Playing Along Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ratchet: Gladiator / Ratchet: Deadlocked

While Clank doesn't play a huge role in this game as he did in the previous three, a second player can jump in and join the DreadZone action as Alpha Clank, a taller version of Ratchet's sidekick capable of wielding the weird and wonderful weapons that are usually reserved for the Lombax.

In his normal role in the game, Clank provides Ratchet with radio guidance from their station in the DreadZone complex.

Answer: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Played from an isometric perspective, this unique entry in the series (unique in the sense that it doesn't have the words 'Tomb Raider' in the title) sees Lara trying to recover a lost relic that has brought back an evil, ancient Mayan spirit from captivity within the relic.

A second player can jump in at any time and play as Totec, a Mayan soldier (and titular Guardian of Light) once sworn to guard the Mirror of Smoke and prevent anyone trying to free Xolotl. Despite its departure from the series' norm of third-person tomb raiding, 'Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light' was well-received, and marked the last game in which Lara was voiced by Keeley Hawes.

Answer: Dead Space 3

Following on from the events of the previous two games, 'Dead Space 3' takes the fight against the Necromorphs from the eeriness of space to the frozen wastes of the planet Tau Volantis. The cooperative play allows a second player to jump in at any time as John Carver to assist the primary protagonist, Isaac Clarke.

The addition of co-op was a first for the series, but according to the developers, it was always their intent to have some form of cooperation in the series. From a narrative and series innovation viewpoint, the production of 'Dead Space 3' seemed to be an ideal opportunity to include this.

Answer: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Wishing to end Dr. Robotnik's plans for a giant space station called the Death Egg, Sonic and Tails team up to stop him from stealing the Chaos Emeralds and constructing this superweapon. Tails always follows Sonic through each zone, but can only join in the action when a second player picks up a controller. Tails can defeat enemies and collect rings like Sonic does, but the camera will always focus on the Player 1-controlled Sonic, meaning the duo either have to stick together or Tails will get left behind.

The game also features a multiplayer section that sees Sonic and Tails racing each other to complete zones in split-screen play.

Answer: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Up to three players can join in the cooperative missions in 'Uncharted 2', playing through different scenarios set across locations featured in the game, but not canonical or part of the overall single player campaign story. Multiplayer returned in the next game, 'Uncharted 3', again allowing players to play through a a variety of unique miniature campaigns, taking control of some of the lead characters.

Answer: Donkey Kong Country

Of course, a single player can switch between Donkey and Diddy Kong any time they like, adapting each character's play style to each level. A second player, however, can join in Team Mode, assisting Player 1 on some of the trickier traps, obstacles or enemies laid out by King K. Rool and his Kremlings. Only one player can play at a time, but play will switch when the current player loses a life from taking too much damage or manually performs a switch with the press of a button. Contest Mode is more competitive, tasking players to see who can complete the most levels in the quickest time.

Answer: Left 4 Dead

The four Survivors of the pandemic (Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey) can be controlled by up to four players as they take on the zombies and discover the source of the threat. Weapons and valuable items can be found scattered throughout each environment to help against the zombie hordes, but it's the cooperation that will ensure the survival of each character as they journey across America.

The sequel, 'Left 4 Dead 2', features a new set of four Survivors, who are saved by the original four at the end of the first game.

Answer: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

The GameCube's 'Mario Kart' offering shook up the formula a bit by allowing players to have two characters on each kart. One character would drive the kart, navigating it through each of the game's sixteen tracks, while the other would receive items from item boxes and activate them as necessary. Of course, a single player is always restricted to driving the kart and firing off items of their own accord at the press of a button, but adding a second player really adds a new level. Each player can switch between driving and item-grabbing and oftentimes what might appear to be cooperative play can turn into competitive play as players switch roles on the fly.

Answer: Guild Wars: Factions

In the first game, 'Guild Wars: Prophecies', the twenty-five cooperative missions told the game's story, from the after-effects of the devastating event in Ascalon known as the Searing, to the final showdown in the Ring of Fire islands against the Undead Lich. Each mission had a primary, compulsory objective and a secondary, optional objective.

In 'Guild Wars: Factions', the nature of cooperative missions changed slightly. They still told the story of the game, but achieving various levels of accomplishment in each mission determined the rewards the party received upon completion of the mission. For instance, in the notorious Eternal Grove mission, players must defend Kurzick Tree Singers from an onslaught of Afflicted creatures. Keeping all twelve alive throughout the mission yields the Master award, while keeping six to eleven alive results in the Expert award, and keeping fewer than six alive unlocks the Standard reward.

Answer: Portal 2

The Cooperative Testing Initiative added an even more complex layer to an already complex physics- and mind-bending puzzle game. Adding a second character in meant another two portals could be used in each test chamber, and therefore the design of each chamber needed to be more intricate and more devious.

The following Perpetual Testing Initiative, which opened up the game to user-created chambers, meant that 'Portal' players could unleash their devilish creativity to manufacture all sorts of tricky tests and difficult dangers.