Army of Two is a lackluster follow-up in a series famous for its co-op style gameplay.
Overall, the game is mostly functional. Running a third person perspective as before, this game has you taking control of Alpha and Bravo instead of the familiar Rios and Salem. You still navigate the levels moving from cover to cover taking out bad guys. However, I found the cover system in Devil's Cartel to be very flaky. Unlike the other games where you could run up to the cover most of the time, DC requires you to push X to do so. This would be fine if it worked. If you don't see the little cover animation next to your intended target, you simply wouldn't go into cover. This killed me many times over the course of the painfully short game.
The aggro meter from the previous two games has been removed. While aggro still functions like before, it's now harder to coordinate with a partner on who has the controlling aggro.
The assortment of weapons seems about the same as the last game and you still have quite a few mods. However, gold skins don't effect aggro like they did before. Overall there is nothing new broken here. However, there are greater options for customizing your character like a mask editor, more pre-made mask choices, and tons more gear appearance options.
Obviously, overkill is something to be mentioned. The brief invincibility/unlimited ammo mode can be a lifesaver, literally. You can use it to go hostile on enemies, destroying the environments around them, especially with double overkill. It also will stop the death timer when taking too much damage allowing your partner to have more time to rescue you. It's also extremely important for generating money.
Aside from that, the game plays like a series of repetitive gun battles. The enemies are simple and lacking in any real variety. Most "missions" last less than 30 minutes, afterwards you get your money which increases your rank and allows you to unlock new gear. There are a few unique moments like the occasional car chase scene, but really, it's mostly just bland gun battles.
Visually, the game looks pretty good. Environments can vary from detailed to bland depending on where you are. They are also extremely destructible which can create certain challenges when your cover is destroyed. The characters are lifelike, looking like the voice actors that portray them. Otherwise, the visuals are what you would expect of a late gen console game.
The sound design is decent, but nothing special. Alpha and Bravo trade witty banter that sometimes gives tidbits about their story, but you never really learn who they are. Most of the dialogue doesn't sound forced or wooden. Music is pretty much the same pulse-pounding style music that has been with the series for the last two games.
Value is weak. You're talking 6-8 hours for the campaign, followed up by maybe another 6 hours or so to complete the Overkiller missions which are just basically going through the campaign again attempting to maintain overkill as long as possible. There are no multiplayer modes that you might expect out of a game like this and there's no DLC right now. Hopefully, there might be some in the future because this game is pretty barren.
The biggest problem I have with Devil's Cartel is how far it deviates from what made the series unique. There's no aggro meter, no back-to-back moments, no moral choices, and the main characters are poor substitutes for Rios and Salem. Speaking of Salem, many fans of the series are going to be angry with the characterization of him in this game. He seems so removed from how I remember him in the last two games. In fact, with so much changed from the previous games, Devil's Cartel feels like Army of Two in name only.
I don't advise purchasing this truthfully. However, if you want to, wait for it go on sale or hit the bargain bin because this game is nothing like its much better predecessors.
The Good: Excellent weapon/mask/outfit customization, overkill mode is fun, destructible environments create challenging fights at times, melee kills are brutal and unique.
The Bad: Lacking in any lasting value, bland story and characters, repetitive gameplay, occasional issues with cover mechanics, removal of all unique elements from previous games, characterization of Salem is completely off.