Could there be a better combination than chicks in chainmail bikinis and zombies?  We think not, especially when we've featured both games in Co-Op Classics!  Brain eating undead and magic wielding warrior women are both headed to the Wii this week, via the Virtual Console service.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a fine 16 bit home console gem.  You and a friend can control a spiky haired, 3D glasses wearing boy, or a young lady in short shorts as they, you guessed it, save their neighbors from zombies.  The gameplay is pretty simple, but the style of the game is quite charming, and it's well worth the 800 Wii Points.

Golden Axe is more well known, and for good reason.  It's one of the first and best brawlers from the height of the arcade era.  Swords, sorcery, dwarves, and the aforementioned chainmail bikinis all make for a good time with a friend.  The release is based on the actual arcade version, and will set you back 900 Wii points.

Source: Link

Twenty years ago today, the Sega Genesis was released in North America.  Known as the Mega Drive in Japan, the Genesis was a big hit.  The NES was dominant at the time, but that fabled console was a bit long in the tooth.  With the help of truly superb marketing (Sega does what Nintendon't!), and a certain blue hedgehog, the Genesis became Sega's most successful console.  It was also a great way to play co-op with a friend, with many stellar co-op games in the Genesis library.

Read More...

Back in September, we reported that the reimagined Golden Axe game would lack any kind of co-op and that decision seemed to have been the death knell for the game. Today, Gamasutra posted part of a more in-depth interview that their sister publication, Game Developer magzine, had with Secret Level's Michael Boccieri. The interview is a fairly open and honest discussion about the challenges and difficult choices they had to make when they took on the task of bringing Golden Axe into the modern gaming age and is worth a full read. Of particular note, however, Boccieri had this to say about the removal of co-op:

At the project's outset Golden Axe was designed to be a cooperative experience. However, the depth to which a cooperative experience was scoped and scheduled was far short of what was necessary to turn planning into reality... A poorly envisioned multiplayer design, key losses on the network technology front, and a lack of animation staff and support led to a general freeze on its implementation.

We here at Co-Optimus would always prefer to see more games with co-op (as Nick and Mike discuss in the latest Co-Opticast), but it's nice to know that not all developers immediately write it off due to a "lack of interest" in the community.

Read More...

This week's co-op session was a bit different.  With family over my house for my birthday party, my 5 year old nephew caught a glimpse of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection sitting on my coffee table.  This of course meant he wanted to play it - and he wanted to play the games in co-op too!

Read More...

This just in, from the "Why Didn't We Think of This First?" department.  Following up on a few previous news stories here, we bring you GamesRadar's list of the Top 7 Games that Should've Had Co-Op.  I must say, the list is a good one, though there are a few that should be there that aren't.

7. Jericho                                     6. Killzone  2 (shoulda been higher)

5. GTA IV (head scratcher)           4. Rise of the Kasai

3. Call of Duty 4 (hope for 6?)      2.  Golden Axe Beast Rider (we think so!)

The number one game that should've had co-op?  Grab a pizza and check it out.

What game comes to mind as a title you wish had co-op?  My first thought was God of War.  Slinging those chains around, the blood, the carnage, the fun puzzle elements... all of it would have been so much more fun with a friend.  (Who would be cool enough to partner up with Kratos, though? Hmm.)  What say you, dear readers?

Source: Link

 Sega has just released a handful of new screenshots for their upcoming Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  The collection features tons of classic Sega games like Phantasy Star 2, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and more.  The best part is all of these games are upgraded to hi-definition graphics and most feature online play!

The latest screens are from some co-op games like Golden Axe, Alien Syndrome, Altered Beast and Streets of Rage 2.  On top of that Sega has announced some unlockable titles on the disc, not listed on the box.  All I have to say is...ZAXXON!!!!!!!

Full list and screenshots ahead.

Read More...

Sometimes, when a game DOESN'T have co-op, it's news worthy.  That's certainly the case for the remake/reimagining of one of our favorite co-op classics, Golden Axe.  Released next month, Golden Axe: Beast Rider will offer only a single player campaign.  That's right, no co-op mode, or any multiplayer features are available at all.  To make things worse, you can't even choose among the original three heroes; instead, the player will take on the role of Tyris Flare, only.  (To their credit, the developers promise that the other two heroes from the original will be featured in the story).  Of course, Tyris is wearing her obviously marketable chain mail bikini, pushing the borders of appropriateness.  This is, I suppose, reminiscient of the first Golden Axe.  Screenshots and videos indicate that the game is meant to evoke feelings of nostalgia, including beast riding (duh), potion gnomes, and even Black Adder, the big baddie himself.  It's too bad they missed the most important aspect: playing through with a friend.  Check this quote from Sean Ratcliffe, VP of Marketing at Sega:

“Rightly or wrongly, we don’t have co-op multiplayer in the game,” he offered, a statement that was met with a short, yet uncomfortable pause. “I think as much as anything it’s taking inspiration from the original series but in terms of that multiplayer co-op the developer decided that they didn’t want to take the game in that direction.”

“If Golden Axe: Beast Rider is successful,” he added, “we can then come back with something else that maybe will have the co-op mode that everyone is wishing this game has.”

I have news for Mr. Ratcliffe.  There are lots of excellent single player combat focused games, like God of War, Ninja Gaiden, etc.  If you want Golden Axe: Beast Rider to stand out from the crowd, give players what these other titles don't: the same co-op play that made the original a classic.  What say you, Co-Optimus readers?  Would you pick this title up if it featured co-op?