2012 was an amazing year. First off, we had the Summer Olympics, then the Mars Curiosity Rover landing, and then the presidential election. We capped the year off by surviving the Mayan Apocalypse. Now that it’s finally coming to a close, I’d say we had an epic year. When it comes to video games, it was cool to run around as Connor in Assassin’s Creed III. Hacking at Redcoats, and saving George Washington and his wooden teeth has never been more fun! Max Payne 3 was a blast, and Sleeping Dogs was a sleeper hit! Why worry about Mayans when you have Reapers to deal with in Mass Effect 3? Yes, 2012 was a pretty swell year for video games, too.
All of that awesome, however, will go for naught if we can’t learn how to share our favorite games with our spouses, or significant others. The following list was compiled to help you keep your marriage, and your sanity intact as well roll into 2013. Baby New Year would have come and gone and you’d still be trying to figure things out. Never fret! The following video games are the perfect couch co-op opportunities to spend some time with that special someone, and still be able to twiddle your thumbs on your preference of either an analog stick or a D-pad.
Borderlands 2 offers some really good couch co-op where you and that special someone in your life can go hunting stuff. Shoot up some foes, including Skags, Larva Crab Worms, Scythid, Spiderants, and a myriad of other creatures in the world of Pandora.
There is also the mad loot found in the world. Plenty of XP and money to go around. There’s a bevy of quests and side missions to explore. All of this and a jam packed 17.75 million combinations of weapons you can create, customize, or just plain find in the game world. The fact that the co-op aspect of this game relies on teamwork makes it perfect for you and your spouse to play together. Strap in, get lost in exploring the world, and just have a rootin’-tootin’ good time with Borderlands 2.
Not interested in shooting at things and cell shaded animation? Good! Because LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is just the game for you. After several years the LEGO series of games has gotten old and rather stale. A few titles attempted to revive the franchise, but Batman 2 is probably the one that strays from its predecessor the most. It is much more expansive than the rest, and is simply a boatload of fun!
You and your spouse can easily pick up controllers and play couch co-op in this game. The bad part is that because it’s in an open world environment, the co-op is split screen. Don’t let that keep you from enjoying the ridiculous amount of puzzles and up to 70 playable characters. This is also the first LEGO game that has a full voice cast, which includes the awesome Nolan North, Rob Paulsen, and Laura Bailey. It is a really enjoyable game with all sorts of fun things to do in it.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Perhaps you already know the story of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He was Walt Disney’s first creation under the Universal umbrella. After he felt he was being forced to leave the company, Walt created his own animation company. But Universal owned the right to Oswald, and Mr. Disney spent most of his life trying to regain the rights to the rabbit. After Al Michaels wanted out of his ABC contact in 2006, Universal and Disney agreed to a trade of Al Michaels’ services for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Epic Mickey 2 is a blast to play co-op. Teamwork is not just encouraged, but it is necessary in two-player mode. It isn’t just a lot of running around, the puzzles in the game require both players. It’s more fun than single player, which does include AI. But really, wouldn’t you rather play the game with the one you love? If you’re a Disney fan than you’ll love all the cool Easter eggs laid out all over the game. The only question that remains is, who is gonna play as Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, you or your spouse?
We know that the world has had its fill of musical games. Dance Dance Revolution started the craze years ago, and Guitar Hero and Rock Band helped bring the genre to the forefront of the gaming world. Dance Central 3 is something you and your spouse can enjoy. If you’re looking to not be a couch potato, then this game comes highly recommended.
New to the Dance Central franchise is a mode where you can perform really cool dance battles and mini-games, including “Keep the Beat,” where you’ll have to track the song’s rhythm. Also, Dance Central 3 finally offers a beginner mode. The on disc songs come from a variety of genres including hip hop, EDM, boy band pop, and disco. If you and your spouse enjoy getting down and grooving, then this is the game for you.
If you and your spouse are into the wham, bam, body slam world of professional wrestling, then you’ll have a grand ol’ time playing WWE 13 together. Boasting the biggest roster ever in a WWE game, WWE 13 offers an abundance of options for you to enjoy. There are small superstars like Rey Mysterio, and enormous ones like The Big Show. Also, because of the new weight detection feature, someone as small as Rey will never be able to lift up a person with the girth of The Big Show. That was a huge problem in previous wrestling games, and something that has bugged players for years.
The new Attitude Era story mode harkens back to those glory days of WWE wrestling when grapplers like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Shawn Michaels ruled in the squared circle. Other key new features include “Spectacular Moments,” which allows for environmental moves to be pulled off. With a new animation style and an updated Predator 2.0 engine, WWE 13 is a great way to get in there with your spouse and have a rip roaring romp in either single player mode, or you can partner up with him or her in a tag team match. Or if you’re feeling lucky, you can go head to head against your spouse in a tag team match. The possibilities are endless!
Halo 4 is the biggest, and most anticipated sequel to hit the video game world since Gears of War 3. The return of Master Chief is something audiences everywhere have been looking forward to since the last iteration of the franchise in 2007. People were clamoring for 343 Industries’ first ever full leap into the Halo universe. Many people wondered if the game studio could carry on the tradition that Bungie began back in 2002. So far they have not disappointed.
But why play the game alone? Why sit in your PJs with empty Hot Pocket sleeves around you when you can play this game with your spouse? To ensure a happy, healthy home, one must cut down Promethean forces together. Crawlers, Watchers, and Promethean Knights must all cower in fear of you and your spouse’s combined Halo tactics. It’s a lot of fun, and an entertaining way to keep the marriage going by spending a few Halo nights together. One does not simply maintain a successful union by hanging with the in-laws all the time. Every now and then one must break out the needler, the DMR, and the Battle Rifle on your foes.
