Tuesday, 16 June 2009

• 2P Games: A Classification System

  
  

  Two player games. I love two player games.  Brings back memories of my brother and I playing on the old NES, with Diet Pepsi and Red Baron Pizza.  I've noticed that two player games (or even, multiplayer games) can be put in different categories.

  1.  Parallel One Player
  Example:  Super Mario Bros.

  I play.  I keep going until I fall in a pit.  Or hit a turtle the wrong way.  Or run out of time in one of the stages.  Or rescue the Princess.
  

  THEN...

  2P plays.  Starts at the beginning.  Doesn't matter what 1P did.  The power-ups are still there, the bad guys are still there, etc.
  

  Repeat until both players either run out of lives or win (both players individually win or lose).

  2.  Cooperative One Player
  Example:  Super Mario Bros. 3

  I play.  I take on a stage.  Maybe I win, maybe I don't.
  

  THEN...

  2P plays.  If I beat the stage, he can advance on the map to another stage.  (In some games, 2P can play the same stage)

  Repeat until both players run out of lives or one of the players wins the game (on behalf of both).

  3.  Simultaneous Two Player (no harm)
  Example:  CONTRA.

  Two players, on the same screen.  Shooting every alien in sight.  If I see an alien behind us about to kill you, I'll turn around and blow its brains out.  Lucky us, 1P's weapon can't kill 2P, and vice versa. The only catch is if one of us moves the screen and leaves the other one to fall in a pit or something like that.
  

  Sample dialogue: "I'm running low on lives, Lance"
  "Take one of mine!"

  Play until the game is won, or both players have run out of lives.

  4.  Simultaneous Two Player (damage possible)
  Example:  River City Ransom

  Two players, on the same screen.  Punching out thugs left and right.  But, if I throw my trash can at a thug, and 2P gets in the way...*POW*. Oh, crap.  I guess that means we gotta do like those martial arts movies, where the two of us are back-to-back and going all ninja on them.

  Play until the game is won, or both players have run out of lives, or 2P is tired of 1P hitting 2P with every weapon in sight

  5.  Simultaneous Two Player (competitive)
  Example:  Goldeneye, Super Mario Kart, etc.

  Two or more players.  Prepare to be fragged, lapped, proximity-mined, blue-turtle-shelled, etc., 2P.  

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