It should come as a shock to NO ONE that Saints Row: The Third will require an online pass for online co-operative play.  The above image is from my review copy.  I didn't bother blurring out the code, because, well, I already used it.  Here's the kicker: you can't play via system link without an online pass code!  I tried it out with my other Xbox 360, and it wouldn't let me access any of the co-op features, via online or system link, without a code.  What a kick in the teeth.   

Snowblind Studios was behind the much-celebrated co-op titles Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath. As far as a lot of us are concerned, these are the console dungeon crawlers to beat. Those are pretty big boots of striding to fill, though, especially after such a long time. The question tha's on the tip of everyone's tongue is: is LOTR: War in the North up to filling those boots - and our expectations?

Babel Rising is one of those clever iPhone games in which you get to be mean to digital people without feeling bad about it. Based on that tower of Babel story, players take on the role of a vengeful god as he/she/it knocks down a tower meant to reach the heavens. Next year you’ll be able to dish out divine wrath on XBLA and PSN courtesy of Ubisoft and French developer Mando Productions.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War was one of my surprise hits of this fall for co-op gamers.  Sadly we'v been waiting for quite a while for the Evil Empire DLC for the game.  A post on Signal Studios' Facebook page reveals the delay and simply states that more details about the content pack should be coming soon.

Everyone has their own unique game face, mine is one of sheer concentration; a cross between a man sucking on a lemon and trying to lick treacle off his nose.  As you must be imagining, it is a beautiful sight.  Even Lord Voldemort has to work on his game face once in a while, and he does so in this new trailer.  He who shall not be named (Voldemort is anyone is confused) has to be as scary as possible for the upcoming LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7.

It may look like LittleBigPlanet on the box, but it’s all LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean in gameplay. With a fantastic set of properties to draw from and 4-player local co-op, Disney's latest shows plenty of promise. But is the game really a Disney Universe or just a small world after all?

Dungeon Defenders has done quite well for itself.  The game has sold very well on the PC, and it continues to make its mark on the console scene.  Trendy Entertainment is happy to reward their fans with some community challenges for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.  Not only will you have an opportunity to play with the developers, you'll also get a chance to score some "ultra-rare, unique items."  

Changes are coming to Dead Island.  A new patch for consoles is scheduled to go live for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions this week.   Highlights include a level cap increase to 60, new blueprints for weapon mods, and New Game Plus "improvements."  Low lights include, well, there's only one; "kick ability balanced, now requires stamina."  What the hell?  When I played the demo at E3 the developers accentuated the fact that kicking didn't use stamina.  Weird.  You can see all of the patch details after the break.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out today in what is sure to be one of the biggest games of 2011.  Co-Developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer the game is the full package of single player, co-op, and competitive versus gaming.  But with any new release like this we felt it was a good time to remind you of just what co-op features to expect from the game.

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is out today on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and with it comes the four player co-op version of Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker HD.  The $50 package features two other Metal Gear Solid games as well - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.  The good news is, if you are only looking for the co-op enabled MGS: Peacewalker HD, Konami plans on releasing it as a standalone downloadable title.  

Nanny Ogg sang that a Wizard's Staff has a knob on the end, and nothing could be truer.  Another truism is that co-op games should encourage more than just gamers running around the same environment.  If full co-operation and teamwork is your bag, then this 40 minutes of beta footage for Trine 2 will appeal.  

Gather your keyboards and mice!  Prepare to face the Ravagers!  Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is coming to the PC via Steam!  It should be available for download this holiday season.  To mark this momentous occasion, D3 will offer four new DLC weapon packs.  Whether or not these new weapons of mass destruction are PC exclusives remains to be determined. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.