Electronic Arts is mostly known for its sports games, so it's very
unlikely that an action title coming from the powerhouse is looked
forward to. Army of Two, a highly anticipated action title from EA
Montreal has completely changed that stereotype. But the question is,
is Army of Two any good? The only answer to that question is a
resounding yes. Army of Two is the best action title to be released so
far this year. This is in thanks to its superb cooperative mechanics,
brutality, and story.
You play as either Elliot Salem or Tyson Rios, two former army rangers,
who have made the switch to mercenaries, as they believe that the pay
is much better this way. Salem is much more of a kid, who jokes around,
and is really casual in his combat. Rios, on the other hand, is much
more mature in his stature, and is very professional. The duo get along
great, and are a tough group that stick together through the rough.
That, being a good thing, of course, as the two are set up, and end up
with their former allies against them. Their journey takes place over
16 years, and takes them to places all over the world, from the middle
east, to a hurricane ridden Miami. The camaraderie that the two share
is unseen in any other game, and you really begin to root for them, as
it seems that it's two against the world in this one.
What is a little unfortunate, is even though the game takes place over
16 years, the actual campaign is only a mediocre 6 hours. This is
extremely disappointing, as the entire game is just a non stop roller
coaster ride, and you'd wish that it'd be longer. You feel as though
the story needed some more open space to expand, and 6 hours just
doesn't give it enough room. That doesn't make the story any less
effective, it just makes it shorter.
There has been some confusion on this, but I can clear things up. Army
of Two is 100% a third person shooter. On this current generation, the
genre has seen an uprising. Gears of War, Uncharted, and Kane and Lynch
have all been ambassadors for the genre, opening it up and letting
people know the action that it brings. This is no different in Army of
Two. You have an arsenal of weapons spanning all areas. There are
assault rifles, snipers, rocket launchers, basically every weapon known
to man, you can handle it.
There's no distinct cover system in Army of Two. You can slide into
cover, and duck, and blind fire, but you never become magnetically
stuck to a wall, for say, like you can in Gears or Uncharted. This is
very smooth, and works unbelievably well, and it is very satisfying to
do so, and you also feel very safe when doing so. It's innovative and
simple to use, and is one of the best aspects of the game.
Melee attacking is somewhat confusing at first, but once you get the
hang of it, it can be your best friend. Being a certain distance away
from an enemy, and pressing the right trigger, will have you do a melee
attack, which may or may not kill them in one hit. This is either a
kick to the head, an elbow to the head, or a chokeslam. Sometimes,
blood will fly everywhere when you snap his neck, or break his head
open, and it is a real breath of fresh air every time you do this.
Sometimes the computer can't tell whether you want to shoot or melee,
so it can be a little tricky.
The enemy AI is decent overall, but sometimes they will absolutely
destroy you, and other times, will run right in front of you and do
nothing. It's inconsistent, and adds to the variety in gameplay. Your
partner AI is actually very good. If you tell him to go on a rampage,
he will likely clean house. If you tell him to stay and fire, he will
do so without hesitation. He almost never does the wrong thing,
although in one instance, the AI just shut off altogether, leaving me
alone.
What's very innovative in Army of Two, is the aggro system. Aggro is
how much attention you are receiving from the enemy. If you have all
the aggro, you can send your partner around to flank enemies, as they
will all be focused on you. If he has all the aggro, (which you can
command him to do), you will be left alone. This is really cool, and
always works well. It's very similar to the aggro in World of Warcraft,
if you've ever played that, you will be familiar with the system. There
are a few enemies that are armored on the front, and can only be
attacked from behind. Here's where you'll need to have one member decoy
from the front, while you sneak around the back. this is where the
aggro system stands out.
There are a few hovercraft sections, which aren't actually all that
fun, and feel really tacked on. Luckily, these are rare and short.
There are some parachute/sniping sections which are actually very fun,
and there are back to back sections, in which case you have unlimited
ammo, and are surrounded. The time goes in slo mo, and it's really fun
and bloody when these sections come up. Also, if the aggro is fully on
one character, you have the ability to go into overkill. Here, you
become twice as powerful as before, and have unlimited ammo. This last
about 15 seconds, and is essential in certain areas.
Some of the AI issues I mentioned before, can be avoided by doing coop
with another human being. Here, you two communicate in ways you never
have before in a video game, and it just becomes so much fun. If you
manage to get along well, Army of Two will be an outstanding addition
to your library. It's so hard to explain just how much better the game
is with another human. The partner AI isn't bad, it's just 100 times
better with someone else. You can also do coop online, with a public
player, or a private game you can set up with a friend.
Graphically, Army of Two is a good looking game. The blood looks
fantastic, as does the water, and vistas. What stands out are the
character models, although they do get repetitive. Some environments
could have been smoothed out, and they could've been more destructible,
but overall, the game looks good.
Even though there are a ton of curse words, the voice actors deliver a
great performance. Salem and Rios share normal conversations in the
midst of battle, and it becomes such a casual affair. Killing is a
chore to these guys. The soundtrack really fits every situation well,
as every EA game does have a great soundtrack. It's no different here.
There are 3 online modes, and 4 maps, which add to the longevity of the
game. Without these, the game wouldn't be worth your money. Luckily,
the game modes are fun, and are worth money, to "pimp" your weapons
(turn to gold), purchase new ones, and new masks, to add to your
collection. Upgrading weapons can become a hobby, and is really
addictive.
Army of Two is a great game. It's not outstanding by any means, but it
brings a lot of new things to the table. Hopefully, a sequel will have
even better to show for it in the future. If you have a friend,
roommate, or sibling, and are looking for a bloody good time, pick up
Army of Two. If you are looking for that third person shooter fix, then
Army of Two also fits. There are a few great ideas not executed
greatly, but still work out well enough for one hell of a game.
