As you can see, this is not "This Week in Co-Op." Today marks the debut of a new column, "Great Features in Co-Op Gaming," that will alternate with This Week in Co-Op. So, this week you get our new column, next week it's back to This Week in Co-op. Well, with that clarified, let's get on with the column. This column is dedicated to discussing fun features that make co-op games worth playing. Everyone has played a co-op game and (to themselves or aloud) said "Oh man, 'feature x' is so cool" So, what feature is the focus for this week? Open world/sandbox gameplay.

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I don't quite know how to start this article. However, that's really a good thing. Frankly there are too many cool features, "OMG" moments, and cinematic moments for me to be able to quickly and smoothly start this article. Heck, any one the aforementioned topics could easily take up an entire article. I guess all I can really say is that this week, I played the Left 4 Dead demo on the Xbox 360.

A demo has never been my game of the week, mainly because demos just do not have the replayability that makes it capable of being a "game of the week." However, Left 4 Dead has proven me wrong. In fact, I spent more time on the demo (which just released yesterday) than any other game this week (and I am no slouch as to how much time I spent gaming). In my short time playing the game (well "short," meaning several hours), I've discovered a lot that I like and a few things that I've never really seen before.

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Well, after a two week hiatus, This Week in Co-Op is back. Since Gears of War 2 has been quite the popular game recently, I decided to play the original Gears of War. Gears 2 has received pretty good reviews, much like it's predecessor. Also, (unsurprisingly) Gears of War 2 is much like it's predecessor as far as gameplay goes, though there are some fun additions (Horde Mode, enough said). So, with all this in mind, I decided to play the original Gears of War in order to see why Gears 2 has captured my attention so much.

Gears 1 was a solid co-op game. It had basic co-op modes, both online and local. However, it did some things rather well. First off, the game had your teammate playing as an actual character in the game (i.e. there was no "two Master Chiefs" syndrome). Also, there were no major (or even minor) changes to the campaign, so that you got the full effect of the campaign whether you played it in co-op or single player. However, the best part of Gears 1  was it's solid-yet-simple features. This made Gears a fun co-op experience that had some depth without being too complex.

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Penny Arcade is normally a good source of critical coverage of gaming news, even though they are first and foremost a webcomic. However, they normally are able to combine critical analysis and fun webcomic goodness. An example of this is their recent comic about Little Big Planetand its delay. In the comic, they remark that the inclusion of a song with lyrics from the Qur'an is not nearly as bad as the kind of stuff that the online commuity will come up with.

The news post in relation to the comic goes into further detail. It discusses the idea that games with user-generated content might not be as wide-open as possible, considering the large outrage created by a simple song in the game. The article and comic provide an interesting look at user-generated content and what this means for gamers and co-op gamers alike. Might user generated content (on consoles) be more limiting than we first thought?

Co-Optimus has been on a bit of a Phantasy Star mood recently. What with more info about the new DS game, Phantasy Star Zero, we were itching for more Phantasy Star info. Fortunately, we discovered more info about another portable version of Phantasy Star. 1UP has word that Phantasy Star Portable will be headed stateside this coming March. The game is coming out for the PSP, and takes place after Phantasy Star Universe. It will have a single-player storyline, as well as a multiplayer component.

The gameplay should be similar to PSU, and it appears to have a similar graphical style, but what is most important to the Co-Optimus faithful is the four player co-op. 1UP also has an interview about the game, so you might want to hit that up as well. So, any PSP fans out there want some Phantasy Star action?

Not too long ago, we discussed the fact that Phantasy Star Zero would have online (and local wireless) co-op. However, details of the game have been scarce for a while. Fortunately, the crew at Siliconera got some hands-on time at TGS and walked away with some details. Some of the information is just confirmation of old news. The game is very much like PSO, and features the same action-RPG gameplay. Likewise, the game's messaging system is akin to Pictochat, though apparently it features a few chat bubbles that likely deal with common statements, like "resurrect me."

Some of the more interesting information is the news that the game appears not to be blindingly difficult, as long as you have a balanced party. The Siliconera team had a balanced group, having a magic user, a sword master, and so forth. They do note that boss battles are difficult, particularly one with the dragon. Siliconera was only able to play via local network, so they cannot attest to the online capabilities. However, they do say that the game successfully replicates the fun gameplay that made up PSO. Any other PSO/PSU fans really excited to have a DS?

As it may be clear to you, Castle Crashers has claimed the "co-op game of the week" title for me in a previous week. Though, as I've said many times, I almost always play the game at some point in the week, every week. Often, the more I look into a game, the more there seems to be, and Castle Crashers certainly fits this description. I mean, the first time I wrote a "This Week in Co-Op" column about Castle Crashers, I was impressed with the fun co-op aspects and the games pure joy and humor. However, after a week dedicated to playing Castle Crashers (and basically nothing else), I can see what is even more impressive about the game: it is an incredible time sink, in the best possible ways.

To get an idea of what makes Castle Crashers a wonderful time sink, we must define what exactly a "time sink" is. A time sink is basically anything that requires you to put a lot of time into in order to get some results/prize/reward. However, Castle Crashers is a good time sink, in that you only need to play a little bit to have fun. However, to enjoy the entire game that is Castle Crashers, you must sink some serious time to unlock everything. Let me explain.

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The holiday season is a wonderful time. It's a season of giving, eating mass quantities of food, and gathering with family and friends. This creates the perfect environment for co-op gaming, something yours truly can attest to. This holiday season is shaping up to be a good one for co-op fans and thankfully, Shacknews has noticed and created a list of the "Best Co-op Games of the Holiday Season and Beyond."

The list begins pre-Halloween with Saints Row 2 (which comes out tomorrow) and ends post-holiday season 2009, with games like Halo Wars and Resident Evil 5. Some of the games that they call the best co-op games of the season include Little Big Planet (October 21), Resistance 2 (November 4), Gears of War 2 (November 7) and Left 4 Dead (November 14). So,  I guess that 'tis the season to be a co-op fan. Am I right?

This week has been a busy one for me. That's part of the reason why This Week in Co-Op is a day late. However, I hope that I can make it up to you all. I think I might be able to, because I've been spending the week playing a game that most all gamers can agree is either cool, or at least features a cool character. The game in question is Duke Nukem 3D on XBLA,.

I've played the single player part of Duke Nukem 3D, and it is super retro fun. Actually, for a game that originally came out in 1996, it holds up decently. Duke himself is the main draw of the game, but it also features great weapons, enemies, gameplay, and so forth. Also, the XBLA version has up to 8 player co-op. I've already stated that Duke is cool, since he's basically a one-liner machine. So, if one Duke makes the game great, eight Dukes must  be epic, correct? Yes, indeed this is the case.

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I think that most everyone would agree that sinning can be fun. Or, if you want to take it a step less severe, sinning in gaming is fun. I've blown up innocent bystanders in GTA and "accidentally" done a team kill in...well basically every game that has team kills. However, sometimes, sinning in video games can make the game darn near unplayable. Thus is the case with Gears of War 2's announced Horde Mode.

The crew at OXM UK have outlined what they call the "Seven Deadly Sins of Horde Mode," in regards to the "dos" and "dont's" of the game mode. Some of the sins include "Thou Shalt Not Ignore Team To Go For A Little Wander" and "Thou Shalt Not Go All OCD And Take Every Ammo Box." While the titles of the sins are quite comical, the advice extolled in them is actually quite valuable. So hit the link and remember: sinning is bad, no matter what I said earlier.