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The 7 Best Games for Couch Potatoes

The 7 Best Games for Couch Potatoes

We’re a generation of recluses, we are. We do all of our shopping on Amazon, we can order our food on tablets now, and when we want to play multiplayer games we don’t need to invite friends over – we just hop online and play with randos without a microphone plugged in. Remember the good ‘ol days of sitting next to a friend, neighbor, or loved one on the couch and working together to get through a tough stage or finish a game in one sitting? Remember the screams, the prodding elbows, and the sides of your mouth aching from smiling and laughing? Those days can be yours once again! Couch co-op is alive and well in 2016, so let’s party like it’s 1999. Call up a friend, get them to ask their mom if they can come over (even if they’re 40), order a pizza on the phone (not on your tablet), and sit down with one of these games.

Image Credit: Nimarra

Affordable Space Adventures

Affordable Space Adventures

Affordable Space Adventures is one of the best games you’re not playing on your Wii U, and it’s one of the best multiplayer games this generation period. You play as a naive tourist / explorer who’s been duped by a phony travel company into renting an “affordable” (i.e. held together with duct tape and prayers) spacecraft to explore hostile worlds. The ship has all kinds of mechanisms, alternate engines, devices, and landing gear that will need operating, and that’s where your pals come in. You can play with up to three friends, all of whom will have distinct roles that feel engaging and important. This is the game to load up when you have non-gamers at the party, and I guarantee the lot of you will end up either laughing hysterically or frantically reaching over to push buttons on each others’ controllers as your hunk of junk spacecraft sputters toward certain peril.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

Diablo II will likely go down as the best multiplayer dungeon crawler of all-time. That’s why Diablo III ‘s initial launch was such a disappointment. Server issues, a lack of compelling loot, and a real-money auction house ruined almost everything that made its predecessor such a success. Luckily Blizzard listened to fans and, many patches later, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls has evolved into a worthy successor. Everything has been so finely balanced that no matter which class you and your friends might choose, there are always multiple ways you can complement each other. The new Loot 2.0 system also means that you’ll constantly be on the lookout for meaningful, significant gear upgrades. I can think of no better way to spend a Friday night than seated next to a buddy, controllers charged, determined to make it through all five acts on the hardest difficulty, constantly comparing and trading loot throughout the journey. Actually, I think I know what I’m doing this weekend.

Lego Dimensions

Lego Dimensions

This might be the best game on the list to play with the non-gamer in your life. Maybe your roommate thinks video games are stupid, but they love Dr. Who. There’s a Lego Dimensions pack for that; build it together and relive some of the greatest classic and contemporary Dr. Who moments together. Your girlfriend or boyfriend might not have an interest in video games, but they may have an interest in the Jurassic World Team Pack if you saw the movie together. Make a date night of putting the set together and trying it out in-game for an hour or two. This might just be the easiest game to justify new purchases for if you can get your significant other hooked; just have to find the right pack!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Manhattan

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Manhattan

Your childhood was truly a happy one if you have memories of playing TMNT: Turtles in Time with your best friends. Maybe you pissed off your parents by refusing to come to the table at Pizza Hut because your quarter was still good and you had to finish a level. You may have memories of multiple sleepovers during which you and your pals would take turns with the SNES controllers as you attempted to beat the game in one sitting (there was always that one friend who sucked and would never know what to do). Platinum Games is going to recreate that magic with TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan . The game looks fast-paced, action-packed, fun, and will be full of badass bosses for you and you buddies to take down. I envy the younger folks who will get to have that same Turtles in Time experience with their pals next month. Say, are any of you free the weekend of May 24?

Trackmania Turbo

Trackmania Turbo

Trackmania Turbo is probably the closest thing to a classic arcade racing experience you’re going to find on a next-generation console. Everything about this game, even in its single-player modes, is about besting the rest and coming out on top with the fastest lap time. Most races aren’t races at all, but rather runs of a single, challenging lap that you attempt over and over again, shaving off milliseconds and trying to come up with an unbeatable record. It’s the perfect game for passing the controller around because no one will likely hold onto it for longer than 30 seconds. There are also some killer multiplayer options like the innovative Double Driver mode. In Double Driver, two players use two controllers to control a single car. The game accepts all gas, break, and steering inputs from both players and directs the car accordingly, so even the simplest stages will have you and your buddies shouting at each other over gasps and laughter as you attempt to work together to reach the goal.

Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World is hilarious to play in a group because anyone can change from worthy teammate to ruthless saboteur in the blink of an eye. You’re all sharing a screen and working together to reach the same goal, but inevitably, after one or two stages, rivalries develop for one reason or another. Maybe it’s because that one guy constantly scores the highest on every stage and you’re sick of seeing his Luigi wearing the crown (top scorers get to wear a crown). Maybe it’s because Peach is your favorite video game character, and your girlfriend knows that, but she chose Peach before you could. Whatever the reason, things can spiral out of control very quickly as you all begin to pick each other up and throw each other off the edge of the map, trigger falling platforms before team mates can reach them, block entries to pipes, or wreak havoc generally. On the other hand, this is one of the best four-player co-op games of this generation if everyone decides to play nicely. Either way, you’ll have a blast.

Rocket League

Rocket League

I’m happy to give the number one spot to this breakout smash-hit. Six cars, two teams, two goals, one ball… This is a game that you just can’t understand until you play it for yourself. The controls are so simple, but after months of playing you still feel like you’re getting a better feel for angles, hit-boxes, and power-sliding. Give this to a friend, though, and even if they don’t usually play video games they’ll know exactly what to do. Hell, take them online with you and just tell them to ram the other team’s cars or get in the way; they can still contribute that way. Rocket League is the most fun you’ll have sitting next to a pal this generation, and Psyonix is constantly adding new content and game modes to keep things fresh. If you haven’t played this game yet, invite a friend over and give it a whirl.

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