Lost Planet 2 is a fine experience in most respects; as our review points out, it has some epic monster-munching moments that are truly memorable.  But there are also some things about the game that will have you tearing your hair out in frustration.  The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the awkward checkpoint/respawn system.  Many times, we'd fight our way to a giant Akrid, die horribly, and respawn not at the beginning of the Akrid fight, but several maps previous.  It's terribly frustrating, and makes the game artificially difficult, especially when you consider how brainless your AI allies are most of the time.  These two needs are being addressed in a patch, available today on PSN and soon for Xbox 360 users.

There's two co-op releases this week both from long standing and popular franchises.

As with many such overhyped products, Game Room has laregely turned out to be a disappointment. While not a total failure, by any means, Game Room's focus on single player games and inadequate multiplayer options, particularly co-op, is disheartening for even the staunchest classic gaming fan.

It's been quite some time since we've heard anything from the four player co-op game from publisher Paradox Interactive called Magicka.  But the first news about the game is great news as a release date has been set for September of this year.

A new version of the four player co-op Call of Duty: ZOMBIES game has hit the iPhone and iPod Touch in Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES II.  Yes that title is a mouthful.  

We apologize for the delay on this episode, it was actually recorded last week on Memorial Day - but due to life and whatever else - we didn't managed to get it up until right now. But don't think that makes it any less of a piece of entertainment. We talk Brink, Alien Breed Impact, Fable 3, and plenty of other news. Also on the plate is a brief E3 preview of the upcoming Co-Optimus coverage.

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

This week's Left 4 Dead 2 mutation should be considered a "fan favorite."  Called Chainsaw Massacre all four survivors must survive the campaigns of the game with only a chainsaw at there disposal.  Like the slogan says, 4 chainsaws - millions of zombies.  Well zombies, jockeys, boomers, spitters and tanks. 

Red Dead Redemption still seems to be on just about everyone's plate but there's plenty of variety in what we're playing.  Blur seems to be popular still as well, and Alan Wake is still holding strong.  And to think, this is usually a dry season for gaming.  I guess this year is a bit out of the norm, and the trend look to continue through the summer.

It looks like Treyarch is following in the footsteps of Infinity Ward in regards to the Call of Duty franchise and its implementation of co-op in Call of Duty: Black Ops.  In a recent interview with the MTV Multiplayer blog, studio head Mark Lamia dropped the no co-op campaign bomb in a way that sounds strangely familiar.

SEGA's Genesis is one of the most beloved consoles in gaming history.  Many a gamer became a fan of co-op due to the Genesis' strong library of cooperative titles.  Now, via the power of Steam, several co-op classics are available with the click of a mouse.  The SEGA Genesis Classics Pack is available for PC gamers, and includes such co-op heavyweights as Golden Axe and Altered Beast.  There were even a few co-op games I'd never heard of: Gain Ground and Crack Down.  (Yes, Crack Down; we're just as surprised as you are!)  Each title will set you back a mere $2.99; as of yet, there is no discount for buying the whole package.  I know I'll be checking out Crack Down to determine if it's worthy to be called a Co-Op Classic...

IGN has the exclusive reveal of a game called Hard Corps: Uprising, which is the sequel to the 1994 classic Sega Genesis game, Contra: Hard Corps.  Despite the lack of "Contra" in the new game's title, which will hit Xbox Live and PSN later this year, Hard Corps: Uprising is very much a Contra game at heart complete with plenty of weapons, side scrolling action, aliens, and one hit kills.