Army of Two: The 40th Day, the sequel to EA Montreal’s 2008 co-operative shooter, is set to infiltrate retail stores nationwide today. With a host of improvements over the original, including new co-operative moves, more devious enemy A.I., better bosses, and a completely re-designed weapon customization feature, The 40th Day has already received advanced reviews scoring it considerably higher than its predecessor – great news for shooter fans, especially those with friends!
I still recall loading up the original Army of Two with Brad and playing through the campaign in local split-screen. My reaction to the game was mixed at first, because I could tell that it was something I would not choose to play through on my own, but the co-op gameplay took it to an entirely different level. Utilizing the Aggro mechanics to draw attention away from Brad while he maneuvered around our enemies was a blast, and synchronizing our shots in the tandem sniping scenes was, as Brad would say, “pro-ice!” We would also had a great deal of fun critiquing each others weapon customization decisions: “I can totally understand that the grenade launcher and riot shield attachments may be necessary on the field of battle, but do you really need a gold-plated AK-47 adorned with a variety of precious gems? Wait, stupid question.” It was clear that the game was designed to flourish during co-op play, which it certainly did, but unfortunately, it faltered when played otherwise.
Based on our demo experience at Sony’s PlayStation Holiday Preview Event, The 40th Day looks to improve the franchise in this regard. Players lacking in a real-life partner were given much more control over their A.I. counterpart, and they carried out their instructions much more effectively than they did in the original. Playing with the A.I. is still sure to fall short of a true co-op experience, but EA Montreal has done their best to deliver a more complete experience overall, even for players going solo.
Note: I had no idea what ‘pro-ice’ meant at the time, nor do I today, but we liked it enough to make it our clan name in Rainbow Six Vegas (another awesome co-operative experience).
Also note: The original Army of Two is available on the Xbox LIVE Games on Demand service, as well as both Rainbow Six Vegas games. If shelling out $60 for a new co-operative experience isn’t an option right now (and I can relate), these games are great alternatives.
