Review: Army of Two

You finished Gears of War, but still haven't had enough quality time with your online friend. Well Army of Two is here to help. You may be thinking that this game is not all that different from GOW, you are right and wrong. This game is definitely trying to be Gears, but it does enough different to make it worth playing.

Army of Two is about two guys who are part of a private army, run by corporations. Their company is so good at handling missions that the government is considering making these privatized armies the countries only military. Before that can happen some things come to light that put our main two characters to the test. Obviously they are up to it, I mean they wear steel hockey masks to battle. The story in itself is fairly decent and is very similar to the better action movies. The story revolves around September 11th, but in a tasteful manner. Overall the story is satisfying. Most of the jokes in the game will even make you laugh the first time you hear them. This game however is very M rated.

The graphics on Army of Two will not disappoint, make sure you get to see this one on a HDTV. The models of you main characters are nice a detailed, from their war torn masks, to their pimped out guns. I'll explain more about that in the game play section. But back to the graphics, the blood does indeed flow. And it looks decent as it splatters on the camera. Also the bad guy models are decent and easy to see from a distance. The environments are very nice and varied. Each location will not make you think you have already been there as it like a new spot.

The game play on this game is mostly great. Now the reason I say mostly great is due to the fact that it is a co-op game. With it being co-op means that your partner needs to be good. No problem if you are playing online with a friend online or at home. Not so good if you are using the CPU to control your partner. The computer sometimes is fairly decent. Other times, you may just want to get a pet monkey and give it the controller. That being said, the enemy AI is fairly decent, and at the professional level a bit of a jerk. The computer will actively seek out better cover if it notices you coming around a side, which makes the game that more challenging. A huge problem I have with the game is the distance at which shotguns can shoot, which is the equivalence of a football field. You will be struck down by enemies shooting from somewhere off screen and your power will quickly diminish. But the coolest part of the game is upgrading your weapons. What I mean by that is you can add all kinds of things to the front of you gun, including a shotgun or grenade launcher just to name a few options.

Overall Army of Two is worth checking out. It has great game play for the campaign mode. It also has an online two vs two mode where the teams are pitted against each other while trying to complete objectives. There is enough here to warrant a purchase, and if you loved Gears you will enjoy this one. I give it a 4 out of 5.