New maps are coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops, and zombies are coming with them.  Well, one of them, anyway.  Four new multiplayer versus maps will be available February 1st for the Xbox 360.  The maps are titled Kowloon, Discover, Berlin Wall, and Stadium.  For those of us who enjoy Combat Training, this will mean four new areas to comp stomp in.  Of course, the bulk of gamers will be playing versus multiplayer, but I have the reflexes of a sedated yak, so I'll continue to blast away at bots in CT.

The very fine tower defense game, Plants vs Zombies, is on sale as Xbox LIVE's deal of the week.  Defend your yard from the encroaching zombie hordes with plants like the Peashooter, the Cherry Bomb, and the Doom-Shroom.  Normally 1200 MSP ($15), Plants vs Zombies can be purchased for 800 MSP ($10) from now until January 24th.  We really like this game, and gave it a 4 out of 5 in our Co-Op review.  You and a friend can team up locally in Adventure Co-Op Mode or the refined Co-Op Mode.  If you have been on the fence about this one, what are you waiting for?  This might be the closest some of you get to actually having your own lawn. True, it's infested with zombies, but at least you don't have to mow it.

2011 looks to be another huge year for co-op games. Already we have a full schedule of co-op titles planned to be released in every quarter this year. We've got a video preview showcasing some highlights as well as the full list of co-op releases currently slated for this year right ahead!

It's a good thing that Jonathon Coulton is still alive after taking a return flight from vacation, as the singer and songwriter tweeted that in his pocket was a new song for Portal 2.  Coulton joked that if the plane went down...the song would be lost forever, luckily - it did not..  Coulton's fame was boosted by the first game when his song "Still Alive" became an internet and geek sensation, this was the first time it was confirmed that a song of his would be making a return for the sequel.

Blizzard has often been known as having some extensive and game-changing patches. Anyone who's played through different patches of Diablo 2 knows that a Blizzard patch can make it feel like a completely different game (mostly due to severe balance changes). Starcraft 2 got patched last week to version 1.2 and while there are a few balance changes for all of the races, patch 1.2 is mostly bug fixes and UI and Editor improvements:

This week we'll see the release of a unique looking co-op title from Square-Enix called Mindjack. The premise of the game is simple - at anytime someone can drop in and out of your game and hack the mind of a friend to fight along side of you.  On the flip side, they could also hack the mind of an enemy and fight against you.  Luckily, this can be disabled, providing a 3 player online co-op experience through the campaign.

PlayStation Move Heroes - the world's first collaboration of characters from the Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter, and Ratchet and Clank series - will be shipping on March 22nd. Just in time to spend your early filed tax refund!* *U.S. residents only.

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.

It's a new year and that means a fresh batch of titles to review. While there wasn't a whole lot at retail, the downloadable space seemed loaded with titles the Co-Optimus staff needed to play. Whether it was large DLC like Bad Company 2: Vietnam or an arcade title like Raskulls, we've got plenty.

Once again the weekend is upon us!  There is much rejoicing around Co-Optimus HQ for a little R&R and gaming time.  Whether it's Dawn of War 2, World of Warcraft, or even a myriad of portable gaming, the staff plans to be thouroughly engaged in some virtual world.

It's called a Hekaton, and it frick'n hates you.

The latest rush for Acitivision sales are in, and we’re encouraging you to load up on your Activision published games and Call of Duty: World at War DLC while it’s cheap. Okay, loads of other DLC is also available at a reduced price - Major Nelson gives us the official scoop.