Ahh, the shadow drop. What better way is there to build instant hype than to release a game that nobody was expecting, right here, right now? That's exactly what Square Enix has done today with Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko's Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD-. The original Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was released on Super Famicom in Japan way back in 1993. Although the PSOne sequel did get an English version, today's release is the first official English version of the original game.

While the mainline Dragon Quest games are single-player JRPGs, the series has numerous spinoffs that mix up the genre and sometimes incorporate multiplayer. Such is the case with Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, a mobile game that just launched on Android and iOS today. Smash/Grow features Vampire Survivors-style combat along with plenty of RPG-style quests and equipment, not to mention 4-player online co-op missions.

It has been a while since we named our Co-op Games of the Year, but it’s time to bring it back, baby. This year, your fearless Surviving Editor (I’m not quite dead yet!) and other members of the Co-op Crew each selected a personal co-op game of the year. On top of that, we all picked a "Beyond Co-op" game of the year as well. ...

While the title has been available since July on the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch, Dragon Quest Builders 2 shifts over to PC next Tuesday, December 10. Square Enix released a playable demo for the game just this week so you'll have a chance to try it before you decide to buy.

Nintendo held another of their "Nintendo Direct" media events yesterday afternoon and had a quite a bit to show off/tease for the next 6 months (Spoiler: Nintendo is calling "dibs" on your summer gaming). Here's a breakdown of all the co-op news. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2:18) - Aside from ...

Square Enix and Omega Force are bringing Dragon Quest Heroes 2 to the States and Europe this Spring. Like so many Omega Force titles, this one does follow the familiar Dynasty Warriors hack-and-slash formula, but with a Dragon Quest slant instead of Lu Bu.

There's this game series called Dragon Quest. You may have heard of it. Okay, tongue-in-cheek attitude aside, it's true - the upcoming Dragon Quest X will have online co-op. Players will be able to form parties to go forth and quest for dragons. Yes, it sounds like it'll basically be an MMO. It also has a somewhat ridiculously long subtitle: Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online (which translates to Waking of the Five Tribes Online).

The Dragon Quest series is nothing if not traditional. While its genre contemporaries dabble in all manner of ridiculous systems, ennui and flamboyantly-dressed ladyboys, Dragon Quest has been content to deliver a solid, lighthearted adventure time and time again.

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.

In Japan, the Dragon Quest series is as big - if not bigger - than the Halo series is here in the United States.  The next game in the series is coming from famed developer Level 5 and is set to be released in Japan on July 11th on the Nintendo DS.  One of the most touted features of the game is a new cooperative mode.