written BY WILL RIPPEY, staff editor

Tired of watching your roommate play single player games from a distance? Need to assert your dominance over your tiny dorm room? Want to do something fun with your roommate while still minimizing your risk of exposure to COVID-19? 

Chances are you’ve answered yes to at least the second question multiple times. Since we live in an age where duels are now illegal, we must instead use the second best alternative: two-player video games.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

You need to have some sort of Super Smash Bros. game for your dorm. The fifth installment in the classic Super Smash Bros. series, Smash Ultimate boasts 76 characters, 110 stages plus an endless number of user-made stages and tons of replay value.

 It’s also one of the easiest Smash games to pick up due to the simple combat system and straightforward movement mechanics.

 The large cast also makes it easy to find a character or two you enjoy playing. Nintendo’s balance team has done a great job of preventing the creation of cheap, overpowered characters. 

Pros: Easy to learn, large character selection, nice visuals.

Cons: Nintendo exclusive, expensive and rarely on sale.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

A pick for the more competitive crowd, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a 3 vs. 3 tag team fighter, starring characters from all across the Dragon Ball franchise. It’s fast, explosive and absolutely gorgeous. 

The controls are also super crisp and responsive which is great for a game this fast. 

FighterZ also has a pretty rewarding learning curve for those willing to grind for sick combos.

 The cast is  incredible and allows for some super fun team combinations. Like Smash Ultimate, you won’t have any problems finding your team. 

While it is much more technical than the other games on this list, I found it very easy to pick up for someone not used to fighting games, and it’s an absolute blast to play. 

Pros: Visuals, goes on sale constantly, fast pace.

Cons: A majority of the cast is DLC, which means a full roster will cost you extra.

Battleblock Theater

This is an older game, but it’s still super fun. It’s a multiplayer platform where you run through a series of gauntlets for a bunch of cats holding you hostage. 

The levels are designed for multiple players, meaning you’ll have to cooperate to finish certain parts of the level. 

That being said, it also gives you a ton of ways to kill your teammates, which is great if you want to be toxic. It also has a great hand-drawn cartoonish aesthetic, and the music is great.

Pros: Looks great, sounds great, plays smoothly.

Cons: Bad early 2010s humor. Seriously, turn off the announcer if you’re playing this.

Divekick

Divekick is a fighting game with two controls: dive and kick. Dive sends you into the air and kick sends you back down with a kick. 

The first person to touch the other with a kick immediately wins the round. It is simultaneously hilarious, infuriating and an incredible test of your skill

Pros: Cheap, funny.

Cons: A joke only stays funny for so long.

Nidhogg

A recommendation from back page editor Aidan Callahan, Nidhogg is sort of a mix of a fighting game, a platformer and tug of war. At the start of the round, each player appears in the middle of an arena equipped with a sword. 

Once one player kills the other, they must start running toward one side of the level. Their opponent will then respond and try to kill them to halt their progress and run back toward their side. It’s kind of like Divekick meets Battleblock.

Pros: Good visuals, unique gameplay, inexpensive.

Cons: Frustrating.