A Game With A Solid Premise That Needs Polish
It's taken me almost a year to pick up Army of Two and give it a try. Bad word of mouth and mediocre review scores kept me away until it dropped to a price where I didn't think I'd feel too cheated it I gave it a try. Having done so I can say with confidence that this is a game you will enjoy as long as you know what you're getting into. Namely bring a friend and get ready for some over the top action.
The game is built around two things: co-op and crazy 80s style action movie firefights. The story handles the current world situation with all the subtlety and care which you would expect from a direct to DVD movie. You play as Salem and Rios. These two former United States Army Rangers have gone private and been involved in just about every major military action for the past twenty years. They go from international hot spot to hot spot sporting full body armor and insane looking masks killing dim witted terrorists (composed of nothing but white guys) who somehow manage to pull off capers which in real life would be nigh on impossible.
Much has been made of the juvenile frat boy mentality of the game but it never bothered me much. Salem and Rios are decently likable and their banter throughout keeps things planted squarely in the realm of action movie. There's a greater story about the place of Private Military Contractors in today's world but it's handled poorly and is completely forgettable. All you really need to know is Salem and Rios are two musclebound guys in skull masks shooting terrorists in the face.
The story isn't what you're here for though. It's the action. On a fundamental level the game is solid. There is the standard third person shooter over the shoulder camera, selection of three weapons, and cover system. These all function but are nothing spectacular. This isn't really a problem as just about all of the aforementioned white terrorists are idiots. Instead of sitting behind cover and making you use tactics to get them they run all over and even charge you.
Perhaps the only thing that really shines in this game is the co-op. As it should since the entire game is built around it. Shamelessly stealing the term aggro from the MMO realm the co-op dynamic is completely built around your teammate and you swapping enemy hate in order to outflank your opponents. This is wonderful in theory but except for a few enemies you have to get behind it really isn't necessary. Perhaps more fun are the various shield carrying, back to back, and other teammate moves which appear from time to time to break up the gameplay.
In short Army of Two is a solid premise that could have benefited from a lot of polish. Little things like the fact that when your character reloads the magazine doesn't actually disappear or the creepy doll eye look of some of the people you talk to in cutscenes should really have been addressed. Also, the many objects in the world Salem and Rios interact require a short load to show the animation of them doing their action before the game loads back. Couldn't that have been done without the strange pause?
If you're looking for a goofy good time, especially with a friend, Army of Two will satisfy. I can't recommend it highly but I don't think you'll feel cheated. There are alot of good ideas here which will hopefully be expanded upon more in Army of Two: The Fortieth Day.
