As you can see, this is not "This Week in Co-Op." Today marks the debut of a new column, "Great Features in Co-Op Gaming," that will alternate with This Week in Co-Op. So, this week you get our new column, next week it's back to This Week in Co-op. Well, with that clarified, let's get on with the column. This column is dedicated to discussing fun features that make co-op games worth playing. Everyone has played a co-op game and (to themselves or aloud) said "Oh man, 'feature x' is so cool" So, what feature is the focus for this week? Open world/sandbox gameplay.

We dive back head first into World War II, this time co-op style, in Call of Duty World at War.  A first for the series, the game supports co-op through the entire campaign as well as a 4 player co-op zombie mode.  Is this game a worthy successor of the CoD name?  Or is it shades of Call of Duty 3 all over again?

False alarm folks.  The Fable 2 news of the news that we previously reported as news?  Yeah, not gonna happen this week.  According to the Official Lionhead Blog, Microsoft said - no, you may not tell the world your awesome little secret...yet.   Ok, so they didn't say exactly that, but that's more or less the jist of it.

  The first week sales of Call of Duty: World at War have outsold Call of Duty 4's debut by more than 2 to 1.   This new info comes from gamesindustry.biz, who claim that 4-player co-op title World at War is also currently the top seller overall in the United Kingdom. This makes perfect sense to us! Games with online co-op requi...

I went to school with a fellow named Austin Rushing.  That'd be a perfect name for a football player, wouldn't it?  Almost as good as a snowboarder named Shaun White.  Speaking of Shaun, his games have just been released.   The 360 and PS3 versions are basically the same game, but the Wii version is a totally different experience, and supports the Wii Balance Board.  Buy using the links below to support Co-Optimus.com!  You'll be dreaming of a (Shaun) White Christmas, for sure!

I've ranted about it before, but wow is the fall gaming season a busted mess.  Publishers insist on releasing way too many titles before the holiday hits in an effort to get a piece of the consumer pie.  Sure it's a nice problem to have, you know, having too many games to play.  But when it all comes down to it, the publishers are only hurting themselves.  Gamers only have so much time and money to go around, and eventually someone is going to miss out.

Just a few days ago, the folks over at the Guitar Hero World Tour community site posted a set of charts.  The charts show which instruments work in which games, for both Activision's offerings, and those of competitor Harmonix.  (It'd be better for gamers if there was no need for such a chart, but I digress.)  Obviously, knowing which instruments to buy for maximum compatibility is important this busy, hit-packed season.

On the eve of one of the biggest updates to ever hit console, the Co-Optimus staff have weighed in on the New Xbox Experience.  You've heard about the features and bells and whistles, and now it's time to get your hands on it.  While you wait for the update to hit, why not read our editor's thoughts?

You really shouldn't be reading this, you should be saving the world from the impending zombie apocalypse with your friends in Left 4 Dead.  If perhaps you are on the fence about purchasing the aforementioned game, then we have a few reviews from around the interwebs that may change your mushy mind.

Ok, so I messed up. This is actually the second version of this episode because I fail at recording. That being said, you'll find a tightly packed and content rich episode featuring Call of Duty: World at War discussion, Gears of War 2 Co-OP vs. Single Player Discussion. And of course, a little game we like to call Left 4 Dead.

Hit the Podcast Page to Listen or Download

Ready to get your sing on?  Microsoft's karaoke title Lips comes out today, with a few two player co-op modes.  The game is from the creator of the zany DS Rhythm game Elite Beat Agents, and features the ability to use any of your own music in the game.  

The HUD is back with another set of 4 hard hitting questions asked to the most awesomest of awesome games journalists.