EA’s adults-only title Army Of Two looks pretty interesting right from the cover. The players are modern mercenaries, wearing distinctive masks, and it’s a world apart from the clinical Tom Clancy stuff we’re used to lately. The premise carries throughout the game as well, with surprisingly good writing, albeit in a boring story context. I wish they’d just forget about a story altogether unless they have something good on offer. Again, car games don’t need plots, why would shooting games? Thankfully it’s not too in-your-face, in this case.
The game’s foremost selling point is basing everything on teamwork. You can’t achieve much anything without your partner, juggling the attention of the enemies by drawing fire with “Aggro”. You gain Aggro by being loud. When they’re shooting at you, your partner can flank them and take them out. The basic idea works well, lending a satisfying tactic feel to the whole gunplay. You often need to approach a heavy-hitting enemy position by drawing fire in turns until one of you gets close enough to take it out.
There are other co-op moves as well, the best of which is the first aid. When one of you goes down, the other needs to drag you to safety to administer first aid. The guy being dragged can continue to fight, despite being down, which is great. Then there’s the boost-up move to reach heights, the wholly unnecessary co-op snipe maneuver and the tandem parachuting with one guy steering and the other guy sniping. The parachuting is fun. Then there’s the back to back maneuver, which is triggered when you’re surrounded, in scripted positions. Both guys get infinite ammo and increased stopping power and everything goes slow motion. It looks and feels good, but the scripted nature is just too pasted on. It would’ve been great if they had found ways to better incorporate the moves to the overall gameplay.
Apart from the co-op moves, the other gimmick Army Of Two has is a gun upgrade system. You buy new parts for your weapons, culminating in “pimped” versions with gold plating – perfect for drawing Aggro. I wish they had even more options, but as it is, it’s a cool system and makes you attached to your armoury.
I’ve played through most of the single player campaign now, enjoying it, but it can get a little monotonous with the realistic, dry environments and few standout moments. It’s obvious it will be a better title when played with a friend, so looking forward to that. Overall, I wish it had more variety and I applaud the focus on playing with friends. I have yet to try the multiplayer, which sounds interesting as well, played in pairs.
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