One of the surprise titles of Xbox Live Arcade was Assault Heroes from Wanako games.  It was a witty, beautiful, and most importantly fun top down shooter with cooperative play.  Over a year later Wanako is back with the sequel and it promises to have more style, more bad guys, and more levels.  Most importantly the game has a renewed focus on co-op play with not only co-op specific attacks, but different ways to play cooperatively including replaying specific sections of the game or playing through the game in it's entirety.

We've got the review for Assault Heroes 2 right here.

We sure do love our contests around here.  So with that I present to you the latest contest from Co-Optimus.com.  Last week Assault Heroes 2 was released for the Xbox Live Arcade.  The game is a top down shooter featuring 2 player co-op play via Xbox Live.

To celebrate we are launching the Assault Heroes 2: "Scars of War" contest. 

   "Taking on the forces of evil with a comrade will only bestow scars of war! The first 3 players who obtain the 'Heroes Campaign' Achievement, by competing all the areas on Hard difficulty with the help of a friend, will nab an awesome Assault Heroes 2 hat."

Now I know it says 3 players - but that just wouldn't be fair now would it?  So both YOU and YOUR FRIEND will get an Assault Heroes 2 baseball cap for completing this achievement.  

Once you complete this achievement reply to this thread with your gamertag(s) so we can verify the date and time.  Good luck!

The first Assault Heroes title was a solid top down shooter featuring cooperative support on XBLA.  It was grossly under-rated though and it wasn't until a recent $5 price cut that a lot of people picked it up.  This should bode well though for Wanako games as Assault Heroes 2 is now set to be released on the arcade on May 14th.

The new title is set to have a host of new features, including new co-op modes as well as new vehicles types, and the ability to hijack said vehicles.  The new game is said to contain more levels than the original, as well as a greater variety of level types.  Lets hope the folks at Wanako Games can deliver another solid cooperative experience!

A new trailer for the upcoming Assault Heroes 2 has been released.  The trailer, entitled "Launch", features mostly gameplay footage, and looks quite impressive.  Bigger, badder bosses, on-foot missions, and the ability to steal enemy vehicles are included in the sequel to the original, which was recently reduced in price.  Though still limited to 2 players, Assault Heroes 2 will feature enhanced co-op, which should make hooking up with a partner to make things go boom a much better experience.  Look for Assault Heroes 2 to hit Xbox Live Arcade in May.  You can check out the video after the break.

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The first Assault Heroes on Xbox Live Arcade came out of nowhere and proved to be a beautiful looking shooter packed in a small 50MB download.   IGN got the scoop on the game's sequel, aptly titled Assault Heroes 2, which should hit Xbox Live Arcade sometime this spring.  The folks at developer Wanako Games have listened closely to player feedback and forum posts about their first title, and taken that to heart in creating a sequel.  While the core gameplay remains the same, they've made a few tweaks including adding new weapons and making the game 30% longer.  

What about the changes to co-op?  Unfortunately things are still capped at 2 players, but that doesn't mean they haven't improved the experience.

The game remains capped at a two player co-op experience. The team looked at expanding the number of players to four, but found the screen too cluttered for its own good. Even though it is still locked at two players, a couple of new features have been added to make the co-op game more enjoyable. The first is the option to replay single stages co-operatively, rather than having to start from the beginning and work your way through the entire game. The team has also made it easier to activate the co-op linked weapons. Either player can hit a button to begin the strong attack as opposed to the old style where both had to engage the power at the same time for it to work.

We'll also see some new terrains and areas, including an impressive looking jungle setting...a staple for level for any shooter.  Joystiq has a few screenshots Assault Heroes 2, including this jungle level.  We'll be keeping a close eye on this one as the release date gets closer.