Army of Two Review

Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: M
Number of Players: 1-2
Publisher: EA
Release Date: March 4, 2008
Official WebsiteWriter:Rachel

Rating: 6.5
Rent/Pass

Army of Two: The Case for Privatization

Let me start by saying that Army of Two is a good game. It is a good game if you have no opinion about what the plot is trying to say, if you understand how these kinds of shooters work, and if you have someone to play with.

Graphics:
Overall, the graphics look great. The menu style has a sort of MTV/Army commercial look to it, like you’re supposed to be feeling really cool and raw toggling through your options. The game also has a very interesting vision mode that you can switch into, which shows you the direction you’re supposed to head (cleverly disguised as arrows on the ground!), and the enemies you should be killing. While it takes some of the suspense out of the game, it is quite helpful for those who are often lost/confused about the objective.

Sound:
The sound is solid. It involves a lot of “Your next mission is” and shouted commands from your teammate. The rest is mostly gunfire. If you enjoy the sound of gunfire, these guys nailed it.

Controls:
The controls took a LOT of getting used to. Halfway into the game it was still a challenge differentiating reload from “back to back!”. Another pesky aspect was the gun selection problem, which has actually become quite common in First Person Shooters these days; a few too many of the guns look rather similar to each other, so choosing which firepower/ammo availability combo works best takes several levels.

Flow:
Honestly, the flow leaves something to be desired. It was a lot of GO! STOP! GO! NO WAIT-STOP! WE’RE GONNA GO AGAIN IN A SECOND! There are plenty of other games out there with a better co-op system also, which is kind of tragic for a game called Army of Two.

Fun Factor:
Maybe Army games have a certain audience, of which I am not a member. Unfortunately for me, I could not get past the driving force behind why these characters were going to do what they did; they were hired because they can do things that the Army can’t. It’s the privatization of the military we’ve been hearing so much about these days. While I understand it’s a videogame and no real life, it’s not Halo, it’s not Gears, it’s supposed to be real guys out doing real things. When a game is based on a platform you fundamentally don’t agree with, it’s hard to want to see it through.

Female Factor:
I think there was one girl in the entire game? For some reason I doubt this game was geared towards the lady gamer.

Replay Value:
Low. It was hard enough getting through it the first time.