Classic arcade and Nintendo co-op game Jackal might see a WiiWare remake by Konami, as suggested by some screenshots on a digital artist's web resume.

Jackal -- a top-down arcade shooter -- was a personal favorite of mine. Two players control jeeps that pick up ally troops and make messes of the enemy's buildings, vehicles, and personnel.

Konami has been remaking titles for WiiWare under the "ReBirth" moniker, so this rumor is not completely far-fetched. We'll keep our ears to the ground.

Source: Link

At the start of 2009, our politics tag was fastened to a great many news posts here at Co-Optimus, and the reason was a horrible rash of layoffs and closings.

Factor 5 -- developers of Lair, a rumored Superman game, and the excellent Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series -- was reported to have cut its staff in half...now, the studio has officially announced its full closure, not one week after Screwattack's nostalgic tribute to the original Rogue Squadron for Nintendo 64.

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If you listened to the latest Co-Opticast, you'll recall us talking about 8-Bit Jesus.  This is a compilation of Holiday Music as it would have been performed on the sound chip from the venerable NES.  It's full of 100% pure win, I assure you.  At the time of the Co-Opticast, only half the full album was available, but now, the whole thing is up for download!  There are a few classic co-op games represented, such as Contraland, Bubbles We Have Heard on Bobble, and We Three Konami.  Anyone who is a fan of classic NES games will enjoy these, so head on over to DoctorOctoroc and check them out!  The (clever) full tracklist is after the break.

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The preview beta for Good Old Games started this week, and after combing through their list of available (or soon to be available) titles,  we have discovered several classic PC titles with co-op modes!  All games on the service are sold DRM-free at very reasonable prices, and have been updated to work with XP and Vista.

Co-Op Titles:
 

• Descent 3
• Descent: Freespace
• Freespace 2
• Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
• Operation Flashpoint (Coming Soon)
• Shattered Steel

Other Titles of Note:
 

• Fallout
• Fallout 2
• Giants: Citizen Kabuto
• MDK
• MDK2
• Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

Pretty much every title on this list will set you back $5.99, so you can get a lot of bang for your gaming buck.

Astute readers will notice that "This Week in Co-Op" is a day early. Well, I'm heading off for a short vacation, but I figured you'd appreciate an early column more than no column at all.

While I am running the risk of covering the territory normally covered by our other (excellent) column, "Co-Op Classics," I couldn't help but write about one of my favorite co-op games, ToeJam and Earl. However, ToeJam and Earl is more than a co-op classic, it is an example of how high-quality co-op is not a new feature. I remember playing the game with my father oh so long ago; it was one of our favorite games. For those who are unfamiliar of the game, you play as two aliens trying to rebuild their ship. Gameplay consists of a sort of open (and randomly generated) world where you collect power-ups on the way to discovering parts to your ship. So, in keeping with my "at least one co-op game a week" mantra, I booted up ToeJam and Earl (from Virtual Console on the Wii) and explored a game that I had loved so much. As it turns out, my love of ToeJam and Earl was not rose-tinted at all; it was as good as I remembered it.

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The developer's blog for the upcoming release of Bionic Commando Rearmed has been updated.  BCR is a remake/enhancement of the original Bionic Commando, which was one of the finest side-scrollers of its time.  Even more exciting is the addition of co-op play, one of the glaring weaknesses of the original.  Many might dismiss classic game remakes as boring, or too old fashioned.  For some, though, the combination of nostalgic gameplay and modern eye and ear candy is hard to resist.  The developers at GRIN seem to fall into the latter category, thankfully.

Capcom and Grin have poured so much love into this one, and I sure hope it shows: from gameplay to graphic style to music, this is a love letter to the entire sidescrolling genre and its fans, and the original Bionic Commando and its fans in particular.

The best news?  The game is nearing completion, and is expected to go live in the near future.  Given the past announcement that BCR will be available for a mere $10, and that it will tie into the upcoming sequel to the original Bionic Commando, we can't see much reason why one SHOULDN'T pick up this game.  Co-Optimus will keep you posted when more news becomes available!

Capcom has just announced another classic remake for both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.  The new game title 1942: Joint Strike is a re imagining of the classic arcade game 1942.  With upgraded hi-def 3D graphics and online co-op play, this game is sure to win the hearts of vertical shooter fans.  IGN has a hand on preview of the title, complete with screens and videos.

1942: Joint Strike is fundamentally the same game we've seen before. It's still a top-down vertical shooter. Only now we get it in true widescreen, sans the "arcade bars" so often seen on digital remakes. And though the gameplay remains two-dimensional, the visuals are actually 3D. 1942 is a gorgeous game, even in its unfinished state. Though we saw a few occasions of slowdown, it's certainly a looker that is only going to get better over the next few months. Surprisingly, the slick new look of 1942 is outdone by the new musical score by Metal Gear composer Norihiko Hibinio. It's contemporary, but doesn't feel out of place amidst the fast-moving arcade action.

The article doesn't have too many details on the cooperative experience, other than we can expect higher difficulty when flying with a wingman.  Between this and Bionic Commando: Rearmed - Capcom is doing an excellent job of not just selling ROMS - but selling us a fresh version of classic game experiences.

We've got the full video after the jump.

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