{"id":22047,"date":"2019-08-06T09:26:17","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T09:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.prod.gmgfarm.net\/?p=22047"},"modified":"2019-08-06T09:26:17","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T09:26:17","slug":"marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-and-the-couch-co-op-renaissance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/vpce-0921aaf1c67156043-4t1vg0wq.vpce-svc-0cf8d5d00172470c2.us-east-1.vpce.amazonaws.com\/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-and-the-couch-co-op-renaissance\/","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and the couch co-op renaissance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been a long time coming, but couch co-op games are back in style. It feels like nowadays extra controllers are destined to languish in pits of gnarled wires, obscured by our few remaining physical games and the obligatory plastic peripherals that now clutter the dusty bins of gamer tat that linger near our consoles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The convenience of online…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not entirely a bad thing – online multiplayer has seen tremendous success and experienced years of necessary innovation with the advent of esports and battle royale – but it\u2019s pushed us all out of our friend\u2019s houses and back into our own bedrooms. Your best online pal might live across the street, but you\u2019ll no doubt play \u201ctogether\u201d by communicating over Discord, a far cry from when you used to just knock on their door, controller in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be a generational shift in opinion, with younger gamers growing up on Minecraft and Fortnite – but money talks, and by removing local co-op from games, you\u2019re forced to buy your own copy. Hell, Wolfenstein: Youngblood launched last week<\/a> without split-screen, and the entire premise of the game is co-op. Though Bethesda must get some credit for including the Buddy Pass which allows an online friend to duet with you for free – it\u2019s not ideal though is it? More like a compromise. There was a time when local co-op came as standard in stalwart Xbox and PlayStation titles like Halo 3 and Timesplitters, so now in 2019, it\u2019s nice to see some games are bucking the antisocial trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new contender bringing friends together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enter stage left, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. A follow-up 10 years senior to the previous game in the series, it doesn\u2019t pull any punches – it\u2019s a simple brawler with responsive controls and hectic combat, just like it\u2019s predecessors. It\u2019s the perfect pick me up on the Switch if you want to rekindle the flame and give your friends a reason to come over for an evening to topple Thanos and his goons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a growing roster of 36 distinguished caped crusaders, there\u2019s enough to ensure nobody is picking favourites, as gigantic bruisers like Venom complement even the most nimble of vigilantes in Wasp. One crucial part of its clever couch co-op is the synergy attacks, where every player in a group works to build a meter and then hammer the trigger buttons to combine forces and unleash a devastating attack in tandem. A similar feature has also been seen recently in Super Mario Party with the co-ordinated high-five in between mini-games. It\u2019s these kinds of cute prompts that forces you to communicate and yell at your partners – the secret adrenaline-building sauce to any successful couch co-op game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n