A Way Out
5 Best PS4 Co Op Games of Q1 2018
Joseph Farez’s off-the-wall personality certainly helped to fire up interest in A Way Out, but it caught the eye even before his theatrics at the Game Awards, and we’re happy to say the game has delivered on the promise of its potential. AAA co-op action games aren’t supposed to be a thing in 2018, but A Way Out has suddenly reminded us why we need more of them in our lives. This brilliant prison break tale is an absolute blast with a friend, and thanks to the awesome invite system, you don’t even need to both own a copy to enjoy it.
There’s a range of different gameplay to be enjoyed, from the puzzles of its main quest arc to a host of bizarre mini-games, such as wheelchair balancing and weightlifting. But arguably the most novel feature of A Way Out’s design is the way the action often unfolds in split-screen. Half the time, you’re observing two games in one, watching your partner execute their role in the master plan from a totally different area. It’s clever stuff, and though there’s the occasional dialogue overlap, it all works together really well.
A Way Out has set a co-op benchmark that will be difficult to better in 2018.
Far Cry 5
5 Best PS4 Co Op Games of Q1 2018
Ubisoft’s ever-popular Far Cry series made its return in March, and this time there was a big change in the sort of location we’re used to. America’s Big Sky Country of Montana gives this latest entry in the series a more local flavor, but the action was certainly no less explosive and crazy than we’ve got used to in our favorite Far Cry titles. Taking on John Seed’s maniacal cult and relieving Hope County from its oppressive clutches involves chaining enemies down with a mini-gun armed crop duster, popping off rifle shots while flying through the air on zip lines, and commanding one very loyal doggy companion to rip apart anyone left standing.
The best part? Far Cry 5’s campaign is now fully playable in co-op, rather than just being limited to outpost infiltration as it was in the fourth game. You can now team up with a friend to inflict some double damage on the latest of Far Cry’s demented dictators.
Metal Gear Survive
5 Best PS4 Co Op Games of Q1 2018
Konami received a great deal of flak for its spin-off title, Metal Gear Survive. Many fans of the series were outraged at what they considered a lack of respect for the lore of the series and the invention of a game that nobody really asked for. Metal Gear as a zombie survival game? It was certainly a strange choice of direction, but it actually works rather well as a co-op experience. In fact, it has some excellent ideas that are genuinely fun to play, especially in tandem with the game’s excellent Fox Engine.
While the campaign itself is disappointingly a single-player-only affair, the co-operative gameplay of its Salvage missions is quite entertaining. There has since been a new co-operative Rescue mission mode added, too, in which you’ll brave hordes of wanderers with a survivor in tow.
While there isn’t quite enough substance and narrative flair to Metal Gear Survive as a whole, there’s no denying that crafting items and killing zombies feels pretty great in the Fox Engine.
Monster Hunter: World
5 Best PS4 Co Op Games of Q1 2018
Without question, one of 2018’s big highlights so far, Monster Hunter: World is a co-operative experience that you simply have to play. The franchise has really exploded onto the home console scene with the grandest and most impressive realization of the longstanding series. Battling monsters of epic proportions for resources, crafting new gear and weapons, and then taking on even more challenging beasts is such an addictive gameplay loop. Particularly so, given that Monster Hunter: World is a total joy to play. There’s also a ton of nuance to its systems (sometimes, overwhelmingly so), which means there’s some serious content and replayability to enjoy as you master its many different weapon types and classes.
Monster Hunter: World can be played solo, but by far and away the best experience is with a friend or two. Teaming up and taking on the game’s hardest monsters is super satisfying when you’ve had to strategically co-ordinate your attacks together.
Attack on Titan 2
5 Best PS4 Co Op Games of Q1 2018
Attack on Titan is an anime series that was just crying out for a decent video game adaptation, and we’ve finally got one that’s worthy. Its cel-shaded aesthetic looks suitably anime and perfectly translates the action of the show from the television to PS4. Not to mention the gameplay does well to bring to life the awesome Titan-slaying action that defines the anime. Even if you’re not hugely up to speed with the franchise, though, the co-op experience here is so top notch that you’re still bound to have a good time.
Attack on Titan 2 is a game about scaling huge behemoth enemies and dashing around impressive cityscapes, so it works hard to make traversal feel super satisfying. Flying around, dashing from building to building is both entertaining and really helps to sell you on the scale of the game’s Titan enemies. Taking each one down involves a fair bit of coordination with your partner as you tie them up and slice them to pieces, so there’s depth to its aerial battles beyond just button mashing.
