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Tuesday 24 July 2007
Forget about co-op play meaning a simple retread of the single-player experience with a few more enemies. No, Army of Two is the real deal. A game fully focused on the two-player mechanic, to the point where solo play takes a bit-part role.
MMOs have been using an aggro system for ages, but its use here in a shooter is quite new. The 'aggrometer' - a gauge that swings between players as they provoke enemies - gives new possibilities for tactical play as one player works to draw fire while the other player seeks out a spot to flank the enemies, before launching a surprise assault.
Above: Back-to-back mode lets you take a heroicstand with your buddy, taking on everyone together
Once the bar swings all the way to one player, overkill mode begins. Here, the pumped-up character becomes super-powerful, gains infinite ammo and wades in, tank-like, with around 10 seconds of godlike power at his command. The second player becomes a ghost. Invisible to enemies, the ability to run around and conduct stealth kills, ninja-style, is just as fun.
The game is full of neat touches, like the GPS system you can bring up that turns the screen blue and displays your objective 'through' walls and even gives you a path on the floor to follow, ensuring you never get lost. Also, when down and almost out, you can feign death, switching aggro to your partner, allowing you to spring up and get to cover to regenerate health when no-one's looking.
