Army of Two: The 40th Day

Unlike most warfare shooters, Army of Two: The 40th Day continues to stand out from other games in its unique gameplay mechanics, mature story and cynical look at the world of privatized military. For fans of Gears of War and Spec Ops: The Line, Army of Two: The 40th Day is a gritty and mature story that tackles honor, loyalty, deception and conspiracy.

Two Sides to Every Story

On the surface, The 40th Day might look like any other grey and brown third-person shooter from the 2010s. And in many ways, that description is accurate. But what sets an Army Of Two apart from other games is its unique cooperative gameplay mechanics.

When taking part in firefights, players will have an aggro meter that flicks between the game’s main characters, Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem. By directing one character’s fire towards enemy forces, their attention will be drawn away from their partner. This allows players to flank and strategize around the open levels through rerouting, regrouping and other meanouvers. Levels are varied and detailed, giving the game a world-hopping vibe that sees players battle in Shanghai cityscapes, offices and military compounds.

Customize Your Soldier

After completing objectives and missions, players are rewarded with money that can be used to customize their gear as well as improve their arsenal. With four weapon types to use in battle (primary, secondary, special and grenades), there’s a fair amount of customization available to players to pimp out their arsenal.

Players can add new barrel mods, stocks, magazine upgrades, and even aesthetic changes like gun sleeves and custom masks to show off their personality. This customization is a nice change of pace from similar games that released around the same time, and the sheer amount of customization is actually daunting at times considering how many options there really are.

No Friends, Lots of Problems

Army of Two: The 40th Day’s gameplay focuses heavily on cooperative solutions to intense firefights. Playing with a friend can be exciting, engaging and intellectually stimulating as you and your partner shoot your way through level after level.

That said, if you’re playing solo then things aren’t as smooth sailing. While the game does offer a single player cooperative AI teammate, the developers can’t match the same sort of spontaneous cooperation you get from another person. The AI does generally do what you need it to mid-battle, but sometimes the computer can get in the way or make silly mistakes that will leave you wishing you had a friend playing alongside you.

And while the coop elements are Army of Two’s biggest strengths, there is a lack of focus and priority when it comes to these more engaging game mechanics. Specifically, the ‘back to back’ mechanic that has Tyson and Elliot face away from one another in a slow-motion firefight, there’s no way to trigger these situations manually. The pre-scripted element takes away the feelings of autonomy and tactical thinking that otherwise would see the game reach greater heights.

PROS:

• Unique shooting mechanics that set the game apart
• Exciting blockbuster plot that improves over the first game
• Split screen, public and private coop options available

CONS:

• Solo partner AI is serviceable, but not great
• Multiplayer is dead
• Graphics can be muddy and uninspired compared to other shooters

In this intense shooter, teamwork and coordination are your only hope for survival. Playing as two skilled mercenaries caught during a slew of terrorist attacks, it's your job to fight back and regain control of your territory. Through the game's cooperative campaign and multiplayer, you'll customize your ideal weapon and make good use of cover to defeat your enemies. Playable either solo with an AI partner or together with a friend, Army of Two: The 40th Day is a sequel that offers a similar experience to its predecessor, which is both a good and bad thing.

Main Game Features

• Campaign with a co-op focus
• Tactical third-person shooting
• Competitive multiplayer modes

Story

Army of Two: The 40th Day is a sequel to the original Army Of Two game and features the same main characters, Elliot and Tyson. Set some time after the first game, Elliot and Tyson have now created their own military contracting company and head to Shanghai, China for their first mission. However, things don't go as planned, and a terrorist attack halts their progress. As a team of killers called the 40th Day Initiative hunt them across Shanghai, Elliot and Tyson must work together if they want to survive and make it back home.

It's good to see the characters from the first game return, but Army of Two: The 40th Day doesn't do a whole lot of new stuff with its story. Most of the story beats are pretty standard for a military-style shooter, with betrayals, surprise attacks, and more. The game tries to mix things up by presenting you with moral choices to make during the campaign, but besides a few choices at the end, they don't change much about the story. Overall, it's a decent but retreaded premise that doesn't really hook the player.

Gameplay

In terms of gameplay, Army of Two: The 40th Day stays true to the first game, providing more hectic firefights with a big focus on cooperative play. Much like Gears of War, you must take cover behind debris to gain a better angle on your opponents, or risk quick death. By communicating with your teammate, you can pull an enemy's aggro and distract him long enough to land the kill, but this doesn't always work. These kinds of maneuvers become harder when you're playing the campaign by yourself, as the AI companion only provides the most basic assistance. There are still plenty of cool moments, including some slick sections where both players link up as one killer unit, but a lot of the levels can feel repetitive.

Besides a few new types of enemies and different environments, Army of Two: The 40th Day's biggest addition is the customizable gun system. While you start with a satisfactory rifle, you can earn upgrades and attachments as you complete missions, helping you craft your ideal gun. There are also four multiplayer modes you can play online, each one being a 2v2 affair. In addition to Deathmatch, you can fight for territories in Control mode, battle waves of enemies in Extraction mode, or compete in objective battles in Warzone mode. While there isn't a huge variety, there are enough modes to keep you and your friends interested for a few rounds.

Conclusion

Army of Two: The 40th Day has some really cool concepts for cooperative gameplay, but it doesn't hit the mark with every idea. The campaign has some fun levels, but the story isn't all that exciting, even with the added morality system.

Pros

• Cool weapon customization
• Cooperative mechanics are used well
• Interesting morality system

Cons

• Not many improvements from the first game
• Cliche story
• Bad ally and enemy AI