Army of Two is a third person shooter that focuses on cooperative and coordinated strategies. Army of Two was developed by EA Montreal.
Single Player
Army of Two is based around the story of two private military contractors from 1992 to 2009. The two mercenaries take care of orders dealing with terrorists and nukes in almost (if not every) mission. Having the same idea for several chapters in a game makes it repetitive. Though the different areas in the game make up a little for the stale story line. You can play as either character (Salem or Rios) in which you choose at the very beginning of the game. The story has many twists and turns with moments that are memorable in each chapter.
You can play the single player with an AI teammate or you can invite a friend to join your game. The AI teammate is not as bad as your teammates in the GRAW series but its still lacking so inviting a friend is a much better idea. A good teammate is really needed in the game as there are 10 key maneuvers that are a must to succeed in the game.
1. Step Jump: One person stands up against a wall and holds his hands out while the other person gets lifted up. The second person can then reach down and pull first person up.
2. Back to Back: Both players go back to back to cover each other’s non-armored backsides.
3. Driving: The hovercraft needs one player to drive and the other to man the turret.
4. Kudos: Both players can do a range of emotes from slapping each other to playing air guitar. Also characters will communicate a lot and talk trash to one another. For example, one of the random emotes that Rios will occasionally say after being healed is “Where did you learn first aid, butcher school?” Players can also show anger to their partner by smacking them or head-butting them, Salem will occasionally say “You’re dead bro’”
5. Healing: When one player is injured, the other player must run over to him and either drag him to a safe area or heal him in that spot.
6. Aggro Meter: Whichever player is firing the most will attract all enemies towards them. This allows the other player to become virtually invisible, and thus sneak up to enemy positions.
7. Feign Death: If player one is about to die, he can fake his death. All the aggro will go to the second player. Then player one can get up and attack them from behind. (If walked past)
8. Co-op Snipe: Both players get into a sniping maneuver to double their power or take out two targets at the same time.
9. Weapon Swap: Players switch weapons with each other to diversify their arsenal.
10. Riot Shield: One of the players picks up a shield or a car door and both players hide behind it. While one player holds the shield, the other player has the ability to open fire at incoming enemies. The player that carries the shield also has the ability to hit enemies with the shield using melee attack.
Multiplayer
This is where the game lacks. There is only four maps and three game types available online. The game plays just as it would in single player with Allice shouting out objectives for you and your teammate to do before the other pair do it. It isn’t just 2v2, there is AI thrown in the mix to make things more exciting but sometimes it can be too much. Out of my first five games i played online i got a connection error three of the games which booted me out to the title screen. I think this game really could have had a much better online if EA invested more time into it.
Presentation
The graphics while playing where average, nothing too special there. The cut scenes is where they shined, they wowed me with very realistic character models and great lighting. The guns sound great with each having their own personal sound to it like they should. One thing i liked were the random shit talking between the two mercs, it actually made me laugh. I like a game to have some good humor in it.
Extras
A really great feature in this game is the weapon customization. In this you can add different handles/grips, add different length suppressors, different barrels and can even pimp out your gun by changing the appearance. This feature will add more game play as i will want to collect and customize each one of the guns available.
Overall
The single player had a repetitive story line but is made up with the memorable parts and twists in it. The AI isn’t all that great but you can play with a friend online. The co-op moves are great, it really immerses the two players weather its you and an AI or a friend, you really feel the teamwork. Multiplayer lacks a ton having only four maps and three game modes and having all those connection issues doesn’t help either. Average graphics with great cut scenes and sound plus the verbal rivalry between the mercenaries make for a pretty good experience.
Live-360 gives Army of Two a
6 out of 10
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