Perhaps you live in sunny Florida, or balmy California, and are wishing for that magical winter wonderland of snow.  Or, maybe you live in the permafrost in Siberia and just like to play snowboarding games.  Either way, you now have a few more clothing options when playing Shaun White Snowboarding.  The totally appropriately named "Freebie Pack" is now available on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.  What do you get for free?  Well, twelve new items of clothing and nine new boards, that's what.  (Insert gift horse phrase here.)

I went to school with a fellow named Austin Rushing.  That'd be a perfect name for a football player, wouldn't it?  Almost as good as a snowboarder named Shaun White.  Speaking of Shaun, his games have just been released.   The 360 and PS3 versions are basically the same game, but the Wii version is a totally different experience, and supports the Wii Balance Board.  Buy using the links below to support Co-Optimus.com!  You'll be dreaming of a (Shaun) White Christmas, for sure!

  A new Shaun White Snowboarding trailer has been posted at Gametrailers.com: see multiplayer shredding in action! The clip showcases several jumps and tricks, including the ever-popular rail grind. At the end of the trailer, one of the players is destroyed by three cheap snowballs to the face...see the slushy carnage at the "Rea...

Now, I realize as I type this that I'm dangerously close to starting an unwarranted hype train here, so let's be clear: I'm excited for this game. You don't have to be. In the meantime, however, just know that while cooperative modes seem to be all the rage, it's rare enough to see a game with 4-player co-op, much less 16.

So, you got Wii Fit.  You played it regularly, didn't you?  The Balance Board never collected dust in the closet, or behind the couch, at all.  You're probably looking trim and slim even as you view this news item.  What's that?  You didn't stick with it?  Dust bunnies the size of a small elephant are the only ones using the Board?  Yeah, me too.  It looks like that may change later this fall, perhaps.  Shaun White Snowboarding is coming soon for the Wii, and pretty much all the other platforms, too.  However, it's the Wii version that piqued my interest.  First of all, the game will support the Wii Balance Board.  That seems natural to me, since the skiing minigames were my favorite part of Wii Fit by far.  Of greater importance to Co-Optimus readers is this quote from IGN's preview: