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Categories: Review
Tags: army of two, xbox 360
Army of Two
Developer: EA Montreal
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Xbox 360
Released: Mar. 4, 2008Watching the gold and the glory go to a mercenary after a mission in Somalia is enough to make Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem ditch the Army Rangers for the Security and Strategy Corporation — a Blackwater-esque private military company.
If that’s not politically relevant enough, consider later missions that put Rios and Salem in Afghanistan, Iraq, and China. Then add a plot thread about a bill to completely privatize the American military and Army of Two becomes another in a line of politically charged shooters.
However, Army of Two pulls it off successfully – unlike the ham-handed BlackSite: Area 51 or the meandering Frontlines: Fuel of War. Army of Two is a thoughtful shooter — one that successful integrates narrative into gameplay and blends strategy into third-person shooting.
Army of Two’s combat is Aggro-based. I’ve read about Aggro before on the WoWWiki, but Army of Two condenses it into – if you’re shooting at the enemy, the enemy is focused on you and not your partner; if you are both shooting, the enemy will concentrate on the bigger gun.
Aggro is an effective gimmick which enhances the co-op (split-screen or online) or you and an AI gameplay. Say you’re controlling the slightly paranoid Rios; you lay down cover fire pulling Aggro to yourself while the smart-ass Salem flanks the enemy and opens fire. Yes, staying in cover and taking potshots at the enemy while your AI-controlled partner launches a stealth attack is a valid strategy. And doesn’t it make Gears of War’s Dom seem even more useless?
Aggro balancing (shown in the HUD) is just part of the teamwork necessary for completing Army of Two. Rios and Salem boost each other up to reach ledges, drag each other out of the line of fire to heal their wounded partner, and share parachutes so one can steer while the other snipes. Army of Two is a buddy movie through and through.
Since the former Rangers have taken the mercenary route, most of the mission objectives are tied-in to cash rewards. Money can spent between and mid-missions to buy new weapons or mod existing ones – yes, you can have a gold-plated AK-47. You can also purchase different skins for the fierce facemasks the guys wear.
Army of Two is built on the Unreal 3 engine, so graphics are crisp. Each of the game’s six main levels are unique and highly detailed and each mission has multiple main and secondary objectives. Army of Two is built for replay, with weapon and armor load-outs following you through subsequent playthroughs.
And with intelligent cover-using enemies, heavily armored gunners, well-defended turrets, and suicide bombers – you’ll definitely want to replay this game to see how the enemy fares against the more expensive minigun and rocket launchers.