Top 5 Best Multiplayer Games of Q4 2017

Call of Duty: WW2

Top 5 Best Multiplayer Games of Q4 2017

Multiplayer functionality is a hallmark of today’s gaming landscape. With the medium seemingly growing more and more popular every year, it’s no surprise that playing with others online is something to be expected in this day and age. Humans intrinsically have a need to socialize in some way, and connecting with others across large physical barriers serves as a means to satiate this innate desire. Keeping this in mind, games today can also provide a way of interacting with people in your immediate vicinity through co-op play, allowing you and a friend the chance to resurrect old rivalries or start new ones entirely. Indeed, it’s not hyperbole to state that a lot of the magic in gaming comes from how the medium brings people together. Through friendly competition and thoughtful cooperative play, multiplayer modes help us forge lasting relationships in the long run.

The following is a list of titles released in the last quarter of the year that bring out the best in us in terms of multiplayer play. Keep in mind that all the titles mentioned here include online multiplayer, co-op, or both options as a means of immersing more than one player into their worlds.

The Call of Duty franchise’s return to its roots paid off well in this year’s iteration, appropriately titled CoD: WW2. As is usually the case, multiplayer is a huge focus here as the game allows you to team up with a friend locally and engage in online matches with other players, the likes of which will either be the Allies or Axis forces. WW2 also includes two new modes, the first of which is called Divisions and gives players the option to choose between five categories of training to gain specific skills to use in combat, the second of which is called War and pits teams of six against each other so that they can take part in narrative missions set against iconic WW2 battles like storming the beach on D-Day.

Nazi Zombies makes a welcome return as well, featuring some of the best zombie horde annihilation weaponry that gaming has to offer today. Should you and a friend be seasoned veterans of the mode and are ready for something a bit more challenging, WW2 includes a hardcore path that is sure to test your corpse-slaying skills.

Super Mario Odyssey

Top 5 Best Multiplayer Games of Q4 2017

You may be surprised to see Super Mario Odyssey on a list of multiplayer titles, though it should be known that the modern-day Nintendo Switch classic includes one of the best co-op modes of 2017. One player assumes the role of the titular plumber while the other takes possession (pun intended) of Cappy, the Italian man’s newest companion. Both players can work together to fight and capture enemies as one would if you were playing by yourself, though there’s more fun to had than just that.

Splitting up the gameplay between the two protagonists allows the player controlling Cappy the ability to fly in just about every direction within Mario’s radius. Should there be a hard-to-reach platform a ways off, Cappy can set the perfect means for Mario to jump across. He can also uncover coins hidden underground or within tall grass. There’s a lot more precision to be had in Cappy’s control scheme when the cap is being played by a person rather than the AI too, allowing Mario to get past difficult enemies he wouldn’t normally be able to defeat alone. All in all, having another pair of eyes along for the ride is huge plus, seeing as how Odyssey has so many secrets to find that it’s almost criminal.

Star Wars Battlefront II

Top 5 Best Multiplayer Games of Q4 2017

You may have heard about all the controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II recently. Rest assured knowing that a lot of what caused the stir was due to the inclusion of in-game transactions and that most of that has been quelled by publisher EA for now. Though the game still isn’t the definition of perfection, its robust multiplayer offerings are features that can’t be overlooked.

Galactic Assault is a pretty standard affair that pits two teams of 20 against one another against classic Star Wars set pieces, though the real star of the show is Starfighter Assault, a mode that puts players in the shoes of a space pilot and has you face off against 32 enemies, 20 of whom are controlled via AI. Aside from the revamped vehicular control scheme the game now features, Starfighter Assault’s main draw comes from how thrilling it is to witness ships clash in space with one another and how playing makes you feel as if you’re taking part in an actual Star Wars movie.

Co-op in Star Wars Battlefront II has you and a buddy face off against waves of incoming enemies and allows you both the ability to customize matches as you see fit. Should you each want to brush up on your skills before heading into multiplayer, the game’s co-op mode allows you a full range of classes to choose from and experiment with in battle.

Gran Turismo Sport

Top 5 Best Multiplayer Games of Q4 2017

The sleek-looking PS4 exclusive racing title Gran Turismo Sport has some neat multiplayer functionality behind all those good looks. Almost all races found in the game can be played with other racers online, meaning you can edit liveries, purchase cars, check out your garage, and improve your vehicle’s performance all in real-time for instant implementation in the next competition you’re in. If you’re up for a real challenge or consider yourself an Gran Turismo verteran, Sport features the FIA Gran Turismo Online Championships and allows players the chance to win serious props from fans twice a year during the Manufacturers Cup and the Nations Cup.

While you’re having fun tearing up the tracks with others online or via Arcade mode with a friend, the game tracks your in-game progress and uses it towards getting you an actual racing license with FIA. Indeed, should you and a friend both have impressive driving skills and track etiquette, you could find yourselves behind the wheels of an actual racecar one day.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Top 5 Best Multiplayer Games of Q4 2017

It’s not hard to realize why so many have flocked in droves to play PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and now that it’s out of Steam’s Early Access program and available for eager players to experience on Xbox One, that popularity only looks like it’ll be going up from here. If you’re not familiar with the gaming phenomenon, Battlegrounds has a large group of 100 players parachute into what seems to be a dystopian wasteland in an effort to find out which man or woman will be the last standing. Resources are scattered throughout the region and a electromagnetic force field closes in on the game’s area of play, mounting every player’s tension the closer enemies are obligated to come together.

It’s a premise that makes for a thrilling experience that’s only amplified more by cooperating with a group of friends on PC to win that coveted chicken dinner. As maddening as it may be to continuously die at the hands of a stranger, Battlegrounds rewards your patience by allowing you to learn and get better the more familiar you are with its mechanics. The exciting outcome outweighs the price of entry, and being crowned victorious among a group of 100 is no easy feat to come by.