Army Of Two: The 40th Day Hands-On Preview

17 Dec 2009 at 17:28:52 by Richard Walker

Three is a crowd might go some way to explaining why Army of Two’s returning protagonists, Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios indiscriminately shoot anyone else who happens to cross their path. No one would dare come between the two and their vaguely homoerotic coupling. Not even an evil terrorist cell hell bent on destroying the world.

Or rather Shanghai as the case may be in this Army of Two sequel, cryptically subtitled The 40th Day (presumably due to religious connotations or some such?), the follow-up sees Salem and Rios fighting through the city as it spectacularly falls apart around them.

Having formed their very own Private Military Company (PMC) snappily dubbed TransWorld Operations (TWO. Subtle), the hockey mask-sporting pair somehow attract the ire of a competing PMC who respond by razing Shanghai to the ground in typical shock and awe fashion.

While playing through the game’s opening two chapters at EA’s recent Xmas Showcase, things start off gently with a predictable tutorial section, followed by some light cover shooting action once we’ve retrieved our armour and weapons from a back alley dumpster (as you do). Guided by Brit operative JB, we’re steadily reintroduced to the game’s simple controls and cover system, before being thrust into appropriate situations.

For the most part, Army of Two’s core gameplay mechanics remain untouched, but the slight tweaks and subtle refinements that do appear, make a marked difference to the overall product. Most notably, the enemy AI is no longer infallible and will occasionally miss, so no longer do you have to endure exhausting battles of attrition against distant soldiers with flawless aim.

There’s also an improved sense of co-operation between the two leads, with fewer tacked on co-op moments shoehorned in at various intervals just for the sheer hell of it. It’s a lazy comparison perhaps, but 40th Day’s co-op play feels closer to the original game’s Gears of War remit, with events occurring organically rather than the piecemeal spoon-fed stuff that made up the entirety of the first Army of Two. The result is a more pleasingly fluid experience, with most of the good stuff from its predecessor left in for good measure.

For instance, there’re still riot shields to pick up in various forms (our favourite being the huge tribal mask), there’re still moments where you have to boost one another up to higher ground and there are still incredulous back-to-back set pieces where you both have infinite ammunition to spray in all directions. It was these distinctive co-op elements that set Army of Two apart from the competition, but it was the game built around them that failed to deliver. This time however, 40th Day is looking as though it’ll set the record straight on this front.

Once we come to the end of the first chapter with JB leading the way, we’re confronted with our first decision (something increasingly de rigueur in games these days). Seems the dodgy British fella is a bit shady, so do we but a bullet in his temple or let him be? The first player to make it to the punch makes the ultimate choice and we opt to spare the old geezer out of national pride. Or something.

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