Video games are typically more marketed either as single player experiences or as multiplayer. This lets players decide what they want to play based on whether they want a more story-driven solo adventure or a party-style romp with friends or complete strangers.
Every now and then games will blur the lines though, and even single-player games will include a surprisingly solid multiplayer experience. As gaming has shifted more towards multiplayer more games have added in ways to play with friends. Not all of these have been successful, but some of them are definitely worth a try.
Uncharted 4
The Uncharted series is one of the most popular single-player series of recent memory, serving up excellent stories and beautiful environments to explore. Several of the games have also included multiplayer modes on the side, which sadly do not get nearly as much credit.
Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer especially is a lot of fun. Players can team up with several friends to face down waves of enemies and ghost pirates in various locations from the games. The mode features characters from across the series and even adds more weapons to the arsenal from the campaign. It may not be El Dorado, but this multiplayer is a treasure.
Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith
The surprisingly great tie-in game to the third Star Wars prequel is centered around its story, which lets fans play through the events of the film and expands on them even further. The story is a blast to play through, and the game features several options for two players as well.
Revenge of the Sith has both cooperative and competitive modes, with several additional two-player levels and a versus mode where players can duel one another as any of the games major characters, from Mace Windu to General Grievous. The gameplay is complex enough to keep all of them interesting and fun enough to keep coming back to.
BioShock 2
The first BioShock is one of the most famous single-player games of all time, with a creepily unique setting and a game-changing plot twist. The story and atmosphere were so intertwined with the one central character that it was hard to imagine a multi-player version, but the sequel brought one anyway.
The Fall of Rapture mode takes place before the first game, during the civil war that tore the titular city apart. Players have the option of choosing multiple different characters that can all be leveled up and given different weapons and powers. It is a typical fun multiplayer shooter with the classic BioShock goodness behind it.
TRON: Evolution
TRON: Legacy has somewhat fallen by the wayside since its release, which means sadly so has its tie-in game, which is arguably even better. TRON: Evolution serves as a prequel to the movie, telling the story of Clu’s rise to power during the outbreak of a computer virus.
The story was surprisingly really good and the gameplay was varied and fun. Fittingly for the franchise, the game also featured a multiplayer mode where players competed in the game grid with fully customizable characters and load-outs. They could swap between the famous light bikes, disc combat, and even tanks almost at will in the game’s fantastic digital environments.
DOOM Eternal
The original DOOM and the 2016 reboot both featured fun competitive multiplayer modes where players would duke it out in standard deathmatch or free for all shootouts. Both were great, but DOOM Eternal took a different approach to its multiplayer.
The sequel focuses heavily on its excellent single-player campaign and its massive lore, but its Battlemode puts two players in control of demons and one as the Doomslayer himself. The demons must work together to bring down the slayer while he uses his arsenal to rip and tear them both. It requires a surprising amount of cunning and strategy, especially for a series known for its guns-blazing action.
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Fall of Cybertron is one of the best pieces of Transformers media ever created. Continuing the War for Cybertron storyline, the game has a shockingly mature and affecting story, as well as phenomenal gameplay, varied locales, and appearances from both iconic and underrated Transformers robots.
The game also features both a co-op survival mode players can tackle with a group of friends and a deep multiplayer mode. Players can fully create and customize both an Autobot and a Decepticon for each of the four classes and use a whole host of abilities and awesome weapons against their rival faction in various game modes.
Portal 2
What could be better than solving a whole facility’s worth of ingenious puzzles with well-placed portals? Solving them with a friend by your side the whole time. Portal 2 featured two complete campaigns, the primary single-player story that continues from the previous game, and a co-op story featuring two lovable robot pals.
The co-op mode was full of the same humor that made the single-player so hilarious and utilized both players to solve puzzles in some deviously clever and satisfying ways. Players could even unlock several ways to interact with their teammates, from high fives to rock-paper-scissors to straight-up stealing their CPU. Portal 2 is a modern classic, and is arguably even better with friends.
Kane and Lynch
Fans have some mixed opinions about the Kane and Lynch games overall. Some felt that the games were well written and exciting, while others felt that they were overly dark and repetitive. Whatever anyone thought about the story, the game’s multiplayer mode was a refreshingly new take.
In Fragile Alliance, a group of players work together to pull off heists and steal as much money as they can. The catch is, only the player with the most money at the end will be the true winner. Players can double-cross any of their teammates at any time to steal their earnings, and robbers who are killed will respawn as police to stop the robbery. It adds a whole new layer of tension and choice to the standard multiplayer gameplay.
Batman: Arkham Origins
The Batman: Arkham series are easily some of the best modern superhero games there are, mostly because of how well they capture what it feels like to be Batman. This is one reason that Arkham Origins multiplayer mode was so controversial, as it puts most players in the shoes of a nameless goon instead.
The mode was surprisingly great, however. Players could fully customize a member of both Joker and Bane’s gang, then battle each other for supremacy while other players tried to silence both sides as Batman and Robin. Earn enough points and players could even take control of Bane or Joker himself. The mode was shockingly layered and a whole lot of fun. It is a shame it is so overlooked.
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us has rightly found its way onto many “greatest games of all time” lists for its brutally emotional story and superb character writing. The main draw of the game is the heart-wrenching story and the relationship between lead characters Ellie and Joel, so a tacked-on multiplayer mode seemed superfluous at best.
Players take the role of either a Firefly or a Hunter as they battle to keep their clan alive through a 12-week period. Most of the gameplay remains similar to the campaign, but with added features to tie it better into a multiplayer environment. Teamwork and strategy are essential to survival, and the mode manages to keep players invested in their clan so that they want to keep them alive. It isn’t about Joel and Ellie, but it is still definitely worth a play.
