In news that comes as no surprise to anyone, new maps are coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops.  The new pack is titled Escalation, and it will be released on the Xbox 360 on May 3rd.  You can see the titles of the maps above.  (The map titles are Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile, and Call of the Dead, if you can't read red ink.) The Escalation map pack will contain four multiplayer maps and one Zombie map.  I'm not a betting man, but I'd put my money on Call of the Dead being the Zombie map, even though the Zoo would be more awesome. Everyone loved the monkeys in First Strike's Ascension, right?   Call of the Dead may be interesting, as Treyarch Studio Head Mark Lamia said in the press release: "I don't want to spoil any surprises for Zombies fans, but Call of the Dead takes it to a whole new level."  The rest of the multiplayer maps should be available for co-op friendly Combat Training. 

Ha. Gotcha.

The latest in a lengthening line of exploratory methods to reduce used game sales is rumored to be under heavy consideration at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and comes in the form of online access restrictions. Apparently the growing production branch will be using Mortal Kombat and F.E.A.R. 3 as its guinea pigs. My most recent brush with an anti-used game sales program was via Homefront, which allowed any player to reach rank level five in the online modes before requiring a unique code. These codes are available directly from THQ - for a price - or are boxed with all new copies of the game.

It has recently been revealed that Nintendo of America has registered a domain name for The Last Story, which itself may be one of the the last co-op reasons to own a Wii.  Nintendo is still mum on the subject.  If you recall, we reported earlier in the year that they had "no plans" for a Western release of the JRPG title.  Nintendo may just be holding the domain name, which is smart on their part.  I would love to have The Last Story domain name.  I would sell old copies of Final Fantasy games with "The Last Story" sharpied over the title, since they've been selling the same JRPG story for over a decade.  But what do I know?  The game has done very well since releasing in Japan.  If Nintendo likes money, they may want to bring the title to the Western market.  

Portal 2 launches next week.  Time for fun with science.  Cave Johnson has another video for us today.  In it, he explains the specialized safety equipment used for ensuring the well-being of valuable Aperture assets. Valve's videos speak for themselves, so without any further ado, enjoy.

We just got a fresh batch of screenshots and concept art from Insomniac's upcoming co-op adventure game - Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One.  The screens showcase a wide variety of environments and in game moments, but one thing they all have in common is the slick and impressive look of the game.  

The Humble Indie Bundle was first released last year as an experiment of sorts.  A few independent PC developers got together and released their games, DRM free, for a name your price sale that not only supported them - but various charities like Child's Play.  A second bundle was released a few months later continuing the tradition and success, but today marks the first time that a publisher has gotten on board with the unique approach.

Free to play games seem to be all the rage these days...and with good reason.  Sega's join the foray with a free to play game that only requires a web browser and java installed called Spiral Knights.  The stylized game puts players in control of their own knight in a isometric Action/RPG.  Best of all the game supports four player co-op to complete quests, kill monsters and solve puzzles - many of the missions are designed just for co-op play.

Deals of the Week, One Day Sales, Special Offers, Gold Membership pricing, the list goes on.  There is a ton of content for sale over at the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, and much of it supports co-op.  Lists get awfully boring, unless their designed to save you money.  Check out these sale items.

For PC Gamers, the keyboard plays a huge role in your gaming experience. It doesn't matter what type of gamer or game you like to play - nine times out of ten you'll be using a keyboard for input. We take a look at a keyboard from Razer called BlackWidow Ultimate. Can you say mechanical keys?

Bulletstorm's new DLC launches today.  Titled "Gun Sonata," the new content has two new Echoes Mode maps and three new Anarchy Mode maps.  There are also two new leash colors for your customization pleasure, "Flamingo," and "Pulp."  We liked Bulletstorm when it was released a few months ago, giving it a 4 out of 5 in our Co-Op Review.  Is the new DLC fresh enough to merit 800 Microsoft Points, or $9.99?  Read on and find out.

Capcom's big trade show, cunningly called "Captivate," wrapped last week.  One of the big announcements was that our favorite war-photojournalist-turned-zombie-stomper will  return for Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. From what we can gather from the press release, the game will be a sort of Dead Rising 2: Redux, where Frank is the main character, instead of Chuck Greene.  If you watch the following video, it looks like that's exactly what's going on. Oh, and Frank seems to have packed on a few pounds.