Even though all of the current next generation are out on the market, people now more than ever are hypothesizing about what the future could possibly bring to gaming. A few things that the future could hold are more impressive and interactive graphics and environments as well as improved computer artificial intelligence to improve the gaming experience – but it’s not often that the future of game genres are discussed. Perhaps one of the most interesting developments lately in games is the rise of games that are designed specifically to be played with others, also known as cooperative gaming. Not just massively multiplayer online games, like “World of Warcraft,” but games where the full experience can only be achieved by playing with another person, which before now were difficult to create.
Before sophisticated gaming networks, like Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, cooperative gaming only existed in the form of multiplayer modes where teams or individuals competed against one another and in the form of the single player version of the game adapted to allow for more people to participate. These networks allow for people to play games together, converse and send messages to one another and keep track of each others stats. Also, since our culture is rapidly becoming more technologically savvy, it is easier than ever for gamers to get involved with online co-op gaming.
The distinction between older and newer co-op games is that it wasn’t until recently that games were designed with the specific intent that two or more people play together to get the full experience from the game. Some games allow for players to play through the single player game with another person, like “Halo 2,” but it wasn’t until recently that a game’s story mode would be created with the intention that it be played by more than one person. The most well known game of this type on the market right now would have to be “Gears of War” since, even though it can be played by just one person, the story mode is much more fun to play with another person. Also, “Gears” gives gamers the ability to play through the story mode cooperatively over the internet with another player, which is a feature essential to the new wave of co-op games.
But “Gears” is only the tip of the co-op gaming iceberg. New, even more exciting games in this genre are on the horizon – games like “Kane and Lynch: Dead Men,” “Army of Two” and “Left 4 Dead.”
“Kane and Lynch” tells the story of two men whose lives become intertwined when their transport bus to death row is hijacked by a mysterious mercenary group known as “The Seven.” Kane, a normal man turned mercenary, is being hunted by the surviving members of “The Seven” for his betrayal of the group years earlier when he deserted them and stole from them a small fortune in diamonds. They have tracked down Kane and demanded that he return the money or his family will be killed. Kane’s death after the job is done is an inevitability for his betrayal. Lynch, a severely schizophrenic psychopath on the bus with Kane, is also taken by “The Seven” to watch over Kane and will be given a spot in the organization if he performs well. In this game, players will be able to take control of either Kane or Lynch as they try to complete the task given to them by “The Seven.” Each character will have specific traits, Lynch being the more interesting of the two. Since he has a bad case of schizophrenia, Lynch will sometimes break down and go completely psychotic, even at crucial points in a mission and it will be Kane’s job to try and calm him down. It is even rumored that players will receive Xbox Live achievements for playing as Lynch in character, meaning that team killing in “Kane and Lynch” could merit an award. Unfortunately, “Kane and Lynch” still has a long way to go before it is released sometime later in 2007.
“Army of Two” offers a similar “buddy” experience that “Kane and Lynch” offers except that “Army of Two” puts a very heavy emphasis on teamwork. In this game, players choose between one of two mercenaries who work for a private military company taking on dangerous jobs for the highest bidder. Players will be able to employ a number of co-operative actions, such as the ability to drag a wounded partner to safety, flip objects to provide cover from gunfire and even parachuting where one person navigates the parachute while the other is strapped to his chest, able to fire on enemies below. Since the developers of this game have boasted that the enemies in “Army of Two” use similar co-op techniques that the players do and that the game can support up to 50 enemies on screen at once, teamwork will be absolutely essential to “Amy of Two’s” gameplay.
As games like these grow in popularity, newer more creative twists will be added to them, especially as the power of home gaming consoles grows. Cooperative gaming is where the future of the video game industry lies and the future of video games has never looked better.
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