Poll of the Week: Who Are The Best Gaming Duo?

Often as a gamer you’re put into the shoes of a single hero, but there have been a number of games that mixed up the formula. There have been a bunch of pairs that have just been colour swaps or different graphics with the same abilities.

Two heads aren’t always better than one, but these three pairs of misfits certainly kicked serious butt.

VOTE!

Which of these make the best ‘Gaming Duo’? If you’re not a fan and think another pair deserve a shot, let us know in the comments.

From Mario and Green Mario to Ryu and Ken there are some teams that bring nothing new to the table, but Banjo, Ratchet and Jak wouldn’t be much without their Kazooie, Clank, and Daxter.

Jak And Daxter

Developed by the folks at Naughty Dog, Jak and Daxter were PlayStation’s original world-saving pair. As their story goes, the two best friends got in a little over their heads one day and Jak somehow managed to get his pal morphed into the body of a half-otter/half-weasel creature.

Daxter maintained his wise-cracking sacrasm but the pair set out on a new adventure to restore him to his original form, which after a few titles – okay, maybe six in total – that goal has yet to be achieved. What gives their storyline so much intrigue is the fact that they’ve progressed over the years from title to title.

“Jak And Daxter: The Precursor Legacy” introduced the characters to first-time players while “Jak II” and “Jak 3” scrapped humour for darker themes and more dire circumstances.

The gameplay slightly improved to keep gamers interested but the characters never faded from 2001 to 2009, there was a Collection released in 2012 if you’re keen on revisiting these classics.

Banjo And Kazooie

Even though they went by “Banjo-Kazooie” and were a hybrid pair of a goofy honey bear and a backpack-navigating bird, its concept was entirely unique in changing the way we approach video games. Banjo did all the walking Kazooie was used in different ways to fly over distances or make higher jumps.

The first game in the series steered the 3D platformer genre before the era of the Playstation 2 and the Xbox 360, and from another stand-point, it introduced an action-adventure focus to strategy. We also can’t forget the crazy number of collectibles in their games.

The only downside to the furry and feathery characters is that their most-recent adventure steered off the course with “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts”, which scrapped their teamwork in favour of vehicle construction mechanics and wasn’t well received by fans.

You can see Banjo and Kazooie in Rare Replay.

Ratchet And Clank

Ratchet & Clank, a two-character 3D platform twosome that set standards and records for the PlayStation world. Not only did Insomniac Games follow the success of furry heroes like “Crash Bandicoot” and “Spyro: The Dragon”, but they created an unusual and authentic duo in a Lombax mechanic and his mechanical companion.

Ratchet & Clank also saw developers taking the teamwork aspects that built previous games and they took it the next step, which eventually spawned nearly a dozen different games in less than 11 years.

Some companies consider that a little overkill but if it worked for Nintendo and Capcom, then why couldn’t it work for an action RPG that pushes the mold for gaming?

Fortunately, it’s hard to argue against their mini-legacy as sequels are still getting greenlit to this day.

Which of these make the best ‘Gaming Duo’? If you’re not a fan and think another pair deserve a shot, let us know in the comments.

Remember boys and girls, this is an opinion poll. Stay civilised when discussing the finer points of your gaming experience.

If you’ve got a suggestion for a Poll, let us know in the comments. As we’re just finding out feet with this we’d love some input!

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