Unveiled officially at the Microsoft Press Conference, Resident Evil 5's gameplay will be built entirely around co-op.  The co-op is a first for the series, one that traditionally is about lone wolf style survival, but it's a welcome addition.  The developers aren't cutting any corners either, making sure to design levels with co-op in mind.

One example showed Chris and his partner Sheva on the run from a horde of zombies.  As they ran up a broken down building they came across a chasm they couldn't jump across.  So Chris gave her a boost and launched her across.  Both players then continued to cover each other from afar as the zombie onslaught continued.  Other such enviornmental puzzles were shown, areas where the two would split up and the other character would need to unlock a door, or break down an area to allow the other person through. 

The game looked incredibly gorgeous set in a run down African town.  Even though there was lots of browns, the lighting just made everything pop.  There's no word on exactly what the co-op specific features are yet, only that it will be playable online.   Hopefully the game will support drop in and drop out play as well as split screen.  I don't want to limit my zombie killing options after all.

We've posted 10 new screenshots of Resident Evil 5 Co-Op for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 after the break.

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Last Monday night I was lucky enough to be invited to a pretty exclusive Gears of War 2 preview event.  Donned with celebrities like Lester Spreight (voice of Cole Train above), Zachary Levi (of NBC's Chuck fame) and numerous others; we all got our hands on with Gears 2's new co-op mode called Horde. 

The way Horde mode works is similar to the Terrorist Hunt mode in the Ghost Recon games.  Basically it's you and your buddies versus endless waves of the Locust Horde...oh I get it now.  After clearing each successive wave there's a slight cool down period where you can gather weapons and ammo and then the next successive more difficult and larger wave comes. 

Read on for more impressions.

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If there was one good thing to come out of E3 2008 this year (despite the bad), it's the fact that co-op has been moved up from an afterthought to a bullet point. Right from the get go at the Microsoft Press Conference we were hit with a plethora of AAA titles all that featured co-op as a major bullet point. Fable 2 and its integrated co-op mode to 3rd party titles like Resident Evil 5 and the official unveiling of its coop focused gameplay, the Microsoft press briefing had one overwhelming message - it's good to play together. Sony followed suit with titles like Resistance 2 and its 8-player co-op mode on display; and even though Nintendo didn't show much their big game Animal Crossing for the Wii was built around cooperative play, even introducing a new microphone peripheral for online play.

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As we previously reported, the upcoming sequel to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (called Geometry Wars 2, natch) will feature a 4 player co-op mode!  The first title was a blast to play, and the addition of co-op should make the sequel even more enjoyable.  Just hope you don't have a seizure or something!  To tide you over to the game's release on August 6, check out the gameplay trailer after the break.  It's single player, but still worth checking out!

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There's been a lot of anticipation for Valve's survival horror first person shooting four player co-op title Left 4 Dead  Yes, that's the genre.  As we make our ways through the halls of E3, we had a chance to sit down and play the Xbox 360 and PC title, and let me tell you, it's going to meet expectations.

The basic premise of the game puts players in the role of one of four characters as they try to survive endless hordes of zombies.  Obviously team work is crucial, and there are many times we found ourselves having to help a comrade out.   Whether he was being overrun by a pack of zombies like a swarm of bugs, reviving a fallen teammate, or covering each other's backs; the co-op nature of the game is very apparent from the get go. 

The game looks absolutely gorgeous with this gritty and grainy stylized filter being applied to the dark enviornments of the game.  Everything about the atmosphere of the game from graphics to sound to lighting ooozes style.   Left 4 Dead will be available on the PC and Xbox 360 this fall and support 4 player co-op online. 

We absolutely loved what we played of Left 4 Dead.  The game promises a ton of replayability using the in game AI Director that dynamically places weapons, ammo and bad guys depending on how your team is doing.  If this is pulled off well, the game is sure to have a long life. 

And now, something special.  We've got an exclusive hi-resolution video of the game.  All I can tell you is...don't shoot the car alarm.  Hit the Read More link to view it.

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Peter Molyneaux showed off the long awaited (but pretty much expected) online co-op mode for Fable 2;  but he had one surprise up his sleeve.  The surprise was a seemless co-op experience which integrates into your single player game.  At anytime while walking around the game world you will see these orbs floating around, they represent your friends currently playing the game and their spot in their respective worlds.  Simply walk up to the orb, and you can invite your friend into your world.

Peter also announced the game is finished and is shipping this October.   We've posted a handful of new screenshots after the jump.

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So we finally know all the details of Gears of War 2's co-op mode, and while we didn't get a true 4 player co-op mode, we did get a brand new 5 player co-op mode.   The mode will have players facing wave after wave of enemies in an increasing number and difficulty. 

Having seen the trailer first hand at the E3 press conference today I am totally stoked for the game.  It looks quite a bit better than the first one, and you can really tell there's multiple layers of polish on it.  A few new weapons were shown like a flame thrower and a fast shot pistol. 

We've posted a handful of screenshots after the jump, so be sure to check them out.  Check out Co-Optimus later this week with some hands on impressions of the game.

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Quite a bit of co-op news from the Microsoft Presser today.

Gears of War 2 will have a 5-player co-op multiplayer game mode called Horde.  Unfortunately, the main game will only see 2-player co-op.  Game is coming November 7th, 2008.

Resident Evil 5 will have 2-player co-op.  Game is coming March 13th, 2009.

Fable 2 will have pop-in/pop-out co-op.  You will see an orb on the screen representing your friends in their single-player experiences.  You walk up to the orb and can connect instantly to your friend in co-op.  Game is coming in October 2008.

More after the break...

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E3 kicks off tomorrow at 10:30 AM Pacific Time with Microsoft Press conference.  While a price cut is imminent for Microsoft, we also hope we'll hear a bit about some new and interesting titles that feature co-op play.  In fact, one thing I personally hope for throughout the whole show is to see some new franchises, not just sequels, that have a great focus on co-op. 

So here are some of our first ever co-op predictions for E3 2008.

1. Gears of War 2 will have 4 player co-op.
2. Little Big Planet's co-op will allow players to craft stories to play together.
3. A small game developer will come up with a completely unique way to implement co-op in a game.
4. Prototype will have co-op returned to the game.

What are some of your predictions for the show?  Co-Op or otherwise.

The Pre-E3 deluge of information continues, this wave bringing news of Too Human.  Some love it, some hate it, but it looks to us like some great co-op fun.  A press release from Microsoft about their coverage of E3 reveals that a demo for Too Human will be made available for download next week!  No exact day is given for the availability of the demo, however.  That's not a huge deal, since you'll likely be logging in often to check on the E3 coverage offered over Xbox Live.  We certainly hope that co-op will be included in the demo, so keep your fingers crossed.

We can't think of a game that has drawn as much conflicting information as Too Human as it nears release.  Is the game too short?  Will about 10 hours of campaign be enough to keep our interest?  According to Tycho from Penny Arcade:

Contrary to other previews I have read, I think the game is a little too long - some levels are just long to be long, likely to counter complaints that the game is too short, which hasn't worked anyway. My playtime was around the fourteen hour mark, similar to Mass Effect, because just like Mass Effect I spent a lot of time twiddling my character and making the most of my equipment. Inserting runes to increase my effectiveness, completing slottable quests called Charms that confer powerful effects, or crafting items from rare blueprints to build sharp looking sets are things which I find fun. The replayability here should be in the escalating difficulty, the co-op multiplayer, and the inherently addictive quest for more powerful, cooler-looking shit.

Kotaku recently reported their co-op experience with Too Human.  They summarized by saying that co-op is a nice way to get a bit more value from the game after you've done the single player campaign, and that the game is certainly deep enough to support multiple playthroughs.  Again, the comparisons to Diablo are inevitable, as the same could be said about that storied franchise.  Best game ever, or worst game of the past five years?  Isn't it nice to know that you can download the demo and decide for yourself starting next week?