What does getting together with friends to play vids look like for you? Online with Discord pulled up? In the same lobby of a shared title? Playing different games while you chat? Whatever it is, I hope you also have opportunities to get together in real life for a tournament or some couch co-op. For me lately, I’ve felt a truly satisfying old school vibe with my daughter as we tackle Spider-Man 2 together on a single playthrough.
As a couple of webheads, both she and I were aghast that our friendly neighborhood Spider-Mans were getting double-billed (which was fantastic news!), but that the game would still be strictly one-player. We thought for sure the only thing we’d have to argue about was who got to be Miles. No offense, Pete.
I mean, come on! The game’s tagline is even “Be greater. Together” for crying out loud. But to be fair, here we are, a year and change later, just devouring the game by passing the controller. Call it couch collab instead of couch co-op.
As to what we bring to the table, I’ll admit I struggle to keep Spidey’s combat prowess looking as fluid as it should. When I’m in control, he can be more of an old man trying to decide which line at the DMV he belongs in. On the other hand, under my daughter’s control Peter and Miles are breakdancers with ham-sized fists of diamond. Skill aside, she has a tendency to fly through menus and traversal, forgetting to stop and smell the Tech Parts or take a moment to geek out on the details that make a new Spider-Suit drip. As a duo, we are greater than the sum of our parts, just like the game’s co-leads.
While all of the time we’ve spent so far has been fun, one moment in particular had me realize how great couch collab can be: At one point in the game, during a night out with friends on Coney Island, Miles takes a spin in a new AR attraction, created by none other than the reformed Mysterio, called The Mysterium. Of course things go awry and Mysterio’s entire network of rides in-beta begin to swallow their players permanently into VR purgatory. Leading to a great chance for my daughter’s and my strengths to play off each other.
The challenges posed at each Mysterium consist of a time limit and a restriction. Say for instance, you have to eliminate 10 enemies by knocking them out of bounds in 50 seconds. The worst one for us – well, me, anyway – tasked us with using finishing moves on 6 enemies while a one-hit-kill laser sweeps the arena in the second half. Spider-Man has to perform well in combat in order to earn a finishing move prompt, but the meter that fills is the same you need to tap into if you have to heal.
So, after getting bodied three times in a row, I passed to my daughter who, though she is the better player, didn’t like her odds either. But as soon as I was able to take in the bigger picture while she weaved violently and gracefully between brutes, I realized that we could bank finishing prompts and burn them all as soon as the death laser entered the chat. Between that and my girl’s ridiculous hand-eye coordination, we snagged a gold time on her first swing.
The resulting fist bump was on par or better than any winning “true” co-op moment or successful team strat I’ve been a part of. It almost makes me glad we can’t team up as separate Spider-Mans. Well, maybe not. If they ever add co-op down the line, I’ll gladly let her have Miles. Peter is tailor made for embarrassing dads, anyway.
Do you still play single player games with friends? If not couch collab, what’s your ideal co-op situation? Tell us about it down in the comments or over at the Boss Rush Discord.
Featured Image: SIE
The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord.
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