Will said:
I'm looking to develop a list of popular games for both xbox and Windows XP
that allow two or more persons to play simultaneously while viewing the same
screen (i.e., NOT network play on different computers).
The target users for this are between ages of eight and 15. Any help
identifying a list of candidate games is appreciated.
This could be more complex than you intended. By multiplayer (2 or more on
the same screen), do you merely want competitive gameplay (like RalliSport
Challenge or a huge number of Xbox games), or co-op gameplay (like
TimeSplitters 2 allows, and some others)? Do you care if it is split-screen,
or where 2 or more players share the same large view on the screen?...
probably not. There are many multiplayer games for the Xbox, but it's a much
smaller subset that supports cooperative play, where you work together to
progress through the game levels. As for the PC, there are fewer games these
days that support 2 (let alone any more) on the same machine. I can't help
you there. I do have about 100 Xbox games, and co-op play was important to
me, so I could send you my list if you really want...
"A Man..." had listed some of the better Xbox multiplayer games, many in his
list supporting co-op, but this is just a short-list for the over 850 Xbox
games out there.
However, there is another, perhaps better option. Go to a website like:
www.gamespot.com
You can look up games for free, but cannot access more advanced content
(unless you buy a membership... not necessary). You can obtain a FREE
membership and create your own game lists: a wishlist for buying, a list of
upcoming releases you are tracking (max. of 10), and a list of games you
already have. Game details are usually listed under a link called "Tech
Info" just to the right of the red game score and bars (on the "Reviews"
tab). Since most reviewers seem to focus on online play more than "co-op",
you may have to read the game review to determine whether co-op is supported.
Otherwise assume 2 or more players are merely competitive (you race or fight
against each other). You can also use GAMEFINDER (with or without a
membership I believe). I don't know where they've hidden the main link to
this, so enter a search string (for anything) near the top of the page and
click on the orange "SEARCH" button. It doesn't matter whether any results
are found. Now click on the orange-brown "Gamefinder" text that si now
located above the search box, and this will take you to a screen where you
then set up a custom search for just about anything you're looking for. You
can pick PC and/or Xbox. You can pick the minimum number of players (i.e.,
2), and specify Cooperative or Team Oriented, as well as the allowable ESRB
ratings (all those less than M). You can add anything else to the criteria,
such as a minimum GameSpot score, so you don't get the crappy games included
in the results. Anyway, that should be enough to get you going. The thing
is, a website like GameSpot will remain up-to-date. My list will not, and
only includes the games I have or I've been interested in (therefore not
up-to-date, nor complete).
Hope all this helps.
You'll probably want to base your