At a recent preview event held at EA’s Redwood
Shores studio, one of the titles on display was their upcoming co-op mercenary
combat game, Army of Two. The game will focus very heavily on the two player
element, requiring the players to watch each other’s backs, and adds some really
great teamwork elements to the co-op formula.
The demo build took place in a few new areas that
were being debuted for the first time. The China section and the Miami section
displayed two unique facets of the game. The China level required the two
mercenaries to take a hovercraft across land. This was easier said than done, as
it required them to go in and unlock some sections in order to get it through.
The Miami level was a bit different, showing an area that was completely flooded
out by a hurricane.
The co-op elements were very well implemented in
the game, requiring the use of bait-and-switch tactics to draw enemies into
traps. By “aggroing” them, you’ll be able to draw them into an area and take
them down.
The game used many elements that factored in
heavily to Gears of War. The basic combat elements entailed the same brand of
stop-and-pop gameplay from the aforementioned Xbox 360 hit, as well as the
ability to blindly shoot while staying behind cover. The use of cover is a very
important factor in the game, almost as much as the co-op element.
One of the more interesting things that you can
do on the battlefield is the Feign Death move. If you have a group of enemies
firing heavily on you, you can hit the A Button when prompted and you’re guy
will fall to the ground. If you wait a while as the action cools down a bit, you
can pop up and take out the whole pack.
Graphically, the game is very impressive, with
some well-rendered character models and detailed environments. The game also
boasted some nice lighting and special effects, and seemed to run at a pretty
smooth clip, even though the build showcased was pre-alpha .
Army of Two is a great looking game with some
intriguing co-op elements and intense gameplay. Fans of Gears of War or co-op
games should keep an eye out for this one.
