10 Cruel Tricks Video Games Played On Co-Op Players

1987's arcade classic shooter Contra is infamous for being one of the most challenging games of its era - if not ever - and even the inclusion of a two-player mode doesn't do much to reduce the stress.

Whether you're playing solo or together, you've got a maximum of three continues to make it through the game with, but if you're playing co-op and your teammate runs out of lives, you're forced to continue alone until you yourself run out of lives too.

There's no checkpoint respawn for your partner, nor any means in-game to resurrect them: you have to try and push ahead solo until you can't make it any further, at which point you can both cash-in one of your three continues together.

Needless to say, it rather undermines the appeal of co-op if you have to spend potentially lengthy sections of the game trying to plow on without your backup. Then again, most players probably won't last all that long on their own, at least.