One year…one massive patch…and one hell of a price crash. The sequel’s on the way, but it’s time to take another look at EA’s BROdacious sleeper hit.

Platforms: X360, PS3, Vista

Developer: EA Montreal

Let’s face it: same-screen cooperative gaming has been steadily declining these last few years. Which is a damn shame, because sitting down with a few mates for some quality ‘beer and screens’ action is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Well, the most fun you can have without a well-trained team of Thai professionals, whipped cream, a box of ping pong balls, a barnyard animal, a whisk and a DVD of the Hindenburg Disast…err, sorry, maybe that’s just me. Anyways, let’s move swiftly away from my personal preferences (and uncomfortable semi) and get back on message.

Released in Q1 2008, Army of Two noticed the downward spiral of local co-op gaming and kicked its arse. Every facet of Ao2’s gameplay was designed around teaming up with a mate to kill a whole bunch of terrorists, earning cash money, pimping out a an arsenal of epic weapons…and using them to kill up a whole new bunch of politically incorrect ethnic stereotypes. A lot of people ignored it at the time thanks to the slew of bigger releases and the poor value for money that Ao2 offered at the time- but a lot can change in one year. Now it’s dirt cheap and has a free expansion pack! So it’s time for a RETROVIEW (i.e. re-reviewing the original game with the benefit of hindsight and today’s standards). Let’s do it!

At first glance, Army of Two appears to be a third person shooter with game mechanics ripped straight out of Gears of War. Massive armoured dudes, big guns, cover mechanic…sure, EA helped themselves to more than a few specifications from Epic’s original blueprint. But if Gears was the dependable solid factory model, Ao2 came with the sports package: a load of well-implemented new features that cater for badass cooperative shenanigans. You’ve all played third person shooters before- suffice to say that the graphics are fairly good (with decent texturing and some incredible water effects) and the controls work well. With that out the way, let’s get stuck into what sets Ao2 apart from the crowd. Warning: things are going to get a pretty…fraternal…from here on in…

First up are the co-op manoeuvres. Under fire? Get your partner to rip off a car door and become a two-man mobile gun turret; laughing as enemy bullets ricochet harmlessly off of your shield even as your mate uses it to beat down droves of filthy freedom-hating scum! Or boost your bro up behind a tall ledge, holding him steady while he snipes them out of high cover. Worried about a couple of sentries? Go into co-op snipe mode, trigger the countdown and rain down inexorable, simultaneous headshots from miles away. Whilst these moves are dictated by the terrain and are often unavailable there’s huge scope for tactical tandem mercage, but admittedly, more could have been made of them.

More advanced manoeuvres can only be used at scripted opportunities…but are absolutely brodacious! Aerial insertions require an entirely heterosexual tandem paraglide, where one mercenary controls the steering and the guy at the front fires on enemies and prays to god that the hard object digging into the back of his combat fatigues is only his partner’s gun. You’ll thrash an M60-mounted hovercraft around China and Miami, gunning down your foes whilst your bromosexual gets some sick air and nails the landing. And let’s not forget…BACK TO BACK!

When the shit really hits the fan, time slows to a crawl and you’ll become a whirling dervish of slow-motion destruction. It’s awesome. Enough said.

The healing system is a great touch and a real highlight. If you take too much damage you’ll fall to the floor and start bleeding out…but you can still shoot! Your partner can then drag you to a safe location by the scruff of the neck and heal you- while you cover them. This mechanic is balls-out fantastic, and I really hope that it starts becoming more common in future IPs.

It’s traditional to congratulate your partner after wiping out a mess of enemies or completing an objective. Ao2 takes this one step further by introducing the appreciation system. Run up to your buddy, press ‘A’ and you’ll celebrate your victory with a fist pound, handshake or sweet air guitar solo. There’s no middle ground here- either you’ll get it and use appreciation all the time or you simply won’t bother. Sorry, let me rephrase that…either you’re an epic fist-pounding brohemian, or you suck and probably shouldn’t even be on this site. And you should contract thrush. Off you go, weakling.

But wait, there’s more! I’ve been saving the best ’til last, folks. Completing primary and secondary objectives nets you serious money to spend in the mid-mission shop…where over 30 firearms can be customised to your heart’s content. Even the most basic AK47 assault rifle can be outfitted with a 100 round magazine, grenade launcher, shield, grip, barrel upgrades, stock…and, of course, you can pimp it out. We’re talking gold plate, rubies, diamonds, filigree detailing- the works. Trust me on this: wielding a gold-encrusted, diamond-studded M134 minigun is a truly magical experience that will bring tears of joy to your eyes. Saving up for new upgrades and weapons is massively addictive and makes replaying missions an absolute must.

And hallelujah for that, because Army of Two’s major crippling failure is that the whole experience was too damn short; hell, the original release didn’t even have an end boss! In fact, the entire package seems a little unfinished and rough around the edges (in all fairness, the developers were up front about the fact that they simply needed more time to get it licked). Whilst the game was packed with all the gnarly features I’ve been hammering on about, it was simply too short and linear to make the most of their potential. Even the solid storyline doesn’t have enough time to really get interesting. Luckily, they’ve since released a free map pack that adds on a few new levels and a real end boss- and, of course, reduced the price a whole lot.

In summary, imagine that Army of Two is a jigsaw puzzle. Each individual piece (the healing mechanic, appreciation, co-op manoeuvres, the shopping system etc) is perfectly engineered and made of the the purest ruby-studded platinum. They fit together perfectly. But once you’ve assembled it, you discover that the picture is of a humdrum, boring, suburban street. Functional enough, but nothing special; and slightly unworthy of the incredible components that created it.

OK, that’s enough horribly-tortured metaphor for one review. Sure, Ao2 doesn’t live up to its full potential but it’s still an absolute blast and an incredible co-op experience, made much sweeter by the price drop and map pack. If you like action games and have at least one friend then you should buy the hell out of it. Army of Two has come a long way in a year and a half.

RETROVIEW CGI Rating:

The new levels and reduced price make for an attractive purchase.

(Original CGI Rating:

Great mechanics but awful value for money. Only avid local multiplayer fans should consider laying out £45 for Army of Two)