The day that retail games can be downloaded on consoles for cheaper than being bought in the shops is when the mass market will begin to truly shift towards a digital download only model.  We are not there yet, but if Sony can keep producing sales like the one that has just hit the PlayStation Store, the future may be sooner than you think.  Among the multitude of games on offer is the 4 player co-op Red Faction: Armageddon for $9.15 and non co-op titles such as Batman: Arkham City for $14.45 and Darksiders 2 for $14.95.

THQ sent one of their giant insects to deliver the bad news

One of the reasons I created Co-Optimus was because of the confusion that occurs simply by reading a game box and trying to determine what kind of co-op the game includes.  A perfect example of this is the recently released Red Faction: Armageddon, a game we gave a favorable review to here.  If you picked up the Xbox 360 game box you may have noticed the back of it states it has local "Co-Op 2-4 Players."

Normally the Battlefield Report is reserved for games that aren't inherently co-op, but this story beat the rest to the top of the list. A non-traditional

A hardware accident leaves Red Faction: Armageddon’s campaign unplayable. Is the game ruined, or can even a scratched disc turn out to be a swarm of alien-killing fun?

Okay, show of hands. When Red Faction: Armageddon announced co-op, how many of you sighed and said: "It's about time!" I know I did, and I'm glad the series finally made that leap. I feel I may have actually finished Red Faction: Guerilla if I had played with a friend, what with the group of rogues that have been present since - well, the first Red Faction. With the goal of improving the series then, that Volition Inc has explored the realm of co-op.

We've given a surprising amount of coverage to rainbows throughout the years here at Co-Optimus.  However, we've had an equally surprising lack of unicorns.  Today, the two warm fuzzy icons collide with Red Faction: Armageddon.  Apparently, one of the most devastating weapons known to humankind is a rainbow-hued unicorn fart.  Doesn't make sense, you say?  Well, check out the video below.  If you want to wield the appropriately named Mr. Toots in the game, be sure to download the demo.  If you and 999,999 other people do the same, Volition promises to include the unicorn as a playable weapon.  Because, hey, why not?

THQ have announced a release date for Red Faction: Armageddon on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.  Its currently slated to release the week of E3 2011 - with a June 7th release date in North America and a June 10th release date internationally.  

Volition has the sort of track record that we at Co-Optimus like.  They recently decided to ditch their online versus modes for the upcoming Saints Row: The Third, in favor of improving the co-op campaign.  This was great news for co-op fans (admittedly not for versus fans), but what of their other popular IP?  Time to dig out your dynamite reserves and structural engineering degree because Red Faction: Armageddon is getting a co-op mode as well.