Shooters this late in the next generation of consoles tend to deliver high quality presentations but suffer from the redundancy of the series' releases that have came before it or that try and imitate the most popular shooter franchises around. This can be good for gamers, as it allows us to easily pick up a new release and instantly become familiarized with the controls and other intricacies of the game, but it also makes many games a bore to play at times. Developer Visceral Games and publisher EA have managed to stay away from the imitation trend and opt for a different type of shooter with their
Army of Two franchise, and the newest release continues to offer unique gameplay mechanics and a much more polished presentation for the series now built on the powerful Frostbite 2 engine.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel provides fans with another great game to play and other gamers a fun experience that will give the best reason yet to give the often overlooked franchise a try for the first time.
Though series' veterans Salem and Rios are still featured as key parts of the storyline in
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, players will control two newer members of the Trans World Operations group codenamed Alpha and Bravo. The two rookies aren't nearly as immature as the previous protagonists, but players will still find plenty to laugh about despite a grittier approach to the series' storyline. Alpha and Bravo find themselves in a massive battle against the Mexican drug cartel known simply as the La Guadana after accepting a mission to protect a politician named Cordova, who is said to be trying to take down the dangerous group to free the country. The group is soon ambushed, and a quick backstory is given to Alpha, Bravo and their involvement with the T.W.O. organization and Salem and Rios.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel provides one of the best storylines in a series that isn't always known for its superior narrative, and players will be rewarded with a good ending for sticking with the game until the credits have rolled.
Many improvements have been made to the cooperative action featured in
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel. The first thing any player will notice is the improved visuals and aesthetics of the game that is possible on the new graphical engine. Not only do character models, animations and weapons look better than ever before, but rumbling explosions, smoke and flying debris from the fully destructible environments truly bring the game to life.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel also features a supremely enhanced cover system that is incredibly accurate and features a nice HUD that ensures you never find yourself exposed at the fault of the game and its controls. Another nice improvement involves the layout of missions throughout the game. Rather than always focusing on cooperative play and covering your buddy at all times,
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel forces players to split up during pivotal stretches of missions and learn to survive alone to achieve an ultimate goal. Mission checkpoints are also a lot more generous this time around allowing you to more easily unlock additional equipment and change your weapon loadout many times through a single chapter.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel doesn't have the best storyline around, but the third-person shooter action has never been better. The high quality presentation manages to remain a unique asset for the game while retaining a high quality that will help draw in a new audience that will be able to enjoy the series for the first time. Other major enhancements for the game include an improved Overkill mode that allows players to go into a fit of rage with infinite ammo and near invulnerability all while blasting away any enemy, car or building foolish enough to stand in the player's path, and players can also use a mask editor to make their character more customized than in previous games.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is easily the best release in the series, and any gamer sick of the repetitive nature of the shooter genre should pick up this breath of fresh air and join in a game with a buddy.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is cooperative shooting at its finest.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is now available from all major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 and can be purchased for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is rated M by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence & Strong Language. For more information on the game, check out the official
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel website.
Game Features:
Offline/Online Cooperative Multiplayer 1-2
Improved Overkill Mode
Online Leaderboards
DLC Support
Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer:
Visceral Games
Publisher:
EA
Platforms: PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 (reviewed)
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Score: 8 out of 10
