This month in our Beyond Co-Op Reviews we take a look at quite a few solid titles. We compare the open worlds of Prototype against inFAMOUS; we look at what happens when Plants and Zombies mix. We also check out Knights in the Nightmare, Bionic Commando and the latest Indiana Jones title.

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.

The stories for this week:

- Activision Sues Double Fine over Brutal Legend

- EA Hires Dante's Inferno Protesters for E3

- Monkey Island Being Redone in HD, New Game Coming

- E3 Already Has Dates for Next Year

- Prototype and Others on Tap This Week, E3 Prediction Outcome

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 Last night we were lucky enough to get some hands on time with upcoming Activision games for a pre-NY Comic Con event.  We examined the ex co-op game Prototype, slashed some bad guys in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and met our old friend BJ Blaskowitz it's Wolfenstein.

While there's no co-op to be found here, there's some solid info here worth checking out!

 
Image Courtesy of 1UP

I remember when they announced the co-op mode of Prototype was cancelled.  They left us with a glimmer of hope, hope that perhaps they would come to their senses and add back in some sort of cooperative mode.  We all had visions of Crackdown in our heads, and despite a possibility of a sequel, this was as close as we were going to get.  But now a recent 1UP interview with Radical Entertainment's Chris Ansell, well it looks like there's no chance in hell.

 1UP: Is co-op still a possibility?

CA: We made the decision earlier this year to focus the development team 100 percent on the core single-player experience for Prototype, so there are no plans for multiplayer co-op functionality. We were really glad to see that the large majority of our hardcore fans agreed with us in making the decision to leave multiplayer out of this product and focus on the core experience. 

I'd like to know what "hardcore fan" liked the idea of cutting co-op.  I had was clinging on to hope that the delay and publisher exchange would bring the mode back, but according to the interview there's not even a chance we'll get co-op in the DLC form.  Lame-o-rama.  

Thanks rafoca

Source: Link

Some dissapointing news today.  Radical Entertainment Tim Bennison let out the dissapointing news that Prototype, an upcoming open world action game, will have to drop it's online cooperative mode so that the game can meet its 2008 release date.

Why was multiplayer cut from PROTOTYPE?

Tim Bennison: From its inception PROTOTYPE was planned first and foremost as a single player open-world/action game. Naturally, with Alex’s genetically mutated shape-shifting abilities, we started to explore what would happen if he were to sub-divide into two PROTOTYPEs and what kind of multiplayer gameplay we could create around that concept. We’ve been looking at this potential multiplayer idea much more closely as PROTOTYPE’s development has been progressing, and while it’s a great concept and gameplay bonus, our conclusion is that we won’t be able to pull it off with the same level of quality and polish that we’re aiming for with the original single player story.

The game looked to be an evolution of a Crackdown style game with super powered players unleashing destruction around a city.   Prototype is still slated for a 2008 release.  There is a possibility that a co-op mode will be added later as download-able content.  We'll keep our eyes on this one for sure.

Source: Team Xbox

Thanks rafoca for the tip!