Anybody that has had their game crashed by the random drop-in of a Co-Op partner knows the frustration that can come from a random individual appearing in a world that you initially felt control over. Sometimes, things go off without a hitch and the added player is well aware of who’s in control of the game, playing at your pace and following in your footsteps. Other times, though, that feeling of control is lost as the materialized second player goes off on a rampage, rushing through segments and killing certain experiences before you have the chance to kick them from your game. Games like Dead Rising 2, Resident Evil 5, and the frustratingly bad Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City are just a handful of games that implemented Drop-in / Drop-out Co-Op play, but they offered the most frustrating experiences.
In each aforementioned title, I found myself playing at a steady pace, waiting for a second player to join; and in each title, I’ve had the pleasure of playing with somebody who either took their daily dose of cocaine before joining my game, or simply had no regards to whose game they joined. Not that I missed integral parts of the plot by playing with the speed-gamer, but there have been plenty of times I found myself in a tight spot for assuming my mysterious partner was nearby watching my back only to realize they were halfway across the map. With this level of inconsiderate gaming in abundance, is there a way to stop these annoyances in their tracks before they even show? Of course, not everything can be predicted, but what if games started to look at trends before matching players with others?
If it takes me thirty minutes to complete a level in Operation Raccoon City, than does it make sense to pare me with someone who blew through the level in under fifteen minutes? Or if my hit ratio is near 100%, why do I continuously find myself playing with those who waste an entire clip firing at background objects and circling crows? Most games keep track of these records at the end of levels or at the close of the game itself, and while they’re used for bragging rights, they could be integrated into the match making process. If somebody is consistently ending levels with less than 50% accuracy, than that gamer shouldn’t be fighting alongside someone who can knock the head’s off of a row of locusts with pop shots from the Hammerburst.
It may seem like a ridiculous gripe, but I know I can’t be the only one frustrated by the miss-matched Co-Operative play that I’ve been subjected to. I enjoy playing with other people to further the experience of the game, but when the person you’re going to be playing with is a gamble, it takes the enjoyment out of even wanting to play cooperatively with somebody I don’t know.
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