Twin stick shooters are extremely intuitive. Players use one set of arrows to move and another to shoot. However, this format is also conducive to some extremely challenging video games. The mayhem the genre produces only gets better when another friend jumps into the fray.
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The games below all offer cooperative multiplayer in one way or another.It might make the games a little easier, but don’t expect these titles to be a cakewalk. They all involve tons of enemies coming at players and throwing everything they have at the protagonists almost all at once. Fortunately, even failure is more fun in co-op.
8Super Stardust HD
This space-fairing game not only plays smoothly and is beautiful, but it also wasone of the first downloadable games for the PlayStation 3.Early in the console’s life, it was still normal to play games exclusively on discs and Sony was behind Microsoft when it came to smaller titles bought on a digital marketplace.
The game saw numerous updates over the years, one of which finally brought cooperative play to the action. This sci-fi title differentiates itself from other space shooters likeAsteroidsby having players move around a larger celestial body. In this way, it is almost like a mix betweenAsteroidsandSuper Mario Galaxy.
7Smash TV
Midway made some of the finest twin stick shootersfor the arcades. Older gamers fondly remember the simple action ofRobotron 2084which is set against a blank backdrop. Even thoughSmash TVlooks incredibly different fromRobotron, the core gameplay is actually quite similar.
The aesthetic is more colorful and its cartoonish violence is oddly gleeful. It also has cooperative multiplayer for friends to join in. Fortunately, there are several versions available for home consoles, including in compilations of Midway arcade games, so one does not have to waste quarters to beat it.
6Alienation
Most of developer Housemarque’s games are based around giant and haphazard shooting galleries.Alienationdifferentiates itself from the likes ofSuper Stardust HDandResogunwith different classes for players to use.
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It also isn’t based around spaceships shooting and is instead about people on the ground defending themselves against mutants. The different classes who all support each other lend themselves to cooperative play nicely, adding a slightly asymmetrical angle to the action and teamwork.
5Enter The Gungeon
Enter The Gungeonis a roguelike.While this might seem like a new spin on the genre, one can argue it harkens back to the genre’s arcade beginnings. After all, games likeRobotrondidn’t have the luxury of saves and continues only happened if players inserted more money into the machine.
However,Enter the Gungeondoes develop as players go through multiple runs and there are upgrades and collectibles to be bought. The art is also extremely interesting. Cooperative play makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
4Total Carnage
Even though it does not share any narrative connections withSmash TV,Total Carnageis asequel to the twin stick shooter.Instead of a brutally violent tv game show, players are put into the shoes of elite soldiers tasked with taking down a brutal dictator.
A major technological upgrade of the spiritual sequel was the ability for the screen to scroll, unlikeSmash TV’sstatic screens that switched to a new square once players left it. This made the levels feel bigger and more varied. Another thing it has in common withSmash TVis the extreme violence, something publisher Midway was no stranger to.
3Geometry Wars
TheGeometry Warsseries has a fascinating history. It started its life as a minigame inProject Gotham Racing.The first standalone release was an early megahit for the Xbox Live Arcade. It was not untilGeometry Wars: Galaxieson the Nintendo Wii, however, that multiplayer support and cooperative play was introduced.
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Players can take on the levels with a friend where they can either share a score or compete for a high score. Future entries in the series would add some variation to the multiplayer formula, including a mode where one player controls the ship while the other is in charge of firing.
2Halo: Spartan Assault
Spin-offs have been known to take the action into an isometric perspective.Killzonedid this with the PSP gameKillzone: Liberation.Halo: Spartan Assaultputs the legendary first-person shooter into the twin stick shooter space. The game was released for mobile devices in addition to consoles and PC.
Fortunately, it controls well on any platform. The game was made around the time ofHalo 4’slaunch, and players earned experience for the game’s multiplayer mode while playingSpartan Assault. Players can go through the campaign missions with a friend and also take on a horde mode with unending waves of foes.
1Asteroids
It is hard to beat a classic. The originalAsteroidsholds up today with its simple vector graphics showing that sometimes simplicity adds longevity. However, the arcade game does not have a cooperative play option. If players want that, they will have to play thePlayStation adaptation from the 1990s.
This version retains most of the same gameplay but adds some new enemies and more advanced graphics. The cooperative mode puts two players on the same screen doing the same familiar asteroid-blasting action.
