I was excited when I saw there were five new games coming out this week. The summer can be a little sparse when it comes to new releases. Then I was sad when I realized all but one are re-releases or system ports. Then I was happy  because Dead Island is an awesome co-op game and everyone should play it. Then I was sad again, for no reason. I need to change my meds.

Now that we are back from E3 we can get to our regular scheduled program. Episode 6 of Good Co-Op Bad Co-Op has the three law enforcers wrap up the gang fight in the drug house that they cleaned out in Episode 5 and shoot their way out of downtown Los Angeles. 

At E3, our own Andrew "cubninja" Gaskill had a chance to share some information about the upcoming PC version of Dark Souls (the "Prepare to Die" edition). The PC edition will launch with new areas, enemies, bosses, NPCs, and equipment as well as a new online matchmaking system. The real question is, however, is your gaming PC up to the challenge?

When game historians look back on the year 2012, it won't be remembered for all of the quality titles coming out, or even that it's a transition year spent in anticipation of new hardware launches. No, it will be remembered as the year that all of the triple-A titles got delayed - often until 2013. Far Cry 3 is now part of the club, as its original release date of September 4th has been pushed to December 4th in the U.S. 

Mass Effect 3 is an excellent co-op game, you and 3 friends fight wave after wave of enemies.  What did you say, a single player game as well?  Turns out that attached to the co-op element of Mass Effect 3 was one of the best action RPG games of this generation.  Despite being a great game, the ending did not sit well with everyone, so new DLC, due out June 26th, might just be what they wanted.

We gave Halo 4 a coveted nomination for Co-Op Game of Show from E3 2012 (seen at 2:23 of the video) and with good reason.  But the team at 343 wasn't so sure they had a hit on their hands as this was the first public unveiling of the game.  Did they change too much?  Would everything go off smoothly?  They've put together a short video which looks at some of the behind the scenes stuff that went into showcasing Microsoft's biggest franchise both at the press conference, on the show floor, and at a special event.

Back in April we mentioned Age of Empires Online would be switching to a new currency system called Empire Points. Before, premium content could only be purchased for specific real-world prices and that was it. Empire Points, however, can be either purchased with money or earned in-game by completing in-game tasks and by participating in the new Alliance Wars. This month's Summer Update has gone live, making active the Empire Points system as well as a host of new features and changes.

UPDATE: Sadly, it looks like some PR lines got crossed. No co-op in DOOM 3: BFG, only in the included DOOM 1 and 2 arcade titles.

The North East United States is in a heat wave, so that means it's time to strip down to your underwear, strap an ice cube tray to an oscillating fan, and play some VIDEOGAMES.  The staff has plenty on their plate this weekend, which is surprising after a solid week in which we reviewed a ton of co-op games.  But the fun never stops at Co-Optimus HQ.

Left-handed gamers often get the short shrift. Sure, it's not impossible to find a good ambidextrous gaming mouse, but they're often the most basic model, with the nicer features and expensive sensors left to reside in the "ergonomic" models built for righties. Razer's about to release the Taipan, an ambidextrous mouse with an astounding 8200 DPI sensor, and we've put one through its paces.

Oh, digital purchases, when will your convenience be outweighed by policy? What's that? Right now? Something strange appears to be afoot in Whimsyshire! People who have been purchasing Diablo 3 directly from Blizzard since the 1.0.3 patch have been greeted by both a new security policy and a botched implementation of said policy.

Anytime you sit down to play a movie tie-in game, you have to be wary. These games have developed a reputation as being uninspired, quickly churned out messes released to coincide with people's desire to see the movie. When I saw Madagascar 3 at my local Redbox, I figured I'd roll the dice and check it out with my 11 year old son. Almost immediately, I regretted the decision, as Madagascar 3 is one of the most boring and repetitive games I've ever played, even with a buddy along for the ride.