My still reigning co-op favorite shooter Rainbow Six Vegas 2 has come under fire this holiday weekend due to an unexpected - and unpleasant - surprise. It turns out that Vegas 2 and other titles featured on Xbox Live's Games on Demand service may or may not be compatible with their disc-based brothers. The worst part? There's no way to tell without buying and trying...and if your gamble doesn't pay off, Microsoft still will not give you a refund nor credit.

LEGO Rock Band. It's a mix of two of the greatest casual game franchises. What could have been just a cookie cutter track pack is actually an innovative addtion to the Rock Band franchise. Adorable characters, hilarious cut scenes, and a fun song list will keep people of all ages interested.  For Co-Op Casual Friday this week, we bring you our full review!

A truly titanic tussle of tremendous talents hits your favorite console today.  LEGO Rock Band in one corner, Band Hero in the other.  Plastic David Bowie versus sparkly Taylor Swift; who will prevail?  Not your wallet, which is likely still empty after Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles Rock Band.  Though both games are intended for the younger set, there's still plenty of good songs for all to enjoy on your well-worn fake instruments today.  Remember to purchase through Amazon using the links below to help support Co-Optimus! 

The stories for this week:

LEGO Rock Band releases next week on multiple platforms, complete with blocky four player co-op goodness.  The latest trailer for the game showcases four songs from the game: Counting Crows' "Accidentally in Love", Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name", Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'", and Europe's "Final Countdown."

Amazon is having a Gold Box day for Xbox 360 games.  That means lots of great games at super cheap prices for a short window of time.  We'll update this throughout the day, but I've bolded the clues which I think will lead to co-op titles. 

Today Warner Brothers and MTV have announced one of the most family friendly co-op games to date - LEGO Rock Band.  The game will combine the multiplayer music fun of Rock Band with the family friendly and light hearted nature of the LEGO Games.