Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Army of Two: The 40th Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Two:_The_40th_Day

It's a better game than the first -- but still a rental or markdown purchase. And it's considerably less enjoyable without a partner.

The gameplay is solid, though nothing spectacular. My main beef with the game is that Tyson and Rios, said army of two, remain characters that only a mother or a frat boy could love. They're certainly more tolerable this time around, but EA still doesn't fully understand what a brilliant idea they have on their hands, or how to properly implement it.

I remember being absolutely dumbstruck with the trailers for the first game, and had one of those "why the hell hasn't someone thought of this before?" moments. It looked like EA was making a shooter inspired by all those silly but awesome buddy movies from the 80's, like Lethal Weapon or Tango & Cash. Unfortunately, neither character was particularly likable and the first game's story bordered on exploitative (similar to the outcries against the new Medal of Honor).

My opinion of the two has improved with the sequel. I now find them tolerable, but there are several reasons why I still don't enjoy playing these characters:

1) They look silly. I mean, really silly. The only thing stopping these two from looking like they belong in a trailer park cooking up meth while watching reruns of The Facts of Life in the vain hope of a Nancy McKeon nip slip is all the scars and body armor.

2) They get along too well. It's not a love/hate relationship. It's all love. I'm surprised there isn't a button you can press to tell your partner that you love him more.

3) They love their jobs just a little too much.

4) They only do said job, which they love a little too much, for the money.

5) And did I mention they look silly, with a strong "creepy hillbilly" vibe? To the point that I am surprised that one of their camaraderie animations isn't Rios pulling out a banjo and Tyson telling one of their wounded opponents that he has a pretty mouth?

No comments: