Co-Optimus

Co-Op Classics: Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Marc "DjinniMan" Allie

We've got Zombies on the brain this week. (Maybe that should be "on our BRAAAAIIINNSSS"?) It was quite easy to tie the theme in to Co-Op Classics this week, as there is a sweet little gem from the early 90s featuring the shambling undead: Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Besides having one of the best names of any game, ever, it has quite a bit in common with the recent blockbuster co-op zombiefest, Left 4 Dead. Sacrilege, you say? Read on to see what I mean.

Beyond Co-Op - November 16th to November 22nd

Loren "AgtFox" Halek

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.

The stories for this week:

- Only 4% of Games Make a Profit

- Eidos UK Tries to Suppress Low Tomb Raider Underworld Scores

- Midway Gets NYSE Delisting Notice

- Super Street Fighter II Turbo Remix Finally Coming to PSN/XBLA This Week

- PC Magazine Goes Online Only, EGM May be Next

Dawn of the Dead Mall coming to Left 4 Dead via PC Mod

Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo

If you listened to the latest Co-Opticast, you'll know that one of the things I talked about was the expandability of Left 4 Dead, specifically in the case of "zombie scenarios." I talked about the fact we'd probably see a Dead Rising style mall, and sure enough, there's one already in the works based on the Dawn of the Dead mall.

Website L4DMods.com will be the exclusive home of the map, one that's actually been in the works for fives years. The creator promises the map will be ready REAL soon. I can already see the hordes of zombies flowing out of the Gap in their tight jeans.

Our Weekend in Gaming

Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo

It's time for another new feature on Co-Optimus. I know... "Nick, enough with the new features already!" Nay! Everyone loves Fridays...why? Because that means an extra amount of time to get our game on! Every week the Co-Optimus staff will let you know their gaming plans, and then...we want to hear yours!

Nick "bapenguin" Puleo - "I'll be hunkering through the last two chapters in Left 4 Dead as well as playing some Sacred 2 with Mike. If I'm lucky I'll squeeze in some Fallout 3."

Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin - "I'll be working on my World at War ranks (blasphemy!), I may run a few races in Pure, and I'll probably spring for one of the new Premium Xbox themes. I'd like to revisit Rainbow Six Vegas 2 again, too."

Marc "DjinniMan" Allie - "I hope for a real cornucopia of gaming this weekend. The main course will be Left 4 Dead, naturally. Some side dishes of Rock Band 2 (almost done with World Tour) and likely some Power Rangers Super Legends with my youngest. Yeah, it's co-op! For dessert also restarted Spore with a new race, going herbivore this time. Sounds tasty, eh?"

Mike "Pheriannath" Katsufrakis - "Along with pretty much everyone else who reads this site, I'll be playing Left 4 Dead. I'm also working on Sacred 2 (which I hope to get some co-op play in), and I plan on picking up Mirror's Edge."

Blake "broodax" Corner - "Well, like most in the gaming world, I'm playing Left 4 Dead (sadly only the demo, though). Then for something completely different, I'm planning on some Call of Duty 4. Then, back to Left 4 Dead."

So what's on your gaming schedule? Who are you co-oping with?

Harcore Shooter Co-Op: ArmA 2 or Operation Flashpoint 2?

Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin

Screenshot from ArmA 2, PC version

PC shooter games and patience don't generally mix, but fans of semi-realistic games like Operation Flashpoint, America's Army, and the SWAT series will attest that there are a couple of titles out there that make Rainbow Six Vegas look like Unreal Tournament, especially when considering user-created mods.

ArmA 2 by Bohemia Interactive looks to top the first ArmA, which was the spiritual continuation of the Operation Flashpoint series. Bohemia created and developed Operation Flashpoint, but due to legal issues between the developer and Codemasters (as publisher), the series was disjointed.

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising is the next official stint in the series, although loyal fans are generally dismissive of its status as a contender in the realistic shooter market. Codemasters is taking the dual roles of developer and publisher.

Despite a lack of official information from either developer, both games are aiming for a huge amount of player interaction and immersion; this screams "co-op", of course. Click "Read More" to see what is being said about each, and leave a comment.

Co-Op Dominates IGN's Top Ten Games That Need DLC

Marc "DjinniMan" Allie

If you're reading this, you love co-op. Apparently, so do many others, including IGN. They have released a Top 10 : Where's My DLC? list. Of the top ten, seven of them are co-op titles. That's a rather impressive ratio, don't you think? Our thoughts on each below.

9. Too Human - There are lots of cool armors and weapons already, but there's always room for more, or maybe even a new chapter.

8. Viva Pinata 2 - Follow the Pokemon model and give us more cute little critters to raise, please!

7. Gears of War 2 - Dominant already, imagine what a few new maps and such would do for the longevity of the game.

6. Saint's Row 2 - From the IGN article: "Cat and Mouse is easily some of the most fun you'll have with the game, so why not add other modes like it to co-op?" Yeah, why not?

5. Fable 2 - The big tease is coming soon, and might be DLC...

4. Castle Crashers - More characters please! But fix the network issues and bugs first.

1. Grand Theft Auto 4 - This wish has already been granted!

PlayStation.com Finally Integrates into PSN

Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo

One of the best features of Xbox Live is the extension of it that exists in web format. Friends lists, messages, achievments and now the marketplace are all available anytime, anywhere. After 2 years, the folks at Sony have finally matched suit - as PlayStation Network accounts are now available on PlayStation.com.

Right now the features available include friends lists, bio pages, and your avatar. No word on trophy support...yet. Now all we need Sony to do is to come up with community features and events like that found on XBox.com and we can have an official PlayStation 3 Co-Op Night!

Halo 3 and Hard Drive Installs Don't Cooperate

Marc "DjinniMan" Allie

With all the avatars and Netflix and overall slickness, you might have forgotten one long-awaited feature of the New Xbox Experience(tm). Installing games to the hard drive to speed up loading was certainly overdue. I know there are a few games I have that make the disc drive on my 360 sound like a jet engine. It seems to be a good thing that Halo 3 isn't one of them. Installing the game to the hard drive actually increases load times! Wonder how that works? Bungie's Chief Caching Officer Mat Noguchi (there's a catchy title) explains.

So when Halo 3 runs, if a HDD is present, we copy maps from the DVD to the utility partition (on the HDD). Think of it as an on demand install of Halo 3 to some scratch space on the HDD. Halo 3 doesn’t actually know where it’s running from, so it always assumes it’s running from a DVD. This is an unfortunate consequence of new features (namely, install to HDD) being added to the Xbox 360 after Halo 3 shipped. And as a result, it means that even if Halo 3 is already installed to the HDD, it will still copy maps to the utility partition.

Basically, it's having to read and write to the hard drive at the same time, as opposed to reading from the DVD drive and writing to the hard drive. It all makes sense now, doesn't it? Next time you're up for a little Co-Op Master Chief action, pop in the DVD and call it good. And hope your 360 doesn't take off into the atmosphere.

Halo 3: Recon to be Partially Open-World

Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin

Blake "Broodax" Corner's Great Features in Co-Op Gaming couldn't have landed at a better time. Hot off the heels of this season's Saints Row 2 and Mercenaries 2 releases comes the news that Halo 3: Recon will feature open-world gameplay for a significant portion of the story mode.

CVG reports that New Mombassa will be partially explorable as the lead character searches for clues surrounding the events teased in the Prepare to Drop trailer. Gameplay will consist of these exploration segments tied together with linear flashbacks more reminiscient of Halo 3's levels.

Players will be able to control different members of the ODST squad, including the now-famous "Rookie" (pictured above), who is being voiced by Nathan Fillion of Firefly reknown.

Click "Read More" for some choices quotes from the article and from Bungie's Joseph Staten.

Co-Optimus Users Avatar Rogues Gallery

Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin

In celebration of the New Xbox Experience, game blogger site Joystiq has posted a gallery of 34 Avatars of the Rich and Famous, of which our own Nick Puleo is #20! Congratulations, Nick, on your fame and fortune!

After the "Read More" link, I've posted the avatars of our staff as they currently appear on Xbox Live, as well as a gallery of Co-Optimus users. If you're not in the gallery, and you want to be, post the image of your avatar, or post your Gamertag, and you'll be added.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Co-Optimus

We've added Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Playstation 3 to our database of Co-Op games!

Buy Marvel Ultimate Alliance @ Amazon to support Co-Optimus.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Co-Optimus

We've added Zombies Ate My Neighbors for the Classic to our database of Co-Op games!

House of the Dead: Overkill

Co-Optimus

We've added House of the Dead: Overkill for the Wii to our database of Co-Op games!

Buy House of the Dead: Overkill @ Amazon to support Co-Optimus.

A Kingdom For Keflings

Co-Optimus

We've added A Kingdom For Keflings for the Xbox Live Arcade to our database of Co-Op games!

Rush'n Attack

Co-Optimus

We've added Rush'n Attack for the Xbox Live Arcade to our database of Co-Op games!

Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack

Co-Optimus

We've added Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack for the Wii to our database of Co-Op games!

Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack

Co-Optimus

We've added Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack for the Playstation 2 to our database of Co-Op games!

Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack

Co-Optimus

We've added Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack for the Playstation 3 to our database of Co-Op games!

Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack

Co-Optimus

We've added Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack for the XBox 360 to our database of Co-Op games!

Grand Theft Auto IV

Co-Optimus

We've added Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC to our database of Co-Op games!

Buy Grand Theft Auto IV @ Amazon to support Co-Optimus.