Gaming

What are the best multiplayer games for office downtime?

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Mario Kart 8 vs Team Fortress 2 vs Dota2

 vs SpeedRunners vs Stick Fight: The Game vs Nitro Nation Drag Racing

Specs

Steam Rating

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Genre

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Platforms

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Co-Op

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Publisher

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Controller Support

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Steam Rating

Very Positive

Genre

Hero-based FPS

Platforms

Win / Mac / Linux

Co-Op

6 Player Online / 6 Player LAN

Publisher

Valve

Controller Support

Partial

Steam Rating

Mostly Positive

Genre

MOBA

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Publisher

-

Controller Support

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Genre

-

Platforms

-

Co-Op

-

Publisher

-

Controller Support

-

Steam Rating

-

Genre

-

Platforms

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Co-Op

-

Publisher

-

Controller Support

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Steam Rating

-

Genre

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Platforms

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Co-Op

-

Publisher

-

Controller Support

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Fun, varied gameplay

The game has multiple game modes, various vehicles, bunch of usable items, an array of tracks, lots of customization options and fun gameplay mechanics, including anti-gravity, gliding and underwater driving among many other features to keep the game fun.
Comment

Pro
 Up to 4 player split-screen

You can play all game modes locally with up to 4 players.
Comment

Pro
 Multiple game modes

There are 4 game modes in Mario Kart 8. There's Grand Prix, the main game mode where you compete in 12-player races using various items found in the level, Time Trial, where you fight against the clock, VS Race, where you can set up your own rules, and Battle, a variant on a typical race with 3 balloons added to each player, allowing you to pop your opponents balloons for points.
Comment

Pro
 Quick games

Races don't take too long (a typical race takes about 5 minutes) so you can play on your lunch break.
Comment

Pro
 Helps new players

While this makes it a worse competitive game, it makes it more accessible in the office for everyone to be able to play. A game where a few players can just dominate everyone else won't be fun for everyone, and will discourage people from playing in the first place.
Comment

Pro
 Supports up to 12 players online

In online mode you can compete with up to 11 other players.
Comment

Pro
 Glorious 60fps gameplay

The game runs at stable 60 fps with the exception of 4-player split screen, where the framerate is halved.
Comment

Pro
 Cross-platform

The game runs on Windows, OS X and Linux machines.
Comment

Pro
 Pretty good VR support and options

To enable VR support, type -vr in console. TF2 has 8 modes in which to control the game. They can be changed with the command vr_moveaim_mode in console. They offer choice in what combination of aiming and steering should be coupled to the rift and mouse and introduce the concept of dead zones - an area of the screen that controls differently when aiming or steering within its bounds than outside them. Typing vr_calibration in console gives access to adjusting interpupillary distance (distance between eyes). You can get that information from an optician or use the calibration tool to help figure it out and set it there. Calibration will help set accurate render point (camera position) and reduce nausea.
Comment

Pro
 Fair free to play model

This game is mostly pay-to-gain, as in to get more weapons. You can randomly get things, though. You can use the things you randomly get to be also used in crafting recipes to make other things.
Comment

Pro
 Includes Mann vs. Machine, a ridiculously fun co-op mode

Mann vs. Machine is a co-op mode in Team Fortress 2 that is comprised of gameplay in which 6 players team up to stop AI robots from deploying a bomb. Though not the central gameplay of Team Fortress 2, it is a mode that allows for co-op play to be enjoyed with the characters of the game. Mann vs machine works quite well over LAN and is very fun to boot.
Comment

Con
 Random critical hits add a significant luck element into the game and push certain types of players out

In most 'public' servers, an option called 'random crits' (short for 'random critical hits') exists by default. This allows a random percentage of your shots to multiply damage by 3 for a shot, and also remove the damage drop-off over range. This 'feature' gets increasingly more annoying as you get more experienced, as you will die more often than your opponent having x3 or more damage over you, actively making their experiences and wins less meaningful. Some classes are especially burnt by this. Medics don't use weapons often, Snipers only have secondary weapons and melees, and Spies only have their revolver (and most sidegrades of that revolver remove this ability entirely). Quickplay (a feature most newbies use to get a match) also disables these servers from appearing in the list, so there are very few 'nocrit' servers because many don't know they exist.
Comment

Pro
 Hectic FPS gameplay that utilizes 9 distinct classes, each with lots of varied items

TF2 has 9 playable classes - Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy. This allows for a range of playstyles. For example, the Heavy, starting with 300 health (going up to 450), wielding a machine gun and usually assisted by a Medic, will be commonly found on the front-lines soaking up lots of damage and pulling the enemy team's focus; at the same time the Engineer will try and avoid direct battle as much as possible, providing infrastructure (teleports, sentry, dispensers). Add to this hundreds of weapons for each class providing different stats and you have an impressive amount of variety in gameplay.
Comment

Pro
 Tons to do in the game with plenty of game modes and plenty of community mods

TF2 has more than 10 game modes, plus variations on those, as well as community mods that offer a wide range of objective-based play. Classic game modes include Capture the Flag, Control Point, King of the Hill and Payload. There's also Mann vs. Machine, a co-operative game mode where you play against waves of AI controlled enemies.
Comment

Pro
 Engaged, active, fun, and creative community give the game a welcoming feel, even for outsiders

The TF2 community is know for actively engaging in different TF2 related activities. They create shorts using the source filmmaker, sell items via the steam workshop, build real-life sculptures, etc.
Comment

Pro
 Completely free to download and play any existing section of the game

The game can be downloaded and played for free, allowing anyone to try it out. There are some items that can be purchased with money, but those are optional and only decorative.
Comment

Pro
 Offline LAN support is pretty easy to implement

As long as users have logged in to offline mode on Steam before trying a LAN connection, LAN will work. Which could be an area of confusion, but luckily is easy enough to do if you know you need to do it.
Comment

Con
 Free accounts are slightly limited

Free accounts do not get rare and cosmetic items nor as many storage slots for items. Items are relevant as free accounts can only hold 50, while the game has much more than 50 pieces of equipment (that affect gameplay), let alone 50 weapons. While a premium account player can react to almost all situations with a counter item, with only 50 slots a newbie probably won't have or even be able to access it. A full inventory also means a free player will have to miss out or delete exclusive event items and cosmetics just to play the game as full as they can. A free account is upgraded when any item is purchased with real money from the store.
Comment

Pro
 Fun and humorous gameplay with graphics and sound that fit with this theme

This game has a history of over-the-top characters, visuals, voice-overs, and various other items, which altogether create an amusing world both within the game and outside of it as well. You get a feeling a lot of thought has gone into the development of the characters as well as the world they live in. For a genre that is often filled with drab characters in a drab world, it is refreshing to see something so well fleshed out.
Comment

Con
 Rude, toxic community

Many players feel free to flame and insult, especially in the lower ranks and from non-english speaking countries.
Comment

Pro
 Free to play with no game enhancing purchases

Microtransactions involve only cosmetic items such as custom weapon designs or clothing colors and tickets to view live events.
Comment

Pro
 Incredibly deep gameplay

For players who put the time into Dota 2 to get past the early beginner phase, Dota 2 can become an extremely satisfying game. There's a reason it's one of the most popular eSports titles in the world. The amount of strategy, skill and variables involved make it a very deep game where anything could happen.
Comment

Pro
 Has user-created custom games

Dota 2 includes Workshop Tools that allow users to create custom games as well as other play them.
Comment

Pro
 Cross-platform

Available on Windows, OS X, and Linux.
Comment

Pro
 Regularly updated

Dota 2 is regularly patched and changed with new characters being introduced and balance changes made. This can prevent the game from becoming too stale as the tactics utilized by players changes often.
Comment

Pro
 Dota 2 has the world's biggest e-sports tournament

At The International 4 in summer 2014, players raised the prize pool to more than $10 million, one of the largest prize pools in E-Sports history.
Comment

Pro
 Start with all heroes

You don't need to unlock or purchase characters.
Comment

Pro
 Deny creeps

You can kill your own low-health creeps to deny experience and gold to the other team.
Comment

Pro
 Players can trade self-made cosmetic items

The game includes a system for players to create, buy, and sell cosmetic items.
Comment

Pro
 Very active professional scene

Dota 2 has one of the most if not the most active professional scenes in e-sports today.
Comment

Con
 You love and hate the game

While infuriating at times the addictiveness of the game keeps the players coming back.
Comment

Con
 Deserter status

Like many other team games with open matchmaking, it's both extremely rude and may carry real penalties to quit mid-match. If the whole game is in-office this isn't a problem, but if some players are remote they won't appreciate it if you suddenly have to get back to work.
Comment

Con
 Difficult to get into

Dota 2 is a very satisfying game, but only after hours upon hours are put into learning the games various in's and out's. Beginners should be warned that the game is very difficult and may not be fun for the first week or so.
Comment

Pro
 Gives everyone a chance to win

The game is balances up in a way where it's naturally harder for the player in front to see upcoming obstacles, giving players behind great opportunities to get back ahead. This makes the game fun to keep playing in a group as you're unlikely to keep losing to the one over-competitive friend that tries too hard.
Comment

Pro
 Fun and intense races

SpeedRunners is an intense race around a 2d course. The camera follows the player in the lead, so if you get too far behind you will go off the screen and instantly die. To stay in the lead you will need to dodge obstacles, use a grappling hook to move faster and intelligently use power-ups.
Comment

Pro
 Easy to pick up and play but doesn't get boring

You can get up to speed in just a few minutes as the controls are very simple to learn, but the game still has plenty of depth, as mastering when to use different skills on different levels keeps it fresh.
Comment

Pro
 Interesting movement mechanics

The game has a freeing walljump mechanic as well as a grappling hook that can be used to swing across obstacles, pull towards ledges, etc. This makes for movements that are intuitive and fun as well as well controlled.
Comment

Pro
 Fun power-ups

The game includes powerups like homing rockets, freeze rays and magma balls that can quickly change the game and add a level of randomness to each match making for a unique experience every time.
Comment

Con
 Difficult to play without a controller

Using a keyboard to play can be difficult as it is mainly designed around using a controller, so for those without a controller they may be handicapped playing against others that do.
Comment

Pro
 4 Player simultaneous, combined local and online

There are 4 slots per game, and each slot can be filled with a local player, a bot, a friend over the internet, or a random internet stranger.
Comment

Pro
 Short matches

Matches are quick and only take a few minutes to play, so it's a great game to play on your lunch break, or when you just have a few minutes of free time. This also makes for a good game to play with friends that have limited time to play online.
Comment

Pro
 Level designer for extended gameplay

There is an included level designer so users can design their own levels making for endless playtime through inventing and playing ones own levels.
Comment

Con
 Buggy

Like most Early Access games, bugs are to be expected. The game may crash to desktop and players may fall through the level, hopefully these get fixed before the full release.
Comment

Pro
 No "Premium upgrades"

Every vehicle is competitive and it’s all about the player's driving skills and dedication.
Comment

Pro
 Playing with your friends

You can race against your friends or start a team with them and race together.
Comment

Pro
 Free game

It is absolutely free and you can get it on Android, iOS or Windows.
Comment

Pro
 Good graphics

This game comes with beautiful graphics, it adds a lot to the gameplay.
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