The Charge:
Fight Together! Survive Together!

Opening Statement:
The first Army of Two was an effective 3rd person shooter that borrowed liberally from other, better games and made a decent first impression before quickly fading to bargain bins. The requisite sequel is now upon us, and our titular army of two has some new tricks up their sleeves. Does Army of Two: The 40th Day rise above the machismo and fist-bumping to provide a world-cass shooter?

Facts of the Case:
Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios have long parted ways with former employers at SSC. As the owners and sole operatives of TransWorld Operatives, they answer to no one save their sassy handler, Alice Murray. The dynamic duo has just finished up a routine job in Shanghai when all hell breaks loose. An armed force has launched an all out assault on the city, and carnage is everywhere. Our brothers in arms find themselves racing through Shanghai as it crumbles all around them. Co-op tactics and visceral action are the order of the day as Salem and Rios struggle to find Alice in the chaos, and attempt to discover the truth behind the 40th Day Initiative.

"Rambo... was a pussy!"

The Evidence:

The first Army of Two was well enough received when it hit consoles early in 2008. One of the spearhead titles in EA’s then fresh approach to new IP’s, it would go on to become the best-selling new IP from EA of this console generation. The game was not without its flaws however, and the development team took a hard look at what people liked and disliked when they set about assembling the sequel. The approach definitely shows, as Army of Two: The 40th Day is an improvement in many respects.

First off, what wasn’t broken, wasn’t fixed, and The 40th Day definitely feels a lot like its predecessor. You’re still guiding two armored up commandoes through room after room of bad guys whilst firing lead hoses at full auto as you hide behind cover. Kill.Switch may have given birth to the 3rd person cover-based shooter, but it was Gears of War that popularized it, and like the first game, Army of Two: The 40th Day borrows liberally from the Gears of War playbook. Salem and Rios control something like walking tanks, sure, but the controls never feel unnatural or cumbersome. The shooting mechanics feel immediately familiar, and the cover system is virtually identical to the first game, wherein you “snap” to cover rather than pressing a button to do so. It feels intuitive, and allows for faster cover-to-cover movement than you’d think. Things do feel a little more polished this time around, and the controller configuration is a little more user friendly, but the experience in this regard is much the same as it was the first go-around.

Also returning is the robust weapon customization, though this time you mix and match weapon parts from different models of firearms instead of parts unique to individual weapons. At first glance it doesn’t seem like there’s as much to choose from as there was in the first game, and that’s partially true, but the possible combinations allows for less redundancy in your guns and more unique designs. You’ll also stumble onto additional components in weapon caches strewn about the game. You can always pretend like you’re Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and start combining components from M-16’s, AK’s and whatever else you can manage to fit onto your super weapon.

"I don't care if you do add racial diversity... it's called Army of Two.. one... TWO."

The co-op mechanics are still the driving force, and again, the “aggro” system has been employed, and works as well as it did in the first title. One player essentially draws fire by spraying bullets everywhere while the other player sneaks around to flank the bad guys. Co-op sniping, where both players must hit a target simultaneously, and back to back shooting return also. Thankfully for those flying solo, the computer controlled AI partner has graduated from Kindergarten and has been moved ahead to Elementary school. So no, I wouldn’t depend on the AI per-se, but if you do get taken out, at least he won’t drag you around for 20 minutes before healing you. Army of Two: The 40th Day is really geared around a multiplayer experience, and the game provides for you, the player with a robust set of options. Split screen and online modes are available, and while not quite seamless, it’s not too hard to get a player on your friend’s list to hop on in when the going gets tough, and it does get tough.

Competitive multiplayer has returned as well. The first game’s multiplayer approach was interesting on paper, but fell flat in execution; thankfully everything has been completely redesigned from the ground up, and the multiplayer modes are considerably deeper and more involving than before. Everything is geared around 2-player teams, adding a unique twist to the now traditional gameplay modes. The 40th Day features its own spin on Deathmatch and objective based multiplayer that should keep people busy a lot longer than the first game did.

Army of Two: Go on vacation - coming 2011!

Technically, the game gets a visual boost to character models, with solid animations and some great textures, but the backgrounds lack the sense of realism and atmosphere of the first game. That said, the environments are ripped to shreds as you pass through, towers topple, entire floors of nearby skyscrapers disintegrate in a haze of smoke and fire, and low flying aircraft slam into structures with impunity. It all looks very satisfying. The audio is full of thumps and bangs, and the subwoofer channel does its best to shake your gaming room. Weapon effects sound satisfying and explosions thump like they should. The voice actors have been changed up a little from the first outing. Nolan “Drake” North voices the erstwhile smarmy wise-ass Elliot Salem, who’s become more of a bad ass in the transition, but that doesn’t stop the continuity from title to title from suffering. Aside from that, the audio/visual package is pleasing, and really offers little to complain about, even if it doesn’t quite push the technical envelope.

Rebuttal Witness:
The first Army of Two title took its licks for its approach to plot, which was woven in and out of real world events in a none too subtle fashion. Some people had feathers ruffled with images of that fateful day in September of 2001, and the fact that our commando duo were racking up kills in real world hotspots where good ole American boys were dying in real life. I applauded the approach, it added some much needed gravitas to what was otherwise one step removed from an 80’s action flick. On top of that, those who did pay attention would discover that the game actually wielded a pretty effective story that gave players an excuse to plow through levels beyond cash. The 40th Day is severely lacking in this department. The enemies may as well be an NCAA College Football team, and the plot can be summed up in one or two sentences. The titular “40th Day” doesn’t really have much relevance in the game, and the morality moments, while a nice distraction, ultimately are exactly that, a distraction. I can’t help but be disappointed by the fantastical turn the series has taken, even if the gameplay itself has been tightened up. Sure, things blow up real good, but there’s just no sense of purpose behind it all.

"ROCK! HA!... You go first!"

Beyond that, Army of Two: The 40th Day adheres to the 3rd person shooter playbook pretty closely, which makes for some monotony in later levels. The last firefight feels pretty much identical to the first, just on a larger scale. You know the drill, you move from room to room and shoot at anyone who’s not you or your teammate. It doesn’t change up much in the 6 or so hours it could take you to get through the game.

Closing Comments:
Fans of the first Army of Two will definitely be pleased with Army of Two: The 40th Day, gameplay has been tightened, the visuals are solid, and the multiplayer is surprisingly well implemented and fully featured. The characters have been toned down, which will certainly please some moaners, but I can’t help but feel that EA Montreal has killed some of the appeal in the process. That said, if you’re looking for a decent co-op experience, you’ve found it.

The Verdict:

Platform: Sony Playstation 3/Microsoft Xbox360 (PS3 version reviewed)
Developer: EA Montreal
Publisher: EA Games
Release Date: January 12th, 2010
Rated: M (17+) for Mature