Having made a name for itself with the Curious Expedition series, German indie developer Maschinen-Mensch is now at work on an even bigger project called Mother Machine. Hey, that's what their company name means! Anyway, Mother Machine is a promising sci-fi platformer/roguelike in which a team of cutesy critters explores caverns for the sentient machine that created them. It will feature plenty of creative co-op mechanics when it arrives early next year.

Back in the early 1990s, Data East released a dinosaur-filled arcade game called Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja that went on to spawn numerous ports and a sequel or two. Data East closed down in 2003, and the series remained dormant for many years thereafter. French publisher Microids and developer Mr. Nutz Studio (of Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them ...

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

 Released to arcades way back in 1991 before migrating to consoles, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is a classic 2D platformer starring two heroic cavemen who must rescue kidnapped damsels from evil cavemen and gigantic dinosaurs. 30 years later, Microids and Mr. Nutz Studio are unleashing an HD remake called New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja on all platforms. The PlayStation and Switch versions will launch digitally on November 24, followed by retail releases and digital Xbox and PC versions in December. Like the original, the remake will feature 2-player local co-op!

As the release of  New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja fast approaches, things are looking good in the music department. The game itself is a gorgeous HD remake of the classic co-op action-platformer in which a pair of heroic cavemen battle evil cavemen and dinosaurs. Microids, New Joe & Mac's publisher, has recently launched its own record label, Microids Records, with the New Joe & Mac soundtrack among the label's first albums. Other freshly-released soundtracks include Syberia 2, Syberia 3, Arkanoid Eternal Battle, Horse Tales, and a Flashback tribute album.

Last year’s Nintendo Switch exclusive, Daemon X Machina, is exclusive no more! Platinum’s mech-fighting action-RPG title is now available on PCs via Steam. If you have yet to play the game, fear not; the PC version comes with its own launch trailer (below) for your viewing pleasure as you wait for the game to download.

E3 news is coming hot and heavy this year, but between the waves of Keanu memes and screaming audience members, we also got a slew of new information on Daemon X Machina.  The third person mech shooter entranced audiences when it was first revealed at E3 2018, but outside of some initial gameplay impressions, details on the title had been light.

Nine years ago, in the summer of 2010, I began this MMO Co-Opportunities column. As a fan of MMOs, I saw value in highlighting the co-op opportunities (or “co-opportunities”) within individual games. For the first year, I was able to cover one MMO a month, focusing on the unique opportunities I (or my fellow writers) saw within each gam...