Army Of Two

by Ryan Casey - 2008/02/27 1:46pm

Army Of Two, where do we start? After being announced back at E3 ‘07, EA's juicy little title has risen up practically everyone's most wanted lists over the last few months, not through constant press releases, not through media obsession, and certainly not through viral marketing campaigns. In fact, this is one reason we're starting to like Army Of Two. The game has effectively risen from mediocrity and evolved into a must have title, purely because of the simple fact that every time we're shown some more of this game, it just looks better and better. Granted, Army Of Two wasn't the best received title when it was first showcased. It appeared to be just another Ghost Recon/Rainbow Six clone, with a co-op twist, resulting in mixed reports all around the gaming world. But now, one year on, we can hardly wait.

Let's cut to the chase and get down to details. EA Montreal's little gem runs on Epic's Unreal 3 engine, which continues to grow from strength to strength just about every time it is showcased in a game. Games like Gears Of War looked purely sensational back in 2006, and still do today, whereas more recent titles like the latest outing of Unreal Tournament on the PS3 boast even more lifelike and realistic visuals. Army Of Two is yet another example of what everybody's favorite engine can do when pushed to the max. The beautiful contrast between shade and daylight really is stunning, and although we don't like running to early conclusions, they have a distinct look of Capcom's upcoming survival-horror, Resident Evil 5, about them.

But on a whole, the rich graphics aren't the only positives the game has to offer. Oh no, in fact, they are merely an appetiser for the main course: a dish of online co-op fun, with a side serving of unique features and some epic story pie for dessert. Focusing on the main course, this game is essentially a multiplayer game. Okay, it'll most probably end up being superb on the single-player side of things too, but it's clearly the co-op modes that EA is promoting, and even if you just take a mere glance at a trailer for this game, it soon becomes obvious why. Picture the scene: you and your friend approach a wall too big for any one man to climb, so you decide to push-up your friend. They then pull you up and over, to which you are both greeted by a horde of enemy soldiers. You and your buddy then go back to back, and start picking them off one by one, but because it's your unlucky day, a bullet is driven into your chest and you are dragged down to the ground. Your friend is exposed, so all he can do is drag you to cover, whilst your frail body attempts to blast at anyone intent on making it an even poorer day for you. After driving away, you realise you're out of ammo, so just give your friend a shout and he'll soon be able to fix you up with some of his, if he happens to be courteous enough of course. But enough of the fantasy already – the truth is that everything covered in that short account is actually possible in Army Of Two. Now perhaps you see why we're so eager to get our hands on with this beast of a game.



Going back to the topic of single-player, we're still not quite sure how it's going to work in comparison to multiplayer. No doubt players will be able to switch between the two main characters throughout, but it simply won't match the fun of having a true mate battling it out alongside you, we're sure you'll agree. Being an action game, Army Of Two simply wouldn't be complete if it didn't have the creme de la creme of shooters: a bucket load of weapons to wreak havoc with. Over thirty firearms can be acquired in-game, with upgrades like silencers and scopes also available.

You can doubt this game, just as we, and everyone else did. You can ignore it too, if you wish. But trust us when we tell you that regardless of all that, it'll be a massive shock if Army Of Two manages to be anything less than groundbreaking. We can't find fault with it from what we've seen so far, and that's a rare feat. A new multiplayer revolution? Damn right, soldier! Single-player is dead. Long live the co-op revolution!