Games with co-op multiplayer campaign over LAN?

[GnatGoSplat]

My wife and I have been really enjoying playing the LAN co-op multiplayer campaign of Saints Row: The Third, and that's got me wondering, do any other games have this feature, or is it unique to SR3?

I'm looking for something that doesn't just have co-op multiplayer modes which I've read a few FPS games have, but the ability to play the entire storyline of the game with a partner. We're not interested in MMORPGs because we only want to play with each other. Also, I'd want to be able to play over LAN because I don't want to sign up or subscribe to any kind of internet multiplayer service (and my DSL is the slowest and cheapest, it can't handle online gaming anyway). My preference is also something not too old so the graphics don't look too dated. Anything else like this exist?

[opiumgirl]

I love playing co-op LAN games with my husband but sadly I fear the days of pure LAN co-ops might be over.

The game we loved most is an old RPG called Dungeon Siege and also the expansion called Legends of Aranna.
It was released around 2002 so it is old but the graphics was groundbreaking at the time and I still find it more beautiful than later additions to the game.I was playing it the other day actually and it is great fun.
Newer than that I have no idea. I wil keep a eye on this thread because I would dearly love another LAN multi-player. Sorry I can't help more.

[GnatGoSplat]

Thanks for the tip! Since you're still playing it, it might be worthwhile for me to check out.

I was able to find that Resident Evil 5 may have the ability to do co-op LAN multiplayer throughout the entire storyline, at least on the PC version. I have it for XBOX 360 and never finished it since I prefer PC gaming, but I'll get it for PC to check out the LAN multiplayer and maybe actually finish it this time.

I do recommend SR3 if you think you'd enjoy playing an over-the-top silly GTA style game with a friend.

[Spitfire Mouse]

We're not interested in MMORPGs because we only want to play with each other.

Just wanted to take slight issue with this statement. There's no reason why you can't simply duo in many MMOs. In DDO there were threads all the time about people looking for the right builds for duo only. And in fact 2 very good players from one of the Korean guilds duo-ed the entire game including all the raids except 1, last I heard and they may have gotten that one done. So only wanting to play with each other is not a reason to rule out MMOs. Finding the right one would be the bigger problem with your computer limitations, and the ever present cost if it's not F2P. ;)


But onto the games more in line with what you're looking for. Keep in mind I've never played any of these over LAN, so I don't know how well they work, but it'll at least give you some things to look into.

Baldur's Gate series. Yes it's older and may look a bit dated, but it's still a viable game and was the first one I'd heard of with LAN (not that my computer gaming knowledge is expansive). I do think I remember hearing that BG2 wasn't as easy to play co-op simply because of the stronghold quest lines you get, though honestly there was nothing spectacular about the strongholds anyway.

Icewind Dale series

Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 - I just saw at Target that there's a new collection of the entire NWN2 series for $30, that's NWN2 and all 7 official expansions/modules.


Diablo 2 and the upcoming Diablo 3


And if you really want some homework, you can check this list (http://www.co-optimus.com/system/4/pc.html) out and see if anything trips your trigger. With 326 games on the list, you should be able to find one or two. :D From what I've seen, most of the games listed have co-op campaigns, but not all have LAN capabilities.

Good luck finding a new game! I wish I could get my husband to play something with me, but he's starting to get fuddy-duddy with gaming. ~sigh~

[Whiterider]

There are many LAN-capable games, but they don't tend to support multiplayer campaigns.

Sins of a Solar Empire, and its EPs, don't have a campaign. They have really fracking fun, long 'skirmishes' - of the choose a map, set up your race(s) and team(s), and any AI players, set the rules, and then take over the universe variety. It's not an RPG like the games that have been mentioned so far, but a kind of RTS slash civ in space thing - taking over planets (either from the hands of rebels or from other players/AI), building up cities on those planets, fighting over resources on unconquerable asteroids etc. variety. You can play co-op or versus, the AI is brutal at high settings but most reasonable at low/medium ones, and it is absolutely beautiful. It's a very complex game and I absolutely love it, though you do tend to find that a really involved game can last 15-20 hours...

The Command and Conquer series, another RTS but this time more earth-bound, also have LAN multiplayer, but not for the campaign. You can feel pretty victorious watching your friend sitting next to you fall off his chair as you drop an EMP on his 200-strong fleet of helicopters, though.

Dungeon Siege, and Dungeon Siege II, are great games. I've sadly reached NWN status with II now - the point at which I've played the opening so many times that I get bored and never get more than an hour in. I never tried the multiplayer in DS, but from the description given for DSII, it sounded like some sort of weird arena thing. Perhaps it's different in DSI.

Don't forget the Civilisation series, if you're after multiplayer campaigns. From what I know, the Civ games' multiplayer is pretty much identical to the campaign, but that one (or more) of the other nations is controlled by another player, rather than the AI. :)

[GnatGoSplat]

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions, it looks like I have a fair bit to research now.
Also, thanks for the co-optimus link, great list, definitely need to bookmark that to add to my research. I only wish most of these games weren't a decade or more older! I don't think my wife would mind old-school graphics, but I'm a gadget nerd who is really wowed by great graphics that push the limits of my hardware.

Just wanted to take slight issue with this statement. There's no reason why you can't simply duo in many MMOs. In DDO there were threads all the time about people looking for the right builds for duo only. And in fact 2 very good players from one of the Korean guilds duo-ed the entire game including all the raids except 1, last I heard and they may have gotten that one done. So only wanting to play with each other is not a reason to rule out MMOs. Finding the right one would be the bigger problem with your computer limitations, and the ever present cost if it's not F2P. ;)

Well, it's not just that... there are actually several reasons we're not comfortable with MMOs, though maybe not necessarily good reasons:

We know how serious some people are about their games, so we wouldn't want to piss anyone off by killing their character or stepping on their toes in some way. With AI, there's nobody on the other end to get upset, no matter what dumb things we may do.
We both suck at games. Really bad. I know they won't know our true identities, but just the thought of others seeing our suckitude still feels... embarrassing.
More of a lifestyle thing - in our experience, eliminating unnecessary recurring costs is the key to financial freedom. No car payments, no cell phone plans, no landline, no cable, no satellite, no credit card balance; all we have is house payments, utilities, food, prepaid cells, and the cheapest DSL to get us by. It's my understanding that all MMOs have a monthly sub.


Good luck finding a new game! I wish I could get my husband to play something with me, but he's starting to get fuddy-duddy with gaming. ~sigh~

Same here. My wife enjoys watching reality TV on the DVR, and at least a couple of them run for 2-hours an episode. That doesn't leave us much time to play together.

[sandymdh]

When I have the urge to kill something I play DDO. Between quests you can't hurt anyone or annoy anyone unlike WOW - just run around, sell things and get to your next quest. Once you go into a quest it's just you - nobody uninvited. I tend to play on my own due to similar reasons to yourselves but you can play with your wife too. The party who plays is governed by you. The odd quest which I can't do on my own I get my fiance to join me. It's free for the basic game - some extras if you pay the monthly charge (extra quests and character classes available). It's an excellent free game though. Tbh I have purchased some extra quests for variety but they were a one off cost, not big sell (like the EA Store) and not really necessary. I mainly just run around flailing a sword about so suckitude is something I can empathise with :-)

[Oaktree]

Guild Wars and the upcoming sequel don't/won't have monthly subscription fees. Also, a lot of MMOs are going free to play now. I recently started playing DC Universe Online with my guy friend. It throws ads at us every once in a while, but it's free and an enjoyable activity to do together. I'm by no means a hardcore gamer. I don't optimize my characters, I don't spend much time reading up on strategy, I just play. My guy friend joked that I was being gung ho about killing everything last time we played, but really, there's nothing wrong with just playing however you will.

If you're worried about people criticizing your play style, the only MMO I've ever played where that was an issue was RuneScape, and that's because RuneScape is populated by 12-year-olds. And a lot of games separate PvP from PvE areas, so you don't have to worry about ticking someone off when you kill his/her character. If the person is going into PvP thinking his/her character isn't going to get killed, he/she is an idiot.

[opiumgirl]

I totally get not wanting to play online games.
I don't either because it just does not fit my life style, I have a young daughter who needs my attention and our connection is not so fast that we can both play online.

I have some comments on some of the games mentioned since in their day we LANed the crap out of them.

Baldur's Gate series. Arguably this is one of the greatest RPG's ever. It is isometric and horribly dated. It you love it, preserve your memory and don't play it again. There are rumors floating around that it might be remade.

Icewind Dale series Great but isometric, so the same applies

Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 for NWN1 it is also really dated NWN2 was so vanilla and uninspiring I can't even recall if we ever played it LAN.

Same goes for Diablo2, I have no idea when Diablo3 is comming out and don't even know if it will be the same type of game.

As I said earlier Dungeon Siege1 is an awesome game.
Graphics: it is 3D and it is really still beautifull.
Game play: it created the best system of leveling up I have ever seen.
No arbitrary skill trees etc. If you use it you see your skill going up.
The story is awesome you start as a farm boy/girl with a pitchfork and you save the world.
It is also the first game that showed your inventory items on your character so it looks on you exactly the way it does in your backpack. It has pack mules!
It also has proper fighting animations so you can really see your character fight with whatever weapon.
I can go on and on but I will stop now because I really sound like a fan-girl. I am, we LANed this game for 10 years and loved every second of it.
Last note: Don't touch Dungeon Siege 2 or 3 with a ten foot pole.

[PharaohHound]

I'm going to put a vote in for The Ship. My brother, our friend and I play it together every weekend, it's silly and crazy fun. Most of the modes are competitive or last man standing, but there are team-based modes too. The AI is a little dumb, though, so co-op isn't always great.

Also, if you're into RTS, Age of Empires III is great for co-op. :) Challenging AI, definitely viable for co-op.

[gwargles]

No one said fable?? crazy. Fable 2 and Fable 3 are great coop games for a couple. so many possibilities. Def worth a try.

[daniandan]

No one said fable?? crazy. Fable 2 and Fable 3 are great coop games for a couple. so many possibilities. Def worth a try.

And you don't even need LAN to play co-op on Fable 3. All you need is another controller and another profile

[ElementMK]

Age of Empires II is being rereleased as an HD version in April! Take over the world together!