In an era swamped with online multiplayer like Call of Duty and Battlefield, sometimes all you're looking for is some good old fashioned co-operative games to settle down with a pal or two and enjoy something a little more civil on the sofa. Our writers have picked out some of their favourite co-op experiences for you to give a try his holiday season.
Traveller’s Tales’ Lego games allow for families of all ages to play together and experience hilarious takes on their favourite film franchises, albeit locally in what is known as ‘couch co-op’, which makes the games brilliant for groups looking to spend time together this festive season.
My first time playing the Lego games was with my brother, which not only brought frustration (from a slightly awkward shared camera), but it also allowed for an incredibly fun playthrough as we traversed the iconic Star Wars movies together, tackling a variety of puzzles, platforming sections and boss-fights, eventually battling against each other.
The fast-paced action of the Lego games works fantastically in co-operative with plenty of enemies to fight, a plethora of puzzles to solve
The fast-paced action of the Lego games works fantastically in co-operative with plenty of enemies to fight, a plethora of puzzles to solve, and enough comedic cutscenes to chuckle at with the whole family around the television.
If there is one group of games to play as a family this Christmas that I’d recommend, it’d be the Lego games. Lego The Incredibles, Lego DC Super-Villains, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 and Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens are the best the series has offered in recent years, and they are all available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
Though it’s perhaps not the first game that comes to mind when considering how to spend time with friends and family, I reckon there’s plenty of things working in Snipperclips’ favour. It gained my attention as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, and it’s now something I recommend to anyone in need of more games for the hybrid console.
An indie title with a charming, papercraft art style, Snipperclips sees you teaming up with other players to cut shapes into each other’s paper avatars with the goal of finding a solution to various puzzles. While relatively easy to figure out each challenge, the real puzzle (and fun) comes from creating the shapes necessary to execute the solution.
As it’s a system that supports multiplayer out of the box without having to purchase additional controllers, Snipperclips is one of the cheapest games to get co-op gameplay up and running on the Switch. However, if you do end up buying more controllers, there’s a whole set of co-operative levels and competitive battle modes that ensure more people can play at once.
While relatively easy to figure out each challenge, the real puzzle (and fun) comes from creating the shapes necessary to execute the solution.
And then there’s the brilliant expansion pass, Snipperclips Plus, which includes two new worlds that add a total of thirty puzzles to the base game as well as more battle modes. These puzzles are much more of a challenge to figure out, as well as to execute the solution with your co-op partner.
If you’re lucky enough for a Nintendo Switch to end up underneath your Christmas tree, Snipperclips makes for a great first eShop purchase that will get the whole family involved.
