Army of Two Review

BY Rabie Hassoun | POSTED: 02 April 2008

Nothing like the power of friendship!



Army of Two, a new IP by EA, is a game unlike any other. The main objectives here, like many other action games, are still based around reaching a certain location or eliminating a specific target. In Army of Two however, cooperation with your partner will definitely stand out. Making good use of your partner is critical here if you are to beat and enjoy playing this game. As a private contracted army you will be traveling across the world from Iraq to Miami solving mysteries, collecting insider information and eliminating targets together. Gladly the game does not just offer a unique online/offline multiplayer experience but also a very solid single player mode.

As the game kicks off you will be introduced to an essential training level that will get you familiarized with all the controls and coop strategies. The first thing you will need to understand here is the terms aggro and aggrometer. Every time you step on the battlefield with your partner, a meter will appear on the screen showing the aggro for each player. Think of aggro as how much attention the enemy is giving you. The more shots you fire and cover you blow, the higher your aggro is. The higher your aggro goes, the redder you will glow, and in that moment it is time for your partner to step up his game. Once you have grabbed all the attention, your partner will be somehow invisible. Giving him the ability to sneak behind the enemies lines and slay them one after another while the poor terrorist’s attention is still focused on you. This element in the game alone will result in many strategies and alternative routes for you to conclude some more difficult stages later in the game.

Even though Ao2 is a game best played with a partner on hand, the single player experience does not disappoint on its own. You will be joining forces with a pretty solid AI that will be taking full advantage of your aggro or any given situation during the game. The only hitch in the AI’s performances will start showing up later in the game. On the other hand the enemy’s AI is pretty much inconsistent. Some enemies will be blowing cover for no reason only to die at the tip of you gun, while others will be regrouping after defeat and coming back at you even stronger and smarter.

The multiplayer portion of Ao2 is still what this game is all about. Online or offline you will be communicating and thinking hard with your partner regarding every move and step you take in the game. Selfish gamers will be having a very hard time succeeding here considering the amount of team work and communication needed. Every level and location usually has multiple routes for you and your partner to plan your moves around. You can for example run up a mountain and have the enemy try and follow you, which will in turn open up the way for your partner to easily snipe them all down. The possibilities and scenarios are endless here, and that is exactly what makes Ao2 such an outstanding experience.

All along the game you will be able to fully use (and not abuse) your partner by triggering the R1 button. A wheel will appear displaying what coop moves you can execute in that specific situation. You can for example trigger the coop sniping mode that will allow you and your partner to snipe out targets simultaneously. Sadly however, you will not be able to use some other cool coop moves manually. The back to back fights for instance are triggered automatically in specific situations and levels. Other moves that require coop cooperation involve using objects and obstacles in each level. Rip off a door on a car for example and call your fellow soldier to come and take cover. Here you will be walking around with the shield in your hands as your partner shoots the life out of everything else in the room. Sounds fantastic on paper for sure, fortunately it also looks equally amazing and is a ton of fun to execute.

The biggest problem we faced during our time with Ao2 is the slightly complicated controls and the sloppy aiming system. The controls will get a bit out of sync during some more crowded situations. Overtime though you will quickly get used to the games controls and commands. The aiming system though is one thing you will never get used to. Hitting targets from distance can become nearly impossible. The bad news here is that hitting close-by-targets even on the other hand is impossible. Thankfully though, you will be able to perform a melee attack on targets nearby. The problem here is that the melee attacks are preformed using the same R2 button used for shooting. So some ammo will still be wasted as you try to beat your opponent to death.

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