A new preview went up this morning on CVG, and thanks to the watchful eyes of Co-Optimer rafoca, we have some co-op tidbits for you!

Our second Games for Windows Co-Op Night is rapidly approaching. For January we'll be heading into Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV on the PC. Be sure to join us on January 13th for GFW Co-Op Night!

 It's been a crazy and interesting year.  We launched Co-Optimus.com some 11 months ago with two goals in mind - promote co-op gaming and provide co-op gaming information.  Since that time co-op gaming has gone from a bullet point on the back of a box to the main feature promoted by publishers at press conferences.  In total there were over 100 co-op games released this year,  and that my friends is pretty damn awesome.  As the staff looked back over the list it was pretty clear what the standout titles were, but that didn't make the decision any easier for choosing our Co-Op Game of the Year.   

It's the last Co-Opticast of the year, and Mike and Nick have decided to do something special. We answer some listener questions regarding the site, the podcast and cooperative gaming in general. Predictions are dished out for 09 and we also name our top co-op games of the year.

The folks at 1UP did their homework in gathering some information about upcoming downloadable content for Left 4 Dead.  Valve writer Chet Faliszek discussed the future of Left 4 Dead on a recent Kotaku podcast and revealed that an announcement and details on L4D's DLC should be coming soon.  In fact, soon was said to be around Christmas, which has since come and gone.  So like everything Valve, it appears that announcement has gone late.  We expect to hear something soon on some juicy co-op content.

Looking to get your deal on this post holiday week?  Amazon has you covered with the co-op friendly Call of Duty World at War for $35.  Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions qualify for this post-holiday wallet friendly price.  

Sometimes you find a co-op game when you least expect it, and such was that with Eidos's Puzzle Arcade for the Xbox Live Arcade.  With seemingly no hype this game hit Microsoft's online service in what could possibly be a game that has the broadest appeal of any XBLA game to date.  Best of all it's easily playable in co-op with four players both locally and over Xbox Live.

Achievements are all the rage these days.  All the cool kids are getting them, so you probably don't want to feel left out, do you?  Luckily Halo Wars for the Xbox 360 includes these little doohickeys at no cost to you...and best of all?  You'll spot some co-op friendly achievements upon entering the battlefield.

The folks at Bungie have released some concept art for their upcoming Halo 3 "sequel" called Halo 3: ODST.  The game puts players in the role of an Orbital Drop Ship Trooper, and is set between the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3.  The game is said to be darker and grittier style Halo game, but still retain that familiar Halo feel.  Whatever it is, I hope I get to shoot grunts in the head and they explode like a confetti filled balloon.   Only, instead of confetti, it's brains.

A few weeks ago we revealed to you the Dawn of War 2 "Space Marines" trailer.  It showcased "the good guys" in the upcoming RTS from Relic which will feature a co-op campaign.  Today we reveal the "bad guys" in the enemies trailer.  And while that may sound cliche, the enemies in Dawn of War 2 are anything but.  On display are the enemies of the Imperium, including Orks, a giant tank like vehicle called the Deff Driva and members of the Tryanids (think ). 

The stories for this week:

With Christmas only a day behind, most of the Co-Optimus staff is enjoying time with family.  Don't worry as a few dedicated staffers will be gaming this weekend, perhaps you'll even see them online!