Wii games lack co-op mode and that’s a shame, says Infendo reader

Co-op games, where art thou?Infendo reader and Infendo Radio listener Phillip F. wants to know where the heck the 2-player co-op went off to. I, for one, am inclined to ask the same question, especially after some extended play time with Contra 4 this winter.

what the hell happened to classic, simultaneous co-op adventure and platforming games? it’s not that i don’t have a problem with playing by myself, but it just seems like whenever i have a friend or a relative that i actually get along with comes over, i’m left dry of good 2 player games for us to play. usually i have to whip out Smash bros or some other racing/fighting/shooting game whenever they do.

secondly, if a game is multiplayer…it’s never co-op! it just seems that if an action adventure/platformer is released, they don’t include any multiplayer, or they chuck a large mass of minigames (usually around 40 or 50 for some reason) at us, or they include some crappy versus mode; neither of which show how good (or what) a game actually is.

while i’ll admit that there are some FPS that have been released that are co-op (such as halo 3), it just angers me that none of these developers even try to develop a good, co-op mode for wii games. i’m hoping that atleast someone can relate to me on this one, cause it just doesn’t seem like i’ve played a fantastic co-op game in quite some time.

Indeed. Co-op games would be a nice complement to the already social-as-heck nature of some Wii games. You’ve done it with the DS, Nintendo, now how about the Wii?

Alternate viewpoint: Are there Wii co-op games here or upcoming worth checking out? And, how about we all name our favorite Nintendo system co-op game from times past? Legendary Wings worked for me.

UPDATE: Meant to post this yesterday, and a comment from Infendo regular InvisibleMan jogged my memory. It’s an email to the Infendo squawk box from Shivy about Endless Ocean and co-op play:

I am in love with Endless Ocean. Playing it brings back fond memories of other games that focused on exploration and discovery, such as Myst and Uru.

One of the most impressive parts of the game was being able to go diving with a good friend of mine. We explored an undersea ruin together. The Wii’s limitations in communication (pre-set phrases and hand signals between the divers) actually made the experience feel more authentic, since divers wouldn’t normally be able to communicate through speech anyway.

I can’t speak praises of this game enough. It has easily become one of my favorite game experiences in recent years.

This reminds me of those times when I’d just go exploring in Vice City or San Andreas, looking for jumps or secrets. I haven’t played Endless Ocean yet, but I imagine I’d like it very much. Video games just don’t let you go exploring anymore, do they? actually, is exploring even considered a game?