Another classic video game console celebrates a milestone this week.  Sega's Dreamcast was released in North America ten years ago this past week, on 9/9/99.  Though the console was short lived, it has developed quite a following, even a decade later.  Many features of the Dreamcast were ahead of its time, most notably a standard modem and internet support allowing online co-op for the first time on a home console.  To celebrate the 10th birthday of Sega's final console, we'll take a look at some of the best co-op games the system had to offer, as submitted by staff and readers.

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Fans of co-op light gun shooters might want to take notice of a deal going on at Amazon right now.  They have the recently released, and well reviewed, House of the Dead Overkill for $29.98 - which is $20 off the normal price.

There's even a deal to snag the game with the Nyko Perfect Shot controller adapters for an additional $11.99 each.  Looks like it's time to dust off the Wii!

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If you are looking for a great co-op game to play on the Wii with your 6 year old daughter;  well you might want to skip out on House of the Dead: Overkill.  You see, the game has set a world record in the Guinness Book of World Records 2009 Gamers Edition for most swearing in a video game...ever.

How much swearing is the most ever?  How about 189 instances of the dreaded F bomb.  To get an idea of how many friggin f-bombs that is; if you factor in the game's three hour length you'd get a rate of an F word a minute.  And that's not even including all the other "fun" words out there.

So how did the game's writer feel to receive such an honor?  Jonathan Burroughs, writer of The House of the Dead: Overkill, stated:
 

“It is a dubious honour to receive such an accolade working in an industry where so often the fruits of your labours are derided and dismissed for being puerile or irresponsible, but in the case of The House of the Dead: OVERKILL a little puerility was the order of business. Parodying the profane excess of grindhouse cinema was Headstrong Games’ objective and I am flattered that this record acknowledges that we not only rose to that challenge, but entirely exceeded it.”

A few swear words didn't hurt our thoughts on this mature cooperative experience.

Whenever I'm around an arcade, I will gladly forfeit a few quarters to blast some Zombies in the face with any of the House of the Dead games. Since arcades are getting harder to find, I was excited to see the Wii's light gun like capabilities put to good use with the House of the Dead 2&3 combo pack. Even more recently I was excited to see the new Wii exclusive story based House of the Dead: Overkill.

The casing on House of the Dead: Overkill is still warm, yet the game's developer Headstrong Games is already interested in remaking another co-op light gun shooter from Sega - Virtua Cop!
 

Mark Brown, British Gaming Blog: So if SEGA came to you and said 'could you do Virtua Cop: Overkill?', would you be up for it? Spoofing all like old police movies and stuff. 
 

Neil McEwen, Producer of HotD: Overkill : ...we'd love to do Virtua Cop or another light gun game for SEGA. Anything for SEGA's fine! 

This would be totally awesome.  Virtua Cop is still one of my all time favorite cooperative experiences, a modern day remake would be pretty badass.  

What other light gun shooters would you like to see remade?  I wouldn't mind a new Hogan's Alley!

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As you know, the 2 player co-op shooter The House of the Dead: Overkill comes out this week.  You may have read our impressions of it?  What you didn't know was that Sega has just launched a poster creator for the game, and to put it blunty - it's friggin awesome.

Using the flash based tool you can create your own stylized movie posters and desktop wallpapers using a variety of decals, overlays, text and graphics.  I'm already on my third poster and I keep going back for more.  

So lets see your best Co-Op Overkill poster.  After all, taking down zombies with a friend is infinitely more fun.

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Check out those ESRB ratings: M, M, M.  I'm pretty sure this is the only week ever where three different M-rated co-op titles were released.  House of the Dead Overkill continues a fine line of co-op shooters, this time on the Wii.  And the Onechanbara games... well, what can you say?  Girls in bikinis, katanas, zombies, and a very large cowboy hat all mixed up into two quite unique co-op gaming packages.  You have to give them credit for creativity, for sure.  Provided below, for your ease of use, are handy links to Amazon.com for each game; purchases help support Co-Optimus!

House of the Dead Overkill

Onechanbara Bikini Samurai Squad (360)

Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers (Wii)

Late breaking news (to me anyway): the Onechanbara games are value priced, running a mere $40 for the Xbox 360 and $30 for the Wii! 

Picture Courtesy of Sega's Flickr Stream

Sega's booth was one of the most active on the NY Comic Con show floor.  Whether that's because they were giving out free t-shirts, or because they had a ton of great games...well that's yet to be seen.  Buried deep within the confines of the booth, hidden behind zombies giving out comics and hugs...yes zombie hugs...was House of the Dead Overkill.  The game is a two player co-op shooter for the Wii, and it's the first House of the Dead game that isn't based on an arcade title.

It was odd not to see the game playable in co-op show on the floor, I mean, after all the game is designed for that.  The Sega folks aren't really breaking the mold either for the game, at least not completely.  While still on rails you'll find yourself able to slightly look past the edges of the screen by moving the aiming cursor there.  This helps you find hidden items and ammo, and perhaps some other surprises.  Is this where the zombie hugs hide?

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This weekend, February 6th through the 8th, is the 4th Annual New York Comic Con.  Much like the San Diego one, the Comic Con is more than just superheroes.  In fact, a recent press release from the show organizers have stated that 50% of the Javitz Center show floor will be dedicated to gaming companies. 

Not just any companies either, we have the likes of Electronic Arts, Activision, Sega, Namco Bandai, Codemasters, THQ and many more!  I'll be leaving the Co-Optitower to head into the Big Apple and bring you guys all the co-op gaming coverage I can get my hands on.  In fact right now it looks like I'll be checking out House of the Dead Overkill,  Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Ghostbusters, Battleforge, Burnout Paradise and possibly a few unannounced titles.

So look for our coverage to begin this Friday!  We'll be posting all the stories under the NY Comic Con tag!

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Whoever says the Wii is for kids clearly hasn't taken a look at the new (NSFW, uncensored) House of the Dead: Overkill trailer.

What do a detective, an agent, and a stripper have in common - besides awesomely-bad dialog? Zombies, that's what. The campy video game series that has been popular among co-op gamers for over a decade, Sega's House of the Dead, will hit Overkill status on the Wii this February!

Haven't played any of the House of the Dead games? No sweat, this one is the prequel story to the long-running series. The storyline will be fresh, and (hopefully) more in depth than some of the aged games in the series. Basically, if you've ever enjoyed a 'B' Zombie Horror film, you're likely going to enjoy what you see here.

Check out this over-the-top trailer that covers all of the cheesy zombie angles of House of the Dead, complete with commentary resembling the Grindhouse promotional announcer, and some ice cream. Also, be sure to pick up a second light gun for this one, backup is always a good idea with bioengineered monsters on the loose. A mature rating has been slapped on the box, so play with your friends – not your 4-year-old.  And always remember to Reload! Reload!

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