We gave Halo 4 a coveted nomination for Co-Op Game of Show from E3 2012 (seen at 2:23 of the video) and with good reason.  But the team at 343 wasn't so sure they had a hit on their hands as this was the first public unveiling of the game.  Did they change too much?  Would everything go off smoothly?  They've put together a short video which looks at some of the behind the scenes stuff that went into showcasing Microsoft's biggest franchise both at the press conference, on the show floor, and at a special event.

Back in April we mentioned Age of Empires Online would be switching to a new currency system called Empire Points. Before, premium content could only be purchased for specific real-world prices and that was it. Empire Points, however, can be either purchased with money or earned in-game by completing in-game tasks and by participating in the new Alliance Wars. This month's Summer Update has gone live, making active the Empire Points system as well as a host of new features and changes.

UPDATE: Sadly, it looks like some PR lines got crossed. No co-op in DOOM 3: BFG, only in the included DOOM 1 and 2 arcade titles.

The North East United States is in a heat wave, so that means it's time to strip down to your underwear, strap an ice cube tray to an oscillating fan, and play some VIDEOGAMES.  The staff has plenty on their plate this weekend, which is surprising after a solid week in which we reviewed a ton of co-op games.  But the fun never stops at Co-Optimus HQ.

Left-handed gamers often get the short shrift. Sure, it's not impossible to find a good ambidextrous gaming mouse, but they're often the most basic model, with the nicer features and expensive sensors left to reside in the "ergonomic" models built for righties. Razer's about to release the Taipan, an ambidextrous mouse with an astounding 8200 DPI sensor, and we've put one through its paces.

Oh, digital purchases, when will your convenience be outweighed by policy? What's that? Right now? Something strange appears to be afoot in Whimsyshire! People who have been purchasing Diablo 3 directly from Blizzard since the 1.0.3 patch have been greeted by both a new security policy and a botched implementation of said policy.

Anytime you sit down to play a movie tie-in game, you have to be wary. These games have developed a reputation as being uninspired, quickly churned out messes released to coincide with people's desire to see the movie. When I saw Madagascar 3 at my local Redbox, I figured I'd roll the dice and check it out with my 11 year old son. Almost immediately, I regretted the decision, as Madagascar 3 is one of the most boring and repetitive games I've ever played, even with a buddy along for the ride.

EA's Syndicate revival didn't meet expectations of the publisher.  Developed by Starbreeze the game was a gritty, bloom filled, first person shooter with a replayable co-op campaign alongside a single players story.  The original Syndicate was created in the 1993 by Peter Molyneux's Bullfrog, it was a isometric action-strategy game. 

Normally, kids should absolutely dread going to summer school. In this circumstance, however, Valve has taken that notion and thrown it completely out the window, promoting their new education portal, “Steam for Schools”, with the help of Portal 2 this summer.

We recently reviewed Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion where we found it to be a strategy game of epic proportions. The scope of the game is huge and this feeling has been captured by a fan of the series, Mr. FujiKicker who has made his own rendition of a Sins Rebellion trailer - titled 'Epica'. 

Today we have two nice companion videos for our Resident Evil 6 hands-on preview from E3. This pair of features the Leon and Helena campaign from the E3 RE6 demo. You'll notice there's a lot more creepy atmosphere than in Resident Evil 5. The videos are about 10 minute each, so you'll see quite a bit of the opening level. Enjoy. 

This week in Indie-Ana Co-Op we take a look at a puzzle platformer that goes retro in a way that we have not seen before: Gameboy style. Yes, the olive green screen of your youth has returned in all of its 2D glory.