PC
2 Player Co-Op
Dawn of War was one of those game that sort of slipped under the radar for me, but after seeing Dawn of War II I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. From the developers of Company of Heroes the Dawn sequel is chocked full of similarities and improvements on that formula. One thing I really liked was the focus on small squads of players and growing experience. Each one of your squad leaders carries from mission mission gaining levels and items, and unlocking abilities as you progress. The missions are all small scale as well with no more than 4 squads per mission, so there's some strategy involved before deciding who to send down to a planet for a battle. The developers have tried to go for an open mission formula, and even failing a mission doesn't mean you'll lose the game. Graphically the game looked gorgeous and gory with really intense battles and bodies and limbs flying everywhere. The terrain is even deformable and can be used as cover.
While the developers weren't giving a whole lot of detail in regards to the game's co-op mode, they did let a bit of information slip. In fact, like another THQ title (Saints Row 2) the game would feature the ability to save your single player progress in the co-op mode, this way you didn't have to replay missions over and over. I was also told that it would be extremely easy to jump in and out of co-op campaigns between players. Finally it appears (though not confirmed) that each player would have control over their own squads for a more grander scale battle during co-op play. Look for this title sometime next spring, and look for more co-op info "soon."
Resistance 2
PS3
8 Player Co-Op
While Resistance 2 will boast a strong single player story, the 8-player co-op mode will have it's own unique campaign. The story puts you behind enemy lines as you and your squad gather enemy intelligence, which I believe is code for kill everything that moves. There are three classes to choose from; medic, spec ops and soldier, and each one lets you level up each one the more you play it. Levels will be randomized to maximize replayability, and enemy difficulty will scale according to the number of players. There's also support for drop in and drop out play which we believe every co-op game should have. Finally, the one interesting aspect of it will be loot that enemies will drop giving this first person shooter a more action rpg feel. Look for this title Holiday of this year.