Scott Pilgrim EX, the long-awaited sequel to Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World: The Game, is probably the best new beat 'em up this year. It features gorgeous pixel art, catchy chiptunes, a diverse but manageable open world, and 4-player local and online co-op with cross-play. That's a lot to like! Well, now there's even more to like. Today, the game got a free update alongside the arrival of a DLC character pack.

We first ran across Japanese merchandise label Kumagumi when they released a cool line of Double Dragon clothing a few years ago. Well, now they're back with a similarly attractive array of physical goods dedicated to SNK's Metal Slug. Metal Slug, of course, is a series of run-and-gun shooters that began its life on the NeoGeo arcade hardware. The series is known for its attractive pixel art and memorable character designs, to say nothing of the challenging gameplay.

It's always sad when a game developer dies, but especially so when that person is the founder of an actual genre. Yoshihisa Kishimoto is just such a person. He created the Kunio-kun/River City and Double Dragon franchises, and as such, is considered the father of the beat 'em up genre. Double Dragon was instrumental in popularizing cooperative multiplayer, so his influence even extends beyond the genre that he created. Lamentably, Kishimito died on April 2, as reported by his son.

Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game was a fairly successful video game adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim franchise, so it’s not too surprising that it would receive a sequel. Okay, it would be surprising if Ubisoft released a sequel since they haven’t had their act together in years. Instead, Tribute Games, which consists of some of the...

One of last summer's most pleasant surprises was the announcement of a new Scott Pilgrim beat 'em up from Tribute Games. Well, time marches on, and Scott Pilgrim EX is soon to launch on consoles and PC. Ahead of that impending launch, players can try the Steam demo (with local co-op) right now... This very minute. Get to it, folks!

Tribute Games and DotEmu struck gold with TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, one of the most popular beat 'em ups in recent memory. After years of updates, the team has finally released their big follow-up: MARVEL Cosmic Invasion. The new brawler promises all the style and charm of Shredder's Revenge but with a fantastic lineup of Marvel heroes and villains. It's out now on all current-gen platforms.

We've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Double Dragon Revive, the first 3D Double Dragon in a long time, since Arc System Works announced it last year. Well, the game officially launches on October 23, and players who preordered the Deluxe Edition already have early access as of today. How's the co-op? We'll tell you soon, but Revive's final developer diary reveals juicy new co-op details that are sure to get series fans excited.

Are we alive here at Co-Optimus? Yes, we're alive! We've just been super busy with work and saving the world and stuff. But no matter how busy we are, we still appreciate a good deal. That's what caught my eye with Humble Bundle's Momcore Games For a Busy Life Bundle. The bundle includes up to ten Steam games for $10, including the cooperative APICO and Onsen Master from Whitethorn Games. Not too shabby!

When it comes to video games, people tend to think of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a beat ‘em up franchise, but the heroes in a half shell have appeared in many other genres as well. A few years ago, a mobile game developer called Super Evil Megacorp had the brilliant idea of making a TMNT roguelike. After first releasing it on Apple Arcad...

Dodge Roll and Devolver Digital's Enter the Gungeon is a hit twin-stick shooter roguelike that debuted nearly ten years ago. Since then, it has received several DLCs and a single-player spin-off called Exit the Dungeon. Well, it seems that there's more life left in Enter the Gungeon yet. It's finally coming to Android and iOS, and with online co-op not found in the big-screen versions.

Dora the Explorer is a heartrending tale of a girl who gets lost in the jungle and must evade a carnivorous fox called Swiper. At least, I think that's what it's about; I haven't seen the show in several years. Well, nowadays, there's a CG-animated series called Dora on Paramount Plus. That show will soon have a video game adaptation from Outright Games, Dora: Rainforest Rescue, and it will feature 2-player local co-op.

At the beginning of this year, Forever Entertainment announced that THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake was in the works for all platforms. Many fans consider HotD2 to be the best game in the series, so this was good news indeed. The questions remained, however, of when the remake would come out, and which platforms would receive it first. Well, now we know! HotD 2: Remake is due on Switch and PC on August 7, and other versions will follow at some point after that.