It's time for another edition of Beyond Co-Op, the weekl report on what you may have missed in the gaming industry. 

We've got two videos today from the upcoming Lord of the Rings title, Conquest, from Pandemic studios.  The first video showcases almost 6 minutes of Gameplay footage as well as an interview with studio director Eric Gewirtz.  The really cool thing about this video?  It's taken from the Evil campaign in the game and it shows the player in control of a Balrog, in the shire, killing Ents and Hobbits.  How do you like them apples you old gaffer?

Today, a new Punisher film hits the theaters.  By my count, that makes three.  The latest movie is Dolph Lungren free, but certainly looks nice and violent, as befits the character.  Back in the early 90s, the Punisher was quite popular in the comics.  Following on the heels of the X-Men arcade game (why isn't that on XBLA and PSN yet, anyway?) came a video game adaptation of Frank Castle, the Punisher himself.  Big guns, big explosions, carnage and mayhem on a grand scale, and to top it all off, you could team up with a friend who played as an awesome special guest character.  Today, we'll revisit this Marvel comics-based Co-Op Classic.  

The weekend is upon us!  With so many great games to play, and the weather beginning to get cold outside, it's a perfect time to stay inside - keep warm and game!  Here's what the Co-Optimus staff plans to do this weekend.

Shhh...I have a secret.  All those guys on the dirtbikes up there?  Yeah, they're rushing off to Xbox Live to download the recently released Resident Evil 5 Co-Op Demo.  Bad news for them, they won't find it.  Nope, they're heading the wrong way.  It's not on the US Marketplace or the European one.  Instead the devious forces at Capcom and Microsoft have hidden it deeply inside a mysterious place called Japan, a land filled with fat men in diapers and a tall rich bald white guy that the natives fear.

The incredibly difficult to pronounce side scrolling shooter for PlayStation Network is now available to download for $9.99.  Soldner-X: Himmelssturmer is a two player side scrolling shooter similar to the Gradius series.  The game actually saw a PC release last year, but the latest version is all spiffed up PlayStation style. 

Based on the upcoming movie, Activision has announced the official game for Monsters vs. Aliens.  The game puts players in the role of five different monsters as they try to save the world from certain doom at the hands of the Aliens.  Sounds scary right?  Well it's not, the movie and the game are a very light hearted experience that's perfect to play with the whole family.  And luckily, you can do just that has Monsters vs. Aliens supports a 2 player co-op mode with drop in and drop out support.

The penultimate edition of Billy's advice for gifting has arrived!  Our Holiday Guides are the most important, for one simple reason: if you give a co-op game, chances are, you'll get to play it!  That really makes the joy of giving just that much better, doesn't it?  Here's our list of the best co-op titles available for the Playstation 3, sorted by who you're giving them to.  Can you spot the celebrity guest this time?

Sometimes a relationship just needs a break.  It's a difficult and hurtful time, and one in which your gaming can suffer.  Worst of all, your co-op gaming can stop all together.  What can you do to prevent such a situation?  Read on and find out.

For those of you still waiting for a Fable 2 patch to fix some show stopping bugs, well there's good news.  According to the official Fable 2 Dev Blog the patch is "nearing completion" with several bugs and fixes all rolled into a tightly packed nugget of patchiness.  I'm guessing the goal is to have the patch ready by December 12th, when the new DLC content hits.

  Via Colony of Gamers comes a tip that Atari has released a new Ghostbusters: The Video Game trailer in hi-def! While the spoken lines lack a certain snap (thank goodness for post-production), all four original voices are present, and then some (the Ecto 1 and Slimer sound true to the movies). Walter Peck makes an appearance, as do t...

For me, the best co-op games are the ones that make me feel like a total geek while playing them. Left 4 Dead did this for me, since I was constantly remarking how it was like 28 Days Later, in addition to other obscure zombie movie references. The only way the co-op game can be any more fun is if I am surrounded by other people basking in geekery. Fortunately I got the chance this week, as I played a game that is essentially a perfect storm for geeks: Marvel Ultimate Alliance.