Army of Two Reviews

• You and What Army?

  
  By A1A89LQ8C1AYV1 on 2008-03-06
  Generally, this is a good shooter. At its heart, it's a co-op game where you team up with either an AI partner or a real life partner to take out numerous terrorist threats the world over. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it entertaining? Yes. It's a good game that has good gameplay and graphics. However, it still doesn't compare to its cousins like Gears of War and Call of Duty 4. That being said, you will still most likely have a good time. The aiming and shooting mechanic mirrors that of Gears where you pull left trigger to aim and then shoot with right trigger. The game is unique in that it does require team work with your partner to get through some of the levels. The "aggro" system is a prime example of this. One partner essentially steals the spotlight and attracts the attention of most of the enemies, enabling the other partner to stealth around the battle field and get a better shot. I also like the ability to customize your weapons and gear (all for a price). Afterall, the point of the game is to get paid, and you do get paid handsomely for killing ruthless terrorists and protecting key targets. It's a fairly linear game, but you do have some options of completing secondary objectives that might take you off the beaten path. You would be hard pressed to get lost as there is a "GPS" system that basically shows you the path to take to complete the mission. I think most shooter fans will like this game. It just didn't grab me quite like Gears or COD4 did.
  
  

• Finally, a game meant for Co-Op!

  
  By A2SNL50JXZWEZZ on 2008-03-05
  If you're like me, you love video games. You love shooters, and more than that, you love to share the fun with a friend. Sure, it's a blast to have multi-player where you can kill each other, but what the industry has been lacking til now is a game meant to be played with a friend. Army of Two delivers.
  
  First off, there's various modes where you combine forces with your characters, including a dual-sniper mode that allows you and a friend to coordinate sniper shots to take down two foes at the same time. You'll still depend on your friend taking the voice-cue from the game, but if they don't know how to fire when the game tells them to, it's the least of your worries. There's also back-to-back mode, which looked a LOT like the final shoot-out scene in Mr. & Mrs. Smith - very cool how the characters twist and turn around each other to shoot the badies.
  
  There's a lot fo the game that depends on two people helping each other, but there's also a lot of subtle things added in that make it fun enough to want to talk about. Not only can you congratulate your co-op buddy with a high-five or smart remark (via game controls), you can also insult them or give them a well-deserved headbutt for overwhelming idiocy in the line of duty.
  
  The great part for me is that as you advance, you make money. You can then use this money to outfit yourself with new and more powerful weapons, armor, and even facemasks. (The facemasks are the best part, as you can get ones that with a desert motiff, a "street" motiff, or my favorite, a clown face!!!) you can also save your money to focus in areas you're good at. I'm a sniper, so I spent most of my money getting the latest and greatest sniper rifle.
  
  The story line is solid, the game controls take bit of getting used to, especially with all the bumper use, but all in all I have to say this is the best 360 game yet this year.
  
  
  

• Like Gears Of War Without The Fun

  
  By A1M4VNSBHB6NS3 on 2008-03-12
  The taste in my mouth: (before the actual review)
  
  This game is bad. I mean, what marketing focus group decided the two main characters (white guys) would talk in surfer ebonics? Does that somehow increase the game's appeal to an inner-city 16-24 crowd? Don't even get me started on "pimping" your weapons with the money you earn. I'm not talking about customizing appearance or effectiveness (one of the things that earned this game two stars of fun), but simply changing the weapon's appearance like a cheesy late-90s hip hop video would.
  
  If it sounds like I'm ragging on hip hop culture, ebonics, or anything like that, forget it...it's just that I'm mystified as to why this game would include such over-the-top, cheesy content at EVERY TURN. On to the review:
  
  A rundown:
  
  Plot/Dialogue: SO...CHEESY. After the first 20 minutes, you're dreading the cutscenes (they look pretty, though). What predictable plot twist will come next? What cool-guy quip will the dorky characters blurt out? Pathetic. I'll bet you can guess the first plot twist before it's even introduced. Just come up with the most clichee, overused device you can imagine.
  
  Controls/Feel: Playable. Smooth, but player movement and animation feels clunky. Like Gears of War without the realism or fun. Aiming while running or maneuvering around obstacles is tough (not in a realistic way; in an annoying way). The one thing that really gets to you after an hour or so is the player death/healing animations and the hand-to-hand animations. Often you'll find yourself involuntarily going into one of these slow, unstoppable animations in the middle of combat when you'd rather get behind some cover. You will die because of this. Often, if you're playing on the harder difficulties. Also, when playing in co-op, joystick sensitivity can't be individually adjusted (and there's only 3 settings, none of which seem quite right after Halo, Gears, etc).
  
  AI: Crappy. Everything even mildly cool that enemies do in the game is scripted. The AI itself is extremely basic. It feels like you're fighting the same two types of enemies for the entire game, they just keep getting progressively harder to kill. No personality, no backstory to the enemy types...they're just mindless drones that you kill in hordes. Fun for an hour or two. Boring for the rest of the game.
  
  Level Design: Boring. Cosmetically, the levels all look good after you get past Afghanistan and Iraq...even reasonably different from each other. It's always the same cover placement, though, and the levels always work the same way. It gets really repetitive after a while. By the end, the co-op partner I had started with had abandoned me, and I was figuring out where the ambushes would come from just by seeing where the cover was placed. Sound crazy? That's the kind of mental acrobatics you'll be playing with yourself if you try to push through the entire game...just to keep it SOMEHOW entertaining.
  
  Co-Op: A friend of mine shelled out the better part of $60 for this game. We played for half an hour on the normal difficulty and turned off the console. He was so disappointed that he gave the game to me to finish (so I could write this review). This is a guy who LOVES shooters, who LOVES co-op. Sadly, the co-op actions in this game (co-op snipe, jump steps, etc) are SO contrived and useless, it feels like they were just added on at the end of the game design. You will run into bridges that have little holes JUST so you can jump-step up on the other side, so you feel like there's still some "co-op action" going on. Two words: BS.
  
  Graphics/Hud: The HUD sucks. It's hard to see your crosshairs for the first 20 minutes of the game (until you stop looking for them). Graphics aren't nearly as good as Gears of War, which came out a looong time ago.
  
  
  PROS: The game sucks, but there ARE a few small things that don't. To be fair, I'm including them...although nothing can stop this game from trainwrecking in the first 25 minutes.
  
  Autosaving is GREAT. I feel like I would have chucked this game across the living room if I'd had to replay large sections of it. The game's autosaving is as seamless and helpful as I've ever seen in a game (if only Splinter Cell: Double Agent had implemented something like this!). It really saved me a ton of time and frustration.
  
  Customizing your weapons is fun, too. Too bad there's no way to sell off weapons you've been using to invest in the bigger, better ones by the end of the game. Oh well.
  
  
  OVERALL:
  
  Props to the programmers, animators, art guys, etc....all the "grunts" who worked on this game. It runs smooth, looks pretty, and all the technical stuff seems to work just fine. You guys did a great job. Where this game utterly fails is the concept/design itself. What happened?
  
  Seriously, what went wrong? Too many focus groups diluting the core ideas that could have made this game cool? Too much marketing BS about making the game more attractive to a wider audience? The idea could have been cool, if the concept had just been left alone. As it is, though, everything about Army of Two feels totally overproduced. It's like a bunch of 50-year old white guys were trying too hard to make it "cool"...which resulted in laughably bad dialogue/characters, an "I've-seen-it-a-million-times" plot, and BORING gameplay. No amount of pimping my AK-47 can fix that.
  
  If any part of you still thinks this game could be cool, RENT IT FIRST. You'll see what I'm talking about. If you still love it, then buy it, but I think that advice will save a ton of people $55 that they could invest in something else.
  
  Good luck to those who've already sunk cash into this game. Try to get rid of it while the marketing hype is still going, because after that no one will want it. A total loss.
  
  0.5/5
  
  

• Mercenary action taken to new heights!

  
  By A1DBQOB2CVLDOS on 2008-03-24
  It's been quite a while since I first saw the teaser trailer for Army of Two. When I did all those months ago, I figured it was some kind of high tech, science fiction sort of game... you know, an unstoppable duo wielding the latest in death dealing weapons and the best armour that science could create.
  
  I figured that it was going to be dealing with blowing away aliens or the like.
  
  Well, I was wrong.
  
  Well, partially at any rate.
  
  The game does touch on some of this, a pair of former Rangers named Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios, who end up quitting the military to go for a Mercenary Company known as SSC, the Security and Strategy Corporation.
  
  The beautiful part of the game is that it is very heavily story driven. You're mercenaries, and you get paid by the mission, and you can get bonuses of cash throughout by completing secondary objectives.
  
  This cash can be used to buy better weapons - you have your primary - typically an assault rifle, but you can purchase different types, all the way up to a mini-gun. The secondary weapons are handguns but you can also purchase sub-machine guns, such as the P90. Finally you also have your special weapon which is typically a sniper rifle, but you can even buy anti-tank weapons to use.
  
  Now, if you don't have enough money after a mission to purchase a new weapon, you can always upgrade your existing weapon to increase its damage, accuracy, ammunition capacity and aggro.
  
  So, you can really customize your weapons. Hell, you can even `pimp' out your weapon, getting it covered in gold plating, if you so desire.
  
  As for the game, it's divided up into six missions, played over a thirteen year period, starting in 1993.
  
  You start in Somalia, then head to Afghanistan and fight your way though an old soviet military complex. From there you fight in Iraq, and then mission four takes place in the Philippines, on the Aircraft Carrier the USS Constellation. Mission five takes place in China and finally the last mission of the game is in a flooded downtown Miami.
  
  Throughout the game there are numerous cut scenes, all that adds to the depth of the game world and the story behind it.
  
  If I had a complaint about these cut scenes is that several times the walking animation of the various characters involved was really jerky, not smooth or natural in any way. But I only noticed this I think twice through the entire game.
  
  While I'm on it, the animation was beautifully rendered. It didn't quite have the rag-doll effect that I've been growing accustomed to seeing in many of these first person shooter games, and the blood and gore was really toned down.
  
  Frankly, I wouldn't expect any less from an Xbox 360 game.
  
  The sound effects were well done as well. Each weapon had its own unique sound. It's a good thing I don't usually play these games with the sound cranked, because if I did, I'd probably have damaged my ears every time a rocket was launched and it exploded!
  
  Despite the fact that there is little in the line of gore, this game isn't for children. The F-bomb is dropped with frighteningly regularity, and it does deal with mature subject matter, although there isn't any nudity in the game.
  
  Game play is your typical Xbox 360 first person shooter. You don't have a health score, but you can tell how badly you are injured as your screen will start to turn red, and you're breathing will become hard and laboured. If this happens, make damned sure you find cover and give yourself a short period of time to recover!
  
  If you take too much damage, you'll get knocked flat on your armoured rear, so make sure that your partner is close at hand, or you are dead. See below for more on this...
  
  You have plenty of places to hide in the game environment, so make good use of them. Duck behind desks, or small walls or even glass doors to evade enemy fire. That did kind of annoy me, as I would have much preferred to see you be able to shoot through objects like this, but that too is minor.
  
  Unlike many other Xbox games I've played, this one has very little in the way of environmental kills. There are occasionally barrels or propane containers that you can shoot and cause them to explode, but I found that they were few and far between.
  
  One thing that you can't ignore is the use of your partner. You have three commands that you can use on him. Stick close, head out and draw fire, or stay put and cover. These can be used to varying degrees, such as if you want your partner to go ahead and draw fire so you can get into a better position to cause some serious damage.
  
  This is especially useful when you run into heavily armoured opponents who can only be hurt if you get behind them and shoot them in the back, or machine gunners who are hidden behind full shields.
  
  Of these three commands, you have two levels of aggressiveness... blue which means defensive, or red which means offensive.
  
  Now, as I stated above, if you or your partner get badly injured, you can call them up to help you. You will get dragged away, and while you're being dragged, you can still fire your weapon at the enemy. Once you're behind cover, your partner will heal you and you're ready to fight once again.
  
  You'll know if your partner is in trouble as he will call out for help. If this happens, get to him quickly... if you don't he'll die and you'll have to start from the last checkpoint.
  
  One thing that really took me by surprise was the scope of the game. Several levels, starting with the USS Constellation, were amazingly huge! You really felt like you were fighting on the deck of an American carrier!
  
  Even in Miami, several of the maps you fought on were incredibly large, like the airport. Plenty of places to hide, but also if you were unlucky enough to get caught out in the open, well as Hudson would put it, Game over man, Game over!
  
  Combat was, once again, typical of an Xbox 360 game. You could see the damage meter above your targets and this helped you to know if you were actually hitting the target or not during combat. You could zoom in a little closer by hitting the left trigger, or if you were using your sniper rifle, you'd be able to zoom directly in for a nice head shot. You know, one shot, one kill.
  
  Hitting the head was also a good way of taking down your enemy with a minimal expenditure of ammunition.
  
  There are also two ways of replenishing your ammo supply. You could pick up ammo off the bodies of certain enemies after you dispatched them, or you'd get re-supplied between missions. The ammo dropped by the enemy always looks like golden packs, so make sure you grab when you can.
  
  Be warned, the enemy isn't stupid. They don't like getting caught in the open, and they will use cover to its full advantage. Watch out too, while you're at it, as they like to drop more than F-bombs on you. Stay too long behind cover in one place, and they'll toss a nice little grenade your way.
  
  There are a couple of times throughout the game you'll get to drive vehicles, or control a parachute as you drop in on your mission. Make sure you have your sniper rifle at the ready as you drop in during the parachute phase, as it'll reduce the number of enemies you have to face once you hit the ground.
  
  The driving sequences were pretty standard fare, with you controlling the vehicle while your partner provided cover-fire. I guess if you're playing two player mode, you could quite easily take control of the gun instead of driving.
  
  Oh, as you fight, you'll gain aggro. This means that the enemy is targeting you and you alone, unless your partner presents himself as an easy target. This can be a bad thing, if you don't have anywhere to hide. But, while the aggro is on you, you can send your partner out to take out the opponents while they concentrate their fire on you.
  
  The reverse works as well, you can send your partner out to attract the fire while you get into a better position to take out your enemy.
  
  And, if you find a riot shield to use, don't hesitate!
  
  Finally, as with the aggro overkill meter, several times during the game you'll have to fight back to back. When this happens, time will slow down and your weapon will do a great deal more damage. You'll have to keep turning in a circle in order to take your targets out, so don't just aim for one location only, or you'll get yourself and your partner killed!
  
  Ok, Pros of the game...
  - Smart AI for both enemy and your AI controlled partner.
  - A wide variety of locations world wide to fight in.
  - Map size for some of the missions.
  - Upgradeable weapons.
  - Some very entertaining mini cut scenes. Watch em carefully!
  - Co-op sniping!
  
  Cons of the game...
  - Some of the larger maps don't have too many save points, and it can get frustrating.
  - Only about six hours of play time.
  - Some of the movement in the cut scenes were very jerky and un-natural.
  - Would have liked a larger variety of weapons, more ways to upgrade, upgradeable armour, and the ability to pick up your opponents weapons.
  
  I haven't tried out the multiplayer part of the game, so I can't comment on it.
  
  Overall, it was a solid, enjoyable game with lots of potential that was put to excellent use.
  
  4 out of 5
  
  
  

• Pretty graphics, engaging co-op, a ton of guns and not much else.

  
  By A8OMWC8JFJK5 on 2008-03-08
  I, like a lot of people was very excited to play this game. I will admit however that when it was initially supposed to be released last year I definitely had absolutely no intentions of purchasing. But after the extra hype and the hopefully polishing that went on for those extra several months, I was on board.
  
  To sum it up, the game has a co-op experience like no other, very pretty graphics but not much else. I'm just going to cut to the chase and spare you my wonderful writing skills: Shooting in this game is extremely frustrating. Not to mention the behavior of the AI is annoying. That = hard to kill. You will take a ton of hits and go down for the count when you don't really expect to. The melee-ing is terrible. You need to be face to face with the enemy and if you CAN manage to get into that position, you still have a 50/50 chance that his magical computer powered skills won't melee you first.
  
  I've read other reviews that this game contains great production values. I heard all about the battleship sinking while you are on it, and though I am no Call of Duty Fan Boy (by the way, I have disowned the game as of last week in support of R6V2) the first mission of COD4's ship sinking blows Army of Two's ship sinking out of the water (figuratively and literally). Sure it's awesome to see some fighter jets falling past you but it's short and honestly appears to be half done. A TOTAL dissappointment. Other than that there really is no huge action sequence to write home about.
  
  A stiff breeze could knock the bosses down. Yes the "Aggro" system is novel and unique, but you don't really need to use it, and even when my human partner and I tried to utilize it, we were basically punished because it did not work. Also if you WANT to use Aggro you are required to unload all of your ammunition which is not extremely plentiful. Every single boss in the game can only be killed one way: from the back. The boss in the first mission is just as hard as the boss you fight in the 5th mission. There is no curve of difficulty. The same goes for the other enemies in the game.
  
  A lot of the Co-op functions in the game are pretty useless. Co-op snipe is a cool concept but you utilize it 2, maybe 3 times. The back to back feature which sounds awesome cannot even be initiated by the player, the game itself automatically puts you into it, USUALLY at the very beginning of the stage. I will give credit where credit is due, the co-op parachuting is awesome. It is a challenge to snipe while in motion but still awesome. The hovercraft contains the most ridiculous controls I've ever encountered in a game. I highly doubt it is that complicated to operate an actual one.
  
  The game can be blown through in 6 hours on the initially given hardest difficulty. Once beaten you have the option to complete on a harder difficulty, but why you'd want to put yourself through that mindless drivel a second time given the fact that you know exactly what to expect is beyond me.
  
  I myself LOVE LOVE LOVE multiplayer aspects of games. I hold it in higher regards than nthe single player. I hoestly wish I could give you a full review of the multiplayer, but unfortunately after waiting 15 minutes in a room witih my friend we could not get 2 more people to join our match. However we did successfully enter one match and to say it wasn't fun would be an understatement. I enjoyed it yet it was a little ridiculous because along with with the human opponents the map was fully of AI opponents which always happen to come out once I engaged the human opponent. This really leaves the multiplayer match winners to be determined by luck. That does not equal a strong multiplayer component in my eyes.
  
  One strong suit of this game is the selection of guns and the amount you can customize them. This section is awesome. It almost looks as though they spent more time fine tuning this aspect than the actual gameplay and AI choices made while creating. Although it would be fun to unlock all weapons and masks, I don't think I could play the amount required in order to accumulate enough money to purchase them all. But I admit that the weapon selection and customization is the strongest part of the game.
  
  In closing, yes it was a diversion of 6 or so hours from my normal life. But I am currently selling my copy used. It is in immaculate condition: disc, case and instructions, you can find it on amazon in the used section it is selling for 48.99. If you don't believe me you can try for yourself and let me know.
  
  
• Disapointment
  By A2ELX4XFCRR6GS on 2008-03-15
  After watching the commercials on TV I thought this game looked great. However After playing it through I was very disappointed. The game didn't look to bad visually, but other than that there isn't a lot to be excited about. The thing that was very annoying was that the aiming seemed like it was unresponsive even when I put it on the highest setting. The campaign was short and I beat it in under 6 hours. The online multiplayer has an interesting concept in working co-operatively with a partner to complete various objectives, but it's hampered by the slow gameplay. If you really have your heart set on buying this game , I strongly, STRONGLY suggest renting it before hand.
  
  
• WOW
  By A2W4QSNP31QZEE on 2008-03-12
  I thought this would be so much better. Don't watch the ads because that is not what the game is like. There are far to many load screens that take an eternity. People have said this is like gears of war. It is not even close!!!!!!! It steals ideas from there and them makes them bad. Terrible interface and many glitches!! What is the deal with the melee attacks. It is the same button as shoot so you never know what it is going to do.
  
  This is fun if you have someone to play with. Other wise forget it, this is a waste of money and an insult to the name Gears of War. They tried far to hard to add cool little things like congratulating your partner, and videos with awesome graphics.
  
  Story is very bad does not flow at all and very abrupt ending. You can hardly even tell that you are fighting the last guy until he is dead.
  
  DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Wait and get it on clearance for $20 in 6 months
  By AUFUZ9QWZZ6XS on 2008-03-14
  Finished this on "professional" (the highest level) with my 14 yr old son in about 5 hours. After about a week of messing around with it and trying it on-line (the connection often drops or lags in the middle of the game) we are back to playing Call of Duty 4 on-line. If you don't have COD4 definitely get that first.
  
  As the name implies it is meant to be played by two people. If you get dropped, your partner can revive you as with Gears of War. But, if you get dropped in a bad spot, your teammate can drag you to cover and revive you there.
  
  You get paid for completing objectives and taking out bad guys. You get to use the money to buy weapons or upgrade the ones you have with new barrels, stocks, grenade launchers, silencers, etc. You can even get your guns "pimped out" with gold plating. My son really likes customizing his weapon set.
  
  The games is built around teamwork. One of you gets the bad guy's attention blind firing a big loud gun (pimped guns get more aggro too) and your partner sneaks up on their flanks and takes them out. You even get a meter which measures how much attention you are getting (the game calls this "aggro"). The more aggro you aquire makes your character actually glow read and your partner gets a little transparent. Get the aggro meter way up and you get something called "overkill" which puts everything in slow motion and gives you unlimited ammo and 2x damage. There's a couple of other teamwork things like coop sniping (sniping two simultaneous targets) and "back-to-back" which is alot like the overkill thing except you and your partner take out bad guys while standing back-to-back.
  
  Story and movies (that you can't skip) are above average. The graphics don't come close to COD4 or Gears.
  
  The language is very graphic and not just an occasional S**T or D**N as in COD4. This game makes frequent use of F*** and M*****F***ER. Violence level is actually kind of tame compared to something like Gears or COD4. For example, there is no limb or head removal (as with Gears) or blood splats on the walls (as in COD4).
  
  
  
  
• As fun as i expect but lacking in replayability
  By AAECI1I57EE07 on 2008-03-06
  I had high expectations for this game. It looked like lots of fun and had some original ideas. The gameplay turned out to be what i expected and i didn't want to stop playing. The graphics are great and the 2 player interaction makes it very interesting.
  
  The couple downfalls that i have noticed is that it took me 4 hours with a friend to get halfway through the game. If you dont mind spending $60 for 8 hours of entertainment, i guess you can ignore this point. The single player is designed so that you get money for your missions and you spend that money to upgrade your guns (or a face mask that is pointless except for looks). The problem is that you have to buy each gun just to try it out. It would be impossible to build up an arsenal that you can pick and choose from at the end of the game. Instead, you basically get to build up towards one good fat setup and have it for the end of the game. If you want to try out all of the weapons, you will have to play the campaign many times.
  
  Multi player seemed like it could be lots of fun also. I only tried a few games so i didn't get to try out everything. The biggest flaw is that there aren't really any rewards to playing online. You earn cash which is ONLY used as rank. I dont know about everyone else, but that isn't too much motivation to bring me back to the game. If you could build up your character like you do in single player mode (or even if you could just use your single player character in multi-player that way your guys is someone custom) it would make it a lot better. Starting with the same premade guy that everone else has is kinda bland.
  
  It is a very fun game that made me laugh and i hard a hard time putting it down at the end of the night. I dont regret buying it, but i have a hard time recommending it to friends.
  
  
• Great CO-OP
  By A1JUE7TGK9Y9EW on 2008-03-11
  A great game to play with a buddy (or wife:-) for co-op play. Playing solo with the AI is okay, but not nearly as enjoyable as with a *real* partner. The AI does a good job, but the dialog variety is a little weak and doesn't provide you with any game feedback, i.e., "Watch out on your left." Also, avoid using your GPS; it's too much hand-holding. It's more fun to explore and figure out your route and objectives on your own. The game is fairly linear, so what's the need for the yellow-blinking brick road?
  
  Things that would've given it a higher rating in my book:
  1. more AI instructions, i.e., go left, right, forward, etc.
  2. more levels! Too short going solo. Good length for co-op though.
  3. customizable armor, i.e., speed versus protecting, custom paint to match the masks, etc.
  4. more innovative co-op moments
  
  We're looking forward to Army of Two... er... uh... 2!
  
  
• Army of Two Hours of Gameplay
  By A3R5H73KH6SSYE on 2008-03-13
  This game will likely top 2008 as the "most dissapointing" game of the year. If you want a shooter buy Gears of War, Call of Duty 4 or Frontlines. All of those games deliver much more entertainment in nearly every aspect. That said in Army of Two the graphics are well done,however, the rest of the game definately seemed rush. There are many characters in the game who appear to have other stories/missions behind them yet never develop.Some of the cutscenes are clearly shifted from alternate story/timelines that were not included. For those who enjoy single play you will be dissapointed to know this game can be completed easily in just a couple hours (especially on co-op).The AI is terrible...it will provide little to no challenge most of the time. The boss fights are a joke. Ammo is way too scarce for a game of this style.Best of all the controls were probably designed the day before launch as it is extremely annoying to maneuver in close quarters and on co-op will amount to a few accidental head slaps that delay both your control for a few seconds, long enough to die and end up back at the checkpoint.
  The xbox live multi-play is simply 2v2...no deathmatch, no big team battles,no customization of weapons/character/armor (you know...the standard). The matching system for multi-play is poorly designed and leaves few clues to if it is actually searching for others. Dont fall into the hype and at the very least...rent this game first.
  
  
• A pretty fun shooter!
  By A2W36OONSDMA03 on 2008-03-06
  This game turned out to be a lot better then I thought it was going to be. Playing single player is pretty cool, but playing co-op on XBOX live is really where this game shines. There are all kinds of fun 2 person moves and tactics you can perform (drag your partner, heal him, boost him up to a higher spot, pull him up to you, co-op sniping, riot shield etc.). The aggro feature is a pretty unique feature to the game as where when you shoot the most, you glow red and enemies are forced to attack you while your partner will become invisible so to speak and he can go kill them from behind. Makes sticky situations pretty fun and tactical. There are obvious Gears of War comparasions to be made here (the duck and fire based combat) but for the most part, this game stands on its own very well. The story is a little weak but the co-op more then makes up for it. The online versus modes are pretty fun too but I feel it would have been nice to have teams of 4 sometimes instead of always 2 vs 2... But i guess that would kinda ruin the gimmick of the game's title?
  
  
• Got the shooter the industry needed.
  By A1JRTRZ9KO21JA on 2008-03-10
  This game was exactly what the video game industry needed. I think it is the best shooter to come out EVER!! First Halo 3(which is still the most replayable and best online) was number one. Then we got Call of Duty 4 which was groundbreaking in graphics and story line. Then there is Army of Two, it has it all. It is simply the best co-op game ever created, great graphics, smooth gameplay, great story and the wepon and gear selections are endless. You could spend hours just checking out the different wepon layouts. Co-op has been needed by gamers and this game delivered. I could replay this with a different freind every night of the week. Thanks EA and keep them coming.
  
  
• Another over hyped EA game!
  By A7JNCB5M2RN69 on 2008-03-14
  If you are looking for a challenege this is not the game fort you, however, if you and your younger sibbling are looking for a easy, weekend game, then this is for you. I beat this is game in two days , on both normal and professional mode. The AI is responsive, but sometimes frustrating when needing to be healed; the AI will drag you hundreds of feet away while you are being shot, only to die, and have to restart from checkpoint. The learning curve is simple, run and hide, or full frontal assault. How you beat each mission doesn't matter, the end result is cash to buy new gear or weapons--the fun part of the game. The graphics look decent--no complaints there. Story line is weak, MERCs turning on other MERCs--nothing new same tired story line. The final climatic end, running through a flooded Miami followed by a race to the top where a final bodyguard and 'boss' awaits. A final thought, the final stage should be the most difficult and interesting; upon completion of the game I still fealt there was something missing, ecspeacially, after the easiest 'end boss' ever. Save your money and rent this, don't even bother with the online multiplayer mode--terrible wait times and frustrating server drops.
  
  
• Army of Two....really is built for two
  By ADJKMC7AO7YN3 on 2008-05-08
  First and foremost I give kudos to EA for thinking outside the conventional gamer box and attempting something new as far as cooperative game play goes.
  
  Army of Two, in its freshman release really gives gamers, especially those that enjoy co-op, a taste in gaming potential and I think this is where the game really shines. Armed with your headsets and controllers, it's very fun working together and the teamwork aspect gives a great sense of accomplishment and adrenaline - exactly what this game promises.
  
  The groundbreaking 'aggro' concept is a wonderful idea and I can't believe no one really thought of this before. There are some nice player interactions as well, whether it be the 'back-to-back' maneuver, or the 'riot-shield' crawl. Hopefully, if there is a sequel these co-op maneuvers can be expanded upon.
  
  The customization of weapons is really fun, and there is a great variety of weapons and choices to make. However, it may take time to achieve stronger variations of weapons as upgrades are only unlocked if you have the cash, and some items in game are expensive and may take multiple run-throughs on missions to acquire enough dough.
  
  Graphics are very nice, but objects can be repetitive at times. It's a little strange to see the same turret or bunker design over and over throughout the various levels and regions, as if all the bad guys bought from the same arms dealer.
  
  Speaking of graphics, one set back for me is the overall environment...that is it's pretty linear and some object physics don't make sense. For example some propane tanks can explode when shot at, while others can't...not sure why. Some large concrete buildings take damage, yet flimsy wood shacks don't. Some cars can catch fire and blow up, others can't...you get the point. Similarly, I am a bit disappointed that you can't jump over objects that are barely waist high. Sure, you can duck behind them and use them for cover, but you can't jump or climb certain objects that just seem natural, and therefore limits creative strategy and game play. CoD4 is a good example on what one can do in a game that makes sense (although that's not perfect either).
  
  In the single player campaign mode, this is where I find some faults. First, save points and mission starts need to be overhauled. AoT uses the very common checkpoint system, yet somehow still seems flawed if you need to leave the game. Missions just tend blend into each other despite cut scenes, and weapon upgrade points (shopping opportunities) just seem out of place with no explanation. Also, why are hockey masks $10,000 each? These masks that serve no real purpose in game cost more than some weapons do....that makes no sense to me at all. In the Xbox 260 version, you can get an achievement if you purchase all 25+ masks. At $10k each, that's a lot of cash to unlock on achievement that has no game impact.
  
  Enemy AI isn't too bad, but in all honesty I find the enemy AI better than your CPU controlled partner. Sometimes when you issue commands, it's as if he doesn't understand or makes foolish decisions and leaves himself open to take hits. When in a holding pattern or up against a 'boss', your partner will tend to repeat annoying quotes over and over like "We need to flank him." Yeah, I understand...I don't need to be told every 10 seconds.
  
  Overall, while the missions are intriguing and a nice modern/contemporary storyline, the game seems a little short. There are basically 6 missions in the campaign mode and I found that only after a few hours I was already 1/2 way done. Good thing you can replay missions and maybe try new tactics, but there isn't enough variety to keep you too interested for too long. Solo replay ability is only needed to earn money to unlock new weapons.
  
  The missions are also very linear, meaning there is limited exploration of your surroundings which can be frustrating at times. Why does a chair or desk impede my path here? Why can't I open that door? Why can't I crawl under that truck for cover? It seems many objects in game are for dress setting only and not usable otherwise....very odd.
  
  Parents beware, while this is a 'M' rated game, there is a lot of swearing. So much so in fact, I wonder why there isn't an option at the start of the game to turn swearing off. This is an option in many games, and parents will be surprised on how many times the f-bomb and s-word are dropped. The violence isn't to over the top...typical blood spattering when shot, but not uber gross.
  
  One last gripe I have is that shortly after the game was released, EA has already provided DLC content for purchase. These co-op maps and training courses were originally intended to be included in the initial release, but I suspect wasn't completed by ship date (thus maybe why the game seems a bit short), and then EA turns around and charges for it. IMHO, this should have been included or be downloaded for free.
  
  In finality, the game shines in co-op mode and is good for casual gamers. Very innovative and can only get better in the sequel. In solo mode there seem some limitations and odd AI reactions at times, but still fun. I would have given it 4 stars if the destructible environments were more consistent, a bit longer in length, and a few tweaks to weapons upgrade/game save options throughout campaign.
  
  
• Okay not Great
  By ADDDFVHP3CSVA on 2008-08-31
  We have played Halo, Gears of War and some others and I really feel this game in no way lives up to either of those. The language is a lot stronger than it needs to be to get the message of the game across. I never see how *excess swearing* adds to the fun of a game. Then a lot is based on cooperative mode where one can't do a thing without the other (thus the title 'Army of Two' I guess. I didn't have any trouble with the controls but I have to say we were pretty disappointed with the end, pretty lame. The 'shopping' for weapons and body armor was also pretty lame, not a lot to do there to better what you are wearing for protection or in the weapon department.
  
  It was okay as these types of games go, but a bit disappointing.
  
  
• A solid shooter
  By A1J30HJM3YJSOA on 2008-03-05
  So far so good, I picked it up today and played through the first mission. I can't wait to get more time on the game as it has top notch graphics and game mechanics. A must have for serious fans of shooter games.
  
  
• Solid Game
  By A39MDSJCCQFTT4 on 2008-03-11
  I'm finishing the game solo the first time through, before I invite someone else to play it with on the hardest mode. I am enjoying this game a lot so far, I'm about halfway through the game. Yes, its short, but I think there is a good replay value with it. It's a lot like Gears of War, with a couple small improvements in the actual gameplay, great graphics, and good AI. The story is nowhere near as good as Gears, of course I'm only halfway through it, so maybe there are things to come, but the story isnt what grabs you, its the gameplay. There are a few unique options i havent seen before, but nothing completely groundbreaking. Its worth a try, rent it first and if you enjoy it as much as I do then buy it.
  
  
• Very Solid
  By A169CJ2NJQYIM6 on 2008-03-17
  This is a very solid game, and I'm happy to see more developers spend some time on Co-Op campaigns instead of all the online versus stuff. Although the game was a little short, it was a lot of fun, much more so than most games that don't offer co-op gameplay. Call of Duty 4? Its a lot of fluff in a fancy package, but at its heart its made by a company that has failed to listen to its customers in each of its four iterations of the franchise. Enter Army of Two, a fu and fast paced shooter that provides a lot of replay fun. Is it fun online? Sure, but if you can't play co-op with your friends, who really cares? I hope that more devs take a hint from some of these games. A very solid outing and I'm looking forward to future installments.
  
  
• Good game in the tradition of Gears of War, a little bit short though
  By ATRI22S5MAVLB on 2008-03-19
  I bought this game having watched the video's on amazon, thinking that it might be similar to the traditional shoot-ums where second player isnt going to make all that much of a difference (like gears of war unless you play the hardcore mode) and i was wrong.
  
  This game, unlike many in the past, focus on the dual player mode as a strong story point as well as joint game play. I found this quite refreshing and actually quite hard on the single player mode by myself (maybe because the Bot was a dumbass too but thats just a given).
  
  I like the reliance of other players in the game, for health reboot or swapping weapons, its quite a challenge and keeps you on the lookout for what everyone else is doing.
  
  Good storyline, love the use of weapons and how personal modifications can be made at any given time (a bit annoying being asked it consistently though) and overall fun. The graphics are amazing.
  
  Few things:
  
  1) Quite a short game: Don't get me wrong, as much fun as it is, they could have made it a bit longer, it took me about 6 hours to finish it :/... maybe they are looking to emulate an online community type sprawl like the Halo titles attracted for lan/online?
  
  2)No System link= fail: If there is something that annoys me more then no system link apart from online, its having to share an HD screen split in half, it gets quite annoying at times, but you eventually get over it.
  
  3 out of five stars, not the best but certainly fun.
  
  
• Dont waste your $60!!!
  By ADLZMTFAK85DQ on 2008-03-25
  This game is the same thing over and over and over. Run and shoot. The graphics are great. The dialogue is horrible to say the least and the game is extremely easy. YOu can literally get shot dozens and dozens of times before you go down and then your partnet can come and revive you. I mus have played through half the game on my first go before I finally died and that was because I wanted to see what it took to finally get killed. Man I was disappointed with this crappy game. Please spend you money of COD4 if you dont already have it, if this game is worth $60, COD4 is worth $600 in comparison
  
  
• One of the Best
  By A2GWNERPSHYIQR on 2008-03-29
  This has got to be in the top 10 games. Absolutely amazing. This game tears COD4 apart into little tiny bloody bite-size pieces. Dont listen to any reviews that are below 4 stars. They are all wrong. The "pimp out"/customize weapons feature is sick. I would choose this game over Halo/COD4 any day. Buy it today!
  
  
• Co-Op is where it's at!!
  By A30EWJCVP9P6ZG on 2008-04-02
  This game is definitly one of my favorites, mainly for the Co-op concept. Basically it's two mercenaries uncovering a plot to take over the government. It takes place in an alternate reality where private armies are a regular part of the landscape. The story is really good and the charcters are well written, but the co-op is where it's at. Even though the game is short, clocking in at about 10 hours or so, it's so much fun when you can play with a friend oinline and beat the game. Me and my buddy popped it in and beat it in under 4 days, including going to school. We both enjoyed it very much and he probably wouldn't have played it if it wasn't for the two player. Haven't tried multiplayer yet but this is definatly an awesome two player experience. Very challenging too, we played it on normal and had a ton of trouble, but now are trying it on difficult. Overall I'd say if you're a fan of the third person shooter genre then you should pick it up, if not then a rent may be better for you.
  Also weapons customization is by far the best I've seen in awhile as well.
  
  
• A Blast with a Buddy!
  By A1SS5WNJZSSWXU on 2008-04-16
  My favorite thing about this game is that it was made from the ground up with Co-Op in mind. It's a lot of fun to play with a pal. With a good selection of weapons to choose from and fairly smart AI, it's a game worth replaying. But be aware: to get the most from this game, you really do need to play it with a real live friend. In an age when it is increasingly difficult to find split-screen video games, I find this game to be important to my collection. Whether playing split screen or over XBOX Live, this is a great buddy-action-flick turned video game.
  
  
• Fantastic
  By A18H3XWPPGH1S5 on 2008-03-06
  Picked up my preorder of the game last night. Started from the first mission of co-op with a friend and made it through the first 3 missions, and so far I'm loving the game.
  
  First of all, getting set up with a co-op game is a breeze. You can set up either a public or private match. You can then chose to either begin a new game or start from a previous checkpoint. Once you're actually in the game though, you will be blown away.
  
  Working with your partner is a MUST. You can come up with tons of different strategies and ways of approaching certain situations. Have one of you distract the enemies, while the other sneaks behind them and takes them out. You can pick up a shield and one of you carries it while the other shoots. Or you can just take the head on approach and pop and shoot (ala Gears of War).
  
  The graphics are fantastic. Beautiful enviroments, excellent character models, everything you could ask for. The CGI cutscenes are fantastic looking.
  
  Haven't tried out the multiplayer yet. But it seems as if it would be the same sort of idea as campaign. Its two on two, and you must work together to make it out alive.
  
  The game is a def must buy if you're looking for a game to play with a friend. Mayeb EA should stick with action games.
  
  
• Army of Two is a Great Game
  By A1VCJKQUUDV6SL on 2008-03-08
  My review only applies to the single-player part of the game. I love this game. This is one of the best games to come out so far this year for any platform. If you love shooters, you'll love this game. This is a very well made and thought out game. Also the graphics are very good in this game.
  
  The game takes place in different hot spots throughout recent history. You play the first mission in Somalia in 1993 to take out a Somali warlord. Then you go to Afghanistan in 2001 to take out an Al Qaeda warlord who uses chemical weapons against his enemies. Then it's off to Iraq to fight the Iraqis in 2003. Then from Iraq, you go onboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in 2008 to fight terrorists who have gained control of the ship. Then it's off to China to fight the terrorist mastermind who commanded the terrorists who took over the U.S. aircraft carrier. Finally, the last mission takes place in Miami, Florida where you fight terrorists while a category five hurricane bears down on you.
  
  You play as a war-hardened mercenary with a partner throughout the game. You can play either as a mercenary named Tyson Rios or as one named Elliot Salem. You work for a private corporation who handles security detail throughout the hotspots of the world. You get paid a large sum of money everytime you do something special in a mission. With that money, you can customize and upgrade your weapons, face masks, and body armor throughout the game. (This reminds me a lot of the contractors who work over in Iraq who get paid a lot more money than regular military would ever get paid. I was thinking of the Blackwater Corporation as a good example. Of course, I think those private security detail guys deserve every penny they get. They are usually protecting high profile individuals in Iraq. Those are very tough assignments.)
  
  This game reminds alot of Soldier of Fortune: Payback. In that game, you play a mercenary, just like you do in this game, who is fighting terrorists around the world. You can customize and upgrade your weapons in Soldier of Fortune: Payback just like you can in Army of Two. The only real difference is you're fighting with a partner in Army of Two where in Soldier of Fortune: Payback you mainly fight by yourself throughout the game. Also I think this game is a lot more fun than Soldier of Fortune: Payback and the controls on my Xbox 360 controller are more easy to use. I also don't like in Soldier of Fortune: Payback where you have a constant crosshair in front of you all the time for your weapons. (When are game developers going to learn to give us a option to turn that crosshair on and off by now? Game developers, are you listening?)
  
  This game is definitely a two man show. I can't tell how many times I got wounded and my partner dragged me off to safety to heal me. Or when I came to a cliff or a wall where I needed to climb up and my partner actually helped me climb up. Then there was times we parchuted together and one person guides the parchute while the other person shoots at the enemy below. Or about when we are both totally surrounded by enemy soldiers and me and my partner go back to back blasting away in a circle at all the enemy soldiers around us. Then there is the hovercraft that you use in the water to get around in. You have one person drives the hovercraft and the other person blasts away with a machine gun at everything that moves.
  
  I'm telling you, this game is fun. I definitely plan to go back and play through the single-player campaign again. This game is worth the $60.00 I paid for it.
  
  
• A great CO-OP experience...
  By AN53PKHGSTJ7U on 2008-03-23
  It's sad to see this game getting such questionable reviews. Actually, a friend and I were looking forward to this game until all of the reviews hit. Everyone seems to say bad things about this game. My suggestion is to rent it if your interested, but if you and a buddy go through it, I think you'll like it enough to buy. That's what happened to us. Playing with the AI partner that they give you is ok, but play with a friend and the whole idea of this game shines. Communicating with each other, watching each others backs, that's what CO-OP is about. And while most won't admit it, it's what made Gears of War such a great hit. Being able to play through a game online where you both have to actively be involved in watching out for one another. I hope that EA does a sequel to this game. While I loved this one, a few improvements to the gameplay would make it a little bit better of an experience. Like a cover button, and a different melee button. While some say the campaign is short, I found that it was just as long as Gears of War. Why everybody thinks they need a multiplayer aspect to a game is beyond me though. Yes, it's sorta fun, but why not put the money into the campaign. All in all a great game to play with a friend. Give it a try...
  
  
• Good Game not Great
  By AXSACC6MOOBJ4 on 2008-03-24
  If you are considering getting this game because you already enjoyed Gears of War and Call of Duty 4, I would highly suggest you rent the game first. I am a big fan of CoD4 and even a bigger fan of GoW. Although I did like Army of Two I would have to say I'm a bit disappointed. On the plus side the game looks great. Campaign was fun but it felt a bit short. I like aggro and it plays well.
  
  My biggest disappointment is the online multi-player. I've played online 4 times and the lag and online game play was very very frustrating. Maybe EA can fix this with an update but until they do, I may sell this game.
  
  
• Matchmaking problems...
  By A3EOXIYL3CJCWA on 2008-04-02
  The storymode is great. Single player is great fun but at times your AI partner gets artificially UNintelligent. If you are not dying because of your AI partner not helping you, then most of the time it's funny. Gameplay is great...you don't stick to cover like Gears but you can still blindfire. AWESOME Online Coop Story Mode play!!! Versus online play is kinda cool.
  
  Matchmaking really needs a patch soon if this game wants to stay alive in the next few months. It's like you don't know who is online, if anyone is at all. There's no list of rooms you can join....you just automatically join 1 room. In Versus mode...two teams of two go head-to-head completing different types of objectives like kill the target or rescue a prisoner and many others. You are against each other and NPC's are trying to kill both teams. Vehicles are on the MP maps but the tank on one of the maps is kinda strange since there's really nowhere to drive it.
  
  GREAT GAME. Fun to play over and over again in story mode. Pimping out your weapons gets addictive. Please hurry up with a MP patch soon!!! Army of Two is one of those games you must have if you love Coop. Can't wait for Army of Two 2
  
  
• Army Of Two
  By A3U02ZIECE5JV on 2008-04-05
  Not a bad game...It was different which was what I liked about it...While you control one guy to take out some terrorists, you make your partner stand the ground and distract the bad guys so you can sneak around....Graphics were great...The only negative thing I found were the buttons on the controller...There were too many buttons within the game and on the controller it was difficult to remember what to press at what time...All and all...good game
  
  Eric
  
  

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