Merry Christmas.

One year of chainsaw dueling -- that's what Epic Games is celebrating this holiday season, and a nice Gears of War 2 playlist changeup is rolling out for your enjoyment.

Starting right now, players can rack up triple XP in Horde Mode and multiplayer. Plus, all public Horde matches are automatically bumped to Hardcore difficulty, and playlists are being tweaked so that you can find your favorite game more easily. To top it all off, "tactical mode" is available in all game modes, limiting ammo and increasing damage.

The special event lasts until November 16th, so get your Horde on asap!

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EA Vancouver invited Co-Optimus to their headquarters in Redwood City to come check out the pre-alpha build of Skate 3, announced in September and due May 2010. We came away impressed; find out why in our hands-on preview.

In a Walgreens world, co-op would be completely fluid and friendly. In reality, it has its roadbumps and stop signs. This month Co-Op Couples comes to a quick four-way stop with Pass and Play.

Like the war it's based on, controversial third-person co-op shooter Six Days in Fallujah just won't go away.

Peter Tamte, president of Atomic Games and apparent lover of war games, said that he "remains committed" to Six Days and still shops it around as Destineer - his other development company - prepares to release Marines: Modern Urban Combat for the Nintendo Wii.

With the current competition on store shelves, would four-player co-op and a media flap be enough to make this a worthwhile effort? More options are always a good thing, in my book, but sometimes the long, hard road is best left to more marketable content. We'll see.

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Assuring us that development is "on schedule", senior producer Mark Rogers has announced that the original November 12th release date for SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 3 has been shoved back to January 12th, 2010.

After our PAX hands-on and GameSpot's recent preview video, we're definitely looking forward to checking this title out. Fireteam Bravo 3 brings four-player local and online co-op to the PlayStation Portable, and not soon enough!

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We love 'Splosion Man. We really do. Good for a lazy weekend or tough-Achievement-gathering, this gem from indie dev Twisted Pixel had one major flaw in our eyes: online co-op laaaaag.

Devs to the rescue! Not only does today's title update supposedly fix this issue, it also finalizes support for Xbox Live Avatar Awards, such as virtual t-shirts. This update has been a long time coming, but we're glad for it. Don't forget to use the meetup forum to test out the online co-op!

This, plus crosshairs, please.
 

Among the many Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 rumors that we've sifted through in the last several months, the prospect of an optional third-person perspective has only come up once that I remember, and not in a plausible context. In the opinion of a last-gen SOCOM and Star Wars Battlefront fan, the option to swap to third-person in a Modern Warfare game would be a pretty great addition.

Now, it seems, a video and screenshot have surfaced that bring credibility to once-scorned rumor: Modern Warfare 2 appears to support the third-person perspective during private matches.

UPDATE: Joystiq grabbed an interview snippet wherein the third-person camera was confirmed by Robert Bowling, but only for certain playlists and private matches so far. Here's hoping this option is extended to hosts of private co-op rooms as well.

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"Dig in and shut up. We're in for a ride."

While poring over Joystiq's interview with Crackdown 2 lead designer Steve Iannetta, we came across a little tidbit that means big news for co-op gamers...especially those who enjoy co-op survival modes...
 

[We're proud of] things like our 8-player versus enemy mode.

It's quite unique. Quite structured. Again, drop-in, drop-out: Where if you want to engage in this mode you can have up to eight players in an environment fighting against a huge amount of enemies.

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The rumor started with Ubisoft's financial earnings, citing a new Ghost Recon game to be released before March 2010, specifically Ghost Recon 4. Now, the Australian ratings board has a listing for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Predator, which many are presuming to be the fabled Ghost Recon 4.

To me, the title sounds like a portable title. Resistance: Retribution...Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow...Killzone: Liberation...you see the pattern. However, the listing clearly states that the game is rated for mature audiences, and has a "CG (Multi Platform)" classification.

I'm personally looking forward to continuations of the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six series, both of which have been co-op friendly this generation. Let's hope this rumor rings true.

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Machine guns, jeeps, and rock 'n' roll...what more do you want? This month, the Battlefield Report helps you keep your sanity when explosions and in-game soundtracks pound your head.