Cheirinn // November 11th, 2020
When playing a game, what makes it memorable? The graphics? The story? The gameplay? Characters, etc.? Though all of these are particularly good aspects of a memorable game, I believe that the most important one is friendship. It doesn’t matter what the game is, how it looks, or the mechanics behind it, what’s important is that we can spend the time to play a game with those that we enjoy being with the most. Playing co-op or multiplayer is a thrill, even if we do have to play on a screen that’s cut in half or fourths.
Though we may move on from our friends or maintain the relationships, what we look back on the most is not the game itself, but the time that we spent bashing each other with jokes or burns. The joy of gloating when you kick their asses, and the bitter-sweet taste of getting it dealt right back to you the next round. Games aren’t about getting the high score; they’re about connecting with the other people holding the controllers. Besides, who will you be able to show your high score to if all you do is game by yourself?
With the advancements in technology, we can now easily garner new friendships and establish gaming communities. We can talk, play, and laugh while enjoying what we always have enjoyed – gaming with a friend. Like the great Bob Ross always said, “Everyone needs a friend.” So, why not call a bud or two, go buy some drinks and snacks, and forget about your worries while you sit back, laugh, and enjoy the moments you have together with a good game. And remember, whether the game is utter crap or not, these moments may just stay with you and that is what gaming is all about.
So, now that we’ve gotten the sentimental part of the article out of the way, let’s move onto the real reason you’re here – my gaming recommendations.
Below are a few games that you might enjoy with your mates. I know I do. So, sit down, buckle up and get ready for the most mediocre explanation of each of these fantastic and amazing games, subjectively, that you too should enjoy playing with the people that you call friends. Hopefully the feeling they have for you is mutual, but if not, you can win them over with these sweet, sweet games and with your sweet, sweet … semi-decent gaming skills.
Ultimate Chicken Horse
This game is as the name says, ULTIMATE! Your goal – f*ck over your friends! A great game for up to four players, you can play this game online or together on a console. Though the game starts off slow, it gets exponentially heated as you slowly build up the level. Starting off, you will be given a blank map with a start and a finish with nothing in between. Fortunately for you, and unfortunately for you, the game is generous with giving you objects to place to help you make it to the end while also providing objects that will lead to your ultimate demise. It is a race, to both get the items you need and to get to the end point.
You could be friendly and help each other out, building a network of bridges and ledges that can safely lead you and your friends to the other side. But there is no such mantra as “everyone’s a winner” in this game. If everyone makes it across, the game rejects your attempt and rewards you with nothing. The only way to win is, as previously stated, screwing your friends over! Kill them. KILL THEM ALL! Or not, I mean, only one has to die for you to get any points. Beware as you plan on killing your friends and remember that they are also planning the same. Be mindful of who is taking what and where things are being placed. There is a surprise around every corner.
This game will get your heart racing and your blood boiling. You will likely hate each other while loving every second. Laughs and insults will fly, and your night will be grand. So, saddle up your horse, choke … I mean feed your chicken and get ready for a wild ride.
Stick Fight: The Game
Simple, hectic, guns, snakes, guns, death, guns, more snakes, and sheer awesomeness. Stick Fight is a great fighting game that utilizes the greatest thing to ever exist – guns! There are also spears and swords, but those are inferior, and no one cares about them. Guns are where it’s at!
USA! USA! USA!
Though the game is great to play, it does have a slight learning curve. There’s no tutorial or instructional screen and understanding the controls and buttons require you to go to the settings and key bindings. But after that little speed bump, you’ll be able to chaotically hack it out with your best buds.
The game does not have an end and is just an ongoing cycle of maps and weapons that fall from the sky or appear in tiny packages. If you are unable to grab a weapon, do not fear. Your stickman, just like you, should have some readily available organic weapons – arms and legs. So just punch and kick your way to victory.
One thing to remember is that this game requires you to use your keyboard and mouse, the mouse being of utmost importance as your aim is reliant on the location of your cursor. Like I said, there is a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you will be having a blast.
Strange Brigade
Maybe you don’t want to fight your friends? Maybe you want to have a good old-fashioned co-op game? Something that has endless hordes of monsters coming at you as you complete the missions. Then this game is for you. Strange Brigade is a third-person shooter that relies on teamwork to solve puzzles and gather collectables. Though not extremely difficult to complete, this game does contain many moments of joy and excitement to fulfill your desires. A good voice acting crew and a beautiful design, this game provides everything you are looking for in a good co-op game that isn’t too demanding.
My favorite thing about this game is that even though there is an excellent campaign, there is also a horde mode that is both challenging alone and with friends. You could easily spend hours here with endless waves of monsters constantly coming right at you. Customization of your weapons, though limited, is still satisfactory. The sounds are fantastic, and the feeling of getting your headshots … ecstatic! Strange Brigade is generally an all-round solid experience if you just want to sit back and enjoy some good old-fashioned monster slaying and treasure hunting. Working together to complete your goals is more than enough to give you the serotonin you need from a good game.
Of course, there are many more good multiplayers out there, and there are many more that I hold dear. But these three are the ones that I thought you would probably want to look into if you haven’t done so already.
We’re not on this world long, so why not enjoy it as best you can!
This has been Clayton and thank you for reading my article.
Thunder's Remnant 