Earth Defense Force And The Power Of Co-Op

First off, I'm not the biggest fan of multiplayer games. I think I've stated that before in some of my previous blog posts. But it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy them from time to time as I have also stated in blog posts about games like Rocket League and now Earth Defense Force.

Earth Defense Force 4.1: Shadows of New Despair (or EDF 4.1) is not a very good game in my aspects. Its graphics are subpar, its internet lobby system is archaic, and it glitches a whole lot. Not only that, but it can be frustratingly difficult at times. But I've consistently been playing this game since it came on Steam over a month ago and it's mainly because of one thing: Co-op.

I don't find EDF single player any fun. The game is repetitive and has too little story to drive a single person to slog through it. The enemies vary, but not enough to keep interest for the 89 or so missions the game has. The weapons are great, but you soon find out that not every weapon works as well as the next even if the game tells you it is better. There are plenty of gameplay balance issues and the AI is too stupid to stay a live. Yet even with all of this criticism, co-oping this game is an incredibly enjoyable experience.

After finishing the game, it got me thinking about how terrible/mediocre games can still be great when you have another person playing with you. This type of experience, however, can only happen when certain conditions are met. A bad game can still be bad even with co-op (R.I.P.D comes to mind...don't ever play that game). But when a game gets the feeling right, it can be amazing to play with friends even if the game stumbles around every corner.

There are many factors but I think I can say that the next three points need to be included to make a game worthy of co-op. You'll notice that things like graphics and writing are not listed here. That's because, in my humble opinion, graphics don't really matter.

1. Getting Gameplay Right

This factor is a must in most good games (there's exceptions to every rule, hence the word most). Gameplay is a fine art. It's not just about making a functional battle system for the player to use, it's also about balancing gameplay so that the game can be consistently engaging. Throwing new weapons and situations is almost like pressing the refresh button to the player's interest. A movie only has to keep an audience captured for a couple hours or so; a video game sometimes has to keep players interested for longer and also has to consider replay-ability. This is why the core of the game has to keep players intrigued,

EDF has players killing the same type of enemies over and over again-and it sounds boring. But the game gives you new weapons and just enough enemy types to make the missions feel different each time. Not to mention the amount of chaos that goes on in each mission. Just the sheer amount of types and enemies that can be on screen at a given time can be downright adrenaline pumping...even when the game's frame-rate moves at the pace of a Powerpoint slideshow.

2. Have Some Sort Of Story...And an Ending 

To keep a co-op game going, you need to have a journey or some sort of purpose to finish the game. It doesn't have to be good, but being zany or chaotic is helpful. EDF's purpose is the perfect example of a simple plot that drives the players along: the Earth is being invaded by robots and giant insects and we have to stop them. Short and to the point.

Even Resident Evil 6 had a ridiculous plot but it was enough of a story to keep me wanting to know what happens next. Sometimes stories can be bad, but far from boring. Resident Evil 6 also did a good job of separating the experience into different story-lines that actually interwove as you played which was pretty damn cool. Despite being a very mediocre game, Resident Evil 6 had some very awesome ideas when it came to co-op.

The only co-operative games that don't need stories are competitive games (like Rocket League). This is because the competition replaces the story. You're not in it to be the game, you're in it to be the best in the game. Beating other teams is your team's main priority. So while story and narrative is great, you don't really need one to keep players hooked.

3. The Right Genre

When I mean the right genre, I mean shooters. Honestly, I don't think any other genre of games benefit as greatly with the inclusion of co-op than shooters. Doesn't even matter if it's first person or third person, both people just need something shoots. It can even be a side-scroller; Super Contra III and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time still hold a special place in my heart even though they were Super Nintendo Games.

Conclusion:

To sum it up: Games just got to be fun shooters with interesting power-ups and engaging enemies. They should have some sort of drive to keep the team of players going. If a developer can do that, then they have hit multiplayer gold, at least for me.

But honestly, some people have different opinions in what makes a game interesting and engaging. I just felt like these kind of summed up what made me love co-op games. To each their own and there is probably stuff I'm forgetting. But I still just find it interesting that my opinions of games change when depending on whether I play the game alone versus playing it with other people.

With that I'm out. Have a giant spider!