Got any spending money left after Christmas? If you're a gamer or you have kids, then probably not. Which is why several retailers have provided some relief this week in the form of low game prices on select titles.

The Xbox Live stats for 2008 have been calculated and released by Live's Community Manager "Major Nelson"...and if 2008 is a foreshadowing of things to come, then 2009 is going to be a sweet year indeed for co-op gamers.

The stories for this week:

This week, we continue discussing the Dungeons and Dragons arcade game series.  Tower of Doom was the first title, and it was fantastic.  The sequel is even better, which is saying a lot.  In my opinion, it is the finest arcade co-op game you will ever play.  Today, Co-Op Classics is all about Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara.

Many of us are still recovering from New Years.  That means it's a perfect weekend to do nothing but game.  In fact the staff will be having their semi-bi-monthly staff co-op night tomorrow.

LittleBigPlanet was one of the most highly hyped titles for the PS3 in 2008.  The appeal of adorable little sackboys, co-op play, and robust creation tools should have made for a smash hit.  Instead, the title was plagued by mishaps, like the music controversy, excessive lag in online play, and unclear guidelines for moderation of user generated content.  It's still a fine game, but it's star certainly isn't shining as bright as Sony and MediaMolecule had hoped.

Ever since our in-depth preview that included some hands-on time by Mike, our hopes have been high for Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Even though Pandemic apparently removed two players from the four-player co-op campaign, Pandemic's last two battlefield-style outings -- Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront II) -- allowed enough AI on the playing field at one time that players could band together and play multiplayer matches as co-op partners. Conquest looks like it will be no different: the Live page for the game indicates that up to four players can play splitscreen.

The above screenshot is taken from Resident Evil 5's same box split screen mode.  It's a mode that a lot of developers seem to leave out nowadays in co-op play, so it's one we shouldn't take for granted.  But the folks over at Destructoid, well lets just say they are throwing a hissy fit about it.    

Our first co-op night of the new year is none other than Gears of War 2.  We'll be playing both campaign and horde modes co-op over Xbox Live on January 15th, 2009.  Want more details on how you can join in on the action?  Read on.

We just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year.  2008 was a great year for Co-Optimus.com and cooperative gaming, and we are even more excited about 2009! 

Mysteriously disappearing content...what an appropriate glitch that has sprung up and caused psychological distress to LittleBigPlanet gamers that have purchased and installed the Metal Gear Solid -themed downloadable content made available last week...

We found a special treat in our tip jar today! J3DI from Colony of Gamers sends us word that a low-flying indie open source game has been made available, and all appearances indicate that it has two-player co-op.