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?

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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?

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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.

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Call of Duty: World at War's announced four player co-op mode certainly put the game into the collective mind here at Co-Optimus. Well, it seems like the crew at Treyarch have co-op on their mind this week. The latest blog entry into their IGN blog is entitled "Building Co-Op From the Group Up." In the blog post, they discuss cooperative and competitive co-op, as well as the design behind them. In the blog, they also discuss the risk they were taking by adding co-op to a Call of Duty game.

After all, there is a certain trend-setting standard that you have to live up to with each new Call of Duty title – this would be the first time in the title’s history that players would be able to play online together through the kinds of levels that were previously only playable in Single Player.

The blog post is very informative, and gives great insight as to why World at War has co-op. Hit up the link and check it out.

Left 4 Dead is rushing (or shambling, considering the game's content) towards its November 17th release date. So, it seems only natural that more details for the game's upcoming demo (set to be released before the game comes out) have been discovered. IGN has recieved details from Doug Lombardi himself, who said the demo will take place:

"from the front of the Survivor's first campaign (including the opening movie)." This area of the demo will encompass a hospital level, and an area "outside the Hospital."

IGN is also saying that the demo will come out in early November, shortly before the game comes out. Most of the information in the article is not new, but rather confirmation of details that have been rumored for a while. Still, it is encouraging to have these details set into stone. Anyone else chomping at the bit for the demo?

This week, in between battling a crazy barrage of colds, I have been playing hour after hour of Too Human. The game is not perfect, but for me, it might nearly be perfect. I love crazy variety of weapons, and games that mix swordplay with guns. So, as you can see, I would be naturally attracted to the game. However, this column is all about the co-op fun I had with Too Human, so I will focus on that. So, to summarize my experience with co-op in Too Human, I will use simply two words: too fun.

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Mercenaries 2 has been covered many here at Co-Optimus. Having played a bit of the game, it seems like a decent mercenary simulator. Well, for those of you clamoring for an update for Mercs 2, your prayers are being answered. According to Shacknews, an update for the game will be coming out on October 13th for the 360 and PS3 versions of the game. The update will add cheat codes to the game (essential for a game like Mercenaries 2) and several new playable characters.

On the co-op front, the update is supposed to loosen restrictions for playing with buddies from other regions. So, sounds like everyone's getting a bit of what they want.

Recently, we revealed what were rumored to the specs for Left 4 Dead. However, the real specs have been recently revealed. HalfLife2.net has posted the specs, taking them from the box itself. Unfortunately, the real specs require a better computer than the rumored ones. The game will require a more powerful CPU to fun it; either a "3.0 Ghz P4, Dual Core 2.0, or AMD64X2 (or higher)." Full specs after the jump.

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