Summary
Ubisoft’s long-runningTom Clancy series of gamestend to be gritty and realistic shooters that place a big emphasis on immersion, which, as a result, makes them an absolute blast to experience with a friend. Whilea lot of the Tom Clancy games were designed with co-op compatibility in mind, even some of the traditional single-player titles, such asSplinter Cell, have also gradually incorporated multiplayer elements into their games. As a result, it’s fair to say that, when it comes to jumping into a brand-new co-op experience, the Tom Clancy series has a plethora of options available.
With that being said, though, it’s clear some of these games received a lot more time and effort when it came to their co-op modes, ensuring they weren’t just a simple gimmick and provided more of a fleshed-out and memorable experience. Before jumping into this list, it should be mentioned that these games will be ranked according to how well they integrate co-op into the experience while also taking the quality of the games themselves into account.
Based in the same universe as theGhost Recongames,H.A.W.Xputs players in the shoes of Major David Crenshaw, an air force pilot who is sent into numerous different warzones to complete specific objectives. Players don’t have to experience theexhilarating high-speed actionofH.A.W.Xalone, though, as there’s also an option to call on a friend to participate in the campaign, too, making each and every firefight so much more chaotic and fun as a result.
Because the story takes the H.A.W.X squadron across numerous different countries all over the planet, players get the chance to explore a myriad of different environments, all of which feel very distinct and unique, which helps to freshen up the gameplay.H.A.W.Xis often considered to be one of the best aircraft simulator games ever made, but the over-the-top gameplay becomes even more of a thrill ride when having another person thrown into the mix.
Thoughthe looter-shooterhad already been well-established by the timeThe Divisioncame out in 2016, Ubisoft managed to put its own unique spin on the subgenre, which helped to make the game a huge success. Still, the first game was undoubtedly a little rough around the edges and quite restrictive in some aspects, so when developingThe Division 2, Ubisoft went all-in with giving players as much freedom as possible to tackle encounters in their own way.
Of course, a big part of the appeal of the sequel is the co-op elements, where up to four buddies can band together to explore the abandoned streets of Washington D.C. in an attempt to find any and all supplies that could aid in survival. BecauseThe Division 2offers such a wide range of enemy types who are all affected differently by certain kinds of weapons, it means that players will need to complement one another by teaming up to take down the more durable foes. The game is still fun when playing solo, but for anyone who really wants to experience this series at its best, switching on the co-op feature is highly recommended.
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2isn’t a game where the player can simply run and gun their way through each level. Instead, the gameplay is much more strategic and can take quite a bit of getting used to. When playing alongside a friend in the story mode, though, this can lead to some truly intense gunfights where voice communication becomes key to making it out alive. Because the game makes a big attempt at beingas immersive as possible, it means even a single bullet from the enemy can deal a significant amount of damage. This encourages players working in a team to be smart about how they play, making even the smallest of encounters dangerous but very satisfying to overcome.
Alongside the excellent co-op story mode,Rainbow Six: Vegas 2also comes with a Terrorist Hunt mode, which allows up to four players to team up to take on a series of tricky missions to earn some bonus EXP. Each of these scenarios is set up to provide a true test of the team’s skills, so while they can be downright brutal at times to complete, it’s still an absolute blast trying to take them on with a tight-knit group of friends.
In the lead-up toGhost Recon Breakpoint’s release, nearly all the game’s trailers placed much of their focus on the co-op elements of the game and the crazy antics players could get up to while exploring the vast open world of Auroa. What really makes this game such a joy to jump into with friends is how there’s no particular way to approach a mission. Instead, players are given all the tools they could ever need and are set free to infiltrate a base or retrieve some intel inany way they would like.
As mentioned previously, this can lead to some incredible over-the-top moments since there’s no telling what the enemies also have up their sleeves, making the gameplay unpredictable and incredibly fun. Ubisoft has also taken great care to ensure players don’t get spoiled when entering another person’s game by only showing parts of the map that they themselves have already explored, which is a nice added touch. Pair this with some ofthe best gunplay ever seenin an Ubisoft game, along with a compelling story full of twists and turns, and it makesGhost Recon Breakpointan excellent title but one that’s even better when experienced in co-op.
AlongsideChaos Theory’s absolutely stellar solo story mode, the game also features an entirelyunique and original co-op campaign. This is something that many developers will rarely do since it’s a lot easier to just throw a second player into the main campaign itself. However, Ubisoft went above and beyond in making the co-op as fun as it could possibly be thanks to how many different ways players can interact with one another.
For example, if there’s a ledge that’s a little too high to reach, then one player can hang off it while the other grabs onto their legs to climb up, and that’s only scratching the surface of the many ways co-op players can move around the environment together. Each of the seven co-op levels also has numerous different pathways and shortcuts, encouraging players to split up and navigate their way around the level while also staying in touch through voice chat or in-game text to complete the final objective. Although a few of the laterSplinter Cellgames would incorporate co-op into their games, none of them have managed to pull it off quite as well asChaos Theory.
