Shoot Many Robots is a side-scrolling cooperative Shoot ‘em up game on Steam. It can be played with up to four players and provides you with a lot of mindless casual fun.
The players are some kind of rednecks who fight an invasion of evil robots after they have not only destroyed their houses but also their trucks. This redneck theme goes even so far that you use beer to regain health.
What the game is about can be easily summed up in three words: SHOOT MANY ROBOTS. That’s actually all you do in this game. Of course you also collect experience, nuts and various unlocks and power-ups that allow you to customize your character between missions. Each piece of equipment (headgear, shirt, pants, primary and secondary weapon as well as a backpack) grants you different bonuses.
Conclusion: Shoot Many Robots may not be most deep and most detailed shooter you’ll play but it’s a lot of fun especially when you play it with a group of friends. Multiplayer works flawlessly over Steam and you even have included voice chat. The regular price is €9.99 but todayit’s on sale for just €4.99. So if you are into mindless 2D robot killing action, you definitely should pick this game up.
Minecraft (which is available at minecraft.net for 19,95€) is one of those games we get back to regularly. At first glance there isn't anything exciting about it: The graphics are simple, to say the least, and the main goal is to gather heaps of raw materials to craft or build something. Of course, there are some really nasty creatures like the notorious "Creepers", which can give you a hard time now and then. But the core of the game is building and gathering.
In spite of that simple approach, Minecraft can be really addictive. The reason for that are the immense possibilities the game offers. You can build nearly any building you can imagine - log cabins, cathedrals, an undersea palace, castles with automatic gates and trains between mountain tops. And in case you should run out of ideas, there are lots and lots of stunning examples and instructions on youtube. Just take a look at the following:
Of course we didn't come even close to those breathtaking buildings. Our most ambitious project so far has been a small village with two bridges and some nice streets with street lanterns.
But even without huge plans, cooperative gaming in Minecraft is a wonderful thing. You are able to plan and build all sorts of crazy and interesting things jointly. In fact, in our experience, the most extraordinary ideas arose when we did some brainstorming together. And of course working as a team speeds things up: While one player is gathering stone or wood, the other one is able to continue constructing. Often we spent hours and hours playing the game without even realizing it.
There are some minor problems, of course, like the lack of a minimap without having to rely on fan-created modifications (which makes it hard to orient oneself) or the fact, that it is impossible to teleport back to a certain point at the map (and you really, really start wishing for that, at some point - believe us!)
But there is always the possibility to set up your own server - and there you can install a lot of useful mods. (We will write more about that in a later post.)
Conclusion: Minecraft is a wonderful game, if you like building and gathering. You can play Minecraft again and again - because you can always start a new project. It is possible to pause playing over a long period without loosing the thread and you are able to switch between solo playing and coop playing in the same game world. The core mechanics are simple enough to learn. The graphics, however, aren't that entracing - even if one chooses to install one of the countless texture packs. And for experiencing the whole range of possibilities the game offers one has really to invest time and effort - for example by checking out some of the available tutorials.
We recently stumbled upon this game on Steam. It was on sale for just 4.99€ and looked like a lot of fun.
In Bunch of Heroes you play one of four heroes that defend Earth against invading aliens and zombies that look a lot like German WW2 soldiers. But instead of boring you with details let's just have a look at the trailer.
Now that you have an idea of what Bunch of Heroes is about let's talk about the Pros and Cons.
On the Pro side the game is really inexpensive and playing with two people behind the same router caused no issues. The gameplay is easy enough to learn and if you enjoy games like these you'll have a lot of fun slaughtering endless waves of aliens and zombies with all kinds of weapons. There are missions like "Defend this farm", "Rescue the cheerleader" or "Clear this area" that bring some variety into the game.
On the Con side, if you're looking for a deep story, you really should look elsewhere. And even though there are multiple environments to fight in and a whole bunch of different opponents, it's basically all the same. There's also no way to really customize your character or improve stats over time. The only choice you have is what weapons you can pick up during the level.
The repetitive nature of the gameplay can be a major issue if you're playing alone, but playing in a group up to four people can be a blast. Even though you die a lot, characters tend to respawn pretty fast and as long as one character survives, you still have a chance to finish the level.
Conclusion: Bunch of Heroes is a fun game if you have to waste a couple of minutes to hours with a bunch of friends. But if you're looking into a game that can keep you entertained for weeks, you definitely should look elsewhere.
Coop Gamers is a blog about computer and video games that you can play cooperatively. It is run by Stargazer and his girlfriend Teedrache who have not only be together for over a decade now, but who also share their love for computer and video gaming (among many other things).
When we play together we prefer coop games, so we decided to start this blog where we share our thoughts on the subject and review the games we like.
Welcome to Coop Gamers. We hope you enjoy your stay!
