The Co-Op Games of 2010 Preview - Part 2

Skate 3 - 5/18/2010 (360/PS3)

Co-Op: 6 player online co-op modes

Skate 3 plans to do co-op a bit differently, by allowing you and friends to form teams of skaters to complete challenges, build skate parks, and capture highlights of each others sick tricks. Offline and online modes will be blended together seamlessly so there's never any downtime in your rail grinding weekends.

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker - 5/25/2010 (PSP)

Co-Op: 4 Player LAN Campaign Co-Op

What's this? A stealth game with cooperative play? The father of the modern day tactical stealth game is redifining it again in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker. Snakes will need to time their stealth kills, use special co-op moves, and communicate effectively - or risk being discovered in Kojima's latest game. Co-Op is only available over AD-HOC wireless, but we hope for AD-HOC party support as well. We're pretty sure there's going to be lots of great moments involving weather balloons after playing the demo.

Lost Planet 2 - Spring 2010 (360/PS3)

Co-Op: 4 Player Online Campaign Co-Op

While the first Lost Planet was all about staying warm in a snowy environment, Lost Planet 2 is all about cooperative play. The entire game from start to finish is available in co-op with up two four players. Players can customize their character to create a unique looking avatar in the game with specific powers. The highlight of Lost Planet 2 is going to be the giant boss battles where players can attack giant creatures from all sides - even inside. Lets just hope they don't poop you out into a bottomless pit.

Crackdown 2 - Spring 2010 (360)

Co-Op: Four player online campaign, 8 player online survival

Crackdown garnered a cult following when it was released, no doubt a side effect of it's incredibly addictive co-op campaign. Crackdown 2 looks to expand the original in every way, including four player campaign co-op and an 8 player survival style mode. The real fun in Crackdown was always from the unexpected happening, and with plenty of new weapons and items, things may even get more over the top. I'm going to go on record and say using a car as a slingshot to launch anything in the way is going to be the most fun I have in gaming this year.

Two Worlds 2 - Spring 2010 (360, PS3, PC)

Co-Op: Four player online co-op (unconfirmed)

The original Two Worlds, to put it lightly, should have stayed in the oven for a few months or years longer. Despite that, gamers found the co-op mode addictive in this action RPG, calling it "Co-Op Olbivion" in some cases. The sequel is already looking more polished than the original, and the developers have stated a strong support co-op play once again. Just how many and what kind of co-op is unconfirmed at this time.

Kane and Lynch: Dog Days - Summer 2010 (360/PS3/PC)

Co-Op: Two player online/local campaign, unknown fragile alliance mode numbers

While the original Kane and Lynch received mixed reviews, the sequel looks to correct a lot of the issues with the original. Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days hits this summer with a return to the co-op roots that made the first one so interesting. This time Lynch leads the duo in Shanghai China in a gritty underground world of crime and corruption. The online fragile alliance mode is back as well, where players need to work together to complete a heist.

Halo Reach - Fall 2010 (360)

Co-Op: Unknown

I dare say no game series has had a greater impact on co-op gaming in the past 10 years than Bungie's Halo. Co-Op play has been a staple of the series since the beginning, and with each successive game the co-op modes have gotten deeper and more open. With what we've seen from the teaser trailer of Reach, we're hoping that holds true once again. Could we see 6 player co-op? True squad based gameplay? Only time will tell, and it will tell all this fall.

Rage - Fall 2010 (360/PS3/PC)

Co-Op: 2 player co-op specific missions

id may have fathered the co-op first person shooter, but it's been some time since they revolutionized things. Don't expect it to change much for Rage's co-op mode, as players won't even be able to play through the main game's story together. We've seen hints that the co-op stuff may be very tightly designed for two players, so perhaps that'll hold true in this post apocalyptic shooter.

Brink - Fall 2010 (360/PS3/PC)

Co-Op: 8 player online co-op

Brink just up and came out of now where, becoming an obscurity to a must have co-op title. 8 players with unique roles, dynamically changing missions, beautiful graphics and drop-in and drop-out play already make Brink a strong contender for co-op game of the year. The character progression and experience system are going to keep people coming back for more, making this the Borderlands of the Fall of 2010.

There's still a few games that are in limbo, don't have confirmed dates or windows, or we just haven't heard much about.

Aliens Colonial Marines (360/PS3/PC) - Gearbox developed co-op shooter set in the Aliens universe? Yes please. We may be waiting till next year though with AvP crowding up that space.

Warriors: Legends of Troy (360/PS3) - It's Dynasty Warriors meets 300. We haven't see any real information on this

Def Jam Rapstar (360/PS3) - Free style rapping, hip hop favorites, and a few co-op modes just make this music title unique when it hits. We'd just like to know when that is.

Kingdom Under Fire 2 (360/PC) - 15 Player Co-Op in an action RTS game that's the sequel to an RTS game of the same name. Ambitious? Yes. Release date? No.

Inversion (360/PS3) - Recently announced, Inversion has players fighting gravity with a friend at their side. Will it make it this year? We'll see. 

So far that's our confirmed and unconfirmed announced titles for the year.  With PAX, E3, GDC and many other conferences coming up, we can only hope that more great co-op games are on the way.  We welcome them all to join the co-op revolution.