Like its predecessor, the PlayStation 2 only had two controller ports, and at a time when everyone else had four, this was mildly frustrating for multiplayer enthusiasts. You had to invest in a multitap if you wanted more than that, and I didn’t know anyone who had one, notwithstanding the one I had that was broken out of the box. While you had to put in some extra work for it, though, getting the most out of the PS2’s multiplayer was worth it, especially when it came to co-op games.
10 PS2 Games That Made Couch Co-Op Feel Like an Event
If you were going to buy a multitap, it was probably for one of these games.
While there were plenty of quick-shot co-op games you could boot up for a pick-up round, there were also plenty of games that you and at least one friend could get properly invested in, exploring levels in-depth for secrets and collectibles. It was a great way to spend a long weekend, especially since this was the last generation before online multiplayer really took off and couch co-op was still the dominant format.
10 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
Web-Head Knows how to Prioritize
In the lead-up to the official beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, Marvel properties were already becoming exceptionally hot. As such, the PS2’s library was positively bursting with Marvel-licensed games, both movie tie-ins and semi-original titles like Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.
This Web-Head adventure, which is very loosely based on the events of the Sam Raimi films, sees our hero traveling around the world to retrieve meteor shards before a mysterious mastermind gets them first (spoilers: it’s Mysterio). Along the way, he recruits not just other heroes, but villains who were under the monsters’ control, who reluctantly join his cause. It’s a straightforward two-player action brawler set in a series of mostly-linear levels.
I say “mostly-linear” because every level has at least a few hidden nooks to nose through, where you can find tokens for upgrading character abilities, as well as neat bonus stuff like character bios and concept art. You can even find entire secret arenas that, after being cleared of baddies, are unlocked for the game’s two-player versus mode.
9 Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Put a Little Thought into your Fatalities
Fighting games aren’t really an “exploratory” genre, unless you count labbing combos in training mode, I guess. Something like Mortal Kombat, for example, isn’t something you can explore, much less play cooperatively. However, Mortal Kombat did have a certain PS2 spin-off that made things a little more open-ended: Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.
This action-adventure game sees two players controlling Liu Kang and Kung Lao in a little side adventure set between the events of the first and second Mortal Kombat games. Combat’s the main draw, with a streamlined version of the main games’ fighting system adjusted for omnidirectional movement and environmental attacks, though you can still perform Fatalities on individual enemies if you build your combo meter high enough.
The levels are littered with special collectibles that unlock extra content, upgrades for your characters’ health and stats, and even secret sidequests doled out by Smoke. In fact, some of the game’s collectibles can only be obtained with a co-op partner, remaining inaccessible if you’re playing solo, so that’s a good reason to bring a friend along.
8 Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
All it Takes is a Code
A certain subset of games from eras past had an odd approach to co-op in that, rather than offering it straight out, you had to activate it through the use of a particular cheat code. It’s not exactly traditional co-op, but it was a fun way to get more fun out of an otherwise solo game like Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.
During normal gameplay, you always have a helper character that can use particular abilities that Soki can’t. This character is typically AI-controlled, but by entering a special code, a second player can plug in and assume direct command of them. Player one does the bulk of the fighting as Soki, while player two provides backup.
As for the exploratory elements, every level has a bevy of hidden weapons and equipment you can use to improve your fighting and survivability. In fact, some of this gear requires you to backtrack to completed levels with different helper characters, so that’s where your co-op partner will really shine.
7 Dynasty Warriors 3
Scour the Battlefield
I don’t claim to be any particular expert on the art of war, but I’d be willing to bet that almost every battlefield in history had at least a teensy bit of pillaging going on, even if it was something as simple as a jerk in the trenches picking pockets. It makes sense, then, that Dynasty Warriors 3, a game all about large-scale warfare, would have plenty of useful junk lying around for you to snatch up.
Dynasty Warriors 3 was the first game in the series to have split-screen co-op, allowing both you and a friend to control two powerful characters and ravage the battlefield. While wide-scale carnage is the order of the day, if you explore the large battlefield maps thoroughly, you can find various helpful items and equipment pieces. The former confer temporary stat boosts, while the latter provide permanent bonuses when starting new battles, such as starting out on horseback or making your guards stronger.
You can also collect instances of your characters’ weapons, which can then be used to enhance their attack stats and unlock longer combo attack chains. There’s no rule that you and your partner have to fight together, either, so one of you can fight the good fight while the other tosses the place.
6 X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
There’s Always Time to Collect Comics
You know what was nice about the period before the MCU happened? We still got X-Men stuff semi-consistently. Not always great stuff, especially the movies, but thankfully, X-Men Legends II was one of the good ones, and a great time for co-op enthusiasts besides.
Like its predecessor, X-Men Legends II is a Diablo-style action RPG, simplified for optimal console control. You and up to three buddies control a team of both heroic and villainous mutants to battle the forces of that big blue-lipped jerk, Apocalypse. You have a central hub you return to between levels, each of which consists of a maze-y layout full of traps and punks.
10 Best X-Men Games, Ranked
If you want to live out your mutant fantasies in a video game, this list has you covered.
These mazes are also home to occasional bonus collectibles, including comic book covers from the X-Men comics and unlockable Danger Room missions. There’s even an X-Men trivia game in the central hub if you need something to challenge a friend over to see which of you has read more comic books over the years.
5 Destroy All Humans 2
Doom Humanity with a Friend
Part of the premise of the Destroy All Humans games is that the Furon race needs human DNA to produce genetically-perfect clones of itself. It makes you wonder why Crypto doesn’t just make a bunch of clones of himself to overrun the planet, but I guess a bunch of grey aliens doing Jack Nicholson impressions would’ve been a bit much, so Destroy All Humans 2 just settled for a pair of them.
Two players can control independent clones of Crypto in both story missions and free roam modes which, in line with the game’s irreverent tone, isn’t given any particular explanation or canon confirmation. Who needs canon? You’ve got a death ray, just go shoot something. Wanton destruction is what we’re here for anyway.
In free roam mode, you and your partner can explore the open maps, tracking down pop-art posters, jukebox tracks, and alien artifacts, as well as unlocking more landing zones for the flying saucer by completing specific challenges for the Furon god, Arkvoodle.
4 We Love Katamari
“No, No, Turn it Clockwise!”
The core gameplay element of the Katamari series is rolling the titular sticky ball around increasingly large levels, picking up objects and people as you go to increase in size. It’s a style of gameplay that lends itself naturally well to exploration gameplay with its sandbox levels, and We Love Katamari just so happens to have a co-op mode as well.
In any level in We Love Katamari, a second player can drop in as one of the Prince’s cousins and join you. Despite what you may expect, though, both players don’t receive their own Katamari. Rather, the two of you control a single Katamari in tandem, individually acting like the two sticks on your controller. Besides that, the core loop is unchanged, so you still need to explore the level to roll up big stuff alongside presents and cousins, just with another person on your proverbial shoulder.
It’s a rather hectic spin on what’s normally a rather cozy game, and there’s no additional reward for doing it co-op versus solo, but I’d be lying if I said trying to play the game this way wasn’t really funny.
3 Ratchet: Deadlocked
Let’s Make it Flashy
The Ratchet & Clank games have almost always been single-player affairs, which is kind of ironic, since they almost always focus on a duo of characters. What’s even more ironic is that the only co-op-focused game of the bunch, Ratchet: Deadlocked, is also the one where Ratchet is largely on his own. Life is funny like that.
Rather than collectibles or power-ups, Ratchet: Deadlocked emphasizes exploration through its skill point system. Basically, in every level, there’s a laundry list of special goals you can accomplish, with each rewarding lump sums of bolts. These can range from something that’ll probably happen on its own, like destroying a certain number of enemies in a set time, to more obtuse goals like hunting down special hidden crates or using a specific weapon exclusively during a certain encounter.
When playing in co-op, either player can accomplish these goals, so if you’re good at coordinating, you can delegate responsibilities, having your partner handle one job while you handle another. You just have to stay in close proximity while you work, or else your heads will explode.
2 Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Lotta Marvel Today
I wasn’t kidding when I said the PS2 was jam-packed with Marvel stuff, both original and tie-in. While some of it varied a bit in quality, there is one particular original Marvel game that was well-received in its time and is still fondly remembered both on its own merits and as a facilitator of co-op shenanigans: Marvel Ultimate Alliance.
This dimension-spanning journey sees a variety of Marvel heroes, and a few villains, working together to foil the machinations of Dr. Doom and all the other baddies he’s recruited. It’s the same kind of action-RPG as X-Men Legends II, with the same four-player co-op format and leveling structure, but with a larger and more diverse roster. This game was actually my first exposure to Deadpool as a character, which was a surprisingly formative experience.
As with X-Men Legends II, Ultimate Alliance has hidden sidequests and collectibles scattered here and there, though they tie a little more into the main story. Searching maps thoroughly can reveal important characters, and completing their sidequests can actually affect which ending you ultimately get. There are also collectible comic books again, as well as unlockable simulated missions focusing on one specific character.
1 Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
A Lite RPG Experience on the Couch
When it comes to open-ended games with a lot of exploration potential, you certainly couldn’t go wrong with the Baldur’s Gate series. However, the mainline games are perhaps a little too open-ended for consoles, and especially a console like the PS2, which is presumably why the series received a more streamlined spin-off for couch co-op players to enjoy: Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.
Dark Alliance, while still an RPG, is more of a linear action-centric experience, putting a greater emphasis on direct hack and slash combat and maze navigation a la Gauntlet rather than in-depth role-playing or min-maxing. Obviously, this means you won’t find the surplus of side content here that you would in the mainline games, but there’s still plenty of reason to explore.
At designated points throughout each story arc, you can encounter NPCs that will offer up side quests that must be completed in a timely manner. Also, by searching levels thoroughly, you can find a surprisingly wide array of collectibles, including tablets, paintings, and tomes, each of which contain a little nugget of lore about the Dark Alliance setting. It’s a fun way to learn more about this particular D&D module without having to roll up a character sheet.
10 Best PS2 Co-op Games, Ranked
Nothing beats retro classics with a friend.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
