The Best Things Come in Pairs...Two for post #2.

Post number two, and today we'll be talking about the game I recently bought and beat, Army of Two: The Fortieth Day.

Army of Two: The 40th Day takes place in Shanghai as it is destroyed around our heroes by terrorists. Salem and Rios have returned, donning their fancy new Army of Two armor, since in the end of the original game they founded a merc company named for the game.

Anyway, I started the game, and immediately checked out the menus, as I often do. I looked around and saw the masks selection, being pleasantly surprised that masks no longer had to be tediously purchased, like in the original game. So I gave Rios a silly yellow mask with a smiley face painted on it and Salem a skull mask.

Naturally, I chose Salem because he has hair. Silly reason, really, but I connect more with the character of Salem and revere Rios as more of a guidance character, even though he can be annoying as hell in combat when trying to heal me.

Anyway, the game introduces a deeper and more customizable weapons system, where you can interchange parts from weapons you have, parts you buy, and things you pick up. I ended up with the M41G, a great upgrade letting me mow down enemies.

I like how they upgraded the enemy AI, as well, showing characteristics similar to Salem and Rios. If you didn't quite kill a soldier, another will drag him to cover and patch him up. It made me feel good inside to know Rios wasn't the only AI who knew how to do that, even as I picked off the helper then the wounded.

Once down, you can drag yourself to cover and wait for your
partner to heal you.

Other interesting mechanics have been added in-game as well; hostage situations, mock surrendering, and in general better mechanics. If you are knocked down in combat, you can drag yourself to cover so your partner doesn't have to worry about you while he mops up remaining enemies. You have a health bar, though, so if they leave you too long or you can't find adequate cover, you get killed.

The aggrometer as it appears in Army of Two

I must say that I love the aggro system very much. It works well for the game and makes quite a bit of sense in appliance--enemies will be aiming at whoever is threatening them the most, that being whoever is shooting the biggest gun the most. It is oftentimes me, as I am more of a tank-typed gamer, preferring to jump right into the action, however there are times I was forced to cooperate with Rios, letting him take the aggro so I could sneak around and snipe enemies.

A hostage situation can quickly be turned around for your
advantage...if you know who to grab.

New mechanics in the game include "Mock Surrender" and the new GPS add-on "ID Search" as I call it. It tells you what rank certain enemies are. As for why you'd want to know that, you can grab an enemy and use them as a human shield. Any enemy whose rank is lower than who you just grabbed will surrender, and you have the choice to kill them or tie them up and spare them. (though in an exploding city, leaving them there isn't much better than killing them...)

The idea comes is extremely important when rescuing civilians. One well-timed capture can save them, but a slip-up and they are the first to get shot. If they die, morality is lost, causing difficulty for the player at the end of the game.

Salem pretending to surrender

The mock surrender appears just before combat ensues. It allows you to gain a bullet-time upgrade  temporarily if done correctly, giving you a major advantage in many of the firefights you will encounter in the game. It also allows you to get to items not normally attainable if one just rushes into the thick of combat, such as extra cash and weapon parts.



The game also allows for something not previously seen in Army of Two. While in the original, you had to constantly buy your weapons and upgrades, in the latest installment you can use the ones that all your enemies conveniently have. The temporary weapons system works well in the game and fits to the action, especially if you're hurting for ammunition in the middle of a firefight.

The Grenadier, just waiting to pick a bone with our heroes

All these tools in mind, the game doesn't simply let you run around all willy-nilly and not use them. It taxes your cooperative skills and ability to use them to their fullest ability-for instance, the Grenadier Trooper (pictured left) can only be killed by shooting his grenade packs, which are behind him. One has to use aggro effectively to get around him and manage to fire long enough to take the Grenadier down, all the while trying to keep their partner alive. There are other troops like this, such as the Minigun Trooper and the Flamethrower trooper, whom have similar strategies to be defeated. However, using the aggro system this well is rewarding and will win many battles pretty easily on its own.

With its new bayonet-typed attachments, martial arts-style moves, expanded arsenal, greater co-op commands and strategic requirement, the beautiful destruction of the city of Shanghai in Army of Two: The 40th Day certainly does it's best to live up to the original's legacy. But does it? Gameplay-wise, I am much happier with the performance. Storywise?

Army of Two takes place across the whole world, involving a massive terrorist plot to take over the world, naturally. The 40th Day involves the warzone of Shanghai as a terrorist group seeks to wipe it off the face of the Earth for pessimistic reasons involving the state of humanity and its unwillingness for sacrifice.

Both involve treachery, and the bonding of our heroes. They both allow growth for the characters while establishing they've already been through hell and back, and are ready to do it again. I am reluctant to say which is better because both have done a great job of portraying the hotshot Elliot Salem and the Wants-to-save-the-world Tyson Rios.

I can't truly reveal my pick without spoiling the game, so I will only say that The 40th Day has been done with magnificent detail, and rivals, if not surpasses, its predecessor in many ways. However, if you want all the fun and action, I suggest that you play both.

Until next time I post, happy trails.