Fans of SHMUPs certainly know the 1942 series of games.  The game is a classic, and Capcom is reviving the franchise with an Xbox Live and Playstation Network title called 1942: Joint Strike.  The folks over at Team Xbox got their hands on the latest build, and we find out exactly why this game is drool worthy for co-op fans.  As the title implies, you'll be jointly striking down enemy planes with a buddy - and there's even special moves available only in the cooperative mode.

4-player co-op fans/superhero enthusiasts can let out a collective sigh of relief, as (good) 4-player co-op superhero games are the unicorn of the video game world. As this superhero/co-op nerd can attest to, the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a blast (in fact as of writing this, I am deep into playing it, with my hardcore team of Deadpool, Dr. Strange, Spiderman, and Iron Man) and allowed for some seriously fun 4-player action. Here's hoping that the sequel will continue the tradition that the original has started.

Motion-controlled cheerleading routines take users to new levels of Wii remote embarassment Songs from artists including Hillary Duff and over 30 others you never even heard of before Four player co-op so you don't have to argue with the kids over who gets the controller Workout mode to keep track of all the fat (and self-respect) you are losing Best of all, "a variety of uniforms, shoes and accessories to choose from for added personalization".

Given the intense popularity of cheerleaders at junior high lunch tables across the world, this game should sell like hotcakes.  Shiny, spangly, hotcakes, accessorized with matching shoes and hair bows, that is.  It is unknown whether this game will cause young girls to attempt to injure themselves repeatedly to test their regenerative powers.  We can certainly hope so!

As of 12 PM EST, the Unlock the Achievement contest will begin!  Once you are registered at the Unlock the Achievement site, you can start searching for those achievements.  5 of them have been hidden here at Co-Optimus.com, and among 41 other sites participating is our partner, Evil Avatar.  In addition to earning cool prizes, such ...

"We want to support our fans with new content that delivers on the two-man gameplay but with a unique twist," said EA Montreal's Alain Tascan, adding, "The SSC Challenge gives players a chance to test their skills in a different setting while retaining the action packed co-op intensity that gamers have come to expect in Army of Two."

Are you an achievement junkie?  Do you put Avatar, Bee Movie, and Cars games in your Gamefly queue just to get the achievements?  No?  Well, perhaps you enjoy a good old fashioned scavenger hunt?  How about cool prizes, everyone likes prizes, right?  Then you'll certainly find this press release interesting!  Co-Optimus.com will team up with more than thirty other Xbox 360 community sites for 'Unlock the Achievement'.  More after the jump...

Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, today announced the imminent release of a fully playable demo for Haze, the new first-person shooter set in a harsh future where war is never quite what it seems. Coming exclusively to the PLAYSTATION®Network in early May, this playable demo will give gamers a taste of not only the single-player campaign in Haze, but will also allow up to four-player, drop-in drop-out co-op play online.

One of the things we talked about was the network play, and we've had people doing prototypes internally of multiplayer shoot-'em-ups both in versus and co-op.

May will be a busy month for Steven Spielberg.  The acclaimed director's collaboration with EA, Boom Blox, will be released on May 6th.  Boom Blox is a unique game, hard to classify, but will include some puzzle and building elements as well as (of course!) co-op play.  The game looks to be a nice fit for the Wii, and we look forward...

We've just posted our review of Ikaruga for Xbox Live Arcade. This is a deep SHMUP that enforces co-op play to maximize score and stay alive. It's classic title that was difficult to find on both the Dreamcast and Gamecube, and now it's available for a $10 download on XBLA. ...

On one hand you have Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for the PC, a solid and deep tactical shooter with both a 2 player co-op story mode and a 4 player co-op terrorist hunt mode.  On the other hand you have Emergency Mayhem for the Wii, a remake of a PS2/Xbox title which is sort of an over the top party driving game in which you control emergency vehicles to stop disasters.  Emergency Mayhem features a 2 player co-op story mode.

Capcom and Grin have poured so much love into this one, and I sure hope it shows: from gameplay to graphic style to music, this is a love letter to the entire sidescrolling genre and its fans, and the original Bionic Commando and its fans in particular.