Many American PS3/PSP owners know that Japanese PS3/PSP owners enjoy a few more luxuries than we do stateside.  An expanded PlayStation Store, games released months (sometimes years) before the American version, and the ability to play ad hoc only co-op titles (such as Monster Hunter Freedom Unite) over the Internet are just a few of the perks they enjoy.  "What?!" you say, "They have the technology to make ad hoc gaming reach further than two feet from my couch?!"  Apparently they do, and it will be arriving here very soon.

The Sony Playstation blog announced Friday that adhocParty, an online service that allows the PSP to expand its ad hoc coverage from immediate vicinity to the entire world via the PS3/PSP system link, is headed for our shores.  In addition to an increased ability to connect remotely with friends, adhocParty also brings with it the ability to use a bluetooth headset or the PlayStation Eye for voice chat.  Good news for all those PSP owners out there that were unable to play some fine co-op titles with their friends that were further away than next door... assuming those PSP owners also own a PS3, that is.

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Hop online right now to join in on some Sol Survivor fun with the devs

A new month starts today, and it brings with it new opportunities for  some co-op gaming.  A few of the developers from Cadenza Interactive, the guys that put together the co-op tower defense title Sol Survivor, along with a few folks from fellow gaming sites are holding an XBox LIVE Indie Game session today at 12:00 pm PST right now and their title of choice is... yep, you guessed it, Sol Survivor.  Gamertags for all of the devs and game site fellows can be found at this link.  As we highlighted in our recent review of the game, the title does have a few glitches, but the co-op modes, overall, are quite enjoyable.  So if you've bought the game and are looking for some relaxing, post-Halloween co-op in which to partake this afternoon, hop on now and to join in on the play sessions.

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The co-op friendly, independently developed, tower defense title Sol Survivor received a patch last night that added, amongst other things, a new co-op map for players.  Also included in this patch is a new version of the Trial Game that’s available to download from the XBox LIVE Indie Marketplace free of charge.  The Trial Game now includes an in-depth tutorial and a Challenge level that allows players to test their tower defense chops on a mid-campaign map set to medium difficulty.  A full list of all fixes from the patch can be found on the Sol Survior forums.  Be sure to tune into Co-Optimus next week for our review of the game!

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My heart just stopped. No, I don't need an adrenaline shot or a tampon quick-fix...I need Army of Two: The 40th Day. Like, right now.

The Army of Two Developer Blog has been updating like crazy, including some juicy updates that we've missed despite our obvious excitement for this game. Spenser Norrish, the community manager and a very helpful friend to Co-Optimus, has been steering us toward the blog for some time. After promising to feature the blog in a news post this week, the "Extraction" reveal trailer has been made available on the blog, and their timing couldn't be better.

Not only is Army of Two: The 40th Day jumping on the "survival mode" bandwagon, it's doing so with its customizable armor and weapon features intact. Pre-order demos and exclusive content? Pft. Try instant access to the game's free delayed-release bonus (read: DLC) four-player co-op survival mode!

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While the 2009 Tokyo Game Show has wrapped up for the year, there was one more bit of lingering co-op related news to come out of the Makuhari Messe convention center.  PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, the Playstation Portable version of the enjoyable, co-op tower defense title released in early 2008, will be available this Thursday, October 1.  What better way to celebrate a new month than with a slightly new co-op title?  PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe includes all the content of the original title, the Encore DLC pack, new monsters, new stages, unlockable bonuses, and (best of all) 2 player local and online co-op.  A trailer for the game, as well as an interview with Dylan Cuthbert of Q Games and Jeff Rubenstein from the Playstation Blog, can be found after the break.

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Squads, tactics, and co-op... ingredients for success

The news from the Tokyo Game Show keeps rolling in, bringing with it some more good co-op news for PSP owners.  Regular listeners of our podcast likely know by now that Mike and I have touted the virtues of Valkyria Chronicles, an action jRTS game released for the PS3 last year.  The one downside to the game?  No co-op.  Well it seems that that particular problem will be fixed in the sequel.  1Up reported today from the show floor that the upcoming Valkyria Chronicles 2 will feature custom characters, multiplayer mode, and co-op.  When asked about the new co-op mode, director Takeshi Ozawa had this to say:

For me, the biggest difference from the PS3 version is that if you're attacked, there's no way to avoid that. You would just be hit as long as you're in the open. But because you can do coop play and you can move together, one person can be bait while the other moves in a back alley and avoids enemy fire.

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Ok, picture this, but more... sequel-ly

Good news for fans of the delightful co-op title Trine!  In an interview with Frozenbyte's CEO, Lauri Hyvärinen, Patrick Klepek of G4.com asked the question that's certainly been on our minds since we got our hands on this game: "Will there be more?" His response?

There will be certainly more Trine, but in what form, platforms and such, that still remains a small secret of ours.

There you have it.  More Trine means more co-op, and that's a good thing.  Of course, we hope that the sequel won't be plagued with the same woes that have gone down with the first title's release across multiple platforms.  Patrick and Lauri go on in the interview to discuss what influenced the game, the selection of the three characters, and even the challenges of doing co-op on PC.  A very good interview that's worth a full read.

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Game Name: Serious Sam HD
Co-Op: Yes
Co-Op Type: Full co-op campaign - 4 players on XBLA, 16+ on PC
Publisher/Developer: cdv Software Entertainment (publisher)/ Croteam (developer)
Release Date: Fall 2009

We got to play Serious Sam HD today, and not only can we say that this game is great fun, we've got some impressive new co-op news: while the Xbox Live Arcade version will support four players, the PC version will support -- ready for it? -- sixteen players...or more!

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Stardock's Impulse looks to trump Steam's PC gaming portal and digital content delivery system by adding matchmaking into its newest update. The new update will bring like-minded gamers together by detecting each game that you play, constructing a profile based on how you prefer to play games, and suggesting other those other players.

In this sense, Stardock -- the development studio responsible for co-op title Sins of a Solar Empire -- is taking data similar to what Co-Optimus' match-up system collects and mashing that up with in-game connectivity options.

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Infinity Ward Community Manager Robert Bowling discusses Modern Warfare 2' s"Special Ops"
 

The latest Bonus Round episode on GameTrailers.com features a diversified panel that lays out some great perspectives on co-op as it currently exists and how they see it evolving in future games.

They close out the episode by discussing the approach that developers take when considering co-op implementation, and also the different types of game-playing that co-op fans partake of (couch co-op, online co-op, lack of co-op, and even MMO cooperative traits).

Robert Bowling (Twitter: @fourzerotwo) put a nice spin on the two-player co-op mode -- called Special Ops -- included in the upcoming surefire smash hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2; Infinity Ward's defense comes from the developers' realization that four players are rarely in the same room anymore. If they do happen to be...there's always Rock Band.

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