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Army of Two is one of the first of EA’s new wave of original IPs and M-rated games. Breaking from their longstanding tradition (some would say rut) of yearly updates of games we’ve seen half a dozen times before, Army of Two is something fresh, and it succeeds on many levels. It will inevitably draw comparisons to Epic’s Gears of War but manages to hold its own.

Happy Fantasy World

Army of Two takes place in a strange alternate universe in which private security contractors are effective and skilled organizations of the best combatants in the world. You choose to control either Salem or Rios, two former Army Rangers who turned to the private sector to make wads of cash. They work exclusively as a team, hence the title of the game.

After 9/11, they have a long streak of lucrative jobs, but after several years of this, Rios starts to notice certain patterns in their missions. This, combined with the fact that a bill to privatize the entire U.S. military is about to be forced through Congress, spurs our heroes to unravel the mystery, do what’s right, and hopefully be paid for it.

Salem and Rios are your standard “big dudes in bulky armor” that pop up in so many shooters these days, but they do have distinct and well-defined personalities that permeate all of their dialogue. Chatter is a constant presence during gameplay, which will be welcome to some, not to others. Salem and Rios have numerous team maneuvers they can utilize, such as a slo-mo, infinite ammo back-to-back attack when they’re surrounded; tandem parachuting (including one fairly irritating sequence in which you’re forced to use the SIXAXIS tilt function); and simultaneous co-op sniping for silencing two guards at once.

Aggressive Negotiations

The key to Army of Two’s co-op system is the Aggro Meter. When Rios or Salem shoots at an enemy, they draw Aggro, or aggression, which will cause the enemies to concentrate their fire on the character with the most Aggro. Naturally, your basic strategy in most situations will be to have one guy draw fire while the other sneaks around to flank the enemy. Holding Aggro long enough will bestow Overkill bonuses that enhance killing power even further.

It’s a simple but elegant system, and adds a lot to the Gears of War style gameplay. While Gears could get frantic and chaotic, Aggro in Army of Two lets you regain control of a situation if you utilize it correctly. The on-screen display lets even newcomers to shooters understand how it works, so there’s very little barrier to entry.

You have full control over your partner’s behavior via the D-pad. You can order him to advance, hold position, and regroup, plus a double tap will set any of those three behaviors into “aggressive” mode. This will cause him to draw Aggro and free you up to flank dangerous foes, like armored guards or gun turrets. The partner AI is generally pretty smart, but can fail miserably at extremely inopportune times. You’ll quickly learn to dread the times when you’re injured and relying on the AI to drag you to safety.

Army of Two becomes truly dynamic when you have a real human partner playing with you. The entire game is obviously designed around co-op, and you really want another person playing to take advantage of that. It’s recommended you play online, though, as split-screen can quickly become cramped and hectic.

Cha-Ching

Being mercenaries, Rios and Salem tend to earn money for accomplishing their objectives. You can use this money to purchase and upgrade new weapons that will give them an edge over the competition later in the game. The range of upgrades is impressive, and each one changes the look of the weapon noticeably. High level upgrades can make exceptionally deadly items, including sniper rifles with 5 foot barrels, .44 Magnums with giant extended magazines, and assault rifles with shotguns strapped to their undersides.

To draw extra all-important Aggro, you can upgrade the appearance of any weapon to “Pimped,” which will plaster the gun in diamonds, platinum, and gold. Really, there’s nothing classier than a mercenary in a skull mask toting a minigun with platinum barrels and a Stinger launcher with teak finish.

A Million Bucks

Army of Two has some of the best art direction of any EA game in recent memory. Rios, Salem, and the other private contractors have distinctive armor that makes them easy to pick out, and the environments are packed with believable detail. There are a few show-stopping special effects sequences, including the sinking of an aircraft carrier while you’re still on it, which showcases the scale of the game exceptionally well.

Accompanying all this is a fairly daring story that incorporates 9/11, the private security contractors who have been so prominent in the news in the last year, and other “ripped from the headlines” ideas that are fairly surprising to see in a videogame. It’s mixed in with enough witty banter and run-and-gun action fluff that Army of Two certainly doesn’t come off like a preachy political treatise, but it’s good to see games that don’t shy away from such content.

Tell A Friend

Army of Two is a dream come true for co-op enthusiasts. It doesn’t hit every note perfectly, but the campaign and team-based multiplayer modes are the perfect reasons to pester your old Gears of War buddy into picking it up.

Review by: Matt Keil