The games of love –
We pick a few games to enjoy with another, whether they’re a newbie or hardcore.
Valentina Palladino and Jeff Dunn –
The days leading up to Valentine’s Day can be stressful. The Hallmark holiday sneaks up on us after the collective hangover from the winter holidays finally disappears — before you realize the tinsel’s been tucked away, you’re scrambling to buy flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and the like. But instead of spending money on expensive gifts that your partner may only enjoy for a finite amount of time, we at Ars want to encourage you to spend quality time together — and what better way to do that than to pick up the joysticks and play some video games? While there’s a lot of emphasis. in the video game community on online multiplayer and the ease of being able to play with friends regardless of your location, it’s always fun to share the experience with the person you love most while being literally right next to them on your own couch. Below we’ve gathered some of our favorite couch co-op games, which span across platforms and range from hardcore to beginner-friendly. They should allow seasoned and less experienced gamers alike to spend a couple hours this Valentine’s Day vacuuming up ghosts, preparing meals, battling underground monsters, defusing bombs, and racing to the finish line. Regardless of your skill level or game of choice, the time should be more special because you’re spending it together (aw).
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Enlarge / Luigi’s Mansion 3 ghost hunting adventure is both cute and accessible. (Luigi’s Mansion 3) tasks Mario’s sheepish little brother with rescuing his friends from the clutches of a haunted hotel. Its two-player mode does not become available until an hour or so into the story, but at that point the rest of the game becomes one of the most accessible co-op campaigns in recent memory.
If your partner isn’t well-versed in typical game mechanics, they can control “Gooigi,” a Luigi clone made of green goo that has a lower health pool but infinite lives. This gives them the freedom to fool around and die repeatedly without forcing you both to restart levels and boss fights. The game isn’t particularly difficult, and because Gooigi is an essential part of solving many of the game’s puzzles, your partner won’t feel like an accessory twiddling their thumbs while you do all the work. (Luigi’s Mansion 3) as a whole has issues: aiming your ghost-sucking vacuum can be frustratingly imprecise, and there are some tedious sequences that force you to backtrack through previously conquered levels for little added benefit. But even compared to other Nintendo games, it oozes charm. This is a game with character, from Luigi’s adorable looks of terror to the distinct designs of each hotel floor and ghost boss you come across. Barreling into a room with your “Poltergust” vacuums and subsuming everything in sight is both silly and consistently satisfying. It all looks gorgeous, like a playable Pixar movie. And because it’s broken up into clearly defined levels, it’s a game you and your partner can drop and revisit at your leisure.
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Enlarge / Luigi’s Mansion 3 ghost hunting adventure is both cute and accessible. (Luigi’s Mansion 3) tasks Mario’s sheepish little brother with rescuing his friends from the clutches of a haunted hotel. Its two-player mode does not become available until an hour or so into the story, but at that point the rest of the game becomes one of the most accessible co-op campaigns in recent memory.
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