Other than Apache: Air Assault, we haven't seen much in the way of a true co-op helicopter game. There's a new arcade game on the horizon, set for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC called Thunder Wolves. It's an arcade game in the truest sense, an in a way feels like a spiritual success to something like Desert or Jungle Strike. 

Chances are you've caught an advertisement for Defiance, the new shooter/MMO crafted by Trion Worlds. The game also happens to have an accompanying TV show of the same name debuting on the Syfy channel on April 15th. I recently visited Trion Worlds and put some time in with the sci-fi shooter, talking with developers, engaging in the Shadow War, getting crushed in PvP, and most importantly, checking out the co-op.

At PAX East 2013 last weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down and play a round of the competitive mode of Dungeon Defenders II (henceforth DD2). I also got to talk to Philip Asher (Marketing Director and Designer), a.k.a. pmasher. While the co-op mode of DD2 is still mostly under wraps, Philip was able to give me some details on it which I’ll gladly share with you guys. Let’s first talk a bit about the competitive mode that I played.

Yesterday evening I headed down to the NASDAQ building in Times Square for an exclusive first look at the newly announced Skylanders SWAP Force. I am sad to report that if Skylanders has its hooks in you (or your kids or your wallet), SWAP Force will likely just drive them deeper in. The new skylanders and brand new mechanic introduced with SWAP Force look just as addicting, if not more so.

For hardcore gamers, Free To Play, has an almost negative stigma associated with it.  Combine that with the word "Facebook" and you're looking at the double whammy of disgust.  It's not hard to see why, with titles like Farmville begging for social sharing and clicks and other titles cheapening the experience by asking you to pay for gratification.  But there are some gems out there that are bucking the trend, the latest is a game from Rumble called KingsRoad - a hack and slash RPG that's playable via Facebook or Rumble's website.

It's hard to believe we made it to 2013 unscathed, but here we go barreling towards a new generation of consoles. Luckily your Xbox 360, PlayStation and PC won't be collecting dust as the first half of the year is just JAM PACKED with co-op games. Electronic Arts comes out with the crown releasing four major co-op games in the span of 6 weeks. Some long awaited co-op games also hit and the PC is filled with some smaller titles sure to satisfy their audiences. Let's take a look at what 2013 has to offer for co-op gamers.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Aliens: Colonial Marines New York Comic Con Event. I'll just get it out of the way right now and admit that I know very little about the Aliens universe and lore. I have absolutely nothing against it, I just haven't gotten around to watching any of the movies. That being said, however, I have some friends who are huge fans and they've gotten me curious about the upcoming game.

Right before PAX Prime kicked off, Monolith invited Co-Optimus to their studio in Kirkland, WA to check out the latest build of Guardians of Middle-Earth.  The game was a surprise to us at E3, bringing the MOBA genre to the console while combining it with the LOTR license.  So Mike and Nick braved the Washington traffic and headed into the studio eager to see how the game has progressed...and hoping to get a glimpse of a SHOGO sequel.  One out of two ain’t bad.

Last week, Co-Optimus broke the news that Ascend: New Gods will be coming to PC in addition to Xbox Live Arcade and Windows Phone. That information came from our enjoyable visit to the game's developer, Signal Studios in Kirkland, WA. It wouldn't be any fun to visit and just talk about the game, though; I wanted to see it in action!  Ian Scott, Ascend's lead designer, was kind enough to showcase some of the new environments and features Signal has added to the game since its June E3 demo. Check out the video after the break.

We first saw Guardians of Middle Earth a few weeks back at E3. The game immediately impressed us, not only for the slick use of the Lord of the Rings license, but for the way the team at Monolith appeared to have successfully brought the MOBA genre to consoles. We were also incredibly excited to hear the game would have full co-op support, something many folks strongly desire in a MOBA. We sat on a recent conference call with Monolith as they dished the goods on the upcoming game.

I was wandering around Ubisoft's crowded E3 booth, trying to figure out how I was going to cover Far Cry 3's recently announced co-op mode. I was approached by a nice young woman who asked me if I had played the game. I told her I hadn't, and before I could bat my eyelashes she said she recognized the "Co-Optimus" name on my badge. She then informed me that she designed the co-op mode in Far Cry 3 and would very much like for me to play it.

If you've never played a Sins of a Solar Empire game, it's probably a bit daunting to hear that a single level can take days to complete.  That's part of the charm that is this 4x strategy game.  Decisions you make echo throughout your entire gameplay session.  While the first Sins game focused entirely on combat, and the expansion added diplomacy to the mix - the upcoming Rebellion takes things a step further adding research victories as well as some alternates like last flagship standing, last capital and others.  

Last weekend at PAX East, I had the opportunity to check out TERA, an upcoming action MMO. Buzz has been in the air about TERA for quite some time, but it was only last weekend that I had a chance to go hands-on with it.

After what seems like a half dozen video game conferences, I finally got to get my hands on Firefall's PvE experience - instead of the versus gameplay that was always on display at previous events.  The good news is, despite the game being in closed beta for months and months, it appears the free to play game should hit a more open beta in the coming weeks.  

I was a huge fan of the original Orcs Must Die!, a tower defense like game from developer Robot Entertainment. It combined the unique strategy that tower defense games offer along with the action of a 3rd person shooter and splashed on a really attractive style. Sadly one thing felt missing and that was co-op play. But Robot Entertainment has heard the cries of its fans and will be including cooperative play through the game’s sequel in Orcs Must Die! 2. At PAX East Tally and I went hands on with PC version of the game, and even though the first game hit XBLA, we were told not to expect the sequel to.