Welcome back to  Co-op Classics, the column in which we look at unique cooperative games from yesteryear....

The recently released Egret II Mini arcade cabinet includes Rastan, Taito’s classic fantasy-themed action-platformer. The game’s two sequels, however, didn’t make the cut. Thankfully, all three Rastan games are available on the iiRcade home arcade platform. In fact, Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga Episode III just released on iiRcade. ...

I have been writing for Co-Optimus for just over six years now. My personal interest in classic video games led me to work on this very column from early on in my tenure as a Co-Optimus editor. For the first couple years, there were plenty of games that I could cover that I had vivid memories of playing, such as Diablo, X-Men, and Turtles in Time. ...

After a lengthy hiatus, it's time once again for another Co-Op Classics. In this feature, we cover the great (and often not so great) co-op games from the past, with a special emphasis on arcade games. Today, we are taking a look at an obscure game that is unique enough to get the spotlight as a Co-Op Classic: Capcom's Battle Circuit....

During the heyday of the arcade game in the early 1980s, video game companies cranked out clones of popular titles, in the hopes that lightning might strike twice. 1979's Asteroids was a smash hit, one of the greatest video games ever, and thus it spawned all manner of copycats and sequels. Space Duel may not be a sequel in name, but improves upon the hallowed Asteroids formula in unique and entertaining ways, enabling it to stand on its own as a Co-Op Classic.

Way back in the early history of Co-Optimus, my first news article was a story on Aliens Colonial Marines. I have had today’s game in mind for a Co-Op Classic ever since the beginning, but wanted to tie it in to Colonial Marines’ release. So I waited, waited, and then waited some more. Colonial Marines has arrived, and the bad news is, it’s pretty bad. The good news is, almost five years later, I can finally talk about one of my favorite co-op games ever: Alien Vs. Predator.

After a lengthy hiatus, we are back with another video edition of Co-Op Classics. I've been looking forward to featuring this pairing of games for a long time, and as the release of Aliens: Colonial Marines looms, it's finally time. Come celebrate two arcade classics from the golden age of the brawler, all featuring the famous xenomorphs of the Alien movies: Aliens and Alien vs. Predator.

If you've never heard of Total Carnage, it's the sequel to the co-op arcade game Smash T.V.  It's also one of my favorite co-op games ever.  It takes the twin stick formula of Smash T.V. and adds in heavy doses of comedy and continued over the top violence.  I've logged countless hours on this game over many different versions since it was released to home consoles on the SEGA Genesis.  One thing that's always bugged me, at least I thought, was that I never received the true ending to the game.  It turns out that's the result of a bug that's been there since the game was in the arcades in the early 90s.

Last time on Co-Op Classics, we brought you two extreme games from 1987. The first was Xybots, an unusual third person shooter taking place in a series of mazelike, isometric view levels. The second, Xenophobe, was just as unusual, with three player co-op allowing each player their own section of the screen for maximum freedom. Today, we've got gameplay videos for these... er, excellent titles.

I'm always amazed by the sheer number of video games that are out there. This weekend, I had some friends over, and we spent some time playing games on my arcade cabinet. While scrolling through the list, one buddy was overjoyed to find Xenophobe, a game I was previously unfamiliar with. Later on, a different friend was similarly thrilled to find Xybots, one of his favorite games from many years ago. Today, we'll take a closer look at these twin X-titled classics.