Resident Evil 5 was an early co-op hit this year.  As you'd expect for a title so popular, quite a bit of extra content is headed your way soon.  The PS3-exclusive "Alternative Edition" is coming soon, and will include all the DLC listed below, plus compatibility with Sony's forthcoming motion controlling doohickey.  (Pretty sure that won't be the final name.)  Xbox 360 owners and those who already own RE5 for PS3 can also download this content.

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Do Androids Dream of Fake Plastic Turntables?
 

The sales numbers for DJ Hero are in, and they are disappointing at best.  122,300 copies of the game were sold across all platforms.  That's very low for a music game, especially one that was as heavily promoted as DJ Hero.  Ars Technica attempted to explain the low sales, and fans of co-op will likely appreciate this particular reason:

Rhythm games work best with crowds, and DJ Hero is a solitary experience. That's not a knock against it; playing the game is great fun. It's just hard to share with others, compared to the more popular Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises.

In other words, the lack of a compelling co-op mode may have been a factor in the game's lack of sales.  Music games seem to work best in a party setting, and DJ Hero just doesn't work due to the single-player focus.  Other reasons are listed in the article, but it just goes to show you that co-op is a major selling point for any game, especially one in a genre known for excellent co-op.

Source: Link

Spyborgs may look slick and modern, but beneath all the gloss, it is a very old school brawler. For gamers who enjoy beat em ups, Spyborgs is a decent experience, combining modern graphics and control schemes with older, familiar gameplay elements.

LEGO Rock Band. It's a mix of two of the greatest casual game franchises. What could have been just a cookie cutter track pack is actually an innovative addtion to the Rock Band franchise. Adorable characters, hilarious cut scenes, and a fun song list will keep people of all ages interested.  For Co-Op Casual Friday this week, we bring you our full review!

Wizards of the Coast has just announced some future plans for Duels of the Planeswalkers, the video game version of Magic: the Gathering (if you don't count Magic Online that is).  It looks like the spell slinging will continue on well into 2010.

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We've got a bit of bad news for fans of classic co-op.  Remember the Genesis poll from a few months ago?  ToeJam and Earl won that poll, and Sega promised that the alien duo would be headed to Xbox Live Arcade soon.  It turns out that's not the case, according to the couple's creator, Greg Johnson.  Apparently Sega forgot that they don't have publishing rights to ToeJam & Earl.  Awkward, huh?  The two uber-cool aliens won't be making an apearance in upcoming title Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing either.

Perhaps most interesting is news of a ToeJam & Earl game proposed for the Nintendo DS.  Some interesting concept art and even a few mock-up screens are available at Joystiq.  It's a shame, really.  ToeJam & Earl was an interesting, unusual game for its time, and would seem to be a good fit for a portable, dual screen remake.  Let's hope things get back on track for the XBLA release, at least.

Source: Link

Tornado Outbreak is a very strange little game. It's priced as a value title, which can often be a bad sign. It turns out that destroying things while controlling a sentient gust of wind is actually quite fun, and even more so when played with a friend in co-op mode.

Whenever you discuss a "classic" in any field, nostalgia plays a large role. The lens of nostalgia makes any old thing you remember look much better than it may actually deserve to be. Today's co-op classic, Twin Cobra, is a good example of this effect.

The weekend stretches ahead, full (we hope) of free time for gaming.  Here are the games of choice for Co-Optimus staffers.

Nick - "Getting to see some family this weekend I haven't seen in a while so we'll check out some DJ Hero co-op and possibly Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  I plan on enjoying some Uncharted 2 in both single and multiplayer"

Marc - "We'll be out of town this evening, which limits me to Fire Emblem on my DS.  When we return, Guitar Hero Van Halen and more of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo!"

Mike - "It'll be a bit of a light weekend for me, but I'm definitely going to be playing more Borderlands and perhaps gun through the Left 4 Dead 2 demo a few more times."

Jim - "I'll be playing Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron for PSP, Call of Duty 4, and the Left 4 Dead 2 demo."

Katrina - "Fairytale Fights will be my big co-op fun (hit up "Shadokat Regn" with a message to play Fairytale Fights if you have it!) Otherwise I'd really like to get in some more Overlord 2 or Batman: Arkham Asylum."

Jason - "Borderlands whet my appetite for dungeon crawl/loot-whoring so I picked up Torchlight earlier this week so I'll be getting my fill of it this weekend. I also need to play through the latest chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island, and hopefully checking out the Left 4 Dead 2 demo with some folks instead of comp AI."

How about yourself?

From the darkest depths of the internet, we bring you this startling insight into the minds of today's youth.

Begin chat transcript.

TaylorFan4Evah: r u buying band hero?

Sparkles14: omg ya of course it has Taylor! why wouldn't I buy it? you can meet her if you buy lol

TaylorFan4Evah: MEET HER?  how?

Sparkles14: just buy the game and enter a code u can go backstage and meet her i think i would die shes so awesome

TaylorFan4Evah: i know right? but what about gwen stefani she's all mad at band hero or something

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