It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best co-op games from 2017. Voted on by our editors, these games, in particular, stood out as the best experiences to enjoy with friends this year. Let’s start our top vote-getting honorable mentions, runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner!
Honorable Mention: Divinity Original Sin 2
The Best Co-op Games of 2017
Divinity Original Sin 2 is every D&D video game fan’s wet dream. Aside from it being just an all-time great single-player RPG experience that should be played by anyone regardless of their affinity toward D&D, Divinity Original Sin 2 manages to also be an incredible co-op sandbox experience as well.
With Game Master mode, a GM can create their own scenarios, quests, and even world for their friends to play through. It’s ridiculously ambitious and honestly, I don’t know how Larian Studios found time to create and fine-tune this impressive tool while also making a kick-ass RPG to go with it. Plus, let’s not forget that you can just play the main campaign with a friend too in case the Game Master mode is too much work for you.
Admittedly the complexity of Divinity Original Sin 2’s co-op limits its audience, but that said, it’s still worthy of recognition and those that are willing to leverage what the game can do are in for a treat.
Second Runner-Up: Snipperclips
The Best Co-op Games of 2017
Snipperclips has a ridiculous name and looks like it’s ready for a children’s playroom in a pediatric clinic. The reality, though, is that it’s one of the greatest puzzle co-op games this year that can capture the hearts of the people in your life that don’t even play video games.
The premise is simple; you’re pieces of paper that can somehow cut each other and wrench in pain or happiness whenever it happens. It’s sick. But it’s hiding behind an adorable facade, so it’s fine.
You and your friends will work together (or against one another) to make the perfect shapes that will help you both progress through different puzzles. Or, you know, you can just cause them to lose their absolute minds and hinder any and all progress. It’s simple, it’s cute, and it has enough levels to make you and your loved ones feel like geniuses by the end. Also, there are mini-games where you play basketball or just go on a free-for-all battle royale against each other. It’s what ends up happening during the normal game, anyway, so might as well make an official competition out of it.
First Runner-Up: Call of Duty: WWII
The Best Co-op Games of 2017
Call of Duty: WW2 was one of the best competitive FPS games of the year, sure. But let’s not forget to revere it for its co-op efforts too. All of the different modes can be different games, straight up.
Zombies in and of itself is deep enough to have been included in some sort of DLC if they wanted to. You and three friends (or enemies, I don’t know your life) are dropped into a really messed up situation where nazi zombies are roaming around. It’s incredibly convoluted and complicated, as a game. However, you can also just forget all about progressing through the actual main objective and just focus on defeating wave after wave with your friends. Either which way you decide to tackle it, though, you’ll spend hours of fun working together with your friends.
Not only that, though, there’s also all of the different variety in CoD’s online multiplayer. The War game mode alone is so much fun and will surely improve your bonds with your friends. It’s also notable for being a fresh take on the usual Deathmatch or King of the Hill modes one typically sees in online multiplayer games. CoD has been the ultimate lone-wolf FPS over the years, but WWII makes strides to finally encouraging close teamwork.
While a co-op campaign would have put it over the top, it certainly brought it everywhere else.
Winner: Destiny 2
The Best Co-op Games of 2017
Destiny 2 launches early this fall, and while it still has some work to do, especially on the competitive side of things, its co-op experience is still among the best in the business.
Destiny 2’s raid on the Leviathan is an unmatched experience, especially in the realm of FPSs. More so than any other raid Bungie has put together to-date, Destiny 2’s first requires extreme levels of team coordination in each phase leading up to the final battle with Calus. Just one weak link in your fireteam and you could be in for hours of frustration. As a result, finally clearing the raid is among the most satisfying gameplay experiences this year.
Lump that in with Destiny 2’s standard co-op content, such as its Strikes, story/adventure content, and an improved focus on general exploration, and Destiny 2 is worthy of its title of the Best Co-op Game of 2017.
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