Couples Co-op: Valentine’s Day Selections for PlayStation Gamers

50 10

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game

Roses? Played out. Champagne? Too bubbly. Chocolate? A risky proposition. If you really want to make your significant other swoon this Valentine’s Day, grab a couple of controllers and play some games you can both enjoy. Sure, you could choose to pound your mate’s face in the Gladiator Duel in Sports Champions. But you know that’s a battle you can’t ultimately win — any victories now are always paid back with dish-washing duty later. Let’s make a pledge: This year, it’s about nest feathering, not neck-snapping.

Here are some cooperative-focused classics that should brighten up the boudoire tonight, plus some Trophy suggestions to keep things nice and friendly. We also want to hear from you — what games do you like to play with your main squeeze? Be sure to fill in the gaps in the comments.

PixelJunk Monsters Encore

PixelJunk Monsters
This is the quintessential couples game. PixelJunk Monsters’ two-player cooperative mode is legendary for transforming non-gamers into digital devotees in just a few minutes. If your significant other struggles with the tower defense basics, have him focus on upgrading emplacements and collecting gold while you focus on the strategy. A guaranteed good time for all.

Trophies to shoot for: “Construction Expert” (Build 10 towers in less than 30 seconds upon entering a stage), “Money Grubber” (Clear a stage without losing a single coin)

LittleBigPlanet 2 Sackbots

LittleBigPlanet 2 for PS3LittleBigPlanet 2 for PS3

LittleBigPlanet 2
For starters, Sackboy is freakin’ adorable. Second, the platforming gameplay is second nature to many inexperienced gamers. If your mate has a creative bent, you might also consider building a custom level together — Create mode supports multiple simultaneous users. Or just pick one of over 3.6 million levels and play that — perhaps an enterprising user has already created a good Valentine’s Day-themed level?

Trophies to shoot for: “Complete Story Mode” (Complete the main path of the story mode), “Multiplier 5x” (Score a 5x multiplier in a Story level); “Community Spirit” (Publish a level to the community)

Dead Nation: Co-op

Dead Nation
The couple that slays together, stays together. This is a perfect Valentine’s Day choice for a mate who’s handy with an SMG and a melee attack, as you’ll need some tight teamwork to blast the countless hordes of the undead that infest the sprawling urban environments. Protip: If your significant other isn’t much of a gamer, go with the easiest “Brain Dead” setting to avoid heartbreak.

Trophies to shoot for: “Teamwork” (Complete a mission in co-op mode on any difficulty), “Double the Action” (Complete Campaign mode in co-op Mode)

PixelJunk Shooter for PS3

PixelJunk Shooter
Despite its dual-stick shooting and retro stylings, PixelJunk Shooter is well tolerated by non-gaming significant others. Exploration is emphasized over action, and creative solutions are more important than a quick trigger finger. There are plenty of opportunities for teamwork, too, whether it’s winching your partner away from an erupting volcano or collaborating on hunting those all-important diamonds.

Trophies to shoot for: “Cave Cleaner” (Kill over 100 enemies)

The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles: Rock Band
Fab Four? More like Terrific Two. The Beatles: Rock Band is a good option for a non-gaming significant other. If playing the plastic axe or drums is too demanding (or embarrassing), offer up vocal duties. Who doesn’t know the words to a few Beatles songs? I wanna hold your haaaaaaand

Trophies to shoot for: “Don’t Let Me Down” (Save a bandmate from failing), “Shake It Up, Baby!” (Use Beatlemania at least 5 times in a single song using either Bass or Guitar), “Let’s Get Some Levels” (Calibrate your system for the optimal experience)

Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

Borderlands
An ideal choice for the hardcore shooter couple. Borderlands’ heavy co-op focus works nicely in splitscreen, and infighting will be rare as long as you agree to some ground rules on revives and sharing loot. In fact, the only risk here is that you’ll grind for loot and XP for so long that you won’t leave any time for romance.

Trophies to shoot for: “Group LF Header” (Rescue a groupmate from death in a co-op game), “There’s No ‘I’ In “Team” (Complete 15 missions in co-op), “United We Stand” (Defeat the Rakk Hive, the Vault Boss, Sledge, Krom, or Flynt in a co-op game)

Dead Space Extraction for PS3 and PlayStation MoveDead Space Extraction for PS3 and PlayStation Move

Dead Space: Extraction
Some couples like their Valentine’s Day hot. Others prefer the cold vacuum of outer space, and that’s where this suspenseful sci-fi shooter fits in. Armed with a pair of PlayStation Move motion controllers, you and your main squeeze will nip and tuck the loathsome Necromorph with surgical precision. You’ll find this co-op gem lurking on your Dead Space 2: Limited Edition Blu-ray Disc; it’s also available separately on PSN.

Trophies to shoot for: “Twice The Firepower” (Play cooperatively with a second player), “A Star is Born” (Complete any level with a 5 star rating)

Scott PilgrimThe Drop: Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game
Deceptively tough despite the ultra-cute graphics, this 2D PSN beat-em-up is one where having a co-op partner or three will pay off in spades. You’ll want to exploit the tag-team attacks and revives as much as possible. And if the going gets tough, go ahead and steal a life — we won’t tell.

Trophies to shoot for: “The Power Of Friendship” (In a multiplayer game, reanimate another player at least 25 times), “Armed And Dangerous” (Defeat at least 200 enemies using interactive objects)

Time Crisis: Razing Storm Interview (Gameplay)"

Deadstorm Pirates for PS3 and PlayStation Move (bonus mode in Time Crisis: Razing Storm)Deadstorm Pirates for PS3 and PlayStation Move (bonus mode in Time Crisis: Razing Storm)

Time Crisis: Razing Storm
Gaming scholars have long known that lightgun-style shooters are an ideal choice for casual-gaming partners, and Time Crisis: Razing Storm is a natural if you’re packing two PlayStation Moves. The Arcade mode is packed with humongous action set pieces, screen-filling boss battles, and loads of secrets. Don’t overlook the Time Crisis 4 and DeadStorm Pirates bonus games, either.

Trophies to shoot for: “Arcade Master” (Clear Arcade Mode Ranking Play), “Synchronized Shooting” (Reach a Teamwork Level of 100% in DeadStorm Pirates), “Sharpshooter” (Obtain a ‘Nice Combination!’ rating 100 times in DeadStorm Pirates)

Comments are closed.

50 Comments

10 Author Replies

  • I agree with Beatles Rock Band as a game, but 2 of those trophies can be done by yourself.

    • I did my best to find co-op focused Trophies for every game, but not all games award Trophies based on co-op so I got as close as I could :-)

  • I can’t even get my wife to play Peggle… she says it looks stupid. :P

  • Great suggestions, Pixel Junk Monsters won out with us over all. That is probably the best “non-gamer” game to play with the ol’ lady. If your lady is a gamer go with borderlands. Its a lot of fun and you can loot together.

  • Two years ago I did the make a level in LBP and had lots of pictures of us together…thats also a good one guys… surprise her.

  • “For starters, Sackboy is freakin’ adorable” YEP! ! ! :D

  • Pixel Junk Monsters is great, even for gamers. I definitely suggest Plants vs. Zombies! They have co-op mode. Other co-op games to consider…if ur lady likes games: Resident Evil 5, Laura Croft and the Guardian of Light, and Black Ops(Zombies!). There should definitely be more co-op games though for the gamer-couples!

    • Good call on Plants vs Zombies! I haven’t tried co-op yet, but maybe tonight’s the night… Also, good call on Lara Croft.

  • My girlfriends favourite games are Castle Crashers and Little Big Planet 2! Two co-op games I enjoy myself!

  • Wow! I cannot believe you guys failed to mention Castle Crashers and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light! My girlfriend and I play both of these games together.

  • So no free games, right? Last year there was a free game but not this year? :(

    Arrgh!

  • Thank you for the FREE Valentine’s day game PS+

    never knew you cared so much. :)

  • There’s only a few games my wife will play with me. She likes playing Arkham Asylum with me as a navigator (kinda like she’s Batman and I’m Oracle). She also loves playing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. She is incredible at it in any mode.

  • Gran Turismo 5 – Grab a Nascar track and a couple of cars and live out your Ricky Bobby fantasies.

  • My Wife and I have gone through a few games co-op, like The Shoot, PJ Monsters, Tetris, Dead Storm Pirates, Sports Champions and are currently enjoying Dead Space Extraction. Most of these are with Move which has alleviated the “complex controller” issues.

  • Can we get some news about the patch for Voice chat in Dead Nation? Thanks

  • “I can’t even get my wife to play Peggle… she says it looks stupid.”

    Well she got that one right, haha.

  • guitar hero and some dead nation is what me and my girl is gonna do. then jamming to an avenged sevenfold and 3 days grace concerts on dvd.

  • Star Wars Lego with my wife was good, we played till well into the morning. Also The Simpsons Game too!

  • God of War is the perfect Valentines game! In fact I’d take it to the freaky level for some GOW role play while playing the game. Of course we men would be KRATOS, so all your GF has to do is get her friend to reenact the Famous sex scene!

    Also great choices are:

    GTA: San Andreas(Hot Cofee anyone?)

    Ico

    LBP2(Make her a Valentines Level!)

    Marvel Vs Capcom 2(Sometimes competition breeds passion!)

  • @2, @15, My 50+ y/o mother plays Peggle regularly. It is that damn addicting to casual gamers.

  • I just want to wish everyone a Happy and loving Valentine’s Day! Second Thank You to Sony for my free Valentine’s Day gift as well!

  • I did make a Valentine’s Day themed movie! It’s called “A Story of a Little Big Romance”! If anyone wants a Valentine’s Day LBP2 flick, play it! Make sure it’s by me, digitalman123!
    Oh yeah, LBP1 has a trophy for completing a level with another player!

  • @18 only two of those games have multiplayer let alone co-op…..

  • We play all the Pixel Junk games together, but Monsters is by far our favorite. Peggle duel matches, Magic Orbz, Digger HD, Sports Champions, and even CoD: Black Ops multiplayer. Even got her a Pink DS3 controller. Add a freakin Co-Op section to the store categories already!! Check the Share.Blog, i made the suggestion months ago to no avail! Sub categories include online co-op, off-line co-op, or both!

    Happy V-day peoples!

  • @18
    freakin hilarious man. made me lol!

    Anyway, my wife and i play Critter Crunch (most underrated psn puzzler by far) and we have a blast. played that game to death and she’ll still want more.

  • Castle Crashers should have been up there,my girlfriends thinks it’s the cutest thing ever & can’t wait for the Pink Knight.

  • I love how Dead Nation is on the list! It’s actually surprisingly funny and charming as well as challenging. Nothing like watching the lady being super focused on the screen and gripping her controller ready to unleash hell on the undead mob.

  • It isn’t listed here, (and maybe not because of PS stripping away backwards compatibility), but for those of you who have the means, Super-Bust-A-Move 1&2 is one my wife and I play all of the time. Also, Buzz is a great co-op game for couples.

  • Me and my girlfriend play resident evil 5 all the time.

  • Sid, I appreciate what you did here, but I feel like this is just a “list of good coop games” and not really a list of “coop games females will enjoy on Valentine’s Day”. See the difference?

    Pixeljunk games, Little Big Planet, Rock Band, and even Scott Pilgrim make totally sense.

    But Dead Nation, Borderlands, and even Time Crisis are pretty violent weapon-centric shoot em ups that 80% of women won’t dig on Valentine’s Day. May as well throw Black Ops on there.

    There’s some better options out there, as people mentioned:

    Castle Crashers – Pink knight JUST came out!
    Deathspank – cartoony and fun RPG
    Lego games – approachable, great coop fun
    Lara Croft – awesome cooperative puzzles in an adventure game
    Critter Crunch – coop and vs modes, fun and cute
    (Sorry if I’m just repeating games that were already mentioned by others)

    • This is a good point, but I didn’t want to make the list gender-specific. But I’ll have you know that shooters like Time Crisis are extremely popular with the ladies — just ask Jeff! ^_^ Thanks for the game suggestions too.

  • @24: LOL. uhhhhh… xD

    Anyway. lol. Rock Band 3 and watching Toy Story for me. :P

  • puzzle fighter.. sky fighters… bomberman, fatprincess.. many great co op out thur for valentines day…

    thanx sony for the valentine day love lov the free games and add on with ps+ for feb 14 ..

  • i mean at least a discount sum where would had been appriciated..

  • Oh man how could I forget? I’m busting out REZ with Trance Vibrator tonight! Talk about a party in her panties! How can she NOT want to play that? The Better I am, the better off she is! Want some real fun? When she’s getting really into it, Quit! Trust me the fun will just have begun!

  • I agree with ‘XxThe-RavenxX’ RE5 Gold Edition is the perfect co-op game. My gf has to adjust to Chris’s biceps being sooo much smaller than mine though!

  • Dead nation multiplayer co-op is so fun, and you don´t need share the screem also hehe

  • Monsters is the best co-op game! Perfect for Valentine’s Day. :)

  • PixelJunk Monsters is REALLY good!

    My girlfriend is waiting very patiently for a sequel.

    (Hint, hint.)

  • RE5 has the best “couple” co-op even though it’s a little old.

  • thanks guys for the free game from plus it made my day a lil better after gettin my wallet stolen

  • own every one except dead space, time crisis, and scott pilgrim

  • Thanks for the free PlayStation Plus Valentines gift PlayStation team!

  • Yo, Sid…”Cave Cleaner” trophy for pixel junk shooter. Sorry, maybe it’s just my mind that went straight to the gutter on that one. Happy VD to all.

  • There’s a good another one, Castle Crashers, specially with the new DLC.

  • I keep hearing that PlayStation Plus members are getting a free little game for today. I’m a plus member but I haven’t received anything. :(

  • ignore

  • Me and my gf had a great time playing Castle Crashers! ^^
    <— was the sexy pink knight! Rainbow spam ftw!!!

  • My wife and I played the hell out of Monsters Co-op. She likes Mushroom Wars too but I suck at that game and she kills me.

    Mushroom Wars desperatly needs Online multiplayer. She dominates the leaderboards and I’m not nearly enough of a challenge for her.

    I guess I’m getting old now cuz Monsters and Mushroom Wars both just put me to sleep within a matter of minutes these days with their sleepy time music.

  • My wife is addicted to the Mercenaries mode in RE5. She wants to get all SS rankings in all maps with all characters in Mercenaries and Mercenaries Reunion. And we are not allowed to be different characters (that would be cheating).

    I have tried luring her away from RE5 with Borderlands, Sacred 2, PixelJunk Shooter, the demo of castle crashers, the demo of Lara Croft. But all have failed. I will try with Killzone 2 next time.

    Any other recommendations? I like RE5 but I also want to move on ^_^

    She has also shown addiction in the past to PixelJunk Monsters and Critter Crunchers.

  • @44 Still nothing in my inbox as well despite being ps+ but was slow with sam and max roll out too so will see

  • Seeing that gaming is a lot more common now I don’t really find it hard to believe that girls wouldn’t want to play some of these game with their guys. I mean I play a lot of stuff but obviously being a gamer for years can make a girl more open to many genres. But I would assume that the “average” girl might at least give it a chance if it looked fun enough just to spend some time with her guy. Better than watching him play CoD alone or something like that.

Please enter your date of birth.

Date of birth fields