Army of Two

Two's company...

More Images

Meet Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem, a battle-hardened two-man team that have swapped their lives as U.S. Army Rangers for a place in the private military sector working beneath the radar as money-hungry governmental contractors that answer only to the shadowy Security and Strategy Corporation (SSC).

Working covertly for an employer only-too willing to disavow their actions should things go wrong, Army of Two follows Rios and Salem as they expand their considerable skills across varied chronological missions that retell the evolution of the deadly duo as gun-for-hire killing machines, ultimately leading to their betrayal by SSC and a quest for vengeance.

Arriving as a brand new intellectual property (IP) created by none other than Electronic Arts, dedicated franchise-lovers and apparent opponents of originality, Army of Two is a pseudo tactical third-person shooter that offers players a slick over-the-shoulder battle presentation while also factoring in simple squad mechanics to help diversify the action and add a little thought process to the overall gameplay flow.

In its stripped down form, Army of Two is a solid and dependable shooter built on the usual gloss, flare and polish that accompany most of EA's software offerings. However, the game strives to carve its own niche into the rock of predictability by introducing various inventive components.

The first of these is complete two-man cooperative gameplay in the form of an A.I. partnership (the player chooses which character to control from the outset) during the single-player campaign, full split-screen coop with a real-life friend, and two versus two cooperative multiplayer via Xbox Live.

Then there's the introduction of the player-controlled and pivotal Aggro system, which sees enemy troops focusing their deadly attentions on either Rios or Salem (whoever is offering the most direct threat by laying down suppressive firepower), which subsequently leaves the player, or their partner, free to flank and attack camped soldiers, fixed gun emplacements, and heavily armoured adversaries while their buddy struggles to buy time by soaking up all the 'Aggro.'

The A.I. single-player campaign works very well for the most part and, while real-life assistance is obviously preferable to that offered by the software, the accompanying A.I. does respond fairly well to battlefield instruction and generally helps more than it hinders.

Of course, hindrance is part and parcel of even the best A.I. package, and Army of Two is no different. For example, while the A.I. is usually more than happy to attract masses of Aggro while the player stealthily shifts positions to get a better view of cover-hugging enemies, there are moments when they inexplicably choose to ignore the player's directions to aggressively hold position and merely duck into safe cover and remain there without offering any form of weapon-based assistance. The lack of response is in no way crippling, and the player need only direct their partner to advance to a new cover point in order to assure their willingness to suffer Aggro once again - but the sporadic unreliability does somewhat fracture the game's overall sense of immersion.

All the elements of A.I. movement and response control involve directional pad orders that consist of Advance, Aggressive Advance, Hold Position, Aggressive Hold, Regroup (on player's position), Weapon Swap, and even Coop Snipe; the latter two of which see the player temporarily trading weapons with their partner and also taking out distant enemies in scripted but always satisfying sniping set pieces. With the exception of the occasionally Aggressive Hold order already mentioned, the A.I. partnering works very well and allows both player and A.I. to progress and interact throughout missions with a simple but effective form of supportive advancement.

The Aggro system also functions ably across the game, causing either Rios or Salem to glow a fiery red to indicate when enemy bullets are coming thick and fast and the advance of their partner is more likely to be obtained without being turned into Swiss cheese. Not just a tool of advancement, sustained levels of Aggro gathered by the player also open up Overkill opportunities, which introduce timed bursts of slow-motion action that see the player moving in real-time around slowed opponents, or also in slow motion but while dealing double damage from their equipped weapon of choice.

Sadly however, while the Aggro system (which is essentially just focused suppression) does work well and promotes a semi-strategic approach to the environment, it works a little too well when faced with a beefy mission boss or a single heavily armoured soldier. Specifically, during the moments after accompanying grunt solders have been successfully picked off, Aggro can be used in order to allow the player to virtually walk unopposed from cover to cover in order to execute a flanking manoeuvre and unleash a devastating attack from the rear. Again, the slight unfair advantage afforded the player doesn't damage the game irrevocably, but it does compromise its otherwise solid level of challenge.

Other moments of battlefield immersion thrust into the mix by EA arrive in the form of: flailing battlefield suicide bombers with explosives strapped to their chests; the ability to feign death when perilously close to succumbing to enemy fire, although enemies only fall for death feigning once when in close proximity; dragging your incapacitated partner (or being dragged by them) into cover before administering life-saving first aid; and even engaging in sporadic slow-motion 'back-to-back' gunfire moments when Rios and Salem spin in unison after becoming surrounded by numerous onrushing enemies.

There's plenty to admire about Army of Two in terms of nuggets of invention and, although a single-player reliance on A.I. interaction means that not all of them work perfectly, the game's attempts to paper over the fundamental repetition of any and all videogame shooters is to be applauded regardless.

As is its presentation and aesthetics, which involve six fairly expansive missions set across fabulously varied environments that range from the war-torn streets, compounds, and installations of Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, to the river villages of China, a flooded Miami, and even a terrorist-occupied U.S Aircraft Carrier. Graphically, Army of Two is polished and refined in every department, whether that be the weighty and authentic character animations, the wince-inducing rag doll physics, the well-observed weapon design, or the stunning pre-rendered sequences, it's a game that certainly delivers in terms of visual depth and detail while rarely betraying any form of faulty collision detection, chop or frame-rate difficulties.

The central character performances are also superbly realised, Rios and Salem being particularly noteworthy for driving the story forward while always managing to remain on the right side of likeable. Moreover, the brooding and twitchy man-mountain of Rios is offset perfectly by the fly-by-wire energy and enthusiasm of Salem. The game contains numerous dialogue moments exchanged between the pair, most of which will provoke a smile, some of which will capture a laugh, and all of which help maintain an irresistible pair of money-hungry anti-heroes so far removed from the huge character failings recently seen in Eidos and IO Interactive's similar third-person shooter, the woefully poor Kane & Lynch: Dead Men.

Completion of the 7-8 hour single-player campaign may leave some players feeling a little short-changed, but that completion does unlock the game's wealth of Primary weapons and also its more testing Professional difficulty. Longevity is assured thanks to that extra challenge, the availability of any Primary weapon not attained during the first run through, and also the monetary draw of completing mission objectives anew in order to purchase the huge array of customisation options that surround Army of Two's considerable Primary, Secondary and Special Weapons arsenal.

And, if a friend or Xbox Live is available, then the complete coop campaign also adds to the game's credentials, while four online game modes do likewise. Those mission modes are: Versus, which see a pair of two-man teams competing to complete mission objectives and also take each other down; Warzone, which focuses on taking down opposing teams while also destroying or defending key targets; Extraction, which involves both teams escorting and protecting downed allies off the battlefield while also striving to eliminate the other team's allies; and Bounties, which pits teams against each other in a race to eliminate a host of high-price targets and claim the huge cash rewards.

Squirm-inducing EA logo or otherwise, Army of Two is a solid title that delivers a satisfying third-person shooter experience successfully drawing the player into its action via meaty weapon selection and customisation, an intriguingly adult and believable storyline, extremely pretty in-game and pre-rendered graphics and animation, appealing and humorous character camaraderie, immersive if not somewhat flawed partner A.I and Aggro systems, and a thoroughly decent level of challenge.

All in all, Army of Two arrives as a fine opening act of EA's fresh new IP, and it is sure to be the first of many bullet-riddled action adventures for the hulking and paranoid Rios and the wise-cracking and cash-driven Salem.

88%

By Stevie Smith