Publishing company Atlus, best known for the Shin Megami Tensei/Persona series of games, announced yesterday that it would be bringing From Software's, best known for the Armored Core series, action RPG Demon’s Souls to our shores.  Being billed as a “hardcore RPG,” this title, which saw a February release date in Japan, features the one element that we here at Co-Optimus always want to see more of: co-op.  Two other players will be able to join you in your quest to hack, slash, and quest your way through goblins, dragons, and other fantastical creatures.

The premise of the game is nothing terribly new (i.e., a king dabbles in powers beyond his comprehension, awakens a terrible evil, and you’ve got to set things right), but the game mechanics seem to be where this particular game truly shines.

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I've been in love with White Knight Chronicles since I first heard of it.  Now that the game has launched in Japan, we can read some actual, hands-on experiences from those who have played the game.  1UP's preview is especially detailed.  It appears that the main story mode, featuring the enormous robotic warrior we've seen so much of, is just half the experience.  The remainder will be the 4 player online co-op mode.  While playing online, your avatar is the main story mode's character's companion.  You have full control of creating this characters look in the robust creation tools.  All in all, the game plays much like an MMO.

After creating a lobby, you join instanced rooms for randomly generated quests that culminate in a boss battle. You avatar retains the levels, money, and items gained and brings them back to Leonard's one-player Story Part. According to the manual, it even has social networking-style functions, like a personal home page where you can link to friends, post in-game photos, and blog about your adventures. It all sounds fascinating, and I look forward to trying it...whenever Sony fixes its servers.

The game may not quite reach the level of hype in generated, but it still looks like a solid single player RPG coupled with a nice co-op experience.  We're particularly glad to see that levels, items, and such will transfer between story and co-op mode (I'm looking at you, Fable 2).  Three trailers are embedded after the break, titled "Intro", "Field Battle", and "Character Creation".

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Judging by the popularity of our Co-Op Classics story on Diablo, people really like the series.  It's successor was even more popular and continues to played today by many.  Eight years after Diablo 2 was released Blizzard has finally announced Diablo 3!   For an entire week the Blizzard website teased us with something, and many thought it was actually a World of Warcraft Expansion - but alas the great demon is born again!

Not much is known about the game, currently the website is getting pounded.  Apparently there's screenshots and other media available.  An insider has told me the story of Diablo 3 has the forces of Hell invading Heaven for an all out climatic battle for the trilogy.  There's going to be a constant struggle of light and dark, weapons and items for instance can change from good to evil and vice versa.  Obviously there's no details for the co-op modes, but you can guarantee there will be some; our best guess is at least 4-player co-op like the game's predecessors.

Update:  Joystiq is currently watching a live demo of the game.  The game's lead designer Jay Wilson has called the game primarily cooperative and showed off two character classes; the Barbarian and the new Witchdoctor  (a master of disease and fire who will control pets).

Update 2:  The European site seems to be working.

Keep and eye here as we'll update you with media and information as it becomes available!  DIABLO 3!!!!!!

Fable 2 has been years in the making, but it's only recently that we started to get details of the game's cooperative mode.  We know that the game will support another player in a drop in/drop out fashion on the same console.  We know that this player can have an incredible effect on your game world - killing loved ones for example.  

But there's also a lot we don't know.  We don't know though is whether or not the game is going to have online co-op via Xbox Live.  We don't know if/how the two players can interact.  We don't know what affect a 2nd player is going to have on the story...if any. 

So with that Mr. Peter Molyneaux let this little nugget slip in a recent presentation of the game this week.   "There is another big surprise, a very big surprise about co-oping," he said, before adding that Fable 2 is a "Hell of a game."

I do like surprises.

You've read the interview, now you can see the screens and watch the video of Too Human for the Xbox 360. 

If you haven't read the interview, then I suggest you go do that right now.  Even though it's disappointing to hear the game dropped from 4 player co-op to two player, it still looks like total hotness.  Screens and video are after the jump.

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Too Human is a game that's been through a lot.  From its roots on the Playstation, moving to the Gamecube and finally ending up on Microsoft's Xbox 360 it's been a long path.  Being in development that long brings controversy, and Too Human has had its share from bad previews to engine trouble...that's graphic engine trouble.  But co-op fans can rejoice, Too Human is finally almost here!  In fact, in our exclusive interview with Silicion Knights president and lead designer of Too Human, Denis Dyack, we learn of the game's release date.  What's better?   We have all the juicy details regarding the co-op mode!

Read our full Interview right here!