Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the first game in the Bloodstained series from ArtPlay and 505 Games, is a fantastic Metroidvania game, but its post-release co-op mode was a complete afterthought. Thankfully, co-op seems to be a more integral feature in the upcoming sequel/prequel, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement. The new game's campaign will feature two playable protagonists and (seemingly) 2-player local co-op right out of the gate, not unlike the Gal Guardians series. It's due out on Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and PC in 2026.

When it comes to co-op gaming, audio quality can make or break the experience. Communicating effectively with your team, being immersed in the game's world, and hearing every subtle cue can drastically improve gameplay. I've been using Turtle Beach's headsets now for the past few years, with both the iterations of the Stealth 700 Gen 2 tested on this site. But is the Gen 3 enough of a difference? Let's dive in.

I don't know if you've heard, but Barbie is a pretty big brand. There was this movie about Barbie last year that made like a jillion dollars, and I guess there's a popular toy line or something too. Well then, it only makes sense that a fresh barbie videogame is in the works. Barbie Project Friendship is coming from Outright Games. It will support 2-player local co-op when it arrives in October.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will always be remembered as the game that popularized the Metroidvania genre, and one of its key contributors is Koji Igarashi. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Igarashi and his studio, ArtPlay, along with 505 Games, released Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night in 2019. Bloodstained is a 2.5D ...

Retro collections can be appealing because of the large number of games they include, but sometimes the games are too old to be much fun. Digital Eclipse and Atari overcome this problem by adding documentary content into the mix. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration bundles an amazing 115 titles and a wealth of historical matter in one slick packa...

Way back in the innocent time of 2013, MAGES released a beat 'em up called Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds on Xbox 360. A few years later, an enhanced version by the name of Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive landed on PlayStation 4, followed by a Switch port. All of those versions were delisted earlier this year, but there is good news! The game will be coming back to life on all modern platforms as Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate, courtesy of Rocket Panda, the new IP owner.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night from 505 Games finally made good on its promise of a co-op mode last month. That hasn't stopped the popular Metroidvania from growing, however; it has just received a new DLC. The "Classic II: Dominique's Curse' DLC adds a new retro-style campaign that makes place after the main game. The game's existing Classic mode is based on the first Castlevania, whereas this new DLC seems to take inspiration from Castlevania II.

Cooperative sports games are almost as rare as unicorns, but they do happen from time to time. Goons: Legends and Mayhem from RageCure Games and Firestoke is one such game, an arcade-style hockey game that happens to support 3-player local co-op and online co-op (and even combinations of local and online players). That's special enoug...