I’m a high school English teacher, writer, and ninja. My co-op gaming life started with the original Double Dragon arcade game in 1987. As I only owned an NES back then, my Sega Master System-owning friend used to get tired of me wanting to play through Double Dragon with him all the time. I still love cooperative beat-em-ups, including Final Fight, Castle Crashers, and Scott Pilgrim. I was once a competitive Saturn Bomberman player, but otherwise I have always been about the co-op.
My first experience with writing about games came in 2003 when I wrote a full walkthrough for Bomberman Land 2, an amazing Japanese Bomberman RPG. Over the next several years, I continued to write FAQs and Achievement guides for various games, culminating in an award-winning Bionic Commando Rearmed guide. I finally joined the gaming press after Windows Phone 7 launched, covering and reviewing games for Microsoft’s fledgling mobile platform. Now I’m on the console scene at Co-Optimus, one of the coolest and most unique gaming sites around.
The "Dimension Shellshock" DLC for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge recently arrived on console and PC, adding new playable characters, an addictive co-op survival mode, and more. To learn more about the decision-making and co-op balance behind both the main game and "Dimension Shellshock," we spoke with...
First announced in May, Dynablaster from BBG Entertainment has now arrived on all console platforms (except for PlayStation), PC and Mac, and even Atari VCS and Apple TV. The Bomberman-style battle game has had us excited because of its promise of both local and online co-op for up to four players. Now that it's here, we've dived into the co-op mode to bring you our first impressions.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is no stranger to physical releases. Both Limited Run and Merge/Signature Editions have physical published their own physical editions already. Now Merge has announced TMNT: Shredder's Revenge Anniversary Edition, which will bundle the game with the recently released "Dimension Shellshock" DLC. These Anniversary Editions are coming for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Switch.
Zombies and Nazis go together like peanut butter and jelly - evil versions of peanut butter and jelly, that is. The upcoming Projekt Z: Beyond Order from Modus Games (publisher of Double Dragon Gaiden) takes place on an island in which the Nazis have tried to harness zombies as weapons. Presumably, it doesn't go very well, because players will be shooting lots of those Axis zombies in online co-op.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem debuted in theaters over the summer, receiving critical acclaim and launching an extremely successful toy line. Given the popularity of the film (not to mention that of TMNT: Shredder's Revenge), it comes as no surprise that a video game tie-in is in the works. And who is more likely to deliver that game than Outright Games, the English developer responsible for licensed titles like Paw Patrol World and Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party? Alright, so the Mutant Mayhem game is likely to be targeted at kids, but more TMNT games are always welcome!
It's a big year for Bomberman fans, with Super Bomberman R 2 finally coming out later this month. That game won't feature co-op, however, so it falls on other games to pick up the slack. One such game is the upcoming Dynablaster from BBG Entertainment. To learn more about Dynablaster's Bomberman-style gameplay and co-op features, w...
River City Girls 2 is one of this generation's biggest and best beat 'em ups, combining smooth combat, action RPG mechanics, and a delightful story into one compelling package. Whereas the first game only supports 2-player local co-op, RCG2 launched with 4-player local and 2-player online co-op. We thought that's where the co-op features would end, but WayForward surprised us by adding 4-player online co-op to the Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and Steam versions of the game. Now we're talkin'!
First announced back in June, the "Dimension Shellshock" DLC for TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is out now on consoles and PC. The $8 downloadable content adds two new playable characters, a co-op survival mode, and additional color palettes for each character. These additions will add new life to the game for experienced players, especially those who like a challenge.
The first DLC for TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, titled "Dimension Shellshock," is due out on August 31. The DLC's primary additions are two playable characters (Karai and Usagi Yojimbo) and a survival mode, all of which should add lots of thrilling beat 'em up fun. Dotemu and Tribute Games recently published an extended gameplay preview that showcases the new characters and mode, and also reveal even more of the DLC's copious background character cameos.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons from Secret Base and Modus Games might just be the best beat 'em up of the year, but no game is perfect. In fact, this one launched with a common complaint: distracting pop-up notifications that occur whenever a player defeats three or more enemies with a special move. Thankfully, the latest update allows these notifications to be turned off. What's more, a promising balance update is in the works.
Mickey Mouse knows a thing or two about platforming. He once braved the Castle of Illusion, and would go on to have 8-bit and 16-bit platforming adventures in the World, Land, and Legend of Illusion. Now Mickey is returning to his roots and bringing his friends along in Disney Illusion Island from Disney and Dlala Studios, which launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch today. This one features gorgeous cartoon-style artwork and 4-player local co-op.
Way back in 1987, the arcade version of Double Dragon was the first beat ‘em up to feature co-op. All these years later, it’s still a big deal when the series gets a new entry, despite the uneven quality of games like Double Dragon IV. Thankfully, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons stands among the best games in the series.....
