Shepard himself (in the form of series producer Casey Hudson) explained that the game would only be getting co-op and not some CoDified competitive multiplayer, people clammed down a bit.

“Co-op? Oh, well that’s cool, everyone likes co-op”

Indeed. Pretty much everyone does like co-op, and thanks to the wonders of wi-fi, even people without friends can enjoy the co-op in Mass Effect 3.

I recently sat down and got to enjoy some ME3 co-op and I’m going to tell you why I think it’s a good thing and why you’ll probably like it as well… or hate it… or be indifferent.

Come With Me If You Want To Live.

In this new “Galaxy at War” mode you and three friends will push onward to victory as you fight off the Geth and other intergalactic bad things that want to kill you. First up you’ll pick your race and class. All the notable races and classes are present here so yes, you can be an Asari Biotic and finally feel what it’s like to play as Liara… woo…

Anyhow, I decided to go in as a human soldier becuase when youve only got a 40 minute press demo, it helps to go with what you know. Hooyah!

Once everyone is locked and loaded we’re tasked with objectives to push, the only problem is there’s baddies who want to push back. Capture objectives, kill things, that’s the jist of it. Waves of enemies will come at you while you try to push for said objectives and yes, it feels a bit like Gears of War’s Horde mode – which isn’t a bad thing. In fact, if you’re familiar with Horde mode, you’ll feel right at home here. It didn’t feel quite as polished as Gears, but the game obviously isn’t finished and something something alpha, beta, omega builds are not the final product something something grain of salt.

Come At Me Bro

That’s not to say it’s easy. Even with my Soldier’s concussive shot leveled rather high I was having my ass handed to me by hard to avoid snipers and footsoldiers alike. I was constantly being revived by and having to revive my teammates until we eventually all died and failed on what was one of the final waves. We did eventually make it past said wave on a second playthrough, only to be killed by a giant mecha-boss which totally wasn’t my fault for running in and trying to stab it with my omni-blade. Such is the life of an interstellar spec ops group NOT led by commander Shepard. But I digress…

Even when you die, your experience will be carried over. This means that every time you play, your life will be a bit easier. The gameplay feels just as it does in single player, except that in single player your NPC teammates won’t go and try to stab the boss with their omni blade or accidentally throw a grenade at you. But that’s what co-op is all about really, yelling at your friends because they suck and are single-handedly causing the galaxy to implode.

As Usual, the Salarians Are No Help...

Now, what people seem to be the most worried about is that the co-op will detract from the single player experience or that since you can increase your “Galactic Readiness” level by participating in the co-op, that you have to play it. Well, you don’t. You can, and it will help get your galatic troops ready for the final battle with the reapers sooner, but you can also completely ignore the co-op and get the exact same end game results just by playing the single player. Think of it like a paid transaction in a F2P MMO… that you don’t have to pay for. Sure, you can buy your way (or in this case fight your way) to better unlocks, but you could also just grind them out. You can take the donkey to the top of the rim, or you can take the tram. It is the same price.

Think about it, would you rather play some Horde mode to help increase Shepard’s “Galactic Readiness” levels or would you rather scan and probe planets for hours on end? If you said scan and probe planets I hate you by the way…

People also seem to be irriatated by the thought that this mode is what delayed Mass Effect 3 and that it’s taking valuable resources and manpower away from the single player game. I hope these people know that two different studios are working on the game at this point. The main team (led by Commander Hudson) is at BioWare Edmonton and a completely separate team is developing the multiplayer at BioWare Montreal. There’s actually another team developing Mass Effect 4 at BioWare Mordor, but they’re not talking about that yet.

We're All Gonna Die...

What it all boils down to is this:

If you like this sort of thing, it’s there for you and your friends and it will add to your single player experience.

If this just isn’t your bag, you can completely ignore it and you will be no worse for wear.

However, this one believes the Hanar should be a playable race… just sayin.

Mass Effect 3 brings the war home on March 6th, 2012.

For more, check out our interview with series producer Casey Hudson.

Buy Battlefield 3, Play the Mass Effect 3 Co-op Beta

Justin Carter — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:30:55 +0000

Using one game to promote an upcoming one is all the rage these days. We saw it weeks before the PSN crisis with SOCOM 4 containing the Resistance 3 beta, and back in June with Infamous 2 and Uncharted 3′s beta. With the recent news that Mass Effect 3 is getting co-op, it stands to reason that a demo would come. After all, Reapers+lag=not so much fun.

If you buy Battlefield 3 new, you’ll be able to redeem an online pass that’ll give you access to Mass Effect 3′s co-op. The demo is slated for January 2012. There are other ways to get in, but Bioware’s keeping mum on them for now.

Mass Effect 3 Omni-shanks its way everywhere on March 6, 2012. Is getting to test the co-op a good reason to buy it new? Leave your comments below.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Co-op Trailer Rocks

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:30:44 +0000

Insomniac and Sony have released a new trailer which showcases the co-op gameplay of Ratchet & Clank All 4 One and it rocks! Massive bosses and incredible co-op mechanics. Need I say more?

Check it out below.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Mass Effect 3

Dylan Duarte — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:27 +0000

Mass Effect 3! Co-op! Fan art! Awesome overload! To understand my current meltdown, read about Mass Effect 3 co-op.

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of videogame fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

I think Patryk Garrett’s love of Mass Effect may rival that of Stephanie Gutowski.

Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Super Double Confirmed

Dave Oshry — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:45:05 +0000

We all knew the announcement was coming, but it seems that Australia’s #1 gaming mag has let the cat right out of the bag.

Right on the cover of their upcoming issue, PCPowerPlay has stated that they traveled to BioWare where Casey Hudson showed them the goods:

That’s right - Mass Effect 3 is getting multiplayer! We travel to BioWare’s office in Edmonton for hands-on time with the series’ first foray into online gameplay, and chat with Mass Effect Series Producer and Mass Effect 3 Project Director Casey Hudson about the decision to go multiplayer in the epic battle for the galaxy.

So, there you have it. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

For more on Mass Effect 3, check out our own interview with series producer Casey Hudson where he doesn’t tell us anything about multiplayer because we’re more interested in the roleplaying :-p

Space Marine Co-Op Finally Coming on October 25th

Dave Oshry — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:30:49 +0000

Is it too late to finally bring that hot co-op action to Warhammer 40k Space Marine? Hell no!

The Exterminatus DLC for will be released on Tuesday October 25th for those of you who don’t care about Battlefield 3 that day.

Eurogamer got the exclusive rundown on the DLC and has detailed it thusly:

The free add-on will hit all three platforms – PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 – at once. Note that the PlayStation Store updates a day later in Europe each week, on Wednesdays.

With the Exterminatus DLC comes four-player online co-op. You play a special mode fittingly called Exterminatus, which pits Space Marines against Orks and the Forces of Chaos.

You can be either a Tactical Marine, Devastator or Assault class, and you can use perks unlocked in competitive multiplayer to give you an edge. Co-op progression will apply to your multiplayer ranking, too. Teams will be scored on their performance, and benefit from multipliers and dynamic challenges along the way.

More DLC is also on the way.

For more on Space Marine be sure to check out the RipTen Review

New LotR: War in the North Developer Diary Details Co-Op

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:50:39 +0000

Warner and Snowblind have released a new developer diary for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North in which they go into great detail about the game’s co-op. Three player co-op has rarely looked this good.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North is due on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in early November.

16 Player Campaign Co-Op? Only In Serious Sam 3

Dave Oshry — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:15:09 +0000

The Serious Sam 3 help line is back and Rich Knuckles isn’t pulling any punches – just as long as you’re not trying to pwn his mom.

Lots of guns? Check.

Lots of bad guys? Check.

Deathmatch? Check. Survival mode? Check. Capture the flag? Check.

16 player campaign co-op?! Oh Hell Yes.

Serious Sam 3 launches on October 18th. PC Only, baby.

For more on Serious Sam 3 check out out hands-on previews HERE and HERE

Finally a RAGE Co-Op Trailer – Wasteland Legends: Water Service

Chris Carlson — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:24:38 +0000

Bethesda and id Software are finally shedding some light on RAGE‘s co-op mode in this latest trailer, “Wasteland Legends: Water Service”. In this co-op area, the Shrouded clan come to Wellspring to destroy the town’s water supply and two warriors join forces to fight off the invasion. It’s up to a duo of heroes to disarm bombs, take out bandits and save the town once again

RAGE is expected to launch October 4th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

For more on RAGE check out our hands-on previews HERE and HERE

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Gets Online Co-Op

Justin Carter — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:30:34 +0000

The HD version of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in the Metal Gear Solid Collection will be more than just an HD version of the PSP game with dual analog controls. It’s also getting CO-OPS, aka cooperative play.

Both the 360 and PS3 versions will have co-op via their separate infrastructures. Kojima-san also confirmed that it’ll run at 60 frames per second, regardless of the number of players. You could play co-op in the PSP version as well, but you needed an “adHocparty” app and a connection to a PS3 with a wired connection. Yeah.

Of course, for anyone not in Japan, it’s worth noting that if you want the game in HD, you’ll have to buy the full collection, as opposed to separately. Will this be enough to make you buy the HD collection?

[Via Joystiq]

DICE Drops Dozens of Details About Battlefield 3′s Co-op

Chris Carlson — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:35 +0000

DICE has been pretty hush-hush on the co-op aspect of Battlefield 3. Today on the US Playstation Blog, Jr. Product Manager, Tommy Rydling gave up a bunch of details regarding co-op.

“For the most part, the missions in the co-op campaign are asymmetric. This means that one mission can have you piloting a helicopter while your friend is the gunner, for example. Other situations have one player disarming a bomb and the other one defending him. Or (as you could see in our press conference playthrough at gamescom) you can do tandem kills to avoid detection. There are also other mechanics requiring teamwork, such as spotting enemies to make large firefights easier, or the essential concept of reviving one another to avoid ending up at the game over screen.”

There’s a ton of info to go over, including the scoring systems, difficulty levels, and career progression. For all the juicy details, check out the PlayStation Blog linked above.

For more on Battlefield 3, check out our hands on preview from PAX Prime.

Battlefield 3 is set to release October 25th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.