Co-Op Critics

June 11, 2019 In Opinion, Uncategorized

E3 2019: My Highlight from the Bethesda Presser–Fallout 76 Wastelanders

Bethesda’s presser was about what I expected going in, as they announced ahead of time there would be no Elder Scrolls 6 or Starfinder news to be had. I was interested in how they were going to talk about Fallout 76 though, and I came away pretty excited about what the game has in store for players. It sounds like Fallout 76 is starting to become the game we all hoped it wold have been at launch. Because Wastelanders brings back NPCs.

I’ve played since the game launched (though I fell off a bit lately), and both Nick and I have enjoyed it. But he addition of NPCs, and a Battle Royale mode, are welcome additions. I’m hoping Fallout 76 can rebound from a poor launch like Elder Scrolls Online did and really build a strong player base.

February 28, 2019 In News

Games We’re Excited About: March 2019

It already March! Where has the time gone? That question is for another blog to ponder, but right here, right now, we want to talk about video games. Specifically, the video games that are releasing this month. More specifically, the three games that we are most excited about for March 2019:

The Division 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – March 15
Both Nick and I poured quite a few hours into The Division when it came out three years ago. But as much as we loved the co-op campaign, we did not get into the Dark Zone multiplayer. It sounds like Ubisoft has made a lot of improvements to the multiplayer experience, and with the new setting of D.C., we are fired up to jump into this new installment.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – March 22
I am a From Software Games junkie. Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne–love them all. And I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I first learned that From’s new game wasn’t Bloodborne 2 or a new Souls game. But that passed quickly when I took one look at the game. Sekiro shares plenty of DNA with those other games, but looks be offering even more dynamic combat than any From game before it.

Yoshi’s Crafted World (Switch) – March 29
Nintendo is absolutely killing it with the Switch. And while it’s awesome that we have new Mario and Zelda games, I’m actually excited to dig into some of the secondary franchises on the new console, like the adorable Yoshi. And Yoshi has never been more adorable than he is in this new, paper craft-themed platformer.

Those are the games we’re excited about here at Co-Op Critics for the month of March. What’s on your list of “must buys” for this month’s games?

March 1, 2018 In Opinion

Games We’re Excited About: March 2018

March is pretty packed month for game releases, with a great mix of sequels, new exclusives and long-awaited remasters. Here’s what we’re looking forward to this month:

Kirby Star Allies (Switch) – March 16
Who doesn’t love Kirby?! No seriously, this game is actually about Kirby turning enemies into allies. I feel like Kirby is one of the most underrated franchises of all time, and I am stoked he’s coming to the Switch this month.

Burnout Paradise Remastered (PS4, Xbox One) – March 16
Easily my favorite racing game of the modern console era, Burnout paradise is back this month! Not only does the game look amazing, but its fantastic soundtrack is completely intact for this updated version.

Sea of Thieves (Xbox One, PC) – March 20
Rare’s multiplayer pirate adventure finally arrives this month, and I can’t wait to roucnd up the Co-Op crew and hit the high seas. I am also super tempted to get that exclusive Sea of Thieves Xbox One controller, as it is flat-out gorgeous.

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4, PC) – March 23
I had Ni No Kuni for the PS3 and put around 20 hours or so into it before falling off. The sequel looks great, and I haven’t sunk my teeth into a good JRPG in a while, so I’m hoping this one really hooks me.

Far Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – March 27
Gotta be honest–I’m not the biggest Far cry fan. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is by far the most fun I’ve had with the franchise, but I’ve been following the development of Far Cry 5 with interest. This isn’t a day one purchase for me, but I’ll be p[aying cliose attention to how it’s being received, and I’m thinking it might be a summer game for me.

MLB The Show 18 (PS4) – March 27
While MLB’s RBI Baseball gets incrementally better each year, it’s not even in the same ballpark (see what I did there) as The Show. Sony’s exclusive franchise continues to set the bar, and this year’s entry will be no different. And since my San Diego Padres are looking like they’ll be competitive this year, I’m even more excited to get my hand on this one.

That’s our list for March–what games are you excited about?

January 10, 2018 In Video

Season 2 Is Here–Co-Op Plays 7 Days to Die!

Welcome to Season 2 of our Let’s Play 7 Days to Die series. Nick and Brian spawn into a new world miles apart! Will they finally be reunited?

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE: http://goo.gl/FNypmf

About 7 Days to Die:
7 Days to Die is a survival horror video game set in an open world developed by The Fun Pimps. It was released through Early Access on Steam for Microsoft Windows and OS X on December 13, 2013. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in June 2016 through Telltale Publishing.

September 29, 2017 In Opinion

Games We’re Excited About: October 2017

October is just about here and were are all-in on the major games release season. This month is packed with releases, from highly-anticipated sequels to new entries featuring beloved characters. Here are the games we’re excited about for October:

Battle Chasers: Nightwar (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – October 3
Joe Madureira’s fan-favorite comic series is now an action JRPG by developer Airship Syndicate. The combat is turn-based and the dungeons of the aracnepunk world are randomly generated, which should make for a lot of replayability.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – October 10

The Nemesis system returns in the sequel to the very well-received Shadow of Mordor. For this new tale of Middle Earth see the return of Talion and Celebrimbor, as they head into Mordor to turn Sauron’s own minions against him.

The Evil Within 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – October 13
Detective Sebastian Castellanos barely survived the nightmare of The Evil Within, and in this second installment, he has to work with the group that destroyed his life in order to save his daughter. If you missed the original game when it came out (as I did), you can watch my let’s play series on our YouTube channel.

Road Rage (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – October 24
A mere 26 years after the motorcycle brawler Road Rash cosumed many hours of my SEGA Geneis playtime, its spiritual successor arrives on console and PC. Road Rage is an open-world race and vehicle combat game where you can customize your character and bike and then take to the streets of a huge city that has been ravaged by crime.

Wolfenstein: The New Colossus (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – October 27
Maybe the most exciting reveal of E3 this past spring, The New Colossus looks like it’s definitely a game of the year contender. I haven’t even played the first Woflenstein yet, and I am dying to get my hands on this one.

Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) – October 27
Every single thing I’ve seen from this game looks amazing. The Switch has been building a fantastic library of games since it launched, and now we get a Mario game to sit alongside Zelda. I cannot even put into words how happy this makes me. Nintendo is back, and this looks like it could be one of the best Mario games of all time.

Man! What a month! These are just a handful of October’s releases, so let us know in the comments what you’re excited about, or hit us up on Tiwtter at twitter.com/coopcritics!

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August 16, 2017 In Opinion

Games We’re Excited About: September 2017

Summer is over, but the season of games is just getting started. As we get ready to turn the page on August and head into the first big release month of the fall, we’ve got our first megaton release of the season in Destiny 2, as well as Metroid and the long-anticipated release of Cuphead. Without further ado:

Pokkén Tournament Deluxe (Switch) – September 22
I’ll be honest, I’m not even really that into Pokemon, but I am so in love with the Nintendo Switch, that the idea of a Pokemon fighting game on the Switch definitely interests me. The game features over 20 fighters, and the controls will be simple enough that you can play on an individual Joy-Con, so it seems like this could be a fantastic multiplayer game for the Switch.

Destiny 2 (PS4, Xbox One)–September 6

I played the heck out of the original Destiny when it first came out, but by the time the second expansion came along, I had completely lost interest. The story was so fragmented and thin that I didn’t care, and as soon as I fell behind my friends in levels, the group aspect of the game was gone for me. That said, Destiny 2 provides me a clean slate and a new chance to recapture that co-op magic with my friends, so I am definitely in.

Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)–September 15
This was one of the biggest announcements of E3 in my humble opinion, and it may well be one the last great 3DS games we get. Not just a remaster of the 1991 Game Boy classic, Samus Returns features updated maps, gear and abilities, as well as additional content that can be unlocked with Amiibos. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t rather have it on the switch, though.

Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – September 19
Despite the lack of X-Men characters, I still think MvC: I is looking good. As expected, the Marvel side of the roster is pretty much all MCU characters, from mainstays like Iron Man to newcomers like Captain Marvel. Of the MArvel characters revealed so far, I’m most excited about captain Marvel and Spider-Man (I really was hoping for Shuma-Gorath, though). On the Capcom side, I’m all about Arthur, Haggar and Frank West. I recently bought a fight stick for my PS4, so that’s where I’ll be picking this one up.

Cuphead (Xbox One, PC)– September 29
I will believe it when I see it, but Cuphead is fianlly set to release this month. When this 1930s cartoon-inspired shoot ’em up first showed up on the scene at E3 2014, I was immediately sold. And then it fell into the abyss for the apst few years. But it seems like we will finally, finally get our hands on this game this month. Can it even come close to living up to the hype? We’ll see.

Those are the games we’re most excited about for the month of September. What’s on your list of “must-have” games?

March 21, 2017 In Opinion

Games We’re Excited About: April 2017

March was a huge month for games and games hardware, with the launch of the Switch and the arrival of tentpole releases like Zelda, Horizon and Mass Effect. And while April can’t possibly live up to last month, there are some great games in the queue, including some updated ports and one of the year’s biggest RPGs.

Persona 5 (PS4)–April 4
While I (Brian) did not play Persona 4, I have very fond memories of the over 100 hours I spent with Persona 3. Persona’s blend of story, combat and relationship management make it stand out from the rest of the pack. And Persona 5 looks super slick. The story for this latest installment takes place in Tokyo and involves students using their persona powers to travel to an alternate dimension here they must remove corruption from the hearts of adults.

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (PS4, Xbox One, PC)– April 7
When Bulletstorm came out in 2011, we had an absolute blast with its over the top action and low-brow humor. But it was the combat mechanics that made it great–a Scorpion-like energy leash that could pull enemies in for brutal kills, and a reward system that gave you points for creatively destroying enemies. It was like Gears of War on two pots of coffee. This remastered edition includes better visuals, new maps, DLC and gives players the ability to play as Duke Nukem. Bring it.

You can also hear Dan and Brian wax poetic about their love for Bulletstorm in an old episode of the Co-Op Critics podcast right here.

Stardew Valley: Collector’s Edition (PS4, Xbox One)–April 11
We’ve been playing Stardew Valley for a year now on PC, so we know what a treat console gamers are in for this month. This Harvest Moon-inspired gem has you managing a farm you inherited from your grandfather. Farming, fishing, crafting, cooking, fighting monsters and managing relationships are all part of what makes Stardew Valley so great. The soundtrack is amazing, too.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – April 28
Mario Kart 8 was already amazing on the WiiU, and now it’s coming to Nintendo’s new console with a bevy of extra stuff. All the DLC from the WiiU version, new tracks, new tracks, new vehicles and more. Zelda may have carried the launch of the Switch, but Mario Kart 8 will keep people playing through the summer.

Those are the games we’re excited about for April. What’s on your “to buy” list? Let us know in the comments!

December 31, 2016 In Video

The Forest: Between a Rock and A Cannibal

In this Co-Op episode of The Forest, Nick and Brian venture further from home and spend the night with some cannibals!

If you enjoy this series, please leave a LIKE or comment on the video. Don’t forget to subscribe!

October 14, 2016 In Podcast

Co-Op Critics Podcast–No Man’s Sky

In the latest episode of the Co-Op Critics podcast, we discuss our game of the month, No Man’s Sky, look at some of October’s releases, and talk about what we’ve been playing over the summer.

You can listen to the episode right here in the player above, or check us out on iTunes and Spreaker. You can also listen to back episodes on our podcast page. And don’t forget to check out the YouTube page for videos and discussion on all of the games we’re playing!

July 28, 2016 In Podcast

Co-Op Critics Podcast–Overwatch

In the latest episode of the Co-Op Critics podcast, Brian and Nick discuss our game of the month, Overwatch, look at some of August’s releases, and talk about what else they’re playing for the rest of the summer.

You can listen to the episode right here in the player above, or check us out on iTunes and Spreaker. You can also listen to back episodes on our podcast page. We’ll be catching up on a bunch of games over the remainder of the summer, so check out the YouTube page for all kids of videos and discussion.