For the past month or so, I've been in a bit of a gaming funk. My loyal ten-year old co-op partner and I have pretty much wrapped up all the games in our collection. The War in the North was ended successfully, and we managed to survive Raam's Shadow, leaving very little in the backlog. So, we scrolled through the long list of Xbox Live Arcade games to see what struck our fancy for our gaming time this week. There are literally dozens of games there that are perfect for short bursts of co-op gameplay before dinner.

If there is any one thing this site is familiar with, it’s the challenge of coordinating two or more people to play together. That is, after all, the focus. Sometimes even careful planning can go astray when time zones get in the way. This week in co-op Kat and Sam discover just how interesting, and worth while a cross continental exchange can be.

This week's Xbox Live deal of the week is Zombie Apocalypse on the Xbox Live Arcade.  This was an under appreciated 4 player co-op title that hit last Fall, featuring a top down view into a Left 4 Dead style game.  Players choose one of four characters, and take on swarms of zombies in numerous levels with various set pieces like an airplane that can suck up zombies or an electric fence that does the dirty work for you.  

And don't forget the happy C4 teddy bear.

We gave the game a solid 4.5 out of 5 for its excellent co-op, and now at only $5, is a total steal.  Remember you need to be an Xbox Live Gold Member to qualify for the pricing.

Co-Op zombie killing is all the rage these days. But what if we combined the great new formula with classic style top down gameplay? Enter Zombie Apocalypse from developer Nihilistic. We take the four player co-op game for a spin in our latest review.

Konami announced yesterday that their 4 player co-op shooter that's "Smash TV meets Left 4 Dead" will be released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and Playstation Network next Wednesday, Sept. 23, and Thursday, Sept. 24, respectively.  The twin stick shooter that puts you and your friends in the middle of 55 days-worth (read levels) of zombie attacks will retail for 800 MS points and $9.99 on the PSN.  Personally, I'm looking forward to slaying a few more zombies before Left 4 Dead 2 arrives, and the idea of luring zombies into a wood chipper, as highlighted in the Playstation Blog's interview with John Slavin, sounds too fun to pass up.  A copy of the release announcement, as well as a gallery of screenshots from the game, can be found after the break.

The Zombie Apocalypse, that is. Or, should we say "another" Zombie Apocalypse? Ready or not, here they come to bite, swipe, moan, and growl their way onto your Xbox LIVE Arcade or PSN account. While looking at The Zombie Apocalypse, you'll be heavily reminded of your time in Left 4 Dead, only with a requirement to survive for as long as possible (up to 55 days) instead of simply making it to a rescue vehicle.

Last month Konami announced Zombie Apocalypse for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.  The PlayStation Blog posted an article from John Slavin, the game's developer from Nihilistic.  John talks about the game's roots, the core gameplay concepts, and the co-op modes.

According to John the game is rooted in games like Robotron and Smash  T.V. in its dual analog stick nature.  From the get go they wanted a fast paced, fun and cooperative game. Their goals was to have a pick-up-and-play, gory party-game fun, but still deep enough and tense enough to stand out. Multiplayer was a key feature in a game of this type, so it was a no brainer to push hard for four-player online co-op integrated from the start.  And that's exactly what they did.

There's a lot of inspiration from popular horror movies, which can be seen in the level design. 

Destructoid posted a quick hands-on preview of the upcoming downloadable co-op game Zombie Apocalypse from publisher Konami, and they really seemed to like it!

It’s basically Left 4 Dead meets Smash TV, which is a combination made of extreme win.

That's quite an statement! Thankfully, the rest of the preview is just as positive...

For every zombie you kill, you’ll earn points. The points determines who the winner is of the four people playing, and gives the game a coin-op arcade feel. I was constantly thinking of Smash TV while playing Zombie Apocalypse, to the point that I now want to hunt down an arcade that has Smash TV. Good news: Zombie Apocalypse is four-players both local and online.

Click the "Source" link below for the full preview, and click here to see the new screenshot gallery.

While Zombie Apocalypse won't win any awards for most thought provoking game title, it just might be a new favorite on our list of co-op games.  Published by Konami, Zombie Apocalypse pits up to four players against the zombie horde in a twin stick shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

The game will support four player local and online co-op through seven stages where players are charged with surviving 55 days of the zombie end of days.  There will be plenty of weapons available at players disposal including chainsaws, machine guns, and teddy bears filled with C4; but the real cream of the crop is environmental factors which Joystiq goes into more detail with.