Review

Developed by:EA Montreal Published by:EA Genre(s):
  • Third-Person Shooter
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • Sony
  • Cost:$59.99 ESRB Rating:MATURE Players:1-2 Release date:March 4, 2008 Reviewed on:XBox 360
    9

    Army of Two

    When I first heard of EA’s Army of Two, I was more than a little excited. Once I saw screenshots and heard more about the game’s mechanics, I couldn’t wait to start blasting fools with a buddy! However, after its release date was pushed back a couple of times, I started to worry. When gamers build up a large amount hype for a game, if there are any imperfections whatsoever, the game tends to get slammed. For the most part, the game doesn’t deserve the bad rep it gets (like Assassin Creed). Then again, there are those who could have benefited from being pushed back (Kane and Lynch). With it’s release being delayed for so long and the industry’s high expectations, I felt that Army of Two wouldn’t be able to live up to the hype. I am pleased to say that, despite not being perfect, Army of Two is definitely alive and breathing.

    In AOT, you play as either Elliot Salem or Tyson Rios, two of the coolest hired guns in 2008. As the story goes, in 1993 Salem and Rios left the military to join a private organization, the Security and Strategy Corporation or SSC, as US mercenaries. Over the next few years the SSC grows to become one of the largest private military organizations in the world. Their only competition, if you will, is the US military itself. Things start to get iffy when Ernest Stockwell, SSC’s CEO, begins pushing a bill that would allow the SSC to become the US’s only military organization. This is around the time that the US’s armed forces started getting ambushed by Iraqi terrorist, making them look incompetent. However, each enemy victory makes the SSC look more and more like the best choice for America. What’s strange is the fact that the terrorists seem to know exactly where and when to strike, ensuring victory every time. Of course, this is a good thing for Salem and Rios. The more missions they get and complete means more money in the bank. This all changes the day Senator Richard Whitehorse, one of the few who opposed the SSC bill’s passing, was killed.

    As interesting as the story is, even if it’s not evident by my brief description, the draw of AOT is the co-op. Everything about this game revolves around the fact that you and a friend (or AI) must work as a team in order to stay alive. To help you achieve that goal, starting the campaign is nice tutorial comprised of the first two levels. This is where we are introduced to Salem and Rios as well as Army of Two’s major gameplay mechanics.
    One mechanic is the ability to use aggro. If you have played games like World of Warcraft, you should already know what Aggro is. When a player gathers a lot of aggro, he becomes the primary target for all nearby enemies. The same goes in AOT. When a player starts to gain aggro, by shooting at the enemy, his body begins to glow red. This causes the enemies to focus all their attention onto that player, giving the other mercenary a nice advantage. While you are glowing bright red, your teammate becomes nearly transparent. This allows him to sneak around the battlefield and flank the enemy (rightfully shooting them in the back as he sees fit). Just because you’re a little transparent, doesn’t mean you can’t receive a bullet sandwich to go. The opposing AI will hand-deliver your order, free of charge if you venture too close. This is why using cover is a good thing. With the ability to slide into cover, you can try to out maneuver your opponents while your partner collects the aggro.

    I can’t mention aggro without talking about “Overkill” mode. When you or your partner collects and keeps a large amount of aggro for a certain amount of time, you both can enter into a heighten state of being. By pressing the X button (when prompted of course) the player with the most aggro glows bright red, is given infinite ammo and can dish out a large amount of punishment. The draw back is the fact that in this state, he can’t hide behind cover. The other player can’t be seen as he turns completely transparent, and is also given infinite ammo. He can quite literally walk up to a group of terrorist, point his gun at their heads, and paint the immediate surroundings with their thoughts without any of them noticing. The problem is that “Overkill” doesn’t last very long, and if you’re far into enemy territory when it wears off, guess who is going to be the new primary target.

    Another cool feature is the ability to trade weapons on the fly. You see, another way to build aggro is to use flashy weapons. At certain checkpoints you are given the choice to buy and/or upgrade your weapons using the money earned in battle. Depending on what you do to them, you will either gain or lose aggro at faster rates. If you don’t want to be the guy getting shot at all the time (and you don’t want to alter your snazzy gold AK 47), you can switch with your partner, allowing him to gain some aggro while you do the sneaking. Don’t worry about getting it back as you never lose your weapons. You can always get them back when prompted at a checkpoint.

    Using the aggro system isn’t the only way to get the drop on your opponents. Let’s say there are some bad guys chilling in a room on the second story of a building. You can use what’s called a “step jump” to take them out. This is when one person puts his back against a wall and hoists his partner up to see over to the other side (in this case, he would be able to see the guys on the second floor). The partner can then fire on the terrorists, killing them before the have a chance to react. This ability also comes in handy when trying to get over a wall. When you lift your partner up, he can grab onto the wall and climb on top. Once up there, he can then turn and help pull you up.

    The feature that I think stands out the most is the ability to drag a wounded ally out of harms way. Let’s say you opted to go out on a limb and get that bullet sandwich I mentioned earlier. Apparently it wasn’t to your liking because, after consumption, you find yourself on the ground and unable to get up. Your partner can rush to your aid and drag you out of harms way. While being dragged, you can thank your enemies for that awful sandwich with some bullets of your own. Once your partner has gotten you to safety, he can revive you (I don’t really know how; it looks like he gives you a shot of some sort). If he is shot before he can finish he will have to start over from the beginning. If both of you are taken down at the same time, you will be given a restart option followed by a load screen. If you take too many shots, and your screen starts to fade you have to option of playing dead. This gives you a chance to regain your health, as the enemies will run by your lifeless body towards your partner. You can’t do this too often though, as the enemies aren’t dumb.

    Last and not lest is the online VS modes. This is where two teams (comprised of two members each) go head to head against each other. What’s cool about these modes is that they aren’t the normal team deathmatches we have all come to expect. These modes all have objectives that need to be done, with enemy NPC’s thrown in for good measure. Completing objectives gives you money (which can be used to buy better weapons). The team with the most money at the end of the match wins. The objectives range from taking out a terrorist leader to carrying a wounded solider to a marked location for evac. All the same buddy maneuvers found in the campaign are present and counted for, even the ability to play dead.

    The reason Army of Two, I feel is such a good game is because of it’s attention to teamwork. It brings new meaning to the term “co-op”, all in all, making this game very fun to play. You have to include your friend in just about every decision you make in the field. You see a half blown up jalopy, walk over and rip one of its doors off. You can then use it as a shield that you both can hide behind while your buddy blasts enemies. If there is a guy with heavy body armor, get your partner to gain his focus with built up aggro while you throw a grenade at his feet. This game has been built from the ground up with co-op in mind. Even the Rios and Salem seem to know that. During the course of the game, they will often talk amongst themselves furthering the story. Rios might make an obvious statement (like “Crap, their shooting at us!”) and Salem would let him know what he thought about it (responding with “No ____! What gave it away, their angry faces or the fact there are bullets flying at our heads?”). There was even a time, and I am not exaggerating, when Salem asked, “Who is your favorite Wu Tang member?” during a shootout. Rios responds with “Why the ___ are you asking me this crap right now. We are getting shot at”! Salem goes on to say which member he likes the most. The realistic character interactions help to drive home the cooperative nature of this game. This is one of the first games in a long time, that after I beat it and the final credits rolled, I immediately started a new campaign. That’s saying something.

    Gameplay:

    9

    This is one of the best games featuring a co-op mode on the market.

    Graphics:

    10

    Not only does this game look good, but you can even customize your weapons; “pimping” them out with your hard earned cash. Looks aren’t everything, but they can help out a lot.

    Sound:

    9

    Everything sounds pretty good, including the chatter among characters.

    What's New:

    8

    This is one of the first games where the main focus is on the co-op mode.

    Replay Value:

    9

    I started replaying the campaign seconds after my first play through. Nuff said!

    Final Score:

    9

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