We’re only a few months off from having Splinter Cell: Blacklist in our hands, so it would be a fitting time to get pumped up for the game. Putting two co-op partners in the shoes of stealth veteran Sam Fisher and newbie Isaac Briggs, they can easily use creative combat and stealth strategies to their team’s ultimate advantage. Two heads are better than one, and this official co-op trailer shows us why.

You want skins? Rayman's got skins. Three of 'em, to be exact. The much-anticipated but also sadly delayed Rayman Legends is now getting a pre-order bonus unique to each system it launches on. Grab the Wii U or PlayStation 3 versions and you'll get an Assassin's Creed skin for either Rayman or Barbara. Go the Xbox 360 route and you'll nab some night vision goggles straight out of Splinter Cell. Sort of unusual for a Rayman game, but a bonus is a bonus.

Mario has had some classic levels throughout his games; some of them great fun, but some of them spooky.  I always found the underwater levels the most worrisome and in homage to these, the developer behind Rayman Legends has produced their own.  In this latest trailer for the 4/5 player co-op, out August 30th, Rayman and two friends go underwater for some fishy slaughter.

The Splinter Cell franchise has always had a very unique and engaging legacy of cooperative gameplay. The different co-op modes have spanned from tandem stealth-play missions to special modes involving spies and hunters. An inside look at the cooperative mechanics of Splinter Cell: Blacklist has surfaced on Joystiq. In it, they share some of their impressions on the ways that co-op works in the latest Splinter Cell game.

The cooperative missions in Blacklist consist of "narrative missions" that are handed down to Sam Fisher on the Paladin. The Paladin is a huge plane and mobile base of operations. Offering more than the garden stealth variety, co-op missions will vary between stealth and more action-oriented outings. It seems like more than anything, cooperation is the cornerstone of play. The team can't be carried by one really good player, rather both players have to work together.

Earlier this year Ubisoft announced that Rayman Legends would be delayed until September. Also earlier this year, Wii U owners shed a tear as the once exclusive game sold itself out the other big consoles. But really, can you blame Rayman? PS3 totally just put a pool in the backyard, and Xbox 360 has a jacuzzi. So, you know, sorry babe.

Gamers who love their stealth shooters will be happy to hear that some Splinter Cell Blacklist Wii U details have been revealed over the last few days. Anyone who's a of that GamePad controller will be using it like a secondary set of eyes, utilizing it to command various gadgets, as well as to do other actions with both the touchscreen and motion control features.

Remember that DLC for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World that was supposed to introduce a new character and the ability to play online co-op? The one that saw numerous delays for a host of reasons? Well wait no longer, because the long awaited DLC will be released today for the PSN and tomorrow for XBLA.

Welcome to this week’s Beyond Co-Op, where we look at interesting news around the gaming and entertainment industry that may not directly pertain to cooperative gaming culture. This week we have a major event booking, developer opinion of the gaming industry, and a great iOS game that went on sale. 

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In a day and age where developers are sometimes guilty of releasing a product and never changing it for the better, it is refreshing to see Ubisoft take a different approach with Far Cry 3. The game itself was a smashing success, moving a fairly large number of units, and enjoyed a very positive review from our site. Intent on making the experience even better, it seems the team at Ubisoft has been listening to gamers and will continue to implement changes in upcoming patches. Spotted in an official forum post, the following additions will be added.

The biggest news will alter the single-player potion of the game. They will include the ability to reset outposts via the options menu, and a new unlockable "Master" difficulty setting that will truly challenge even the best of adventurers.

Advertised with the release of Assassin's Creed III was a very special DLC package that featured American President George Washington in a sinister fashion. Appropriately named "The Tyranny of King Washington," the content is to be centered around an alternate tale of the American Revolution featuring George Washington as a power hungry monarch. Part one of the three-part DLC is set to be released for the Xbox 360 and PC next week on February 19th, with the Playstation 3 version to be available the following day.

Ahead of the content release, a rather substantial patch was released for the game that fixes a number of bugs, including those found in the cooperative experience Wolfpack mode. In case you missed it, our review for Assassin;s Creed III can be found here, and the co-op FAQ can be found here.

After recent news surfaced that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge would go multiplatform, Ubisoft mentioned the same news for Rayman Legends today. It was initially believed that Rayman Legends would be a Wii U exclusive, and due to the success of the previous game, a huge boon for the system. However, news came today that Ubisoft would be launching Rayman Legends on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in addition to the Wii U. As if this news wasn't startling enough, it was also stated that the game would be pushed back from it's February 26, 2013 release date to some time in September.

Here is a quote from an official Ubisoft press release regarding the issue:

After what seemed like an eternity, the promised Scott Pilgrim vs. The World DLC was set to hit the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this week. Beat 'em up fans will be sad to hear that the content in question was delayed yet again. Originally announced in August 2012, the DLC will add online co-op and Scott’s roommate Wallace Wells. The content has seen numerous push backs, beginning with a late August 2012 release, followed by an unannounced fall release, then a tentative 2013 release, culminating in a firm February 6, 2013 release date. Yesterday, it was announced that the content would be subject to another delay, accompanied by these official words from Ubisoft:

Enjoying the current co-op games of the Wii U? At one time, ZombiU may have actually classified as one! According to developer, Ubisoft, Wii U launch title, ZombiU, would have supported a co-op mode in the final version of the game.

Gamers have noticed recently that a few new achievements for Ubisoft’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game have popped up on the official list of the game. This makes it seem like the long awaited online multiplayer mode is getting closer to a release date.

It seems that Sam Fisher and the gang won’t be making an appearance until later this summer. Ubisoft has just announced Splinter Cell: Black List’s official release date, delaying the game good handful of months than previously predicted.