10 Multiplayer Games With GREAT Story Modes

10 Multiplayer Games With GREAT Story Modes

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 multiplayer games with the best story modes to play!

“Sea of Thieves” (2018)

When it first launched in 2018, “Sea of Thieves” didn’t have much going for it. It kind of just dropped you into the world and said, “Yarr, go be a pirate and do pirate things!” But…this is a video game. Shouldn’t there be some kind of story to go along with this and justify my actions besides trying to be a “Pirate Legend”? Well, as the years have gone by, Rare has added more and more series of adventures known as “Tall Tales”. These quests not only give you special Voyages, they also reveal riveting tales that the dead will gladly tell. You can search for legendary treasures, avenge the deaths of a pirate and his crew, or partake in the crossover with “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “Monkey Island”. They’re all truly fun to experience both solo and with friends.

“Warframe” (2013)

It’s almost hard to believe that a free-to-play game could have an engaging enough story to keep players coming back. And yet, “Warframe” has managed to do that for well over a decade. There is plenty of lore to read up on about the game’s planets, enemies, and of course, the Warframes. As for things like cutscenes and dialogue, well, there is something wonderfully corny about it. It kind of brings us back to Saturday morning cartoons like “He-Man” and “G.I. Joe”. So long as you don’t go in expecting top of the line, ultra serious storytelling, you’ll have a good time here.

“Splatoon 2” (2017)

We want to acknowledge “Splatoon 2” for how it manages to use its campaign as a training ground for the multiplayer. We’ll be the first to admit that the AI can be a bit oppressive at times, but Nintendo’s level design is on point here. Every mission will test your platforming, traversal, and shooting skills with various weapons. In other words, it is a campaign that will help you get good at “Splatoon” and get you primed to tackle the online multiplayer. And if you’re wanting more of the game’s world and narrative, that “Octo Expansion” was widely loved by the fanbase, too.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” (2009)

If you were ever curious about why people ever fell in love with “Call of Duty” in the first place, then you absolutely need to play the original “Modern Warfare 2”. At the time, this wasn’t just a game to let us go pew-pew-pew. This was a game that understood the importance of set pieces in an action game’s story and explored the touchy subject of terrorism and nuclear warfare, which was a super sensitive topic to bring up back in 2009. In some ways, it still is today. Honestly, it really is the most thought-provoking and clever “Call of Duty” game to have been made, which is something we never thought anyone could say about the franchise.

“Gears of War 2” (2008)

Whereas “Modern Warfare 2” presented a story that touched upon modern subject matter, “Gears of War 2” was a bit more isolated, focusing on its characters, their bonds with each other, and the horrors of war. Gameplay-wise, it truly is “Gears” at its best! The gunplay is way more satisfying than the first game, and the visual and sound design showcased some of the potential behind Unreal Engine. The only complaint we have with the game is the final boss. Even so, you should really go play this for yourself if you haven’t already.

“Battlefield 1” (2016)

Just when it seemed like “Battlefield” was struggling to stay relevant, DICE went and found a way to give the IP some juice. Initially, the main appeal of “Battlefield 1” was the fact that it was set in World War One, a tragically historical event that video games have rarely explored. And DICE crafted a campaign that was expertly approached! See, you don’t experience the story through one linear path. Rather, you have six campaigns to go through, each one showing World War One through the perspective of various different countries and their soldiers: the US, the UK, France, Italy, Turkey, and Arabia. It provides much more context to how things unfolded and what it was like on the battlefield, and it’s a rare example of games taking historical subject matter like World War One seriously with an educational and open approach.

“Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (2008)

Such a dramatic shift to go from “war, war, war” to “colorful crossover fighting game”. But just to break up the first-person shooters, we should acknowledge the ambition “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” had with its campaign. Ask any “Smash” fan who played on the Wii, and they’ll tell you that Subspace Emissary was the best part about “Brawl”! You mean we get to play through a sprawling adventure filled with our favorite Nintendo characters working together to fight an invasive force that threatens their entire existence? And it features a sticker system akin to RPG mechanics? AND IT HAS CO-OP?? Say what you will about fan service, but this was paradise for just about any Nintendo fan. And the closest we ever got to having a sequel for Subspace Emissary was the grindy World of Light campaign in “Ultimate”.

“Halo: Reach” (2010)

You almost can’t go wrong playing through any of the “Halo” campaigns from the Bungie days. Well, unless you hate yourself and want to suffer through The Library, then by all means, play “Combat Evolved”. But “Halo: Reach” remains the best in the franchise. Not that the bar is super high. Whether you want to play the campaign alone or with friends is up to you, but you really want to pay attention to the game’s story here. The brief respite from Master Chief might seem odd at first. However, the story of Noble Team and their efforts to defend a massive colony of humans from the Covenant is beautifully written and told in such an unforgettable way. That’s really the most we can say without getting super spoilery.

“Titanfall 2” (2016)

Much like “Splatoon 2”, “Titanfall 2” presents a campaign that is primarily meant to help you hone your skills before tackling the multiplayer. They could have easily just made some explosive missions and called it a day. And yet, Respawn Entertainment went the extra mile and really fleshed out their world. “Titanfall 2” tells an incredible story about Jack Cooper and his mech, BT, and it is told exceptionally well. There are moments that are genuinely funny, and before you know it, you may actually feel some attachment to these two. Really, we never expected something of this caliber out of “Titanfall” of all series.

“Destiny” series (2014-)

The hardcore fans may have some problems with us listing the “Destiny” games as multiplayer games with great story modes. Trust us, though, when we say “Destiny” and “Destiny 2” are great multiplayer games with great stories. It's just that we’re saying that with one big, bold asterisk. “Destiny 2” has some onboarding problems as significant chunks of its story have been vaulted away to keep the game’s file size reasonable. So, there’s quite a bit of homework involved with reading up on lore if you want to play with some idea as to what the hell is going on. But for the players who have been around since the first game launched in 2014, they swear that the story is spectacular.

Which multiplayer game do you think has a great campaign? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!