Army of Two

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.