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The upcoming HD remake of Earthworm Jim is adding more than just spiffy graphics to the classic annelid adventure — apparently it’s bringing co-op multiplayer as well. The mode was outed by Xbox 360 Achievements, which mentions the “World Partnership” achievement for completing all the multiplayer stages, along with a Single Player mode achievement.

An Eighth Circuit interview (via Joystiq) confirms that the multiplayer is co-op. The developers promise “new levels with exclusive enemies and up to 4 players” in the co-op mode. We can only hope that players get to choose from Jim’s diverse cast of characters. If so, I’m staking my claim on Peter Puppy right now.

Analysts have been baffled as to the steep drop in game sales last April. Its not that hard to understand the drop… Splinter Cell and Monster Hunter where the only real major releases, and both appeal to a specific market. At the same time, Modern Warfare 2 had a new map pack, the Starcraft 2 beta continued and gamers eagerly awaited the Halo: Reach beta that started in May. When there isn’t much to buy, why would slow sales surprise you?

That all ends this week. The games that hit shelves in the next two weeks should satisfy a hungry gaming audience through the summer. Highly anticipated games like Alan Wake, Prince of Persia and Split/Second all land in the laps of eager gamers this week. It kind of makes you wonder why they didn’t get pushed forward into April, especially when they are up against the next big thing from Rockstar.

Red Dead Redemption can be described as the Grand Theft Auto of the wild west. You take the reigns of the reformed outlaw John Marston and guide him through the wild west. Its hard to determine what the most exciting part of this game will be. Is it the dynamic side quests that can pop up anytime, anywhere, even during another mission? Is it the vast open world that is alive with some 40 different species of wild life that you can hunt… or be hunted by? How about that classic spaghetti western gunplay? And that is just the single player…

Red Dead Redemption also offers a free roam multiplayer mode that will allow you to wander around the west with your friends. You will be able to posse up and take on gangs of bandits, hunt together or jump into a competitive match with another posse at certain landmarks. If you are into a more structured online experience then there are a wide array of classic competitive multiplayer matches, each with a unique western twist.

There is nothing like starting off with a Mexican standoff, the winner getting a chance to get into position while the dead wait to respawn. Modes include your standard gang shootouts and various objective based matches, usually revolving around bags of gold. After completing various weapons challenges based on kills/headshots, you will eventually unlock golden versions of each of your weapons.

I can’t appropriately convey how excited I personally am to get my hands on this game. It looks to be the Grand Theft Auto of the wild west, complete with the multiplayer experience you always hoped would appear in a GTA game. Usually I recommend waiting a few days when a game is coming out, to see if it gets the critical acclaim that you would expect. You don’t need to wait on this one. Red Dead Redemption is a day one purchase.

Just so you know, there is a slight difference between the PS3 and XBox 360 versions. While it hasn’t been advertised heavily, the PS3 version gets some exclusive content. Leaked images of the PS3 box cover highlight that the PS3 version gets “Solomon’s Folly Gang Hideout” and the “Walton Gang Outfit”. These aren’t really major enough to influence most gamers, but its a neat little bonus for PS3 owners.

Sharing: It’s Win/Win

IncGamers’ Gunnar Petzall talks us through the latest release of gameplay footage.

This is a walkthrough of the single player campaign, with a focus on the Terrazine and the way Jim Raynor deals with resource gathering and defence.

“Take a left at the Orc statue, then go straight to check in at the reception desk,” says the Blizzard security officer at the entrance gate to the infamous Blizzard Campus. That’s probably the only time I’ll ever have a security guard give me directions with an Orc statue as a landmark. Needless to say, I know I’m at the right place. This is my first time to Blizzard, and my first time to try out the single-player campaign of the upcoming Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, so I finally have a chance to ask Chris Sigaty, Lead Producer on Starcraft 2, the one burning question on my mind: What took so long?

“It wasn’t until we were done with the Warcraft 3 expansion in 2003 that we had a chance to even start looking this way. World of WarCraft came out and a lot of resources went into that to help it accomplish all that it has done, which has been great; whole teams were brought into that game at certain times. We also wanted to define exactly what StarCraft 2 is. We wanted to hearken to the legacy of the multiplayer game but also be able to bring a lot into [StarCraft 2] as well. It took us a while to settle on the campaign and ultimately what it was; we knew we wanted to do something new, so hopefully people will be blown away by it.”

Two new StarCraft II single player gameplay videos have been released, previewing some of the new missions players will undertake.

Jim Raynor has fallen on hard times and is gathering ancient artefacts and Terrazine gas for a mysterious employer just to pay his crew and keep fighting the Dominion’s tyrannical leader, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk.

The original, "Tidings of Doom" cinematic from BlizzCon 2008 has been significantly updated.

With improved graphics, textures and a different dialogue between Jim Raynor and Zeratul, we get even more hints on what is actually happening. Is Kerrigan really a messiah?

Even if you don’t bother with the single-player campaign, Warband is worth the buy for the outstanding multiplayer alone. The combat is addictive and exciting, with a good number of people crowding onto the servers. While the core of Mount & Blade is still relatively primitive due to its underdeveloped solo campaign and a few limitations with graphics, there is a lot of charm here. The simple fun of smashing skulls with a pike and charging into a gang of enemies atop a fine Arab charger really makes this game stand out in a world of cookie-cutter RPGs.

Remember the good ol’ days when online multiplayer wasn’t even possible? Remember playing Mike Tyson’s Punch Out or Super Mario Bros. 3 for hours on end? Who could resist Contra? From Sonic to Chrono Trigger, the games that turned us into life long gamers were nearly all single player.

GamingUnion.net: "Splinter Cell: Conviction makes a successful return to the stealth-action genre with some extremely well implemented gameplay mechanics. However, the length of the single player campaign is a real sore point, and while there is a co-operative story it’s not enough of a substitute. Having said that, being able to perform stealth missions with a friend or someone random on Xbox Live is certainly a welcome addition to the franchise and with all things considered, Splinter Cell: Conviction is definitely worth checking out."