The only snapping to cover is when you dive behind something. Rather than using cover like in Gears of War or Rainbow Six Vegas, you simply move behind objects and peek out from the sides. The other character then becomes somewhat invisible to the enemy (to the extent that the game shows him as being slightly transparent), enabling him to sneak around the back of enemies to get a better shot – indeed, some enemies can only be downed by attacking from the rear.įor this to work you need to play the game as it wants to be played, which means sticking to cover and working as a team. Taking the aggro is as simple as firing at an enemy location, or better still hitting enemies – the higher the aggro the redder the character becomes. A meter at the top of the screen shows who is generating the most aggro, and the enemies focus on that character. Whether played with a real person (online or via split-screen) or an AI partner the game focuses heavily on what EA calls the Aggro system. Without the story to keep you playing, the gameplay has a lot resting on its shoulders. The plot seems patched together and is never all that engaging, the characters are hard to believe – mainly because they don’t do enough that plays towards their different personalities – and the threat never seems as big as it’s made out to be. It’s got all the ingredients needed of a solid action game, but it doesn’t make the most of it. With a plot revolving around soldiers for hire (mercenaries Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem), privatising the military, political hot spots and some backstabbing and revenge, Army of Two is set up pretty well. You’re certainly an army of two, but you might not want to see your partner again once you’re finished. As a brand new IP with a clear focus on cooperative gameplay we had high hopes, but for every moment where the ideas seem fresh, the gameplay feels awkward, often to the extent that the fundamental mechanics feel broken. Despite being responsible for some of the most entertaining games released over the past few years the publisher still has a bad reputation with certain gamers, and Army of Two was looking to change that.