Army of TWO - The Devils Cartel - Review

Army of TWO places you into the role of a two man squad sent to protect a man bent on getting the cartels out of his home town. It is basically an interactive Michael Bay experience.

Gameplay

Army of TWO has always been about co-op gameplay, and that is where the strength of this title lays. For the maximum experience you really do need to play with another human player, but that being said the AI is more that capable of keeping up with you. The game plays as a standard 3rd person shooter, using cover and flanking moves you progress forward. Getting to a checkpoint will net you cash, unlocks and global ranking.

It’s at these checkpoints that the game design can prove to be too ambitious as you are always waiting for the game to allow you to proceed into the menu, while a giant blue exclamation point obscures your progress. Throughout the length of the game, it was at these moments, which sadly they are quite abundant, when you really become detached from the game. Having pushed all the way down a street, only to be stopped by the games design choice is quite frustrating. But, and you must not misunderstand me, that is really the only annoying part of the design, the rest of it works very well. Moving about is not as clunky as other 3rd person games, and I never once found myself stuck to cover that I did not want to be in.

The game also gives you TWO Vision, a sort of tactical awareness mode, where you are shown items and ways to flank the enemy. I think I turned it on once during the game, and that was by mistake. A great option to have, but one that is not needed to get the most from the game.

Graphics

Army of TWO has a great design aesthetic, and you would be remiss not to watch the entire end credits, because they show you some fantastic artwork. The game is set during the time of Dia De Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, a celebration of the people who have passed on. Wandering through the streets of La Puerta you will see some amazing murals depicting this event.

The game does a great job of rendering all the explosions and massive plumes of smoke, which can impact your ability to see the bad guys, making you feel like you are in the mix. The characters of Alpha and Bravo and wonderfully well animated and showcase a great sense that these are two real people working together. It is a shame that the team did not fully understand the game engine. 

There are times when you will get slow loading textures or the occasion skip, but these times are few and far between, and even when they do happen will not dampen your experience.

Sound

Army of TWO has lots and lots of guns; and they all sound wonderful. Pump up the audio when you play this as the firefights are as real as most of us are ever going to get. It’s great to see Salem and Rios as your mentors, even starting of the game with the old crew and the new is pretty cool. The banter between the old and new shows just how different the characters are.

The banter that takes place between Alpha and Bravo is also pretty funny at times, other times its more b-grade action material. The supporting characters also have a life to them that you don’t find in many games. Sadly the worst part of the entire audio package is the soundtrack.

Now the game ends with a song performed by B.o.B and Big Boi, which is not a bad song, it’s the remaining music throughout the game that fails to deliver. Over the constant gun fights and explosions, the musical score is almost nonexistent. And it’s sad to hear, or rather not hear it, as when you can hear the music it is actually very well composed.

Final Thoughts

Army of TWO the Devils Cartel, is a game for gamers who don’t want to have to solve complex puzzles, or endure 40 minute cutscenes. It is a simple game with superb controls and amazing sound. It really is just like taking control of a Michael Bay film, and that’s not a bad thing. Grab a mate, crank up the audio and enjoy a simple, yet amazingly fun game.

The Score

8.0

Review code provided by Electronic Arts

The Pros

+Fun gameplay when played with a mate

+Nothing but shooting

The Cons

-The shooting is really all there is

-Some engine issues can cause slowdown at times