We've had our eye on this article for quite some time, and since our resident classic co-op guy (that would be me!) has been away from his beloved MAME cabinet this week, the time is now right.  TechRadar's The History of Co-Op Gaming is an excellent read for any fan of co-op.

Gauntlet, Contra, and Smash TV are all discussed, which pleases us since we've covered all those for Co-Op Classics in the past in some form.  Gauntlet is cited as one of the earliest co-op games, and the lessons learned from that game even effect modern co-op games.  The article doesn't follow a strict chronology, instead focusing on innovations like the MMO and voice communication.

Hopefully sometime soon, we'll have a more detailed history of co-op gaming here at Co-Optimus (yeah we should have thought of this first).  In the meantime, head over to TechRadar and tell us what you think! 

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Sometime ago we told you that Gauntlet DS appeared to have been cancelled.  Retail listings were pulled, and there was no longer any publisher information.  There appears to be some good news though, as an astute Joystiq reader noticed the game appeared back on the ESRB website under a new publisher.

The original title was set to be published by Eidos, which has since been bought by Square-Enix.  Now the ESRB site lists the game's publisher as Majesco.  We also noticed the game has reappeared on Amazon.com with updated publisher information.  No release date was given, but it's definitely a good sign the game has life. 

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The original Gauntlet was one of the first, and arguably the greatest, co-op experiences in video game history.  The Gauntlet Legends series of remakes was pretty good too.  As of late, though, the Gauntlet name has been fading somewhat.  Gauntlet Seven Sorrows was seen by many as a step backwards.

However, a version for the DS has been in development, and all indications were promising.  The DS would seem like a natural fit for some co-op hack and slash on the go, wouldn't it?  Sadly, it appears that Gauntlet DS may in fact be cancelled.  Online retailers have pulled the game from their product pages, and there is no mention of the game at publisher Eidos' site.  We'll keep you posted when more details become available.  Let's all keep our fingers crossed that this game makes it onto store shelves!

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This week, due to the holiday, Co-Op Classics has been bumped up a day.  Last week, we covered the first two Gauntlet games.  Though there were a few sequels, the next real innovation to the series was Gauntlet Legends, the first 3D game in the series.  Highly successful both in the arcades and for home systems, Legends got a sequel, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, which is probably the finest game in the entire series, in my opinion.

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