Monster Hunter: World
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
Monster Hunter kicked off 2018 with a colossal bang. The series returned to home consoles and offered up a rich and gorgeous world filled with wonderfully designed monsters and wildlife. And while the game is a blast to play on your own, the real fun begins when you team up with a group of friends online. Monster Hunter has always been a fantastic multiplayer experience but the added scale which World brings to the table makes for the most epic yet.
The game was praised by critics (including us) for its impressive depth and for being an enjoyable jumping-on point for newcomers to the series. There are a variety of multiplayer options in the game, from SOS flares to swappable guild cards. All of these individual systems culminate in the feeling of a truly shared world where help is always mere minutes away.
Capcom seems set on continuing support for the game, outlining plans to add new monsters periodically for the foreseeable future. Even if you never get to the post-launch content, there’s literally hundreds of hours of multiplayer fun to be had, whether you’re a series veteran or a complete novice.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
There’s so much you can say about Dragon Ball FighterZ but honestly, you get so much more by just looking at the thing in action. Somehow, presumably through some form of black magic, the development team behind the game has managed to recreate the anime almost perfectly. It’s not only the aesthetics that stand out though as Dragon Ball FighterZ is also an impressively competent fighting game, one which values moments of bombastic action over all else.
Like most great fighting games, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a lot more fun with friends. You can recreate your favorite battles from the show with impossible accuracy, making it great for fans of the show. It also thrives as being a relatively simple fighting game for casual players to grasp, and the action-packed visuals appeal regardless of whether you’re a seasoned anime fan or not.
The amount of love that oozes from every frame of the game is enough of a reason to give it a shot, if only to see just how good a fighting game can look. Check out our review here.
Far Cry 5
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
Far Cry 5 takes the series to the shores of the United States, tossing the player into a mountainous region controlled by volatile cultists and filled with dangerous wildlife. The game is a great single-player experience which blends open-world adventure with tight first-person shooting mechanics. It can also be played in its entirety in co-op multiplayer. This offers up a hefty chunk of multiplayer goodness for those willing to brave the brutal region of Hope County, one which is equal parts hilarious and action-packed.
As well as the cooperative play, there’s also a PvP component, allowing players to face off in maps created both by Ubisoft and other players. The newly updated Arcade Mode allows you and a friend to jump into an endless supply of user-created maps ranging from loving recreations of beloved franchises, to chaotic parody maps featuring hundreds of yetis and molotov cocktails.
This Arcade Mode in particular gives the game real legs in terms of new content, making Far Cry 5 one of the more meaty co-op multiplayer experiences you can have so far this year. You can see what we thought of Far Cry 5 here.
Sea of Thieves
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
After a long wait, Sea of Thieves finally set sail in March of 2018, bringing with it a charming and most importantly fun multiplayer experience. An Xbox One and PC exclusive, Sea of Thieves is available as part of Xbox Game Pass, meaning that there is a large player base already. Players can team up with a group of friends to embark on pirate adventures which range from tactical treasure hunts to ludicrous moments of silliness.
Sea of Thieves is built, from the ground up, to be played with friends with everything from sailing a ship to reading a map being a lot easier with multiple people. The game is still full of secrets to uncover, and is set to keep receiving content regularly for the time being. Every session is a memorable one, designed to offer those moments which you’ll later discuss around the watercooler with your friends.
There’s a Kraken to kill, skeletons to ambush and your reputation to grow, making Sea of Thieves a great multiplayer game to have on your radar. It’s a little light on content for now, but is likely to improve over time, read our review here.
A Way Out
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
One of the most pleasant surprises of 2018 so far is A Way Out, the co-op only adventure game developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts under their EA Originals program. The game is designed to be played by two people, with each one controlling one of the two protagonists. A dynamic split-screen mechanic allows both players to see to their own objectives while still performing action in synchronicity, something which makes the act of breaking out of prison even more cinematic.
A Way Out’s story ducks and weaves between Hollywood prison break movie cliches and more grounded, story-driven elements. There are mini-games peppered throughout, emphasizing the multiplayer design mantra of the game. You can play locally or via online multiplayer, with only one copy of the game needed for both to play the game.
A Way Out is a unique experience which offers up a cinematic and genuinely heartfelt story of two friends caught up in a web of their own doing. Be sure to check out our review for A Way Out here.
MLB The Show 18
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
It’s pretty remarkable that the MLB The Show series manages to consistently improve upon the last installment, especially when you factor in that there is essentially zero competition. This year’s entry brings with it refinements to the Road to the Show campaign mode while still offering a solid multiplayer experience in online play.
The visuals this time around are honestly pretty stunning, with an emphasis on uniforms made of different textures and an overall upgrade of the animations as a whole. The game boasts the Diamond Dynasty Mode which allows players to build sets of cards and go head-to-head online. There’s also a draft-based multiplayer ladder to contend with too, meaning there are plenty of ways to show your prowess against other players.
MLB The Show 18 is a solid, highly-polished sporting experience which as good as it gets in terms of baseball games. Incremental improvements from the previous year make it one of the most accessible in recent years, one which is great fun to play against others. Check out our review here.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
The sequel to the critically acclaimed Vermintide, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 tasks teams of players with going toe to toe with the forces of evil. Think Left 4 Dead meets Tolkien, with a focus on hard-hitting melee action.
There are five heroes to choose from, with 15 different career paths ranging from foot soldiers and witch hunters, to ranged bowman and wizards. There’s a lot of different play styles to try out, making each team completely unique. The four-player online co-op tasks players with surviving an onslaught of enemies, all the while collecting tomes and grimoires, which improve the rewards at the end of the level.
It’s the type of game which allows players to specialize into a particular role and eventually become an invaluable part of a team. If Warhammer is your bag, you’ll get a lot out of the lore and characters but even if you’re not, you’ll have a great time with the combat regardless.
Attack on Titan 2
Best Multiplayer Games of Q1 2018
Attack on Titan 2 drops players directly into the second season, presenting a deep RPG in which players kill the titular Titans to earn new loot, level up, and build relationships with different characters from the series. There are new and updated mechanics this time around, including stealth options, new avenues of taking enemies down, and an overall deeper experience.
Attack on Titan 2’s story mode is entirely playable in co-op, allowing two friends to work together to bring down the towering beasts. It’s thrilling stuff, confirming just how well the TV series translates to a video game setting. There’s also the PvP Annihilation Mode which pits two teams of players against each other in a race to bring down as many Titans as possible.
Attack on Titan 2 is as close as fans of the anime are going to get to being part of the Survey Corps’ Special Operations Squad, managing to stay true to the show while also introducing enough depth to allow it to stand on its own to feet. Head here to read our review.
About the author
