Pick 5: Great Co-op Games

Dead Space 3 is now out and the biggest change for this survival horror is that there is now a drop-in drop-out co-op for the campaign. So it made me think what are my favorite co-op games of this generation. There's a lot I know, but here are 5 special games  that I loved playing with a buddy or three.

Army of Two

This isn't the best series, but it's definitely one co-op I had the most fun with a buddy joining me. The aggro mechanic, allowing you or your player to draw fire from your partner, is a great concept that requires teamwork and coordination with your partner. There's also those back to back moments where you just lay waste to all those poor soldiers that can't seem to hit two guys out of cover. The first Army of Two is the best, 40th Day was a joke, and the third game the Devil's Cartel is coming up and I can't wait to play that game for the heck of it.

Saint's Row: The Third

Volition Games got the right idea when they were creating Saint's Row: The Third. Forget multiplayer, let's make the whole campaign playable in 2-player co-op. One of the best decisions ever made because a GTA-ish game that can be played with another player online is great. It's a simple drop-in, drop-out feature and you can literally experience everything the game has to offer with a friend. Saint's Row: The Third is hilarious and obviously doesn't take itself too seriously. It was hard to go through the story since wandering around with a tank messing things up is way more satisfying and disturbing at the same time.

Portal 2

One of the best games of 2011. The solo campaign was amazing, and to my surprise the co-op wasn't an after thought for the sake of adding more variety. The co-op is a whole new take with the use of the portal gun with test chambers designed for 2 players to figure out. You are now working with 4 portals, not two. It's a real challenge, pure teamwork and a mic is needed. Don't play the co-op though from some random guy in the internet, some have already done it and ruin the experience by showing you how its done. Grab a friend that's as clueless as you in the co-op and you'll have a great time with Atlas and P-Body.

Trine 1 and 2

Here's one more game that require a lot of teamwork, but with two buddies instead of one. Trine was my first purchase in the PSN store and it was well worth the $15. This game is quite dull on your own, only when you have two other people controlling the other characters is where it gets interesting. All three character's unique abilities complement one another and requires everybody cooperation in order to reach the end of the stage in one piece. The game was a bit short but well worth the playthrough.

Castle Crashers 

If you don't know what Castle Crashers is, then your missing out. This beat 'em up 4-player co-op is a great game to de-stress, have a few beers, and play with some buddies. You are simply a bunch of knights off to save a group of princess' that were captured. It has an amazing cartoon art style that may seem childish at first glance but when you see all the carnage and gore that occurs when you start playing, you will take back that thought. There's level ups, stat building, weapons to unlock, and characters to unlock giving it a strong replay value once your done with it. This game reminded me of the good old days when I was playing the X-Men beat 'em up arcade game. Speaking of which, I think that needs to be remade...

There's a lot of great co-op games that weren't mentioned like Borderlands or even Diablo, but these are the games that I enjoyed the most when playing with friends. What about you? What are your Pick 5?

PS3 version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will get exclusive VR missions

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is coming out in a couple of weeks, so Sony announces the exclusive content you'll be getting if you decide to get the PS3 version of the game.  The exclusive content is 30 VR missions that were inspired by the original Metal Gear Solid.

30 missions is a good number of content for an exclusive DLC. This won't be on disc when the game ships in February 19. The VR missions will be available for download via the PSN Store, when will that be? No date was given if the free exclusive DLC will be available on launch day or later on.

The VR missions will be a mixture of stealth, combat training, and a bit of character maneuvering. The original VR mission look returns and it's a fitting addition to this Metal Gear Solid spin-off, I just wish it wasn't exclusive since I'm planning to purchase Rising on my 360.

So if you are still deciding which platform to get this hack and slash, maybe this will affect your decision... will it?

[Source: PS Blog US, GameSpot]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt revealed, going open world

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt just made its debut on the latest issue of Game Informer. I personally love the Witcher series and this is great news to know that CD Projekt RED is hard at work on the third game while also developing Cyberpunk 2077. Color me excited.

For the sequel, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is going open world. The game will also debut Projekt CD RED's new REDengine 3 technology game engine which makes open world a possibility in The Witcher world.

People at NeoGAF are already hard at work in getting every piece of information about this game.  Acording to the reports, the open world will be 20% bigger than Skyrim. The deep storytelling and player decisions and monster slaying will return and Geralt is now fighting for himself with his now restored memory.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming in 2014 for PC and "all high-end platforms available". You know what that means, this could potentially be a next-gen console title.

Together with GameInformer's reveal, they posted a YouTube video of them tackling the game developer's direction for the third game.

[Source: GameInformer, Joystiq]

Monday Impressions: Path of Exile Open Beta

I'm a huge Diablo 2 fan, I've played that game countless times with different characters because I just loved the character building. Naturally, Diablo 3 was a no brainer for me to get last yea but it did not scratch that Diablo 2 itch. A great game in its own right, but not the sequel we were expecting. Then there comes Path of Exile, a Free-To-Play Action RPG that comes out of nowhere and has become the answer to satisfy hardcore Diablo fans. It's now on open beta and I'm loving every minute of it. 

Is it a Diablo clone? Not even close. Grinding Gear Games threw in a couple of unique features and game mechanics to set it apart from all the other action RPG's out there while retaining the addictive nature we love out of games like this.

There's a lot of new concepts in this game that it actually takes time to get your bearings. Like for the example the passive skill tree. I've spent a good amount of time with this game already and I still feel like I'm nowhere close to understanding what each node in the tree does, and the possibilities of builds for each class is quite a hand full. You need to take your time with Path of Exile, plan it out, when you get an idea on what build or gear you would like to work on, the addiction takes over.

Path of Exile has three acts in total(third act was just implemented for Open beta) and has a good amount of content for a Free-To-Play title. Visually, the game doesn't look appealing at all at this point. The enviroment is bleak, the atmosphere is dark, and the character models is nothing compared to games like Torchlight 2 or Diablo 3, but don't let that shy yourself away from this game, it's the gameplay that you should be looking at among everything else.

You have complete freedom in developing your Path of Exile character. Not only does the massive passive skill tree provides a good amount of viable builds for each of the six classes in the game, the skills you have and of course the gear you wear can all be fixed to your liking.

Skills in the game come in a form of skill gems. In order to use that specific skill gem, you will need to attach it in the right color slot in your gear in order to use it. That alone gives all classes the ability to use any skill in the game. This is a game mechanic hardly seen in games and is very similar to the materia system in Final Fantasy 7 if you guys recall that amazing game.

There's so much to talk about in this game that it's hard to put everything in one post. The ability to upgrade normal items into a random rare, the ladder system, the potion system, the simple pvp, and a barter system that replaced currency (trade an item for another, even with NPCs). What I noticed after playing Path of Exile during closed beta and seeing the improvements done when the open beta started is that Grinding Gear Games is definitely on the right track in creating an addicting Action RPG that would make players play for hours and hours on end. This reminded me very well in my Diablo 2 days and that I want games like these to feel like; Picking a build, leveling him up while going through three difficulty levels, and climbing up the leaderboards  for a bit of competition. Then, start over again with something completely different. The gameplay is deep enough that the replay value is high enough for players to stay invested in this game for years to come.

Should I try it?

You definitely should if you appreciate games like Torchlight and more importantly, Diablo 2. The developers goal with this game is to provide a deep character progression and a unique experience for the hardcore players in this genre. Don't expect a compelling story, don't expect a visually stunning video game, expect this to be an action RPG that would draw you in with its complex game mechanics and well designed gameplay. If you like hunting for the best gear the game has to offer for your character and if you want a game that is easily replayable over and over, this will do the trick. It's free to play so there's nothing to lose really. I urge you guys to give it a try, you will not be disappointed. The game is just in Open Beta and I can't wait for the further improvements and additions they will make in the coming months. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work on my next Ranger character.

You can create your Path of Exile account by clicking on this link. Once your registering, you can start downloading the game client.

Skyrim DLC's for PS3 now dated

We posted a few weeks ago that Bethesda has announced that Skyrim's DLC is finally heading to the PS3. During that post, no date was given but they now dated each DLC, that's all coming out this February.

First DLC hitting the Playstation Store is Dragonborn coming on Feb 12. Next will be Hearthfire, giving players the chance to buy their own land in Skyrim to build their dream house, it comes out on Feb 19. Last will be Dawnguard and it will be available on Feb 26.

All DLC will be 50% off on its first week of release, so if you've been waiting for new content, you get a good deal if you get it early.

For PC players, Dragonborn will be available for purchase and download on Feb 5.

A bit too late since I'm sure many players have moved on, the game is already a year old after all. But there might be a few out there that was patient enough to wait for Bethesda to figure out their porting issues to the PS3.

[Source: Gamespot]