Army of Two (video game)
- "Army of Two" is also a song by British pop-rock band, Dum Dums.
| Army of Two | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | EA Montreal |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Third Person Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player or Two-player co-op |
Army of Two is a video game developed by Electronic Arts, to be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 4, 2008.
Description
Army of Two (AO2 or Ao2) is a co-op third-person shooter with a focus on cooperative and coordinated strategies. Players will join up with either the game's built-in "Partner Artificial Intelligence" (PAI) or other players "to fight through war, political turmoil and a conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world." Story details are vague at the moment, but the game has been designed to necessitate teamwork; some missions may be close to impossible to complete without cooperation with the PAI.
Customization
According to Gamespot, the game will allow a great deal of weapon customization. Some guns available for customization include: pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, rocket launchers, light machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers and assault rifles. Such elements as stocks, laser sights, scopes, tactical flashlights, under-slung grenade launchers, suppressors, grip handles, extra-large magazines and new barrels, can be swapped out to give the weapon a unique look. Other modifications include silver, gold, platinum, and chrome plating. A firing range feature let the player test out their customized weapon, however it was removed as it did not meet the developers' standards. The player will also be able to customize their armor to make it better, stronger and personalized.[1]
Gameplay
Though there have not been many insights onto the gameplay of this game, EA recently announced the addition of an "Aggrometer". This will be a meter showing which of the two players has more "Aggro" (a term borrowed from MMORPG's). Aggro attracts the attention of the enemy so one player may go unnoticed. The character with the most aggro will glow a bright red while the other player will be transparent resembling a ghost.
Weapons will affect how "aggro" increases for the player. For example, flashy gold and chrome weapons will attract enemy attention at a much faster rate than the same gun without such effects. Silencers will also aid in slowing down the aggro increases. As an example of how this could affect gameplay, one player glowing red with aggro will be able to draw the attention of foes while the other player, without aggro, could sneak behind the enemy and shoot him in his exposed area.
Online Multiplayer
According to Gamespot, the mode allows up to four players, two on each team similar to the co-op structure of the main campaign. Both teams will compete over objectives on the map such as assassinating a VIP or destroying up an objective in order to earn the most money for their side. At the same time, they will also be forced to deal with the opposing team in order to secure their objectives. In the interview, the developer has stated that "The biggest challenge was to convey the co-op experience in a multiplayer match. We didn't want to go with the typical deathmatch mode. We have a variety of modes that really capture the essence of co-op gameplay. You'll have to watch each other's backs and work together to defeat the opposing team. "
With the money you win from matches you can buy weapons just as in the campaign mode, similar to the type of multiplayer shop systems used in titles such as Counter-Strike: Source or more recently, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men's "Fragile Alliance". Character customization for online play also appears to be possible from the multiplayer screenshots taken by Gamespot. The online mode will still take full advantage of co-op maneuvers and offer exclusive vehicles not found in the campaign mode.[2]
Co-op maneuvers
Expected multi-player maneuvers include:
- Boost: One person stands up against a wall and holds his hands out while the other person gets lifted up. Second person can then reach down and pull first person up.
- Rapelling: One person holds a rope while the other one scales down the side of a building or a large wall.
- Back to Back: Both players go back to back to cover each other's non-armored backsides.
- Makeshift cover: Players can tip over tables, and other objects to create cover. Players can also pick cover up and carry around with them. For example, car doors can be ripped off to provide a shield.
- Death: Player that died will have to run away from "the light" while the other player goes through a button-mashing sequence to perform CPR. This feature was removed in the latter stages of game development.
- Driving: All vehicles need one player to drive and the other to man the turret. Known vehicles are hovercraft, fork lift, jeep, buggie and a boat.
- Ammo: If one player runs out of ammo, the other player can give him part or all of his magazine. Also players can trade guns at anytime.
- Emotes: Both players can do a range of emotes from slapping each other to playing air guitar. Also characters will communicate a lot and talk trash to one another. For example when Salem was healing Rios, Rios said "Where did you learn first aid, butcher school?"
- Healing: When one player is injured, the other player must run over to him and either drag him to a safe area or heal him in that spot.
- Feign Death: If player one is about to die, he can fake his death. All the aggro will go to the second player. Then player one can get up and attack them from behind. (If walked past)
Contest
EA launched an Army of Two weapon design contest to create publicity for the game. The designs could be fictional or ones based on non-fictional weapons.
There were two winners whose weapons were an assault rifle with a grenade launcher and the other winner's weapon was a heavy machine gun with an extended magazine and a ballistic shield in front. EA changed them to sniper rifle and a submachine gun for these following reasons.
The Sniper Rifle: "Our second winner is the SAL86. We wanted to make something really special out of this one, and thing we found most intriguing was that fact it was long range scoped assault rifle with a grenade launcher. Basically it was the best of ALL worlds. We had to bring this back a bit to keep balance, but what we really liked was the look of the gun, and the idea of long range grenade sniping. We really went out of the box on this one and it now exists as a long range scoped rifle that fires grenade rounds. Think of it as a highly accurate RPG light, with superior round capacity, a great rate of fire, and some massive damage. It's an armor destroyer". Chris Ferriera, Lead Designer
Submachine Gun: "The 1st gun is the BST-V1. This one ends up in our secondary weapon category as a submachine gun. We had to adjust the firing mechanism to make it fit with our existing animation sets. The bonuses of BST-V1 are that it has some of the best stats of the SMG class, the largest round capacity due to the 100 round century magazine, and a shield on the front. It's CQC killer." Chris Ferriera, Lead Designer
Graphic Novel
Titled Army of Two: Dirty Money, this original graphic novel follows Rios and Salem through some of their earliest missions together working as private military contractors up through the present. Faced with corruption, well-armed adversaries, and the promise of a hefty paycheck, Rios and Salem can only count on each other. Written by John Ney Rieber and illustrated by Brandon McKinney, Army of Two: Dirty Money expands on the plot of the Army of Two video game from Electronic Arts.
• Video Game Tie-In: Based on the new Electronic Arts video game, Army of Two, releasing in Q1 2008.
• Written by John Ney Rieber: Rieber is a critically acclaimed writer. In between his work for Marvel Comics and DC/Vertigo, he has chronicled the adventures of video-game heroine Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and G.I. Joe and Transformers, along with countless other tales of magic, mystery, and violence.
• Illustrated by Brandon McKinney: McKinney is an illustrator who has done work for such clients as Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., Random House Books, Dark Horse Comics, and Marvel Comics, among many other clients for the past 14 years.[3]
Pre-launch
- Army of Two was #1 on EGM's list of "The Top 50 Original Games We're Looking Forward To".
- Pre-orders of the Xbox 360 version get the Design Your Own Weapon Contest winners' weapons whereas pre-orders of the PS3 version get a mini-book featuring concept art and more, an exclusive look at the strategy guide and an exclusive look at a graphic novel tying in with the game.