Army of Two

The cooperative system that EA have put in place works, and looks superb in action. Add to that, the fact that the enemy AI is intelligent and is not just going to roll over and die, and the fact that you can spend just as much time modifying weapons as you can do playing the game.

A solid title that delivers a satisfying third-person shooter experience successfully drawing the player into its action via meaty weapon selection and customisation, an intriguingly adult and believable storyline, extremely pretty in-game and pre-rendered graphics and animation, appealing and humorous character camaraderie, immersive if not somewhat flawed partner A.I and Aggro systems, and a thoroughly decent level of challenge.

With a style that is one part Gears and one part Rainbow, Army of Two is without a doubt one of the coolest titles I’ve played in some time.

If you’re looking for a new co-op shooter for you and a friend to blast through again and again and high five each other every time you get a sweet kill then the $60.00 is definitely worth the tag price of Army of Two. Army of Two does everything right in the multiplayer aspect of the game, but somehow lacks in single player play.

If you are looking for a co-op experience that will amaze you more than a trip to Alice's Wonderland, Ao2 will take you down its own rabbit hole.

A solid shooter but nothing remotely close to a "Call of Duty 4" caliber game. It has its shining moments and any negative attributes are, for the most part, diminutive save the camera.

Army of Two is a shooter with several qualities. It has a number of flaws, but the solid and well thought-out action more than makes up for it.

As a single-player game, the AI flaws begin to add up in an annoyance, so it is strongly recommended that you play with another player in split-screen or online

The slick presentation and intensely fun co-op play has made a believer out of me even though gameplay can feel sloppy at times. If you love shooters and are looking to play an interesting campaign mode with a friend, then Army of Two is a must-buy.

The co-op gameplay is both Army of Two's savior and burden, but the end result is still an enjoyable experience that fills a void not just in the Q1 doldrums, but in the shooter scene as a whole.

Despite some minor issues in certain categories, there’s a decent story that helps push Army of Two’s extremely solid co-op features to be an entertaining experience; whether you have a wannabe mercenary friend to tag along or not.

While Army of Two doesn't do anything totally revolutionary, it does deliver something that is seriously lacking at this time, which is a great game that two people can get totally engrossed in without having to join up with a large team.

Put simply, Army of Two is a great game to play with a friend whether that friend is local for split-screen or on Xbox Live for remote play.

Army of Two’s solo mission doesn’t match the firepower of its two-person co-op play, either in the offline game or online. But it does have plenty enough gun-filled action to satiate any violence-fans fill, and if the online gameplay is functionally free of lag or connectivity issues, Army of Two is one of the better recently released titles in regards to Xbox Live gaming.

More importantly, it's necessary to use a teammate strategically, moving him around the battlefield like a chess piece. This war, you see, requires a brain. [Apr 2008, p.53]

There’s no denying that Army of Two is a game concept whose day has arrived, and it’s a shame that it didn’t quite hit the mark.

Combined with an Xbox Live experience that offers some great replay value, all of these features make Army of Two a pretty good entertainment investment for mature players.

The missions are terrific, action-packed stages where something is always happening. More multiplayer maps would've been nice, and the challenge might be too much for rookies. Otherwise, these Two wholeheartedly entertain.

If you're playing alone, or looking for a competitive online rampage, Army of Two teeters between middling fun and frustration, but if you take the time to give the meaty co-op component its due you'll find yourself sucked in by one of the few gun-obsessed romps worth playing through again and again.

Army of Two is a dream come true for co-op enthusiasts. It doesn’t hit every note perfectly, but the campaign and team-based multiplayer modes are the perfect reasons to pester your old "Gears of War" buddy into picking it up.

Army of Two has some great ideas and plays at its best in the multiplayer co-op mode. However, there are still some issues with the main game being a bit short and shallow. Still, the multiplayer elements are a great draw for fans of two-player action.

It's predominately very fun to play and once you "get" the commands and Aggro system down, you'll generally have a lot of fun, with the cliche story, the characters and the gameplay.

It’s fun, and certainly worth checking out, but rather than sitting back and enjoying the ride you’ll find yourself frustrated by some of the bewildering design decisions.

If you are looking for a cooperative first/third person shooter and you fully intend only to use multiplayer, then Army of Two isn't a bad buy at all. But if you are after the single player title, then I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed, the ideas within the game however are very well thought of, and certainly should be applauded.

Army Of Two adds a lot to the coop shooter genre, and I hope future games take note of some of the additions made, especially something like the aggro meter.

Army of Two is a game with new ideas, most of them very good. But, the rush to launch the game on the market and the lack of attention to details lower its value a lot.

One thing that stands out with Army of Two are the visuals, which look incredible. Both Salem and Rios come across with huge character models and sharp details, from the top of their protective face masks to the tattoos and scarred battle armor.

Army of Two didn’t exactly deliver as a cooperative experience much better than Gears of War, but it made up for that by being a solid shooter in its own right.

If you are looking for originality, you'll find some here, but most of the game is a combination of several great aspects of other big name games.

Army of Two is an enjoyable team-based shooter that plays soundly and looks fantastic. Though it offers a style of gameplay we have seen countless times before, EA's latest endeavour is a solid effort that is sure to be a hit with co-op fans.

Like dysfunctional characters in a buddy flick, Army of Two has some annoying problems, but if you just want a fun cooperative experience, it gets the job done and delivers sizeable thrills you won’t find anywhere else.

If there is one thing Army of Two can brag about though its presentation. Visually this game is a monster, sporting some nicely detailed environments and great looking character models.

A good co-op experience that is just a bit too short to satisfy, plus missing a few features that would have made the game stand out. I’m becoming a broken record but, again, the online needs a bit of an overhaul.

Sometimes frightfully serious, othertimes absurdly ludicrous, it suffers from mood-swings and a general lack of coherent personality. But it’s also a two-man good time.

Its truncated length is a deterrent to a full price purchase, and its head-to-head options are unique yet limited.

Army of Two is, at heart, a fairly standard action game that is saved from mediocrity by some fun co-operative gameplay. If you don’t have a friend to play through this with, you may as well stop reading right now.

A bit too silly to be considered a serious shooter.

Army of Two definitely doesn't deliver the genre revolution some were expecting, but I still had a good time spraying bullets with a buddy. [May 2008, p.82]

The game ranges from moments of great intense action to totally bland and repetitive sections. The developers present all of these cool things to do and then give the player very little control over doing them.

However if you want to go solo into a new gaming experience, this is no Army of One.

The game is short and sweet but with little to offer any replay value. It’s a mishmash of good ideas that have been thrown together with only some success. It bodes well for a sequel, though.

It has plenty of redeeming and rewarding features to offset its linear limitations, but it was designed to be played with a friend, so approach with caution if you don't have Xbox Live or a friend to partner up with.

Calling Army of Two a poor mans Gears of War may be unfair, but the comparison is a reality as the game falls short on so many levels.

The single, or should that be double, player campaign is a bit on the short side, but it’s quite replayable due to being fun with a friend, and the multiplayer is good for a blast, just hope some new maps turn up for it pretty soon.

Although we’re real fans of co-op action, we couldn’t help but to feel disappointed. It’s just not well structured and doesn’t seem to offer any real exciting moments. Some of its mechanics are well implemented, but there are some other cooperative shooters far better than this one that don’t even have to pull these kinds of tricks. [Apr 2008]

If you're looking for a game to play and you've got a friend who can sit on your couch and play it, then grab it. If you don't have a friend to play it with you, leave it alone.

Army of Two is definitely one of those "love it or hate it" games. If you manage to "get" the game mechanics, there’s definitely quite a bit to enjoy.

As a game by itself it kind of feels empty and soulless. Get a mate to join with you and that is forgotten as the fun level rises considerably. It’s not a bad game in single player, but you feel as if it really was meant for humans and not COMs to play with you.

The fine-tuned excellence of Army of Two's co-op gunplay will easily sustain you through one run through this gutsy, broadly enjoyable game. But the desire to revisit it is weak, and for game that's designed with social online play in mind that's a big problem. Any level of the current co-op king, "Halo 3," has more spectacle and incident packed into it than the entirety of Army of Two.

Army of Two is a co-op focused game, much more so than even "Gears of War." If you pick this up, you absolutely need to be playing with a friend. It's borderline broken when playing alone, but if you are taking down tangos with a buddy, it becomes a much better and unique, experience.

If you're looking for a profound single-player experience, you'll be annoyed by the issues with the artificial intelligence, but if you plan to play with a friend, this game is well worth checking out.

Not every aspect has been worked out correctly, but for people that want to experience a new coop style will do well by buying this game. Mind though, that Army of Two is quite a short game, and there is no reason to play it twice. That's why the single player leaves a bad impression. Let's hope the follow-up is better, because the game has quite some potential.

Whoever designed the levels in this game, clearly didn't bring a lot of effort or imagination into it.

It has the feel and production values of a blockbuster game, but lacks any big-budget thrills. If you can get over the inane storyline, there's enjoyment to be had from the solid game play and co-op moves, but don't expect the fun to live much longer than those Iraqis you're shooting at.

As aforementioned, Army of Two does have its issues. It's got a flawed partner intelligence system, some horrid hovercraft piloting sequences, and not to mention the game is region-locked for online play.

A few things need tweaking, mostly the funky camera which just zooms in way to close with no option to move it around. If you are looking for a fun game to pick up and play with your buddy, make sure he is a patient one and an experienced gamer.

Other than the controls of the weapons and poor aiming model, the great graphics and fantastic voice over work help make Army of Two a solid if unspectacular outing.

While Army of Two does have its high points (an attack on an aircraft carrier being one), levels often lack excitement and instead deliver much of the same over and over. As mentioned before, it's not bad gameplay, but it never builds to much of anything. In fact, the entire game is rather anticlimactic.

If multiplayer hadn't been a broken mess the game probably would have scored higher and while good fun, Army of Two fails to be a great game.

But even its title mocks the Army, literally one-upping its slogan while glamorizing a sector that, if anything, deserves scrutiny--not macho fantasy.

The game may not have many redeeming features, but at least with a friend you can laugh together at the AI or attempt to make your own fun. Army of Two isn't terrible, but we're hard pressed to find a decent reason to recommend it.

It has its gimmick of two people being an army but it's not a very good one and quickly becomes tiresome. [Issue#31, p.78]

The enemies just aren't clever enough to keep up with players in most situations, not to mention the number of times your computer controlled partner will inevitably get stuck behind a wall. Plus, the seven-hour campaign doesn't provide enough entertainment value without the added fun of multiplayer gaming.

For every moment where the ideas seem fresh, the gameplay feels awkward, often to the extent that the fundamental mechanics feel broken. You're certainly an army of two, but you might not want to see your partner again once you're finished.

There are far worse games out there, sure, but few that tackle such big issues in such a blinkered and cringeworthy manner.

An underwhelming experience. The game has some great ideas, like the co-op manoeuvres, but doesn’t hit home with them. Instead it leaves them floating around in the park, crying out to be used better.

But even with another player, the action gets repetitive too quickly.

It can be fun with two players, but it's a real stretch. With Aggro, there is a sentiment to try it at least once, but we can't recommend more than that.

Flawed in places, abysmal in others - but it's hard to hate it as much as you should. [May 2008, p.74]

Too many flaws here. And so the wait for the ultimate next-gen co-op shooter continues. [Apr 2008, p.74]

And its idiotic treatment of our current military and rather insulting depiction of our soldiers is the kind of thing that makes me feel not only like my intelligence was insulted, but also just a little ashamed to be a gamer.

The game was expressly designed for co-op play, but that makes the enemy A.I., poor vehicle mechanics, and the inability to save on command hard to accept, considering it costs you and a friend a combined $120 to play the game “as intended” over Xbox Live.

Army of Two has many good ideas but ultimately falls flat on its promise. It's got some fun moments of cooperativity, some clever mechanics, and an unusually badass multiplayer mode, but its horrible controls and vanilla campaign mode prevent Army of Two from being even an above-average game.

Not matter the hyperbole, Army of Two is a single player game that has been hastily dressed up for co-op.