If there was one good thing to come out of E3 2008 this year (despite the bad), it's the fact that co-op has been moved up from an afterthought to a bullet point. Right from the get go at the Microsoft Press Conference we were hit with a plethora of AAA titles all that featured co-op as a major bullet point. Fable 2 and its integrated co-op mode to 3rd party titles like Resident Evil 5 and the official unveiling of its coop focused gameplay, the Microsoft press briefing had one overwhelming message - it's good to play together. Sony followed suit with titles like Resistance 2 and its 8-player co-op mode on display; and even though Nintendo didn't show much their big game Animal Crossing for the Wii was built around cooperative play, even introducing a new microphone peripheral for online play.

In a truly shocking turn of events, Wired is reporting that Rock Band instruments will be compatible with Guitar Hero: World Tour.  You might be wondering how this is possible, since the RB drums have one less input than the upcoming GH:WT drums.  Director Brian Bright says that the tracks will be "compressed" if a RB drum set is detected.  All in all, this is great news for fans who are running out of space for more instruments.  If rival games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero can play nice with each other, surely world peace is not too far behind.  Perhaps soon, we'll even see dogs and cats living together!

Well, we are back from E3 and we had some hands on time with a ton of the co-op games on display.  Read on for previews and impressions of LEGO Batman, HAWX, Saint's Row 2, Dawn of War 2, Resistance 2, Halo Wars, and Fable 2.

Before we go too far in our discussion of this week's Co-Op Classic, I feel I must come clean with our readers.  I am a huge fan of the Terminator movies.  I first saw the original when I was about 15 or so, and I totally loved it.  The time travel angle, the intense chase scenes, the unstoppable nature of the Terminator, all of these worked together to make a truly memorable movie.  (It helped that Linda Hamilton was a total fox.)  So great was my devotion to the movie (my wife loves them too!) that my boys are named after characters from the movies: Kyle and Connor, respectively.  I remember that when T2: Judgment Day was released in theaters, it was seriously hyped.  You couldn't go anywhere without seeing a poster, can of soda, or magazine with Arnold's face on it. It was no surprise then, that a video game based on the movie would hit the arcades. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the arcade game,  was a co-op experience that was memorable in its own right.

Well, I'm back from vacation, and man did I miss a lot. Apparently co-op was a big deal at E3, what with the torrent of information that has been appearing on the site. However, even though E3 has passed, that torrent of info has not completely stopped. Apparently, Gearbox's new sci-fi shooter/RPG, Borderlands, will have co-op. TeamXbox has the details, based off their eyes-on demo of the game. Co-op details on the game are scarce (though TeamXbox lists the game as having 2-4 player co-op), but apparently there will be some form of weapon/gear exchanging between teammates. Count me in, though I was in on day one, what with the whole "500,000 different weapons" claim. So, anyone else really pleased?

Check it out after the break...

Nick "bapenguin" Puleo recently put up a video of the co-op play in Call of Duty: World at War that he took on the E3 floor.

As we previously reported, the upcoming sequel to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (called Geometry Wars 2, natch) will feature a 4 player co-op mode!  The first title was a blast to play, and the addition of co-op should make the sequel even more enjoyable.  Just hope you don't have a seizure or something!  To tide you over to the game's release on August 6, check out the gameplay trailer after the break.  It's single player, but still worth checking out!

There's been a lot of anticipation for Valve's survival horror first person shooting four player co-op title Left 4 Dead  Yes, that's the genre.  As we make our ways through the halls of E3, we had a chance to sit down and play the Xbox 360 and PC title, and let me tell you, it's going to meet expectations.

Well, they didn't really hone in on co-op, but they did show off a couple things.

Our own bapenguin has the latest info for us regarding the set list for Rock Band 2.  It appears that many of the songs on earlier lists were indeed legitimate!  The Rock Band camp has really upped the ante with this set list.  Will Guitar Hero: World Tour and Konami's offering, Rock Revolution, be able to compete?  Time will tell.  A bigger (but still a bit blurry) picture of the entire, confirmed set list after the break!

Peter Molyneaux showed off the long awaited (but pretty much expected) online co-op mode for Fable 2;  but he had one surprise up his sleeve.  The surprise was a seemless co-op experience which integrates into your single player game.  At anytime while walking around the game world you will see these orbs floating around, they represent your friends currently playing the game and their spot in their respective worlds.  Simply walk up to the orb, and you can invite your friend into your world.