Hall of Fame
Here a list of games worth of a special recognition. This is not a collection of the best COOP games, though most will probably be added here at some point. This is a list of games that implemented COOP in a positive and progressive manner.
Daikatana
ION Storm
Some may see this entry a bit controversial. However it deserves its place here! It is one of the few games that actually took the time to build a COOP mode that plays through the entire single player game. Daikatana released in May 2000 was built on a modified Quake 2 engine. Due to the nature of the story about 3 heroes, each player took over the role of a specific person. This gave each player more character than the "Another Joe" type Quake character. Though this game is known for its release problems, a lot of people sadly overlooked the detail and quality behind the game and its excellent COOP mode.
Dangerous Waters
Sonalysts Combat Simulations
This game really tried to make a completely unique COOP experience by making you rely on other players more than ever. Fortunately they achieved this with excellent results. The game play may not to be to everyone's tastes but you can't deny that they went to lengths to develop this COOP mode. Lets hope others will copy this implementation as this could be where the maturity of the game mode begins.
Rogue Spear
Red Storm Entertainment
Released in the summer of 1999 this game popularized and brought the Rainbow Six game series into the 21st Century early! Its COOP mode was exceptional and worked so well that it had a high replay factor. The main COOP mode played was the Terrorist Hunt. These guys didn’t give up without a fight and often it would all end in failure on the steps of the museum. A later patch allowed made sure the terrorists don't start close to your starting location, meaning you had a chance to get to the door. Rogue Spear did suffer from some network lag but considering this came out at the beginning peak of mass home internet that was understandable. This game has been superseded by Raven Shield and even now we wait for the next instalment due out early 2006.