Everyone loves a good party. Some people call a party different things, but the basic idea is the same. You get together with some friends and kick back and chill. Well, apparently even video game characters know how to throw a party, as the Mario Party series has been going on for some time. So this week, my roommate and I decided to have some fun with Mario Party 7.
We've been following the development of LittleBigPlanet for what seems like a very long time here at Co-Optimus. The unique side scrolling platformer just keeps getting pushed back. However, the wait might not be much longer. A post in the official Playstation forums informs us of the following, and not much else:
We don't normally announce the weekly Rock Band DLC, but this week is an exception. Up for download is the PAX Pack, featuring artists from the Penny Arcade Exposition. The first cool thing? The pack is a mere 240 points, or $3. $1 per song is pretty much the sweet spot for downloading it automatically, for me. The best part though, is that all the money from the songs goes to Child's Play, a charity that provides games and systems to kids in Children's Hospitals around the globe. So, you get a few new tracks to try out, and the great feeling of helping others, all for less than the cost of a Happy Meal. Let's hope the charity makes a bundle off this! Here's the song list:
It's confession time, folks. I am a Magic: the Gathering nerd. I started playing the collectable card game two months after its creation, and upon my first game, I was hooked. I got so addicted I dropped college hours to devote more time to playing. I was invited to the Pro Tour, once, even. I don't play "Paper" Magic much anymore, but I've played the Online version regularly. I find myself, then, trying to figure out if the news of Magic: the Gathering hitting XBLA is good news, or bad. It's good, in the sense that it looks fantastic, and will surely draw many more people to the game. It's bad in that I just might get hooked all over again! Duels of the Planeswalkers is scheduled for release in Spring 2009. How is this co-op news? You can partner up with a buddy, sharing life points in the "Two Headed Giant" style of play. Needless to say, I and many other lapsed Magic junkies will be following this title very closely in coming months!
Pandemic Studios has announced that from September 5th to September 12th you will be able to collect on the 50 point "Everybody Wants Some" achievement by playing with a Pandemic developer. Here is some of the info below with more after the break:
As we enter September and look on the horizon for the fall there seems to be quite a few big name co-op games coming out for the Xbox 360. Whether it's Gears of War 2, Fable 2, or Left 4 Dead - there are plenty of big name titles to fill that co-op void. There's another title that kicks off the season though, one with a broader appeal. Rock Band 2 is the sequel to the wildly successfull game without the 2 after it, and the Xbox 360 will get the new version earlier than the rest of the consoles on September 14th.
One of the surprise games of the show for me was a little PC title from Stardock and Gas Powered Games called Demigod. I've been loosely following the title for some time, and of course when I saw it had co-op, my interest picked up. The one turn off for me was the fact I thought it was an RTS, something that's not exactly my favorite genre. Turns out, it's anything but. Demigod is actually something closer to a Diablo than say a Warcraft. Sure the screen is filled with hundreds of troops at a time, but those troops are directly under your control. Instead you control a demigod, and your goal is to turn the tide of the battle by helping those troops. There's a whole RPG meta element over the game as you earn experience for killing enemies and completing objectives. As you level up you'll unlock new abilities and even earn money to use to buy items for your character.
The folks at Insomniac are breaking a lot of ground with Resistance 2. Not only will the game support over 50 players online in team based gameplay, it will support 8 players online in a special cooperative campaign. In fact, the co-op campaign is so special in Resistance 2, it's been decided to have a public beta of it sometime in early October. To gain guaranteed access you'll need to pre-order Resistance 2 at Gamestop or subscribe to the PSN Digital Magazine Qore. If neither of these options are suitable for you, perhaps simply registering on the website will suffice - entry to the beta is not guaranteed though.
Some questions will be hotly debated throughout time. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Who was a better Starship captain, Kirk or Picard? But possibly the most important question of all can be answered tomorrow: which are better, pirates or ninjas? Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball hits XBLA for 800 points in just a few short hours. As if pirates and ninjas weren't good enough, you can also choose to play as robots and zombies! (Sounds like the last level in Too Human, eh? Sorry, been playing that a bit as of late.) The Gamecock developed title will feature 4 player local co-op, and up to 8 player co-op online, plus some versus modes as well. I'll definitely be grabbing the demo; let's hope it plays as fun as it sounds.
Well, as some people have noticed recently, Castle Crashers some online issues. This is a shame, since the game is really a fun game. But for some people the game is just local-only for now. Thankfully, The Behemoth is aware of the issues and is addressing it. Joystiq interviewed The Behemoth's lead programmer, Tom Fulp and their art director, Dan Paladin. Amongst the myriad of topics discussed, including popularity and pricing, they also addressed the online issues. When asked about a patch, Paladin replied:
We've got a double co-op feature this week. First up is Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise for the Xbox 360. The title features a recently announced 4 player co-op mode for both online and offline play. The game is similar to the Animal Crossing series from Nintendo, but has some zany humor and plenty of gardening goodness with pinatas to pop and populate.
Co-Op Classics Serious Sam - Why So Serious? Vendetta - Not based on the movie. Area 51: Site 4 - Shouldn't it be area 55 then? TMNT IV: Turtles in Time - Cowabunga This Week in Co-Op LEGO Star Wars II Geometry Wars 2 Alien Hominid Castle Crashers Reviews, Previews, and Features Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 Review - High scores like crack Get your Co-Optimus Shirts and Buttons! - Gets you women...for realz. Wild West Guns Review Co-Op Couples Part 1: How to Cope with Loss Co-Op Couples Part 2: Introducing Gaming into Your Relationship Too Human Review - time to finally see how it rates The Good Gears of War 2 Family Friendly Mode - no blood, no swearing, still fun! Fable 2 Release Date and Collectors Edition Info - October-ish Crackdown 2 a Possiblity - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Duke Nukem 3D XBLA Has 8-Player Co-Op - you'll need a whole pack of gum for this one Fable 2 to Feature Master Chief, Chicken Kicking and Orgies 4 Player Co-Op for Viva Pinata Confirmed (also only $39.99) New Diablo 3 Screens The Bad No Story Co-Op In Ghost Busters - Yes, someone isn't the brightest. Nevermind Never Officially Confirmed for Rock Band DLC - boooooooooo Releases Monster Madness: Grave Danger Space Siege Bionic Commando: Rearmed Too Human Castle Crashers
