Thanks to a certain hurricane, power outages, internet outages, and several other factors - we won't have a Halo 4 review to post today like several other websites. That said, I managed to sink a solid 4 hours into the campaign last night as well as checked out some of the cooperative options and wanted to provide my impressions of the game, the first from 343 Industries.
It's hard to believe that October is over already, but its a month that saw plenty of co-op releases. While I wouldn't classify any of them as a major release, perhaps Resident Evil 6, there were a lot of solid titles mixed in there to get you to November - where two juggernauts await us in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Halo 4.
Is it just me or are we running out of good names for computer games? The simple to understand Monster Hunter has already gone, so XSeed have come up with the slightly less catchy Ragnarok Odyssey. This 4 player online co-op game is exclusive to the PSVita and will set you back $39.99 for the standard edition, or $49.99 for the Mercenary Edition (which includes monster guide, soundtrack and 10 collectable cards.)
In the not too distant past, item combination was a very familiar activity for me. I have memories of spending time in World of Warcraft on the holidays running around gathering different items and recipes to make special holiday items that lasted in novelty for all of about a day before I felt a little hollow inside...
One of this week's Xbox Live Arcade releases, Blood Knights, has been mysteriously delayed at the last minute. Thankfully Might & Delight's puzzle platformer Pid is actually available now for XBLA, PSN, and Steam. I picked it up on XBLA, but the developer is now offering a special deal on the computer version that's definitely worth a look.
Dynasty Warriors 8 was recently announced, an inevitability of which I'm sure no one disputes. So far, the game has only been announced for the PS3, and while a Co-Op Story Mode is expected, there's no word yet on how many players will be able to play together, and if the co-op is online, offline, or both.
Many folks were disappointed to learn that Halo 4 was dropping the co-op fan favorite Firefight mode. After watching this trailer, perhaps its time to change your mind. Halo 4's dedicated co-op mode replacement is something called Spartan-Ops; it's a weekly content pack which tells the story post Halo 4's single player end game. Included in each week's episode are cinematics and new missions for you and up to three additional friends to combat.
Orcs Must Die! 2 has gotten another piece of DLC, errr, booster pack. The latest piece of content is called Are We There Yeti? and features three new ice themed levels and new creatures including a Yeti. In the spirit of Halloween the pack also includes new community inspired skins for the War Mage and Sorceress to mix things up. This is the third piece of content released for Orcs Must Die! 2, which features two player online co-op.
Ninja Gaiden 3 for the 360 and PS3 was... a bit of a let down - both from a single-player and cooperative perspective. There is some hope for improvement in the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for the Wii U, which seems to offer some improvements and additions over the original. One of the biggest additions is pictured above: Ayane as a playable character in both single-player campaign and the online co-op mode. A new list of features for the game has been revealed along with a release date - November 18, 2012, the Wii U's launch date.
Oh Borderlands 2, how I've missed you! It's been ages since I've shared any news about your insanely addictive shoot and loot gameplay. Well, I guess it's only been a week, but who's counting? At least today's news is good news. Gearbox is finally offering something other than Golden Keys with their infernal Shift codes. (Does anyone else plan their life around Randy Pitchford's Twitter feed?Just me? I'm okay with that.)
Twas All Hallows' Eve, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even an undead mouse. If Halloween teaches us anything, dressing up as the undead is great fun, new details about the PSVita 4 player co-op title Soul Sacrifice, suggests that playing the dead can be just as fun.
A bunch of nice co-op titles are or about to be on sale over on the Xbox Live Marketplace into November. So, for those of you who waited up until now to grab these gems at a good price: your patience is rewarded.
