Borderlands has been a real co-op juggernaut.  It's one of our forum users' most beloved titles, and it's easy to see why.  A great shooter with super-customizable RPG elements, all set in a gorgeously rendered world, with split-screen and online co-op... ah, yeah, that's what we're talking about.  For Xbox Live Gold users, Borderlands is even better this week, as all three DLC packs are available for the low price of 400 points, AKA 5 bucks.  That's half off, just like Mad Moxxi's clothes in the pic above.  (Way to tie it in, eh?)  So, if you're a Borderlands fan who likes to stretch the value of your gaming dollar, it looks like this is your week.  Maybe with the savings we can all pitch in and buy Moxxi a t-shirt...

A sequel is in Codies' sights

Look, lets be honest.  Two Worlds - it blew hobos big time.  I know it, the internet knows it, Meta Critic knows it, even Southpeak games who published it...well they know it - but won't admit it directly.  So what do you do?  You create a sequel!

Once upon a time there was a science fiction RPG that started playing Spore on the PC, and they grew up happily and had a beautiful baby called Darkspore. The great minds of Maxis, behind the Spore PC game that allowed users to make their own alien ecosystems wants to take the action up a notch. By joining forces with Bioware, the developers responsible for RPG’s like Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect*, Maxis hopes to make a real hit in the RPG realm.

Sony Online Entertainment has announced an exclusive agreement with Firehouse Games to publish their puzzle/brawler Slam Bolt Scrappers.  "Puzzle brawler?" you say.  Yes indeed.  The game is a bit like Smash Brothers meets Tetris meets tower defense all with a fun and over the top art style.  The on screen action is a bit chaotic, something I can attest to having played the game first hand at PAX Prime last year, bit strategy is still the key to winning.  At the time Slam Bolt Scrappers was actually an Xbox Live Indie game but Sony has since snatched it up.

IO Interactive has revealed the achievement and trophy list for Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days.  It's a very co-op friendly list with 5 specific co-op achievements and trophies and over 600 Gamerscore worth of story based achievements earnable in co-op.   The remaining score and trophies come from Kane and Lynch 2's online multiplayer modes including Arcade, Under Cover Cop, and Cops and Robbers.

For an adult co-op fan, finding a kid-friendly game that isn't mind numbingly boring can be tough. Spectrobes Origins is one of the better co-op games I've played on Wii in quite a while, and definitely worth a look.

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

Now that the DLC leak has been officially announced, we have the official word on what comes with the Transformers: War for Cybertron DLC Pack. Actually, more like official YouTube video that shows off each of the DLC characters, and the two new Escallation mode maps.

It looks like the release for Little big Planet 2 has snuck up on us in adorable little Sackboy costumes. Media Molecule, the brilliant minds behind the Little Big Planet series, has announced for Comic Con that Little Big Planet 2 will be released this November 16th to be exact. For those keeping track, that's relatively soon - and just in time for the holiday season.

The staff is fully focused on dropping knee deep in grunt blood this weekend thanks to ODST's Firefight mode.  Hopefully Mike won't run over Nick this time with a Warthog.  There's a full array of gaming going on this weekend for sure - and with temperatures approaching 100 in the North East and other parts of the country (not to mention a tropical storm in the South East) - you can bet we'll be staying in doors.  The sun - it burns us.

Bungie has unveiled a few new features for Halo Reach that, while not necessarily all co-op, are add quite a bit of value to an already impressive looking package.