Question Of The Month Reader Responses: Issue #221

by Jeff Marchiafava on Aug 09, 2011 at 10:25 AM

A few months ago we asked our readers whether they prefer competitive or co-op multiplayer. The latest issue of Game Informer contains some of the reasons why our readers enjoy gaming with or against their friends, but that wasn't the end of the debate. Here are some more letters that make good cases for both sides of the argument.

The Value Of Versus:

While the question of competitive multiplayer or co-op is a very tough one to answer, my preference ultimately came down to the replay value for each. Even though the success and popularity of the co-op features in games such as Portal 2, Modern Warfare 2 (Spec Ops), Black Ops (Zombie Mode), and Halo: Reach (Firefight Mode) are renowned throughout the gaming community, the replay value for each of them grew stale quickly without DLC. Competitive multiplayer simply does not have this problem largely because it is filled with people playing against other people; it constantly stays fresh with every new competitor. It gives the player a stronger sense of immersion (and superiority when winning) when the other side can think for themselves. This gets people to come back for more.

Chris Arndt
While I truly love co-op, I would have to go with competitive multiplayer as my answer. I think that franchises like CoD, Halo, and Gears have had some good co-op, but it's nothing compared to the golden formula they have in their competitive multiplayer offerings. I think that if a developer was to put as much focus into their co-op as they did their competitive, they would be able to make something amazing. This is one of the many reasons I'm excited for Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. I hope that they can remake the formula for co-op and make it better than competitive. Until then, my loyalties lie with akimbo magnums in MW2.

Kai Menton
I would say I have to prefer competitive multiplayer over co-op. I mean, when you choose co-op, you have to first find a friend who wants to actually play the missions and not mess around. When I played Halo 3's co-op, all people did was kill each other and mess around. It was stupid. Then even when you're playing co-op, you only have the campaign to choose from. With competitive multiplayer, you get to play with folks from around the world and the experience is always different. You can also play with your friend(s) in objective-based competitive modes, so it's kind of like co-op. To me, co-op gets stale, and competitive multiplayer doesn't; it's as simple as that.

Matt Anderson
Personally, I prefer competitive multiplayer to co-op. I've always been in a kind of neighborhood where you don't really play the story mode together, you just hang out and play competitively. Competitive multiplayer is much longer lasting than co-op, especially in cases like Super Smash Bros. and Goldeneye 007, and it's just more fun for me. Co-op is more for the story mode, which is something I see as an experience that can be perfectly fine without another person.

Dave Dashiell

Why Can't We Be Friends?:

I prefer co-op, personally. I find that it's easier to make friends and have a better time if you're not trying to kill the other player in some way. The co-op sort of builds a necessary friendship. Take the Portal 2 co-op for example. Once I found a good co-op buddy, we became friends quickly. We took turns doing dangerous stunts. We shared all our thoughts about solving puzzles, not just the good ones. It was just generally a better experience than if we were just killing each other.

Nathan Ferguson
I much prefer co-op because my cousin kicks the crap out of me in competitive multiplayer. I mean seriously, every time I turn around, BOOM HEADSHOT! We play mostly first-person shooters together and let's just say that I'm not the best shot or the most aware person in the world. Besides, I think it's much more fun to experience the story together. It's also easier to not die in games like Halo and CoD when you have someone watching your back.

Chelsee Couch
I think I prefer co-op to versus. In co-op, you can still be competitive, you're just striving to be the better player, like in Borderlands, or old co-op RPGs like the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series. My friends and I would all try to level up faster than each other, and because of that we got better at the game much faster, and didn't feel the kind of resentment that can come from versus modes.

Lev Heller
While I play a lot more multiplayer, I feel co-op has a stronger experience. I spent hours upon hours playing Halo 3 in matchmaking, but when someone mentions the game, my first thought is me and three buddies in Warthogs, flying through the air, surrounded by explosions on the final campaign mission. Nothing beats just goofing off with some buddies, and maybe the fact that most co-op is done with a friend you know has something to do with it. By the way, I believe I send you guys a nasty letter when I was like...10. I don't remember why, but sorry about that.

Sam
Although I know everyone's going to say multiplayer, I've always loved co-op. You can play with your friends, even if they're not in the same room. You can just have fun and mess around. You can't do that with competitive multiplayer. Co-op also let's you kick butt without you getting you're butt kicked the next second.

Nick Culver

Not So Friendly:

I prefer competitive multiplayer over co-op. One reason is that I love beating all my friends at games such as Halo and CoD. I also think it is more fun shooting my friends down, and I think that co-op makes the campaign too easy.

Taze Engels

No Time For Being Humble:

Competitive multiplayer by far. Co-op schmo-op. When I read co-op on the back of a game case, what I see is a total waste of programming space. Why would I want to team up with friends to beat a campaign I easily handled on its super hardcore veteran superior mode while playing solo? The AI doesn't get any smarter, the stage scenarios and set ups do not change. Co-op needs to go the way of split-screen multiplayer, as a nostalgic nod to gaming history.

Jon Husson
I prefer competitive multiplayer over co-op any day. The reason is simple: When it comes to gaming, I'm selfish and want all the glory. Why would I team up with another gamer to split the credit when I can independently claim the victory? Not saying I don't enjoy co-op options on games like Madden, but they really don't intrigue me like 1-on-1, my skill vs. your skill kind of play.

Greg Bowen
Co-op or competitive muliplayer? I prefer competitive multiplayer. Even though I'm a girl, I like pwning some noobs! Going up against real people instead of AI characters -- you can't beat it.

Jodi Peden
I would rather play a game with competitive multiplayer than one with co-op. Even though you can work with someone in co-op mode, you really need to be aware of how good the person you're working with is. If they're worse than you, they could just fumble the whole time and get in your way. If you play with someone better, they could just feel they should take over and they view you as someone in the way. The only way go really get along is to partner up with someone with the same experience, which in my case is rare. But no matter what, no growth occurs. In competitive multiplayer, growth is constantly occurring. If I find a noob and school him, he has a chance to learn and get better. If I get confronted by a master, I'll get schooled and grow. Even if I'm up against people of the same level, someone has to come out on top and someone else has to learn from their mistakes. You see, getting better at playing the game is the most important thing in multiplayer, so it seems competitive multiplayer is the best.

Ian Flowers

Significant Others:

Multiplayer co-op is preferable to competitive matches for me because I can play games with my girlfriend who is only a casual gamer. Some sick b------s out there might take pleasure in shooting his girlfriend in the face 500 times when she doesn't have a fighting chance, but personally I would rather be able to work towards a goal together so we can both have fun. Of course with more and more games having only online co-op, my girlfriend is apparently going to be forced to buy her own console and not come over just so she can play a game with me.

Tim Malone
Competitive multiplayer is great, but co-op is better. With some pressure taken off of individual skill, co-op modes are accessible to more players, and you can spend less time worrying about winning and more time just playing. Even people who aren’t regular gamers can get into co-op modes. My wife started gaming with co-op campaigns on Halo. Now she does successfully play competitive multiplayer, but we always end up going back to co-op.

Sam Trost

Having Your Cake:

The pride, shame, and thrills that come from competitive gameplay cannot be matched by co-op. It’s also worth pointing out that unless playing deathmatch, competitive online play always has cooperative components, especially when it comes to clan battles. Though I play both types play frequently, my fondest memories come from competitive multiplayer.

David Good

A Trust Excercise:

I am a very competitive gamer, and have been known to lash out at my friends whenever my losing streak gets too long. While it isn't as big a problem today as it was in my teenage years, I still feel more comfortable playing with my friends, rather than against them. There's a sense of camaraderie amongst my circle of gaming friends that I wouldn't normally have playing against them. In a way, I view co-op gaming as a significant trust exercise.

Bryan Campbell

Despising The Competition:

Co-op, because I am 32, and while I would do circles around these kids in Super Mario World or Street Fighter II Turbo, those days are gone and 15-year-olds mop the floor with me at Black Ops...I would rather have them on my team.

Olaf Carlsen
Co-op and mostly local co-op. Why? 12-year-olds and immature d-bags get annoying after five minutes

Tatjana Vejnovic

So which do you prefer? The thrill of head-to-head fights? Or the camaraderie of working together towards a shared goal? Explain your pick in the comments below!