Summertime, and the livin's easy... I love the summer.  That's when Xbox LIVE Arcade puts out five games in five weeks to null the void of lackadaisical game releases.  Wait, this can't be right, unless the Summer of Arcade is starting February 16th.  Looks like Microsoft has decided that late winter/early spring is also lacking in quality game releases.  Never fear, game starved readers.  Xbox LIVE's Arcade House Party is here to alleviate the winter doldrums, and everyone's invited, assuming you've got the Microsoft Points to pay at the door.

In a recent interview with NowGamer.com Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford alluded to even more content for the 4 player shoot-and-loot Borderlands franchise.  Whether or not the new content is even more DLC or a proper sequel remains to be determined.  In the interview, Pitchford acknowledges that the Borderlands team originally planned for the The Secret Armory of General Knoxx to be the last piece of DLC, which was then followed up by last September's Claptrap's New Robot Revolution.  

Last April we posted two Call of Duty-branded rumors, one of which has turned out to be true (Call of Duty: Black Ops + Zombies)...and the other fitting squarely between "common sense" and "it's a given". The latter so-called "rumor" was a strong notion that the remnants of nearly-disbanded studio Infinity Ward was working hard on a third Modern Warfare title.

It's been more than a month since we've brought you a Co-Opticast, and for that, I'm sure you are eternally thankful. In all seriousness, the holidays and diseases ravaged our illustrious hosts time and ability to bring you anything coherent. But we're back...and we're better than ever.

Are you coming or going?

Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold deals this week are focused on zombies and that means plenty of co-op DLC and games for us to love.  Zombie Apocalypse, Dishwasher Dead Samurai, Borderlands DLC, and Left 4 Dead DLC are all discounted for your gaming pleasure.

LittleBIGPlanet 2 will be available in one week, releasing to store shelves everywhere on January 18.  While the first game had a rather controversial launch, what with the song controversy and breaking the internet and all that, so far, other than a delay from late 2010 to early 2011, it's been smooth sailing for the sequel.  Another new trailer is out, and it shows off adventure mode.  There are some very cool new elements included, like top-down view areas, new vehicles, including tanks, and even a giant robot, which impressed me greatly.  Of course, there's lots of adorable Sackboy grinning and dancing too.  But seriously, a GIANT ROBOT; what else do you need to know?  Watch the trailer!

After CES officially announced Torchlight moving its way over to Xbox live arcade, it made a lot of websites interested in the general direction for the co-op enhanced Torchlight 2. VG247 blog has interviewed Runic Games co-founder Max Schaefer asking all the big questions about the sequel that has so far only been scripted for a PC release.

The 3DS is coming, and Resident Evil is coming with it.  Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D should be launching at the same time as the Nintendo 3DS this spring.  We've got new video showing the game in action.  The video is a little fuzzy, and we can't see the game in all of its 3D glory.  One thing's for sure, whoever is demoing this has some deep-seated hatred for genitals.  This vid features a lot of crotch shots.  Also, it appears that the player is trying to smash transparent phallic statues.  It's all in Japanese, but I'm assuming the people speaking the background are discussing their abject loathing of reproductive organs.

What?!

Motion gaming is coming to Portal 2.  It won't be for  the PlayStation Move, and no, it won't be for the Xbox Kinect, either.  Another motion control peripheral is coming to the PC in the form of the Razer Hydra.  Unlike consoles' camera motion controls, the Razer Hydra has a base station that creates an electro magnetic field that can be manipulated by two Wii/Move like controllers.  Players can use the peripheral to stretch blocks and expertly manipulate lasers.  No word on whether these motion controlled levels will support co-op, it may just be a polished tech demo.

Eight player co-op fantasy RPG Two Worlds II is already available in mainland Europe, but what was a small wait for the Brits (January 25th) has now become a slightly less small wait - February 4th. According to Eurogamer, one million copies have already been sold, and those copies all have English language tracks.