The first Assault Heroes on Xbox Live Arcade came out of nowhere and proved to be a beautiful looking shooter packed in a small 50MB download.   IGN got the scoop on the game's sequel, aptly titled Assault Heroes 2, which should hit Xbox Live Arcade sometime this spring.  The folks at developer Wanako Games have listened closely to player feedback and forum posts about their first title, and taken that to heart in creating a sequel.  While the core gameplay remains the same, they've made a few tweaks including adding new weapons and making the game 30% longer.  

What about the changes to co-op?  Unfortunately things are still capped at 2 players, but that doesn't mean they haven't improved the experience.

The game remains capped at a two player co-op experience. The team looked at expanding the number of players to four, but found the screen too cluttered for its own good. Even though it is still locked at two players, a couple of new features have been added to make the co-op game more enjoyable. The first is the option to replay single stages co-operatively, rather than having to start from the beginning and work your way through the entire game. The team has also made it easier to activate the co-op linked weapons. Either player can hit a button to begin the strong attack as opposed to the old style where both had to engage the power at the same time for it to work.

We'll also see some new terrains and areas, including an impressive looking jungle setting...a staple for level for any shooter.  Joystiq has a few screenshots Assault Heroes 2, including this jungle level.  We'll be keeping a close eye on this one as the release date gets closer. 

 Tags: xbox live arcade