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.

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, the weekly feature where we look at gaming news around the industry.  Here are this week's stories for August 16th, 2009 through August 22nd 2009.  

-  Blizzcon kicks off with a ton off news
-  BF1943 delayed on PC,  No DLC currently planned
-  Alan Wake is 'Done'
-  Eve Online's Unholy Rage Unleashed on Gold Farmers

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We just snuck this in before end of the month, but we have a fresh batch of Beyond Co-Op reviews for you. Battlefield 1943, Monkey island, and Red Faction: Guerrilla highlight a total of six reviews of gaming goodness.

We've recently experienced a bit of disgruntlement regarding the aspect of cooperative teamwork in competitive games and how it applies to co-op as a genre. So here's the latest Battlefield Report, where we dig into team-based combat games for a glimpse of co-op.

Last month we told you about a different kind of cooperative effort with EA's Battlefield: 1943.  It was called the "Coral Challenge" and the goal of it was to collectively earn 43 million kills in the game between the two platforms to unlock a new map and game mode.  I'm happy to report that it's mission accomplished, as of this morning the game eclipsed the 43 million kill mark in just under 5 days.  

And 3 of those days there were server issues.

Update: Apparently it's not 43 million total kills, but 43 million by platform.  We've contacted EA for clarification and will update with more details.  

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Awesome image chosen by Colony of Gamers

As I type this, I'm filing it in the back of my mind for a future Battlefield Report. While it's not an intimiate battleground tactic, DICE has implemented a feature in the upcoming Battlefield 1943 that is cooperative in nature: a "community unlockable map".

In addition to re-tooled iterations of the original Battlefield 1942 maps Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima, each console version will automatically unlock a third map -- Coral Sea -- when 43 million kills are reached by its respective community.

Granted, players really don't have to do anything except play the game, but the prospect of having a universal goal and subsequent reward for all players is the heart of co-op. Everyone plays, everyone wins.

Thanks to our friends at Colony of Gamers for digging this up.

Source: Link

While we got our hands on a ton of great co-op games, I wanted to point out a few other standout titles you guys may enjoy.  First up is the recently announced Battlefield: 1943.  The game is a remake, or re-imaging of sorts of the original Battlefield: 1942 for the PC. 

Containing three maps, including the incredible Wake Island, the game will ship for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC this summer.  That's right, this is a fully downloadable game with a downloadable price.  According to the game's associate producer, Gordon VanDyke, they are teetering between $15 and $20, and it was obvious they were trying to gauge what the press and public thought the value was here.

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