Looking For A Perfect Co-op Game

 

I don’t know how to explain this well. I’ve never experienced a “perfect game.” I don’t know if some people have something they’d consider their perfect game or if there’s others like me that are always left wanting more. I feel like I have ideas for three perfect (for me) games, two of which I know I’ve talked about extensively, the third I’m not so sure. I’m of course talking about Waifu Division, a Diablo-like game that I actually enjoy (just saw a game called Corepunk, could be close to what I’m looking for) and the main topic of this post, a co-op turn based game.

Growing up I’ve never cared for the turned based Final Fantasy’s and the like but I’ve always played Pokemon. I think the first JRPG type I actually played for a bit was Hyperdimensional Neptunia and it was okay, I didn’t finish it but it was fine. But I don’t know why I think I’d like a turned based co-op game. I mean it kind of sounds like D&D, to me, but just in a game form. I kind of felt like Dokapon Kingdom Connect was close to what I’m looking for. The game isn’t built around being cooperative but if it was I think it’d be exactly what I’m looking for. People love Baulder’s Gate 3, I’ve been hesitant to get it because I don’t know if I’ll like it. @NEETproxy and I tried the co-op for a few minutes but I don’t really remember how that went. I would just like something where the group is in a party, we move together, not wandering off doing our own things, we encounter enemies, it becomes a turned based match where everyone sees their own character and screen and can devise a plan of attack. It’s kind of sounding like the raids in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet now that I think about it. That might be the closest thing that feels like what I’m thinking of. There’s no communication in that mode but there were strategies for the target Pokemon. It was kind of annoying though because you’d have to find out what Pokemon and what moves would be good then catch them if you didn’t have em, level em, then hope you weren’t paired with a bunch of dumb-dumbs. But yeah you’d have your status aliments, some Pokemon would have defensives or heals for the group, it was pretty good actually. Now if a developer could expand on that.

The games I typically play with my friends are things like Helldivers 2, Monster Hunter, World of WarCraft, things that although you are playing together there are times when you can be alone doing your own things and be fine. Like yes, we’re playing “together” in the sense that we joined the lobby together, we’re in fuckin Discord together, but it’s possible we’re not even interacting with each other. Take Monster Hunter right, there’s the target monster and you’re all just wailing on it, doesn’t matter where really, you’re close to it, you smack it. All you’re doing is damage, there’s not real strategy involved, yeah sure you’re trying not to get hit, you’re trying to dodge roll and heal but that’s it. Very very VERY few times in the absolute YEARS that we’ve been playing Monster Hunter now has there ever been times where it was like “Saved your life!” Like maybe twice that I can think of. I remember using a switch axe and the monster was gonna throw something, @NEETproxy was in front of me doing something that he wasn’t going to be able to dodge, I did the uppercut thing to throw him out of the way. Those things are so few and far between and completely unnecessary; if @NEETproxy had gotten hit from the attack I pushed him out of the way of he would’ve been fine. Dauntless at least tried to do something in this regard. I remember specifically if you had an ice weapon and kept hitting the same spot of a monster it would eventually freeze and then everyone could attack that spot to do more damage. It’s like co-op games are basically just single player experiences that the developers allow more than one player to be in the same area for but it doesn’t change the dynamic of the game or the challenge. I always talk about synergy and how I want to really feel like we are working together to make something happen. I feel like developers limit themselves, or someone higher up limits them. They don’t want to get overly complicated, they just want something basic. “You made a game where one person can succeed on their own, great, make it so more people can join but don’t add anything more.” Does that make sense? Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Huh? DO YOU?!? SPEAK UP!!

On to other stuff. I started to play Heroes of the Storm again but I turned off party chat and man it is so much more enjoyable. There was one game the other day that was going very badly and had I had chat on I’m sure it would’ve been very nasty and it would’ve unmotivated me but we kept going and ended up winning. I don’t have time for the toxicity you know? And it isn’t just one game or one person, it seems to be everyone in every game. I never understood how people can play, type and read at the same time, even back in my StarCraft/WarCraft 3 days. And you know these people aren’t just upset in that one game, they’re gonna be like that in the next one and the next one. Why? At that point; how are you having fun? The other night we were playing and our team was having a hard time and @PoeTomic was saying the other two guys on the team were just bickering with each other the whole time. I would like to say glhf and gg and I’m sure I’m missing out on some helpful intel or people asking for help but that’s what happens when the game’s community is a cesspool. You’ll just have to use the ping system to get my attention. I always had like, a “dream” I guess, that’d I could get enough people for a team that really enjoyed the game and we all had a plethora of characters and skins and we could like pick a “theme” from match to match. For example; we could decide we’re all gonna play Zerg so we play Zerg units and/or characters that have Zerg skins and we could just goof off and have fun, win or lose. I’ve pretty much have only been playing Li Li because I like her and fuck it but the build I used way back when hasn’t seemed viable even before when I’d come back to HotS so I looked at YouTube to get an idea of a build I could use. I found one that is similar to what I used before so I’m just going with it. I think I’ll do the same for a few other characters, favorite the talents and call it good. The quick match que can be excessive, especially if all three of us are together. Like at this point in the games life, just put people together. Who cares how many tanks or healers or supports are on the team? I’ve played against all tanks, all supports and got absolutely steamed rolled. Like in those instances I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what talents to pick. We played a game where I was Anub’arak and we had no healer or support and I was like “What do I even do???” We were fighting a Cho’gall, the whole game was nonsense, but I picked a bunch of talents I never usually pick. Just things that would passively heal me, lots of carapace upgrades, it felt so wrong but we ended up winning that one too. @NEETproxy and I talk about how funny it would be to make YouTube videos trying to “predict” the next hero. But on a serious note it’s a crime there’s no Naga in the game at all, character or skin. Dehaka could have a Naga skin, when he burrows he’d just go in water instead. But Lady Vashj should be in the game and have her Baroness skin. There’s also a plethora of portraits, sprays, ect, for alternate character skins that don’t exists. Pantharian Li Li, a Zerg form of Zeratul and Zul’jin. How fucking wild would it be if Blizzard just showed renewed interest in HotS and we started getting more content?

I wish Shakalakas were a companion option in Monster Hunter again. They were the first companions I had and since then it’s just been cats. Cats cats cats. And a dog, but mostly cats. I like the Shakalakas, I see them as being more versatile than palicos. I guess technically anything one group does Capcom could make the other one do as well. Actually, personally, I’d rather not play with them but they’ve become almost essential in the latest games. Back in MH3U and GenU when you grouped up you lost your companions but not anymore. (Oh yeah, in GenU you could just BE the cat. Probably won’t see that ever again.) Now you can have free heals and free traps the whole fight. In any case, I liked the Shakalakas, they were silly. They only needed new helmets from time to time. Now the Palicos can be just as decked out as the hunter, sometimes even better.

That’s about all I’ve got for today. Do you happen to know a co-op game that could scratch the itch I’m looking for? Do you have any co-op games to recommend or are there any coming out in the near future you have your eye on? Any thoughts on Heroes of the Storm or Shakalakas in Monster Hunter? Any good HotS stories? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be back sometime. I’m gonna go back to transmog hunting because I hate myself. Bye-bye!

P.S. I kind of wish the “EPIC” (Sorry the person in the video kind of ruined it, it’s the only one I could find.) voice line from getting votes at the end of a HotS match and “RARE” voice line from getting a rare card in Hearthstone would carry over into WoW when you get an item but it upgrades itself you know? When you finish a quest and instead of a rare blue item in upgraded itself to an epic purple item, I wish those voice lines would play when that happened. Or if there was an add on. If you can make this an add on please let me know, I will tip you, or pay you, or something. Kbye.

@AztecSauce