Welcome to Tues Your Own Adventure! Join Jules and James as they take a look at video games made harder with co-op! With friends like these...
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00:00Right, so James, in order to solve this puzzle, we both need to press the button at the exact
00:05same time, alright? You with me? Let's do it. Hell yeah, okay, right, so ready? Three, two, one.
00:13Oh, oh, James, you didn't actually press the button then? Yes I did. No, no, no, no,
00:17we both need to press it at the same time, together, at the same time, alright? Okay.
00:21No worries, mate, try again. Okay, ready? Three, two, one. He didn't press it again, did he?
00:31James, you still there, mate? You see, sometimes in video games,
00:37Yeah, so sometimes video game co-op modes can make things considerably more difficult,
00:43and I'm here to explain why. Hello all of you little demons, Jules here for WhatCulture.com,
00:48back again with another episode of the awesomely named and awfully hosted Choose Your Own Adventure,
00:53the weekly medieval themed format where I, the crown jewels of WhatCulture.com,
00:57take a list chosen by you. Yes, you, the person who actually submitted the name for this list,
01:01but it was in the actual live chat, so unfortunately I didn't grab your actual name,
01:04but this is dedicated to you, whoever you may be. Enjoy this today. Yes, you get to decide what list
01:11I dole out to you each and every week, and today we're talking about video games that sometimes made co-op
01:18because today we're talking about video games that were actually made harder with co-op,
01:25and now this is the thing, when it comes to video games, cooperative play is usually something that
01:30is a godsend to players. I mean, when the big evil of the land has got you backed into a corner and is
01:35about to introduce your mouth to its feet, you probably wish that you'd have somebody riding
01:39into your rescue, and in this medium that can literally take place, with people charging in,
01:44going head first, foot first, fist first, axe first to your rescue. And with another player
01:49or team of seasoned veterans by your side, it can make even the most daunting games far,
01:54far easier, as now you've got real allies that will actually stop to pick you up,
01:58pass your ammo and don't just run off aimlessly, but yet sometimes adding another player into the
02:03mix only makes a recipe for disaster. So let's take a look at them today, as I'm Jules,
02:08this is whatculture.com, and these are 7 video games made way harder with co-op.
02:147. Any Halo game on Legendary
02:17Now when donning the mantle of the big green tin of man spam that is Master Chief,
02:22it can be very easy to buy into the power fantasy that he presents, that you quite literally are
02:27the best that humanity has to offer. Yet the experience changes somewhat as soon as you bump up
02:33the difficulty, as now instead of charging forwards, you're learning the meaning of tactical retreat
02:37in all of its forms. And here on Legendary, the only ones laughing are the grunts as they toe
02:43punch your corpse over and over. So how could this experience get any more humbling? Well,
02:48by adding in some friends and the knowledge that all enemies double in health on this mode,
02:52known as Legendary, and will mow you down in seconds. And then multiply that by the fact that
02:58in some Halo games you aren't going to be respawning next to your buddy after you die,
03:01but back at the bloody last checkpoint, and you can see how that makes for a painful experience.
03:06And things got somehow even worse if you and your pals attempted the vidmaster challenge annual on
03:11Halo 3, as here you'd need to complete the Halo level as a group of four with Iron Skull on,
03:17which resets the entire level if even one of you dies, and with everyone riding a ghost at the end.
03:22There are so, so many elements of this that can go wrong, so by the end of things you're probably
03:27going to be minus three friends, even if you do get plus one achievement for doing so.
03:326. Portal 2
03:34Now, everyone knows by now that despite their often hilarious tone, the Portal games are no
03:39joke when it comes to brain bending puzzles. Venturing through the testing labs and beyond
03:44was never a dull experience, as the player is challenged at every turn to think on their feet,
03:48and be about 20 steps ahead in order to manipulate different portals and surfaces at a moment's notice.
03:54Therefore, with such demanding gameplay, one can only feel their soul die just a little,
03:59trying to do all of this with another person in tow. Attempting to convey to another player that
04:03they need to fire their portal gun at just the right time and then move to another location and
04:07perform another action is basically trying to give directions in a foreign country where you don't
04:12speak the language, plus you've also got this scenario which James and I will now act out for
04:15you today. James, are you ready to take the center stage once more?
04:19Yes.
04:19Here I am, walking across a bridge that my friend James Dows has made for me with his amazing portal
04:25gun isn't life grand. Oh, I sure hope he doesn't delete the bridge at some
04:29random inopportune moment just because it's funny.
04:32Oh dear!
04:35This is your life now, continually trying to explain plans only to have them disintegrate
04:40thanks to either poor communication, timing, or just because your partner thinks it's bloody
04:44funny to drop you into that boiling lake of metal-eating acids. I mean, it totally is,
04:49but it's not helping. 5. Dark Souls 2, Scholar of the First Sin
04:54So in case you hadn't heard, Dark Souls, both as a game and a way of life, big up to my fat
04:59rollers in the buffet of pain that is life itself, is a pretty hard ride.
05:05Yeah. You die. A lot. And even when you're not chomping on a sweet backstab, bro, you're beset with
05:11such depressing environments that it starts to feel quite bloody lonely at times. As such,
05:15you might be very tempted to call in a helping hand or two to make the brutal gauntlet between
05:20bonfires that little bit easier. However, before you light up that big fat humanity and pass it
05:25around the bonfire, maybe you should consider something. This is a From Software title,
05:30and as such, help is something rarely given without a price being paid. That's because,
05:35even though the boss battles can be made significantly easier, being human also invokes
05:39the possibility of being invaded by other players. And let me tell you something,
05:43having to battle both PvP and PvD at once is no joke. Oh, uh, PvD, for those not in the know,
05:50is player versus dickheads who constantly glitch out because of poor netcode.
05:54Plus, when it comes to Dark Souls 2, Scholar of the First Sin, where you could summon up to three
05:59other spirits to help, players soon realised that certain enemies, like Heidi Knight,
06:03aggroed immediately, making the challenge even more extreme. Plus, with a full party,
06:08your damage is actually going to be reduced by 67% of their normal state, making chewing through
06:13even the most basic enemies an utter slog. And remember, the longer you spend in Dark Souls
06:18combat, the more likely it's going to be that you're going to make a mistake and die.
06:224. Double Dragon Neon
06:24Now, in fairness, you could actually put any example of a brawler video game that has friendly fire in
06:29at this slot. But there is a reason, a real reason why I've chosen to put Double Dragon Neon on here,
06:35explicitly. And I will tell you...
06:39No. Because today we're not talking about Battle Toes and the fact that your friend could kill you
06:43at a moment's notice by accident, we're talking about the much less infamous, and if we're being
06:48honest, much more inferior title Double Dragon Neon, which for fans of the series was kind of a low
06:53point. I say this because everything about this title feels kind of off, from the weird,
06:58low-definition 3D sprites to the tone of the game that feels at odds with itself,
07:02in that it constantly promises a blast of 80s fun but delivers something utterly straight-laced and
07:06often boring. In fact, boring will be the order of the day should you look to 100% this title,
07:11as trying to get the Mister's Perfect trophy will make you bore a hole through your goddamn skull
07:16out of frustration, as this one achievement requires you to make it through a level in co-op
07:20without either person taking a single hit and friendly fire being on.
07:25Now it's that last section of the achievement which proves to be your utter downfall, because
07:29no matter what level you choose to do this on, the screen often gets completely cluttered with
07:33enemies, and thanks to a rogue punch or throwing an enemy into your actual teammate, you're going to
07:38lose your chance at this trophy again and again and again, and it'll make you question what the
07:43bloody point of it all was.
07:453. Cadence of Hyrule
07:47For those of you not in the know, when it comes to dancing, the best way to describe my moves are
07:52that I have the rhythm of a person who is flatlining and I kind of look like if spaghetti could feel
07:58pain. So when it came to playing through the Crypt of the Necrodancer video game and the
08:02subsequent Zelda-centric title Cadence of Hyrule, you best believe that I absolutely sucked at both.
08:08As soon as the situation becomes even remotely stressful in either game,
08:11my rhythm-keeping skills go out the bloody window. However, through perseverance and intense
08:16concentration, I have been able to make some progress.
08:20Level 3, baby!
08:22I got down to floor 3, yay!
08:24However, if you think you've started to master what Cadence of Hyrule has to offer,
08:28prepare to have that dream shattered the moment you fire up the game in two-player mode,
08:32as here, with players taking up the mantle of both Link and Cadence,
08:35you have to explore dungeons to save the land, all while staying on beat.
08:39And trust me, if you thought that it was challenging enough on solo runs,
08:42that is multiplied to the extremes as soon as you've got another player bungling up their
08:46movements and attacks. Plus, this mode throws up some rather devious moments in which you'll
08:50need to coordinate to hit enemies together or solve mild puzzles, and doing all of that
08:55to an ever-threatening metronome is like a death-nail to your friendship.
08:582. Overcooked 1 & 2
09:01Now, the phrase cooking up a storm is usually often to describe somebody who approaches the
09:06act of cooking with passion, intensity, and sometimes a little bit of ferocity. But when
09:11it comes to Overcooked 1 & 2, the phrase kind of changes a little bit and comes to mean,
09:16if you don't get that onion chopped in the next two seconds, I'm going to shove a lightning bolt
09:20up your bloody arse and do not even think that a hurricane has got the same intensity as my
09:25controller-throwing accuracy. I say this because there's no such thing as a chill moment in the
09:31Overcooked series, as you'll constantly be chopping, boiling, cleaning, and desperately
09:35sprinting to the past to serve food. It is relentless. And so too are the cuss words that
09:41will likely spout from your mouth the moment that you start to play this online with friends.
09:45Because here, somebody has to take charge, and barking orders at your friends when combined
09:50with time limits is never going to make you Captain Popular. In fact, it's going to make the
09:54entire experience an utter chore, as if your communication skills aren't up to par,
09:59or if your friends go into business for themselves, or just can't simply keep up
10:02with the hectic pace, you're going to miss out on those high scores and chew them out for it.
10:06Therefore, it's actually something of a simple pleasure to play this game on single player. Now,
10:11I know that's not the way the game is meant to be played, but it is far,
10:15far less stressful than having your supposed best friends yell at you for burning a stew or 10.
10:19I'm sorry that I get easily distracted. And number one, keep talking and nobody explodes.
10:25Now, I know what you're thinking, James. Jules, you handsome idiot. What are you talking about?
10:30What words are falling out of your mumbly, bumbly mouth today? Keep talking and nobody explodes is
10:36solely a co-op game. So how can you say that it's made harder in co-op when that's the only way to
10:41play it? Well, guess what, my friends? It's back! The evil Finger Temple of Doom! Arf, arf, arf, arf!
10:50Yes, that's right, the Finger Temple of Doom has made its way into these lists once more, because
10:54while it is technically true that Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a multiplayer game,
10:59that's not to say that it is the only way to play it. Thanks to the ingenious mind of developer
11:04Devon Hurst, there now exists a bot that allows players to tackle the game utterly solo, with the
11:09bot reading audio cues and responding in its own voice back to the desperate bomb diffuser. Arguably,
11:14this makes for a much, much easier play session than with friends, as the bot immediately responds
11:19and does so with impeccable clarity. This means that you can rattle through questions and get
11:23hold of the situation far quicker than the panicked scrabbling and stumbling that real
11:27life players fall prey to. Now I know that it's not as much fun per se to play with a bot that has
11:33been exclusively designed to help you through this game, but still, it is so much less stressful as a
11:39result to do so. And you know what, the regular experience of this game kind of makes it feel like
11:45anger management courses sponsored and made this game, so yeah, I'll save some money and play with
11:50the bot from time to time. And there we go my friends, those were 7 video games made harder
11:54through co-op. I hope that you enjoyed that and please let me know what you thought about it down
11:58in the comments section below. As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter
12:02at RetroJ with a zero, or you can swing by Live and Let's Dice where I do all of my streaming outside of
12:07work, and it'd be great to see you over there. But before I go, I just want to say one thing.
12:11We detailed a lot today about times that things were made more difficult by adding, well, too many
12:16cooks to the broth, that's not the saying, but you know where I'm going with that one.
12:20And I do want to stress though, in real life, sharing a problem with your friends, your families,
12:25professionals in the support industry, that is something that I truly encourage you doing,
12:29because sharing a problem usually means that you can solve it far, far quicker. You shouldn't go
12:34through life trying to bottle up your emotions, and make sure you're not speaking to people about
12:38your problems. Share those problems, get them out in the open, start a discourse, as painful as it
12:42might be sometimes, and start to get the help that you deserve, because you are a massive ledge,
12:47and you deserve all the best things in life, and I don't want anyone stumbling across the way,
12:50alright? Big love from me to you, now go out there and absolutely smash it today. As always,
12:55I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak to you soon. Bye.