by
Lee Mehr
, posted 5 hours ago / 427 Views
Of all the past omissions in our Game of the Year categories, Best Multiplayer feels like one of the most glaring. I mean, hell, video games as a medium started with Tennis for Two (according to most sources). Whether it’s breakout console game successes like Pong in the early 70s or attaining the best high score at an arcade cabinet, competition has been a part of this medium from the start. But that’s only half of the story. Sometimes your goals can only be reached through cooperation.
This year’s top selection ranges across several prominent genres; that said, shooting something does take up the majority of 2024’s list. Even though pew-pewing stuff – be it insect, automaton, alien, or human – tends to be more iterative than innovative, it’s hard to disregard the wonderfully visceral dopamine hits these experiences provide. Whether looking for that sort of action or perhaps some more light-hearted fun, 2024 had a plethora of competitive and cooperative options to satiate any multiplayer gamer.
The Shortlist:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Helldivers II
Tekken 8
The Runner-up:
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Although I’m not a veteran by any sorts, Mario Party games tend to be hit-or-miss in my book. But when it hits? It can feel like your de facto party game with friends and family for months. Fortunately, Jamboree ranks up there with Nintendo’s previous best efforts thanks to several new maps, new special items, and the most mini-games squeezed into a single Mario Party to-date (110 total). Overall, Jamboree remains a thrilling party game that’s tough to put down.
The Winner:
Helldivers II
It’s often hard to know where to begin with Helldivers II – even for such a handsome & erudite reviewer who’s already covered the damn game. Nauseating self-aggrandizement aside, the reason Arrowhead Studios’ multiplayer accomplishments beat out every new live-service game of 2024 is deceptively simple: by making every interaction on & off the battlefield feel meaningful. At first glance, each player’s command station looks rather unremarkable. The exterior can be refashioned with neat designs and colors, but interior hubs stick to a rather drab utilitarian aesthetic. But it’s the little things within that hub that make it click: the continual propaganda booming across the ship’s radio or the ever-evolving world map gauging how “liberated” a planet is from our freedom-hating enemies (with percentages fluctuating in real-time). There’s even a dedicated Dungeon Master, for all intents and purposes, on the back-end incorporating new global milestones to challenge the entire community. It effectively sells you on a larger-than-life struggle against insurmountable odds, be they bugs, robots, or aliens.
This Starship Troopers (movie) simulation feeds into every on-foot battle. Whether it’s the hilarious blowback of misusing your Stratagems or a heroic standoff before the escape vehicle arrives, few games can match its wonderful blend of action & comedy. Because of all the elements potentially at play – dynamic weather systems and a background ‘director’ fluctuating enemy counts on the fly – entire runs (potentially over 45 minutes) can feel like a protracted single-take action scene. The mechanics, design, tone, and more all synergize in a way no other new multiplayer game could match. Not only does Helldivers II cement itself as one of 2024’s best, it also earns a place among the greatest cooperative games of all time.