So my friend and I now live quite some distance apart, but luckily there's the internet to stay in touch. We both like to play video games, but there are some genres we really do NOT like.

We want something that requires a bit more than click to win. So we are looking for co-op games that can be played through the internet connection.

Genres we like:

- Platformer
- Adventure
- Puzzle
- Strategy (but not real time strategy for me personally)


Genres we do not like:

- FPS -> dislike them with a passion. Only exception is serious sam because it does not take itself seriously to begin with =p
- MMORPGs/PC rpg -> Meaning anything that has an overhead view and where you have to click to make your character move there. Anything looking like WoW and the likes.


If there is a game in a category not listed here, feel free to suggest. I just can not find a game to play with him.

Yeah, that's a good choice. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is another good one.

Diablo 2. Nuff said.


EDIT: And the Streets of Rage games too, the second one in particular .

Ah, I have Trine 2 and really liked it. Lara Croft and the guardian of light seems interesting as well.

Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but if you're okay with dedicating a long time to one game then Terraria might be a good choice. Same goes for Starbound, but that's still in beta.

Strategy-wise my hubby and I enjoyed Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic and Civilization V a lot.
We played those in hotseat mode though, so I don't know how well they work via internet.

Terraria is awesome in co-op.

If you want a challenge then choose mediumcore, that means you will drop all your items during death forcing you to keep some strategy when go into unknown dungeons or fighting a boss. There's hardcore (no load after death) which I don't recommend and softcore where you only lose a part of your money on your character (but you can leave it in a chest). As a first timer I still recommend softcore though.

As far as platformers go, Risk of Rain is a recent one me and my co-op buddies have taken a liking to.
It's nice because games tend to be fairly short but fairly challenging so it's good for spontaneous sessions when you can't fit in something longer and more involved. Also death can be sudden and amusing, which is always good for a co-op game.

We also like Terraria as well, though that has already been mentioned.

As far as strategy games go, our go-to co-op strategy game is AI War: Fleet Command.
Technically it's an RTS, but it's a much slower paced RTS and it does have an easily usable pause function, so we find that some people who don't like RTS games can play AI War just fine.
It supports up to 8 players in co-op and has plenty of optional features and difficulty settings so you can set up the game to be as fast paced, slow paced, difficult, or relaxed as you like.
It even has some options for including players in your game that might not be into playing a full-on complex strategy game into your game. Is someone relatively new to the game but they want to learn the game by playing? You can slot them in as a "Helper" which gives them control over the other players units without having to manage their own assets. Does someone who isn't really into strategy games want to participate in your game? You can slot them in as a "Champion" vessel and they'll play a single capital ship in your fleet with its own upgrade tree and abilities.
However, one issue with AI War: Fleet Command is that games tend to be really long. Most "default" games can last up to 7 hours or more, which makes it a bit too much of a time commitment to play spontaneously or with strangers very well. That said if you want a strategy game to play with relatively close friends you stay in touch with a lot, then AI War absolutely superb for that.

You should seriously play the Portal 2 co-op campaign together. It is incredibly fun. The most fun I've had in a long time. Just remember to use a third-party voice chat system, because for some stupid reason the built-in one cuts the connection every time a new level is loading.

Monaco, maybe Foul Play (don't know if it works online however)

EDIT : But it should for Foul Play, but only through Steam at the moment. It's supposed to be released on GoG later.

I'll second Wishbone's Portal 2 -- that's some of the most fun co-op I've ever done.

I'm not sure if you'll like it, but Splinter Cell Black Ops has got to be one of the most fun co-ops, too. It's a bit FPSy, but not totally (it's really 3rd person) -- but the strategy elements are fantastic.

HOMM 3-6 are all great co-op games. (HOMM = Heroes of Might and Magic - turn-based strategy)

League of Legends can be a hoot, too. If you don't want to be a pro or deal with the 13-year-olds, you can play just a few people vs bots and have a great time.

Freespace has some fun co-op (I haven't played FS2 but it's probably the same)

IL2 has some intense co-op flying in WW2 era planes.

The new Mortal Kombat game has a fun co-op tag type game.

That's about everything I've played in the past few years -- all of them are very good options.

Age of wonders (available here on gog) is kind of nice if you don't mind having to browse fansites for good coop maps (and mods eventually).

The First and AoW : Shadow Magic are more appreciated, the later has probably more fan made extra-stuff.

Maybe Orcs Must Die! 2.
It is a third person defense game. Set up traps, let the waves of enemies come at you, and kill any orcs that make it through your gauntlet.
It kind of reminds me of Serious Sam. There is wave after wave of enemies in over the top and goofy non-stop action.

Maybe Sacred Citadel. Fun with friends.