While there is quite a bit of buzz in the air today for Microsoft's big reveal of the next Xbox, Sony is working on putting out as much information as possible to get folks excited for the PlayStation 4. This includes discussion of the console port of the popular action-RPG, Diablo 3, which recently celebrated a year anniversary since it first saw release on the PC. A console port of the game seemed highly unlikely at first, despite the great deal of speculation, but along with the announcement of the PS4 came the bit of news that had thousands across the internet shouting "I KNEW IT!" This was immediately followed by a thousand more cynical statements of, "psh, it'll never work. PC MASTER RACE!"

We are but a few short days away from the unveiling of the next Xbox and the rumors are running quite rampant. One thing we do know for certain is that XNA, Microsoft's packaged game development tools, will no longer be supported, though nothing has been stated yet what that means for the XBLIG program. This week in Indie-Ana Co-op, we look at an indie game that shows the value in having a program like this on a console: Rise of the Ravager.

The second map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, titled "Uprising," was released a couple weeks back on the Xbox 360. This $15 pack included with it a new co-op mode, Mob of the Dead, that kept with the Black Ops zombie theme we've previously seen, but with an Italian twist this time around. Set in the 1920s on the well-known prison island of Alcatraz, players step into the role of one of four gangsters (each voiced by a famous celebrity) and try to fight their way out. Nasty traps, gnarly weapons, and plenty of barbed wire covered undead inmates lie in wait for you and your friends.

I know what you're saying, "didn't you just post your review of the game, which I totally didn't skip to the end of, and now I'm all excited to play it on my Xbox?" I'm sorry to say it's sad, but true. The XBLA version of Monaco: What's Yours is Mine is getting a delayed release. News of this came just yesterday afternoon from the official Monaco Facebook page. Not many details are provided as to the cause of the delay - the post merely states "there is an issue which requires that we push our Xbox Live arcade game release date a little" - or how long that delay will be.

An indie game rarely is in development for four years; a variety of concerns (primarily money) would make it difficult for an independent developer to tweak and refine a game for that long. Yet Pocketwatch Games' award-winning and much anticipated co-op title, Monaco: What's Yours is Mine, managed to make it through its long development cycle and finally gets sprung today on PC. Some games spend years in development and fall flat. Monaco, though, is well poised to steal your gaming time.

The console development of Tragnarion Studios' The Scourge Project, dubbed Scourge: Outbreak, has been underway for a little over the past year. This is more than just a straight port of the PC version, though. As we previously covered, Tragnarion is taking the time to make a game that is designed for the consoles, including new gameplay mechanics, a new enemy A.I., improved graphics, and more. The members of Echo Squad from the PC version are still around and the developers are taking the time to introduce us to them. First up is Shade, an Argentinian assassin with a personal vendetta against the Nogari Corporation (aka "Evil Corp 3000").

In part one of our interview with Chris Park, Founder/CEO/Lead Programmer/Lead Designer of Arcen Games, we discussed Arcen's unique approach to game design and development; specifically, how none of their games can really be classified by one genre but are an amalgam of different concepts and mechanics. We then discussed one of their recent releases, A Valley Without Wind 2. In part two of the interview, we turn our focus to Shattered Haven and what lies ahead.

It has been over 3 years since the last time we spoke with Arcen Games and its founder, Chris Park. In that amount of time, many developers would have released another game, maybe two. Arcen has produced and released no less than three games and a ton of content for A.I. War; and there's more on the way. We speak with Chris about one of his latest releases, AVWW2, as well what drives Arcen.

It seems like only yesterday that we brought word of Guns of Icarus Online's latest Kickstarter campaign, this time to expand the game beyond its current Skirmish/PVP mode into the realm of PvE and co-op. As of yesterday, Muse Games has hit their Kickstarter goal, which is good news for all of us. Meeting that goal means that the New York based developer can begin in earnest to develop and release the "Adventure Mode."

One of the more classic forms of co-op games is the brawler/beat-em-up genre. From Streets of Rage to the up-and-coming Dragon's Crown, we all enjoy a solid co-op brawler from time to time. The developers at newly formed Dinosaur share that sentiment are currently developing their first game, MechKnight Chronicles. We only have a little information at this time about the game, but so far, it's looking very promising. Inspirations for the title read like a greatest hits of the brawler and they're currently working to ensure the game has 4-player online, local, and, ideally, LAN, co-op.

The latest entry to the God of War series, God of War: Ascension, has been out for almost a month now; providing players with plenty of opportunity to play against each other in its competitive multiplayer modes, or cooperatively in the "Trial of the Gods" mode. As with other games that have some combination of competitive and cooperative modes, your avatar's levels and progression carries over in both modes. So if you sharpen your blades in the competitive world and then decide co-op is more your pace, you don't have to start all over.

Arcen Games has made a name for themselves for making cooperative games within an established genre and adding their own twist, as we've seen with A Valley Without Wind, and to a degree, AI War. The latest game from this seemingly always busy developer is the environmental puzzler (with zombies), Shattered Haven. It's a different take on the usual zombie game and it works, in its own way.

It's the weekend! A time to relax, play games, and catch up on all that non-cooperative gaming news of the past week in Co-Optimus' Beyond Co-Op feature. This time around we've got a very exciting announcement for NES platformer fans, the Final Fantasy X remake gets an added bonus on the PS3, and Supergiant Games is back in action with their newest title, Transistor. All in all, some very exciting news this week with perhaps even more to be revealed as PAX East 2013 is just getting underway.

Back in July of 2011 (ahhh, what a heady, magical time that was), we had some news of an upcoming (so it was believed) remake of the arcade version of Double Dragon II, now subtitled "Wander of the Dragons." Between that time and now, the series saw something of a reimagining in the form of Double Dragon: Neon, an effort that Paul found to be quite enjoyable whether playing the game solo or with a friend. Now, the announcement for Neon came around April of 2012 and the game saw release that September. Meanwhile, on the Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons front... Well, we've finally gotten some achievements, so maybe the game will see a release soon? Or at least, this year?

We are still awaiting to learn about the final release date for Behemoth's next title, BattleBlock Theater, as the more we see and hear, the more we want it to be released already. The latest teaser from them showcases some of the user created levels that those lucky few beta testers made during the recent(ly finished) open beta. The level editor itself is a feature that was demoed at PAX 2012 and was confirmed to be cooperative, though we weren't able to get our hands on it at the time. Check out what insanity your fellow players will have in store for you.