Army of Two was developed by EA Montreal and Electronic Arts for the Microsoft Xbox 360 as well as for the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3). It has a rating of M for mature players. Based on a third-person shooter cooperative gameplay mechanic, Army of Two centers on ruthless mercenaries Salem and Rios in Somalia in 1993 and traces the protagonists’ backstory as soldiers and then transitioning to the private sector. Army of Two is designed as a two-man co-op game, with many missions depending on joint tactics and teamwork to kill enemies and accomplish objectives. However, the Partner Artificial Intelligence (PAI) can be substituted for an actual human player. When opting to play alongside PAI, which has the ability to drag their human teammate to safety and heal them, players choose between the roles of either Salem or Rios at the start of their campaign. There are plenty of maneuvers available to two players in co-op mode. Among the most basic are the step jump/pull up, in which the two work cooperatively to scale walls, and the weapon swap, which serves as a complete mobile arsenal. Two players can also cover each other while parachuting, count time to synchronize sniper shots, and, at certain points, fight back to back for mutual protection as they kill enemies and create havoc. As players progress through each mission, the Aggro Meter increases, ultimately drawing enemy fire. Using this feature strategically, one player can divert all enemy fire away from their partner, who can then sneak in for stealth attacks on enemies. If the player with the highest Aggro takes too much damage, they can feign their death to transfer all Aggro to the other player. Capitalizing on the mercenary theme, Army of Two for the Xbox 360 allows players to customize their weapons using money earned from in-game mission completion. Weapon upgrades include technical add-ons like new barrels and grips along with increased magazine and ammo drum sizes, suppressors, and gun-shields. Army of Two has been praised by critics for its stunning visuals and audio quality on the Xbox 360 and offers lifelike graphics, realistic gun sounds, and a complete, voice-acted game script. In addition to the campaign mode on the Xbox 360, players can go against others around the world via Xbox Live, challenging other armies of two in versus mode. There are three types of game available in multiplayer: Warzone, Bounties, and Extraction. In Warzone, one team attempts to accomplish a set of randomly generated objectives while their opponents try to stop them. These might involve taking and defending a strategic outpost, extracting wounded soldiers, assassinating targets, or blowing up vehicles. Bounty games have players tracking down targets for a monetary reward, while Extraction is all about escorting POWs or VIPs to a safe zone. As in the single-player campaign, players can upgrade their characters with body armor, weapon sets, and increased ammo capacities. However, since the team with the most money wins, strategic spending on such upgrades is advised. With a Veteran Map Pack available as DLC from Xbox Live, alongside a range of cheats, Army of Two has plenty of replay value. Easy to pick up, this first game in the Army of Two franchise from EA Games has been known for its quick action-gaming fun for one or more players since its March 2008 release date. Follow-up video games in the series include Army of Two: The 40th Day (also available on PSP) and Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel (using the Frostbite 2 engine), both for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
