Preview: Army of Two: The 40th Day (360)

The main selling point of Army of Two was its emphasis on a co-operative work ethic, where challenges could only be met with the assistance of someone else. This core principle was never fully realised to the extent of Phantasy Star Online or even asking a mate over to provide some covering fire whilst tackling Halo: Combat Evolved on its legendary setting. You could play through Army of Two with an AI enabled colleague but this removed a core ingredient from the experience. For those without mates or an Internet connection the option remains in this sequel, although we’d recommend investing in friendship or British Telecom to fully appreciate what the 40th Day can offer.

Mercenaries for hire (Salem and Rios) reprise their roles again as soldiers of fortune just a few years after events of the original game. Sometimes it pays to think about the bigger picture rather than just the financial gain, as the duo find themselves in a whole heap of trouble, or Shanghai as its known. This once proud and prosperous city has been brought to its knees by a series of unexplained events; as chaos reigns supreme. Law and order has broken down and the mercenaries must battle their way through city districts, fighting an organised enemy whilst trying to uncover the secret of the 40th Day Initiative. This organisation led by the mysterious Jonah is attempting to impose his own will on the city and its inhabitants, thereby creating his own society.

“With Army Of Two: The 40th Day, we’re pushing the tactical two-man military team into new battlegrounds offering a completely organic and rich co-op experience to deliver an action-packed co-op shooter this winter,” says Reid Schneider, Executive Producer, EA Montreal. ”As chaos blankets Shanghai, China, you must rely on your partner to survive as you weave through a broken city left devastated in a mysterious wake.”

More customisable weapons are promised with a nice touch appearing over at the official game site. Here you can design your own mask and armour and import these into the game itself or share with friends. It’s the next logical step ahead from the detailed paint shop options seen in Forza and the character creation tools in Oblivion and more recently Dragon Age: Origins.

The main emphasis seems to be the online options and a revamped co-operative mode that features more tactical options. Four multiplayer modes are promised with those pre-ordering the game receiving the exclusive Extraction setting. Here you and three others will face wave upon wave of enemies as you circumnavigate Shanghai. It’s an interesting move by EA as we’ve seen such modes in Halo ODST, Gears of War II and to some extent Left 4 Dead, proving very popular. The deal breaker is that if you don’t pre-order then Extraction will remain locked until a month after its release. A morality aspect is also included where you will be faced with difficult decisions that will have an influence on events further into the game.

From what we’ve seen so far EA’s sublime production and presentation skills are at work here once again and some much-needed freedom has been granted to the co-operative play. The publisher has gone as far as to hire composer Tyler Bates who has been responsible for films such as 300 and the Watchmen. “The 40th Day is one of the most intense games I’ve seen,” said Bates. “The setting, characters and action in the game provided me the perfect backdrop to create an equally intense and dramatic score that compliments the game play.”

“Tyler Bates’ score for The 40th Day is not only a stellar addition to this tradition but takes the Army of Two franchise to a whole new level,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing. “Most of all, our collaboration with a composer of his calibre furthers EA's continued commitment to creating the most groundbreaking new soundtracks in the entertainment industry.”

The good news is that Army of Two: 40th Day is the first major release of 2010 so we won’t have to wait long to see if this sequel realises its potential. It may well just be a viable option for your unused festive gaming gift card, EA certainly hope so.

Words by Jason Julier