Changes are coming to Dead Island.  A new patch for consoles is scheduled to go live for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions this week.   Highlights include a level cap increase to 60, new blueprints for weapon mods, and New Game Plus "improvements."  Low lights include, well, there's only one; "kick ability balanced, now requires stamina."  What the hell?  When I played the demo at E3 the developers accentuated the fact that kicking didn't use stamina.  Weird.  You can see all of the patch details after the break.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out today in what is sure to be one of the biggest games of 2011.  Co-Developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer the game is the full package of single player, co-op, and competitive versus gaming.  But with any new release like this we felt it was a good time to remind you of just what co-op features to expect from the game.

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is out today on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and with it comes the four player co-op version of Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker HD.  The $50 package features two other Metal Gear Solid games as well - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.  The good news is, if you are only looking for the co-op enabled MGS: Peacewalker HD, Konami plans on releasing it as a standalone downloadable title.  

Nanny Ogg sang that a Wizard's Staff has a knob on the end, and nothing could be truer.  Another truism is that co-op games should encourage more than just gamers running around the same environment.  If full co-operation and teamwork is your bag, then this 40 minutes of beta footage for Trine 2 will appeal.  

Gather your keyboards and mice!  Prepare to face the Ravagers!  Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is coming to the PC via Steam!  It should be available for download this holiday season.  To mark this momentous occasion, D3 will offer four new DLC weapon packs.  Whether or not these new weapons of mass destruction are PC exclusives remains to be determined. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out tomorrow on the Xbox 360, PlayStation and PC; and with it comes the official launch of Call of Duty Elite - Activision's Free and Premium service used to supplement the Call of Duty experience.  We've already gone into details of what the service will offer to both paying and non-paying customers, but one platform won't have to worry yet about paying the $49.99 for Elite... and that's the PC.

News of a new Syndicate game had a few of us here on staff rather eager about the possibility of co-operating together in a cybernetically enhanced future, though there was some concern over how that would fare when it was revealed that the game would be a FPS instead of a tactical shooter. Nick got a few more details and information at the hands-on event he attended, and in a recent blog post and interview with Eurogamer magazine, the game's developers have revealed a bit more.

This Rabbids: Alive and Kicking trailer begins with a truly horrifying scene.  Clearly, animated monstrosities have invaded these peoples homes, had their way with them, and are now holding them against their will.  The doomed foursome tries to fight back, but to no avail.  These people are obviously under the influence of a weapons-grade hallucinogen.  Now they are forced to perform bizarre tasks like animals in some deviant ringmaster's circus.  This is a family game?  As I said before, what the hell is wrong with you people?

This week two gaming juggernauts will clash in a head to head battle.  It's the old guard versus the young upstarts in an all-out war for global domination!  When the dust settles only one game will reign supreme!  Are you ready for this digital THUNDERDOME!?!  I can't hear you!  Are. You. Ready!?  Then let's get it on!  It's the Black Eyed Peas Experience versus Nickelodeon Dance!  Oh yeah, another military shooter is coming out.  Big whoop.

You could call me a Bioware fan. I've only played (and beaten) every single one of their games since Neverwinter Nights. But the sad thing is that since NWN, they have only been single-player experiences. So you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that finally, finally, co-op was coming to the Mass Effect franchise - and I'm pretty sure that a lot of you folks are just as excited as me. 

It's been two years since we discovered the secrets hidden in the mountains of Tibet. Nathan Drake is back, headed to the desert, and he's bringing an improved co-op mode along for the ride. Will it soar to the heights of the single-player campaign, or will we once again be left wanting?

Online co-op game Gunshine.net is out of beta after months of testing from users.  The four player game ties into Facebook and offers a slick RPG/Action experience that's a bit like a modern day remake of Syndicate - no... not that Syndicate.