PS: Don't try to play Outward with your novice gamer kids.
https://www.co-optimus.com/games.php?type=couch
Some co-op games ones you might enjoy are Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Magicka, overcooked, hammerwatch, Trine, Rayman Legends or human fall flat.
There's also a really big back catalog of arcade or earlier console emulatable local multiplayer co-op games, many of which have gotten ports like Chronicles of Mystara or Gauntlet if you don't want to mess with emulation.
The biggest issue is that only one XInput controller can work at a time, so you have to use something like JoyToKey to utilize a second controller unless one of you is okay with mouse and keyboard. Happy to save someone the headache if they need a JTK configuration.
Makes me feel like an old man, and I'm still in my 20s.
Not affiliated, seen the talk from GDC about it.
My GF and I played Overcooked 2. She loved it, but honestly I found it way too stressful for me (I felt like I was at work during a Sev1!). I've always played FPS & RTS, and so entire genres of games are just so unfamiliar to me, but I'd love to explore some and see what else fits.
Just the other day, we tried Stardew Valley. I never thought that kind of game would interest me, but it's fun walking around the world, going into town, interacting with NPCs. I think those "slightly-more-structured-than-Minecraft" games would be cool.
(2.1) What's the game State of the Art for "a group of friends commanding a space ship"? I experimented with Pulsar: Lost Colony a few years back, and heard that Elite Dangerous has some new coop stuff in it. I'd honestly love a "first person perspective" version of Homeworld 2. You and some friends are manning a frigate, battling it out with NPC ships, etc.
(2.2) Other small group of friends games? I've got a friend who is setting up a minecraft server to play in, but I'd rather have some other small group game where we could team up and either build something (e.g. minecraft clones, or other open world things), or even perform adventures/quests together (I've never played any RPG, and am not particularly interested in the magic/fantasy genre). I know it's a bit dark, but I've always thought a multiplayer/co-op version of This War of Mine would be absolutely incredible.
Anyway, if anyone has strong opinions on this, please share!
It's hilarious with the right group of friends.
Star Trek Bridge Commander? (Crew?) though it can get kinda stressful.
If you have a ps4 Unravel 2 is pretty fun light platform for two people.
My GF plays fortnite with her cousins husband and his brothers. This like it. The voice chat is pretty decent and the game is lite for a shooter.
Plus the occasional Fortnite concert/DJ set is an interesting break.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/04/fortnites-party-royal...
I realize this isn't state of the art, but "Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime" is a very approachable take on this concept. Very couch co-op friendly and you aren't 100% reliant on your crew so you can carry the game if you're playing with people who don't usually play videogames.
> Other small group of friends games?
Terraria is a 2d-minecraft-like game that AFAIK also has some RPG-like elements. I haven't played it a ton but it seems more approachable than minecraft.
It's relaxed, beautiful, tons of fun to play, and exactly the kind of game to play with an inexperienced co-pilot.
I also recommend getting the Epic Store free games, since all your friends can get them. Not all of them are multiplayer though. This week GTA5 is free, you might want to try the multiplayer with your friends.
Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator is a really good one I've played with friends before (albeit that was about 5 years ago since we last played). The graphics are fairly dated, but IMO the gameplay is there, and when you include 5 other friends playing in the various positions as well, it can make for a lot of fun.
Also, Gran Turismo or any racing game (if your partner is into these kind of games).
Unrailed is an early access game on Steam. Short but not bad. A bit like Overcooked in terms of task management.
We've tried Borderlands and Diablo 3, but quickly became a bit bored of them and dropped off. Lots of loot and not a ton of substance I felt.
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1. Halo: MCC is out for PC and will include six titles for $40 - though you need two copies for co-op play. Halo Reach, Halo: CE, and Halo 2 are out currently. Others coming in 2020)
For anybody who's unfamiliar, the game is thus: one person is stuck in a room with a bomb. They can pick the bomb up, manipulate it, and interact with it, but a clock is ticking and the bomb is going to explode. On the phone with you are the Bomb Defusing Experts, who are armed with a Bomb Defusing Manual for the bomb in question (free PDF, www.bombmanual.com if you're curious). Unfortunately, the manual was written by somebody who loves inscrutable graphs and hates the person reading it.
The person with the bomb has to describe the modules on the bomb, e.g. "I see three red wires, a blue wire, and a white wire". The people with the manual then need to instruct them on which wires to cut in order to defuse the bomb correctly, e.g. "Three red wires? Cut the second wire. Wait, hang on - does the bomb have a parallel port? Okay, cut the third wi-WAIT, how many batteries does it have? Did you cut the third wire? thank god, definitely don't cut that one."
The bombs can get hard and stressful, but it's a fun asymmetric game that works really well over voice chat.
I had an intellivision growing up and playing sports games with my brothers was a great memory. Back then, all multiplayer was couch based...
Dungeon crawling with the kids would be incredible. Hearing their screams as they get surprised by their first cave skeleton, and then hear them fall over backwards over the coffee table.... nothing would make me happier right now.
Overcooked.
Overcooked 2
Up to 4 player Co-op. Incredibly fun games.
Source: I play co-op and versus games with my kids. We've incorporated casual video game play into our family time for the past few years.
Castle Crashers, Children of Morta. A little more violent, things like risk of rain, chaosbane, diablo 3, inquisitor martyr.
Bubble Bobble is another obvious choice, but really there are thousands of 2-4 player coop games.
You can usually set the difficulty directly in the arcade machine setup, or by proxy by limiting yourselves to a certain number of coins.
A warning that unlimited coins can just make a game a never-ending grind because you don't have that failure/reflection loop to skill up between attempts and you can end up way beyond your ability to succeed by just feeding coins in.
FIFA / NBA 2K for older kids.
Buy two consoles....
My sons both had one when they were both at home. The older one bought one with his own money.
It’s like the old days when people use to lug their gaming rigs to each other’s house for LAN parties.