Game Name: Splinter Cell: Conviction Co-Op: Not Yet Confirmed Publisher/Developer: Ubisoft (publisher) / Ubisoft Montreal(developer) Release Date: TBD (Q1 2010)

Game Name: Brink Co-Op: Yes - 8 Player Co-Op Type: Campaign co-op with drop-in and drop-out support.   Publisher/Developer: Bethesda (publisher) / Splash Damage (developer) Release Date: Q2 2010

The first of our PAX events yesterday was Microsoft's Pre-PAX Community event.  An exclusive event for around 100 VIPs, Microsoft invited folks out to check out their new campus, get hands on time with tons of games, and chat it up with developers and publishers about upcoming GFW Live and Xbox 360 titles.  So what did we see?

"Co-op is awesome, man! It offers a whole new level to the game where it’s not just about you beating the game and going through and killing enemies.  It’s also about the relationship between you and your buddy on the couch or over Xbox live… That’s what co-op is. Co-op isn’t about the characters interacting on the screen; it’s you and I playing on the couch or Xbox Live talking about stuff, engaging in dialogue, and working as a team to figure stuff out.  That’s what real co-op is." - Matt Turner, producer, Army of Two: The 40th Day

Guitar Hero 5 hits the shelves and the fall rush begins.  What's new this time around?  Is this just more of the same from Activision?  Does Guitar Hero 5 redeem the franchise, from a co-op perspective?  Find out in our review!

Amazon is running a deal today on Xbox 360 Platinum Hits.  Buy two games, get one free!  Hard to argue with that value.  There are some co-op gems in there: All three LEGO games are less than $20, before the promotion!  The original Gears of War, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and even Burnout Paradise are all available.  Of course there are some single player games included as well, if you want a bit of alone time.  If you haven't checked these titles out, now's a good time!

Star Wars fans seem to be divided into two camps.  There are old timers like me, who are original trilogy purists, and look down a bit on the newer material, including the prequels.  Then, there are the newer fans, who realize Star Wars is cool no matter what; come on, lightsabers, the Force, robots, spaceships, aliens, what's not to like? (Except Jar-Jar.)  The latest Star Wars game, The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, may tend to please the latter group, but even for us oldies, it looks like fun, with the inclusion of co-op.

One of the biggest surprises so far this year has been Trine.  A charming puzzle platformer, the PC version of Trine earned a solid review from us.  We've been looking forward to the game's release on consoles.  The PS3 version is coming first, but it being held back by quality testing.  The additional rigors of testing for the PSN release are taking more time than expected, according to Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen.

The Co-Opticrew has their gear together and are ready to take flight to PAX 2009! Above you can see the motley assortment of gadgets, books, stickers, and underwear in prep for the next five days.

Guitar Hero 5 hit the streets yesterday, and now we now a bit more about the game.  We were specifically curious about the import features.  Rock Band 2 supported the import of the Rock Band disc songs last year.  We loved this feature, and when it was announced that it was finally being added to Guitar Hero, we were quite pleased.  Last night, I was unable to contact the servers to try the import, but USA Today has the info. Edit: Updated information below.

As the release of Halo 3: ODST rapidly approaches, we're getting a few more of the gritty details emerging from the woodwork. Unfortunately, we've got some disappointing details this time, specifically about the highly anticipated Firefight mode. Buckle your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

The Co-Optimus staff is descending upon Seattle, Washington to cover the biggest gaming show in North America, and we're going to bring you all the gaming coverage you can handle right here!  Even better - we're giving away an Xbox 360 console to celebrate!