Army of Two: The 40th Day Review

January 22nd, 2010

Army of Two was one of the first major video game releases that was heavily dependant on cooperative play. As two spec-op partners (Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem) you were deployed all over the world to take care of terrorists and give the world a good nights rest knowing all is well. I was hoping that the sequel would take you to multiple locations but for the most part, you will be in Shangai, China where a terrorist leader is planning to turn the entire city into a parking lot.

The story picks up with a devastating attack that basically continues throughout the whole game. You will constantly witness massive destruction from buildings collapsing to the ground, helicopters crashing into structures, and some impressive landscape wreckage. Army of Two: TFD starts off with a quick tutorial which quickly transitions into exciting gameplay, especially if you are playing with a buddy. If you play the game alone the AI generally does a decent job and with your commands can get you through the game. However, we highly recommend playing with an actual friend who can listen to your commands or play like he's Rambo on steroids. Wait.  Rambo might’ve actually been on steroids.  Nevermind.

 

For those who aren’t familiar with the Army of Two world, Army of Two: TFD is simple. You move forward, take cover, pop some evil heads, and advance. That's pretty much all the game has to offer but it does a solid job of making you want more. You won't be driving any vehicles or experiencing anything extraordinary, gameplay wise. The experience lives and dies by the story-telling. The way this is done is pretty unique, as you come across situations where one of you has to make an ultimate decision. The decision is not a vote between two players, rather an independent decision by one character, while the other accepts the ramifications of that decisions regardless of what their preference was. The outcome follows immediately after you choose and a future glimpse of what you have caused is presented to you in comic art form. The story is well written and has great voice acting. There are also civilians in the game whom you can choose to save or eliminate.  You play as you like, but all your choices will have consequences, so choose wisely.

 

EA Montreal gave it all they had to enhance the gameplay experience.  They’ve introduced great new elements such as being able to feign surrender in order to outflank the enemy, using human shields, and have automated the tedious cover system from their first title. The controls have been refined and are much simpler this time around. Sprinting in the game has slightly improved, allowing you move very quickly from one spot to another. Aggro makes an obvious return but has not been updated by any great length. It's the same system that allows you and your partner to split in certain areas of the level as one of you gets the enemies attention, while the other blindsides the baddies.

There are tons of weapons in this game with plenty of upgrades.  What really takes it to the next level is adding interchangeable parts between weapons, such as adding the barrel of one assault rifle to another. And yes you can still choose silly color schemes to pimp out your weapon. It was a smart move by the developers to be able to give you an additional slot to carry an extra weapon.  Variety is a beautiful bitch. Bullets now will be able to penetrate weaker materials such as wood and sheet metal, so just because your target is in cover it doesn’t mean you can’t ruin his afternoon.



Mask customization is a new feature that allows you design your very own mask through EA's AOT site, be able to upload it to the EA servers, and retrieve it on your console. Unfortunately you can't take these masks online which is a bit of a downer. But you have to take this for what it is… a neat little bonus feature.  If you’re not a designer don't worry. You'll have plenty of custom masks to choose from once you fire up the game.

Enemy design is where the game really lacks but then again we are only dealing with humans. There are introductions every time you come across an elite enemy, such as the Super Heavy enemies that wear thick armor and often require a special method of attack to defeat (i.e. shooting the gas canisters or grenade bags toward that particular enemy). Some of these super enemies have special guns like the Gatling Gun or Flamethrower which you can only have limited access to once you have defeated them.

AoT: TFD now has multiplayer and it's surprisingly well done. It can't compete with the heavyweights like Uncharted 2 or Modern Warfare 2, but some of this stuff is original.  Up to 10 players can join a game to take each other out. The catch is that they want you to focus heavily on co-op play, which makes me a very happy gamer. I appreciate online brother-ship and the pay off of taking out four teams of two makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Sticking close to your buddy isn't only going to bring you kills and victories, but will also act as your source for ammo and revivals, which are crucial elements in all the multiplayer modes.

Speaking of multiplayer modes, check them out below:

•                Co-op Deathmatch pits teams of two against other partnerships.

•                Control awards points to teams for capturing and defending randomly spawned points.

•                Warzone has players battle over various objectives.

•                Extraction is a game mode where teams of four fight waves of increasingly powerful enemies in order to clear the map for extraction.

 

I do wish this title was a little longer as it felt fairly short with minimal replay value if you exclude the multiplayer. I was hoping for more from this one once I completed the gam.  Maybe it was my own expectations that failed me, but I was expecting things such as vehicles, more varied locations, and most importantly, some unique co-op experiences that we haven't seen before.  Regardless though, I thought it was a solid title with great co-op play and a terrific story. Top-notch city destruction animations make you feel the terror being spread across the city and the pacing leaves no dull moments. We recommend the game to co-op fanatics and those you are into a short-lived but overall satisfying action experience.

 

Submitted by: theprofessor29