EA's Army of Two is the type of game that we're afraid to love. On one hand, it looks absolutely incredible, a gorgeous title that has the potential to revolutionize cooperative gameplay. But on the other, it's much too early to mark out to a game that was shown behind closed doors at this year's E3, particularly because doing that has a way of coming back and dropkicking us in our collective faces. But based on what we've seen, this game looks like it could potentially kick lots of ass, if for nothing else than having really exceptional water effects.
Yes water effects. There's this level in the game where both of its main characters, Rios and Salem, are piloting a small boat en route to an aircraft carrier that they later destroy, and during the course of their dangerous trek the boat is being pitched about by what is one of the best looking oceans that we've ever seen. The way the waves pitch, roll, and swirl about is just an incredible sight and damnit, we're willing to at least rent the game just to stare some more.
Of course (and thankfully), there's more to this game than just realistic looking liquid, as in lots of violence and teamwork, two key features that have propelled Army of Two to must play status. In the game, you take control of one of two guns for hire that have been commissioned by shadowy corporations to do the dirty work that the U.S. military won't accept. This includes being dropped into hostile territory outnumbered and most importantly, outgunned, though both Rios and Salem are more than capable of handling any situation. Not only are they covered in bullet resistant armor (and wear these scary looking metal masks), but they're also armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons that run the gamut from pistols to machine guns to sniper rifles. They also have a penchant for destruction and nasty attitudes. They want to complete the mission, but they also seem to delight in the killing.
What makes this game truly unique is its gameplay, which is 100% co-op based. Playable over Xbox Live with a friend or solo with the AI, you're always going to be tackling missions with either Rios or Salem at your side, and the developers have created an interesting dynamic between the two characters. Rios is the more experienced and older of the two. He's violent as all hell, but he's not nearly as reckless as his partner, who's the younger hot head. And throughout the course of the game the two banter back and forth and their arguing can ultimately affect the gameplay. Army of Two has what EA calls adaptive AI, meaning that the game adjusts itself depending on how well or horrible you've been doing. So, for example, if you screwed up the last sniping attempt, the AI will berate you and insist upon taking the shot, and you can basically yell into the head set, put your foot down and demand that he respects you, though in the demo we saw, he does put up quite a fight. And in one of the tenser scenes, Rios pointed his gun at Salem after his partner targeted innocent civilians, warning him that he'd take him down if he didn't back off. When Salem complied, Rios balked, "That's why people hate Americans."
There's also quite a bit of cussing. You're certainly free to F this and F that over the microphone, but EA decided to give both of the game's characters very dirty mouths, and you can also give your partner the finger. But Army of Two isn't the NFL, so don't expect one of these guys to slap the other on the ass after a job well done.
When they're not at each other's throats, Rios and Salem can give one another a much needed assist. One man can tie a rope around his waste and act as an anchor as his partner repels down a building, or one can lean up against a wall and give his comrade a boost. They can even bring one another back from the dead! If one goes down, the other can give CPR, and while this is happening another image appears in the upper left corner of the screen that shows the wounded guy running away from the light. What ensues (at least in two player mode), is frantic button mashing as one player pumps the other's chest while the other attempts to escape death's icy grip. There are just a lot of intense moments in the game. There's the CPR scene, then there's the one where the aircraft carrier is sinking and one of the guys is dodging planes and debris that are sliding into the ocean, and then a ceiling falls on top of them. It's crazy stuff.
We'll have more on Army of Two in the near future, but all you need to know right now is it has superb visuals, the co-op play is intriguing, and we love the water. So long as it has excellent water, EA can do no wrong...in theory.
