Why are there so few coop Hack&Slash?

[Brotherofwill]

The hack and slash genre is most fun when playing coop in my opinion. I started to like these kind of games way back with titles like Streets of Rage and Turtles in Time, which had glorious local coop. It's insanse fun to go around stomping enemies with a friend or more by your side.

Most modern titles of this genre (DMC, Bayonetta GoW, DI etc) only have extensive single player campaigns, which kick ass but just don't get close to the feeling you get when roaming around with your buddies and doing mass combos.

Games like Castle Crashers got it right (so much fun), but are rather short and indie oriented. Why aren't there more mainstream, massive budget titles trying to use some sweet coop? Is it the balance? Framerate? Maybe you could even include a little challenge mode on the side of a game like GoW, so that the main campaign is scripted and single player, while you have a little mode to play with your friends.

Thoughts?

 

[Nomanslander]

Why are there no more beat em ups?

Why hasn't anyone tried to make a survival horror sandbox?

Why? because they're just not popular right now....usually a takes a break through game to get stuff like this started.

I mean Borderlands was pretty well received, so now you might start seeing games that are also FPS MMO style coop games.

Which you wouldn't have before.

 

[FactualSquirrel]

I dunno, I feel that quite alot of types of game are better in coop, but some just aren't meant to be. I loved coop hac and slashers though, so heres to hoping.

 

[Layz92]

Probably because graphics wouldn't be able to take it. Imagine all the effects of god of war then imagine have to do it twice at the same time.

 

[Brotherofwill]

Why are there no more beat em ups?

Why hasn't anyone tried to make a survival horror sandbox?

Why? because they're just not popular right now....usually a takes a break through game to get stuff like this started.

I could potentially see a lot of design problems with a survival horror sandbox game.

Well the thing is, the coop Beat 'em Up games used to be really famous and already had their breakthrough, now it's just stopped. I wonder why because games like Castle Crashers are still really succesful and have a big fanbase for an indie-title. Since Hack&slash games are kind of like a natural evolution to old-school beat 'em ups, I think the coop aspect could work. Either use an isometric camera or do it splitscreen.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

I think the main issue is that devs are avoiding split screening for some reason, (processing power maybe? We are in the "Graphecs" era after all! XD), and as a result, many games genres that would need it are just shunned, for games that are easily LANable and Online-able.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Castle Crashers seems to fall more in line with the old beat-em ups than what hack'n'slash has become.

Adding co-op to an HnS game would presumably make the main character feel less awesome.

Isn't that Space Marine game supposed to be co-op?

 

[oppp7]

Not sure. Shooters are getting old. After getting like 9 (literally) for Christmas, I think I'm going to try something else next year.

 

[Brotherofwill]

Castle Crashers seems to fall more in line with the old beat-em ups than what hack'n'slash has become.

Adding co-op to an HnS game would presumably make the main character feel less awesome.

Isn't that Space Marine game supposed to be co-op?

I used CC as an example of the genre still having a potential to be popular, but yes it is very old school in design. I still don't see why a more complex game with a larger set of combos and moves couldn't be turned into a coop title. Splitscreen or preferably an isometric camera a la Diablo 2/3 would be perfect. Hell you could even base it on an online mode like Demon's Souls, altough nothing beats having friends over and playing on a couch next to each other.

Which Space Marine game (too many of them) ?

Probably because graphics wouldn't be able to take it. Imagine all the effects of god of war then imagine have to do it twice at the same time.

Yeah, but you could always try to create a game with a competent graphic engine and good art design to compensate, kind of like Team Fortress 2.

 

[Nomanslander]

*snip*

Honestly, I think it has all to do with popularity and break through hits.

Before Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, and especially Halo, if you were to ask what people thought about console FPS games they would either have no response to the question or if they were PC fragfesters probably laugh.

This happens in all mediums not just games.

In the 90s if you were to ask how you think a movie based on 80s saturday morning cartoons would do.....99% of people might have told you "it will never happen."

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Which Space Marine game (too many of them) ?

Space Marine.

The Warhammer 40K game that was shown at E3 2009.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Everyone would be hitting each other "accidentally" which would cause some rage between the players and then violence would ensue

 

[sms_117b]

Well there is Dynasty Warriors, in that a second player can join in the campaign or any of the skirmishes. However if you're both swarmed by enemies then some disappear from the screen when you go to hit them, then re-appear to hit you. So it's difficult to have mass numbers of enemies on both players half of the screen at once.

 

[Brotherofwill]

Because people don't like arguing over loot.

First of all Hack&Slash titles tend to not have loot. Secondly there are 2 rules to looting games: Share health, NEVER share loot. No arguing required, and fighting each other for loot drops to see who can reach it first is insane fun.

Which Space Marine game (too many of them) ?

Space Marine.

The Warhammer 40K game that was shown at E3 2009.

Holy shit. Just checked out the trailer and it seems more or less exactly the thing I was talking about. Thanks for the typ. Breakthrough game here we come!!!!

 

[MasterMongoose0]

Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma - PS3
Dante's Inferno (DLC update)

both are hack n slashers with co-op...

 

[HyenaThePirate]

Crackdown was kinda like a coop hack and slash...
except it.. doesnt have much hacking.. and slashing.. kinda.

 

[ThePreshFrince]

I can't imagine how that'd be fun though. Maybe a co-op point action adventure would be fun. Having to solve INTERESTING puzzles and awesome action sequences being awesome and just.. awesome, really. Or a decent Madden co-op mode. Also first person. and guns.