Co-Optimized: The Best Cooperative Games Shown at E3 2015

This year's E3 has been great for big reveals and surprises, but it also looks like it's going to be a good year for cooperative games. Here's a look at things to come for co-op fans.

Shadow Warrior 2

With Shadow Warrior, you've got guns, swords, magic, and Wang, so who could ask for more? Well, it looks like even the legendary Lo Wang can't handle the new world, where humans and demons live and work side-by-side, alone. So, he's calling in some help from a few friends. A team of 4 players can come together and play through the entire campaign with its procedurally generated levels. Each warrior will have customizable armor, items, and valuable loot.

Halo 5: Guardians

Cooperative campaigns have always been one of the cornerstones of the Halo experience, and like previous games, Halo 5 will include 4-player co-op through online play. Join together to uncover the mystery that threatens the entire galaxy, as Spartan Locke is tasked with hunting down Master Chief. Or you can flip sides and join the Master Chief's crew. Both sides have unique playable characters. 

Call of Duty Black Ops 3

We got an in-depth look at the call of Duty: Black Ops 3 cooperative multiplayer mode during this year's E3. Players will be able to choose from among nine Specialists, each with a distinct look, personality, abilities, and progression system along with fully customizable weaponry. Between the cybernetic enhancements, a new system that allows players to chain movements together, and an arsenal of powerful weapons (including a bow), the opposition probably doesn't stand much of a chance.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Ghost Recon: Wildlands made its big debut at E3, and it sends in a group of elite soldiers to Bolivia, where they must infiltrate the Santa Blanca drug cartel. How you handle breaking the cartel and its operations is completely up to you. Best of all, the open world campaign can be played cooperatively with up to four players.

Rainbow 6: Siege

The Rainbow Six Siege presentation showed that the game has more to offer than head-to-head gameplay. The Terrorist Hunt (TerroHunt) mode is back, and it puts teams of up to 5 players into challenging scenarios, where they must combat a group called The White Masks. Together, players must find ways to confront the most difficult artificial intelligence the developers could put together. So, it's clear that it'll take a lot of teamwork, planning, and skill to come out alive.

Tom Clancy's The Division

We've known since the game's first initial announcement that The Division will feature cooperative multiplayer in a persistent online world. We just didn't know how far the gameplay extended until its E3 2015 presentation. It looks like it'll take a lot to survive the remnants of New York City, including a keen eye for danger and plenty of ambition. Multiple teams can either work together, or against each other for loot. But look out, because alliances can be temporary, and squads can easily turn on each other. Even trusted teammates can suddenly betray their friends. Guess we can't be nice all the time. At least it'll give you a chance to figure out which of your friends are total jerks.

Minecraft for HoloLens

It's easy to guess the Minecraft would make its way onto HoloLens, but how it would be presented is a different matter. As it turns out, playing Minecraft using an augmented reality headset opens up a whole world of possibilities. In the E3 presentation, the HoloLens user can switch from a traditional first-person perspective to a god's eye view of the world. He can walk around a 3D model of the world, pan around for different views, and even peek inside structures or in underground environments. Using this view, HoloLens players can guide others through mazes and help identify traps.

Fortnite

Epic Games hits E3 with a new look at Fortnite, the cooperative base defense game where players must come together to build a fortress and then fend off waves of creatures. The game is currently still in testing phases, but will be free to play when it releases, giving players an opportunity to creatively kill off hordes of monsters together.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

You might not have been too impressed by Metroid Prime: Federation Force's debut at E3, but Nintendo has been known to make surprise successes even when the game doesn't get a welcome reception. In any case, the game promises to put a team of 3DS players into the role of Galactic Federation Marines, battling creatures set in the Metroid Prime universe. Up to 4 players can embark on different missions and work together to overcome enemies.

Need for Speed

The new Need for Speed, releasing this November, features five different ways to play. One of those ways is a Crew mode where a number of racers come together to raise chaos on the streets. Players will be able to customize their cars and work together toward a bigger reputation. Live fast, win big.

Mass Effect Andromeda [Unconfirmed]

Although cooperative multiplayer hasn't been officially announced for Mass Effect Andromeda, it's hard to believe that it won't continue the very popular mode that was started with Mass Effect 3. There are still plenty of questions left to be answered, including what playable classes there will be at launch, what the maps will look like, and what new gameplay features there will be. We look forward to having them answered as we get closer to the holiday 2016 release.

Gears of War 4 [Unconfirmed]

Gears of War 4 had a lengthy gameplay presentation, which introduced all new characters and story, but no indication of what multiplayer will be like. Given the fact that all previous Gears of War games include cooperative campaigns, it's unthinkable that the same wouldn't go for the newest game. The game isn't expected to release until 2016, so there's still a lot more to learn about its gameplay and the new world players will get to explore.