Army of Two

Review by Slater45

EA brings us a new look on team based shooters. This Primarily Co-op based game put you up against different forces around the world in different locations, but does this game have what it takes to be at the top.

Gamplay

You follow two guys Salem and Rios as you start in the streets of Somalia when they are still in the Ranger Regiment, After this event they are drafted in as Contractors, where you follow then for the next decade through plot twists and all. I felt that story was engaging at times but it also had down points where nothing seemed to happen and after a while the story just feels drawn out and you just want the last mission to end.

This game is a typical 3rd person shooter with team elements embedded into the fabric. You can use special Co-op maneuvers to take advantage of situations, my favourite one had to be the back to back where you go into a max Payne style slow-mo as you take out enemies running towards you. Another great maneuver is the riot shield. One player can pick up the shield, then while that person is holding it the other player has the ability to shoot oncoming enemies, if used effectively these special skills are great in tight spots and a good feature included in the game. Also another feature introduced in this game is the Aggro meter. This happens when one player suppresses fire on the enemy which make there attention turn to him. When the player has full aggro he will glow red where as the other player will be invisible, so you are then able to flake and take the enemy out.

If you are playing with the AI partner then prepare to be frustrated. You have to use the d pad to send commands to your partner which is fine when you are alive but when you are down and need to be revived it is awful. When you are down your partner will try to revive you but with the AI he will either leave you or drag you in the middle of the battlefield to try and revive you which normally results in game over. On the other hand the enemy AI is good in this game. AI will take cover behind anything they can, and will suppress you if they have to. Also if they see you are pushing forward they will retreat further back to cover, so you need to have a good aiming system to take them out which this game doesn't have. The Aiming system feels ridged and chunky, most of the time it takes about 5 seconds to get the perfect aim on the enemy, by then they have realised and got back under cover.

During the game you receive money for completing primary and secondary objectives. With this money you can go to the shop, where you can purchase new weapons and modifications. You can choose from pistols to Rocket launchers, where you can add extra clips of ammo or a silencer to it. You can even "pimp" your gun which turns it all gold, which looks horrible and tacky.

Graphics and Sound

The first thing that made me go WOW in this game was the cut scenes. They were the best I have seen in any game so far; they looked smooth and almost real. The in-game graphics however are good but not fantastic. The lightning is good in different environments and I liked some of the effects they created. The frame rate is normally solid through-out the game, but can drop sometimes and also there are infrequent glitches which can be annoying when they occur.

Loading times are also a down point. During a level you can get up to 3-4 loading screens which last for about 20- 30 seconds each. These mostly occur when you open a door, but when you just getting into the game they can be annoying.

One of the worst things about this game is the sound levels. During Cut scenes the character voice levels are very quiet and you usually have to read the subtitles to really understand what they're saying. General the in-game sounds is great, some of the dialogue is fantastic between the two main characters and can cause a few laughs from time to time.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer is the biggest flaw in army of two. Firstly you have the best aspect of Army of two the online Co-op option. You and a friend can get together and complete the story, which I feel is the best way to do it. With a friend it is much easier to complete the game, rather then using the terrible AI partner.

Secondly there is the main multiplayer side. There is a limit of 4 players for the multiplayer which is a huge disappointment. I would have liked to have seen more then 2v2. You have a choice of 3 modes Warzone, Bounty and Extraction. These basically involve the same objectives where you either have to complete primary of secondary tasks. There is also AI running around as well, which will also fire at you or the enemy if you are trying to complete an objective. Unfortunately the amount of lag there is was unbearable to play at times, and there are so many better shooters on the market which has better multiplayer.

EA has just brought out some new DLC for army of two and best of all; you won't have to pay a penny for it. The veteran map pack contains two new co-op Campaign maps and an extra Multiplayer map as well. It even contains an alternative ending. The first of the two maps is Kiev. Kiev is a standalone mission situation near the end of the games timeline. The mission last for around 45 minutes and has no loading screens throughout the level instead they use cut scene which is a big improvement. The graphics look more vibrant then the original missions. The sound is good with more great dialogue between the main characters and overall the mission is one of the better ones in the game. The Second campaign Map is the alternate ending. I found this ending a lot more fun and enjoyable then the ending that was in the original game. This level also takes around 45 minutes to finish and like before the graphics were good and there were no loading screens. Finally the multiplayer map is a revisit to a previous location in the campaign. The China canal lock map is a good map. There are houses and object dotted round that are great for cover, the graphics are good, but the lag is still an issue on the multiplayer. Overall this DLC is a must, especially when it is free. You can a good 1-2 hours on the lowest difficulty and the multiplayer map is a good bonus.

Conclusion

Army of two is a fun game for a while but once you have completed the single player campaign (which takes around 8-10 hours) there is a limit to what you can do. The multiplayer felt rushed and never lived up to the expectations. The story is good for one play through and so are the levels. I would download the demo before deciding if you want this game, or go to your local rental and rent it for a weekend. The DLC is a fantastic addition and a great bonus when it is free, and will prolong the game-play for a couple of hours.