Games that will test your friendship

I love couch co-op, and really enjoy playing a good game with a friend or one of my brothers.

But some games are not meant to be played with those you care about, and can lead to arguments, heartbreak, or even a black-eye.

These are the games that I found could be extremely damaging to one’s friendships.

Portal 2

This is a game of intellect, so don’t invite clever relatives or dumb partners over to play.

The puzzles in Portal 2 are tough to solve and sometimes require good teamwork, and if you are not in sync with your playing partner it can be painful. It is particularly frustrating when your co-op buddy can’t seem to understand the objective of a level.

The sad thing is that Portal is best played with two players, and if that other person is, well, not as smart as you, you won’t get anywhere.

LittleBigPlanet

There is nothing better than playing a few community levels on LBP and I used to spend hours jamming with my three brothers.

While it was fun, it was also extremely annoying.

Media Molecule added in the slap ability – so while you are gearing up to soar off in a makeshift car, just before you launch, you slap your friend and off he goes, flying off the screen and to his death. He then re-spawns near the end and decides to take revenge by not following you to the finish line.

Given that both of you need to be present at the end to complete the level, this becomes frustrating – you try and drag your co-op partner with you, but this only results in a slap to the face. Eventually you get bored and leave. Game over.

Madden

Whether its playing with a mate, or against them, there is always a heated argument just around the corner in Madden. Perhaps it’s the testosterone-fuelled action of American Football that drives a gamer to become a raging beast, or maybe the complexity of the game – to even the most serious sports fans – becomes frustrating.

Either way, Madden is fun to play, but very dangerous when it comes to co-op. Below is an example of what happens when brothers take to the to football field and the game plan falls to pieces.

[Please take note that this video contains a lot of F-words, so turn this down in front of children or the elderly.]

Wii Party U

This is a game of ridicule, and I cannot deal with people laughing at me when I lose – Wii Party U is the cause of all my self-esteem issues.

So what if I couldn’t wind up the elastic helicopter fast enough. So what if that stupid ostrich chose my bush first? You aren’t better than me.

Wii Party U can cause serious issues not only with your friends, but also with your inner self, and although it is the best party game I have played, I am still in counselling because of it.

Mario Kart

Mario Kart is the type of game that seems so easy, and just when you think you have a race in the bag, your friend wallops you with a shell – not only overtaking you, but sending you to the back of the pack.

This is extremely frustrating and it almost always happens right near the end of the race.

Seeing your mate at the top of the podium afterwards just rubs salt in the wounds. Damn those koopa shells; damn my friends; I will rather play solo.