infexxionArmy Of Two: The 40th Day Review
The cover to the sequel to 2008's 'Army Of Two'
Army Of Two: The 40th Day is the sequel to the original Army Of Two, which, as the title implies, was a co-op heavy game that focused on team work and strategy, while calling upon a Gears Of War style third person shooter experience, with the ability to take cover and wield many guns, along with performing some cool co-op moves like dual sniping and back-to-back (both which make a return.) So, how does the sequel fare against the original? Let's find out.
Visuals: The game looks pretty good, the graphics and characters in the menus and cutscenes look about 30% better than they do in-game, though. That's not to say that the game (when you're playing) looks bad, there's quite a variety in environments ranging from a mall, to war torn streets, to construction sites, to docks neighboring a river. There's plenty of variety here, and it's all usually pleasing to look at. I hit a couple framerate drops, but otherwise, nothing too bad (PS3 version, by the way.)
3/5
Gameplay: Much of the gameplay is similar to the first, though many little things have been tweaked and refined, giving it a much smoother feel. It's now much easier to perform co-op moves (like dual sniping) and you can now give your partner direct commands, take enemies hostage, fake death, it's all really fun. It puts a spin onto the game and makes you re-think tactics.
Returning are Elliot Salem, and Tyson Rios, the two protagonists from the first game, though with new voice actors. I just have to throw it out there that Nolan North, while he does a good job as Salem, I was constantly distracted and thinking I was playing Uncharted a few times, some in part by the fact that they are both third person action games, other times because both Salem and Nathan Drake (from Uncharted) are sarcastic and funny characters. Still, the story is pretty good, even if on the short side. No mind-blowing plot here, but it works.
Aggro is back and better than ever (well, for the most part.) You can command your partner to charge forward aggressively, hold his position aggressively, stick with you aggressively, hold his position passively, stick with you passively, etc. The AI works most of the time, but sometimes I would be caught in a tight spot and order my AI partner to charge forward, only for him to stay in the same spot, shooting occasionally.
All of this, though, is really fun when mixed together. You have to think on the fly. You can charge forward and fake death, then order your partner to be aggressive so the enemies concentrate on him. Then, you can spring up and take them out as a surprise.
New to the 40th Day are morality moments, where you decide what happens. There's maybe 7 throughout the whole game, and are evenly spaced throughout. Some ask you whether to kill a character or animal for a gun/money, and others make you decide whether to send a child after a gun. The ending choice is very well done and the tension was very high, I applaud the developer for this.
The multiplayer is fun. You have competitive and cooperative, plus an 'Extraction' mode which is basically Army Of Two's horde mode. This is a good break from the single player and you can go online to the official website and customize your own masks for online and offline play.
4/5
Sound: The voice acting for the most part is good, though some of lines feel forced and out of character. The guns sound realistic, and the music I didn't really notice to be honest. Nothing great here, but it works.
4/5
BREAKDOWN:
PROS
A worthwhile experience
Morality moments are a welcome addition
Fun as hell to play, single player or online
Ramped up and smoother gameplay
CONS
A few framerate issues, plot is generic but is made up for with morality moments
OVERALL: 3.6/5 Rent or buy it when it's $20.00 or less
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