Army of 2 takes two awesome characters, a mess of terrible odds, and some kickass guns to create a good game.
To start, Army of 2 looks great. Buildings and enviornments are wonderful. The attention to detail for some parts of the game is clearly visible. But some of these details look a little bit too similar. A pile of rubble in Iraq looks identical to one in SSC headquarters. It doesn't matter that one is made of bricks, and the other of steel I guess. Waves in the carrier level look like an actual ocean. And the locations, unlike the rubble, all look unige. The characters are also excellent. The details on the faces of Salem and Rios make them look like actual people. The same detail isn't as focused on other characters, but it is still their. The guns look great, and bullets look believable for a third-person game.
Sounds in the game are okay, but not great. The guns and explosions sound real, and the voice acting is okay. But you can find yourself hearing too often Salem playing his gutair solo. Also, music is pretty good. Similar to Gears of War, when the enemies die, so does the fast pace music. You can hear a cutting off noise just as the last of your enemies fall.
With the details out of the way, its time for the good parts: gameplay and story. The gameplay is right now possibly my favorite. Aggro in the game is delightful to use. Flanking has never been so fun! The controls work well, and my only complaint is that lining up a headshot with a pistol is too inaccurate, no matter how great your gun. AI is a let down. Salem and Rios are both extremley intelligent, most of the time. When you tell them to advance, they go to the right spot every time. When holding position, they make sure to find some cover nearby. And when regrouping, they are right there, shooting over your back. But if you fall, expect some problems. When dragging you to cover, they can go past tons of safe places and right into the hornet's nest. Enemy AI is also completley retarded. They will run right by you in an attempt to find some cover.
Custimization in the game is one of the best features. Pimping out guns and loading them up with gernade launchers is great. The sad thing is that these custimizations don't follow you to Xbox Live. Only in Co-op do your guns remain the same. In vs. mode, they dissapper. Speaking of Live, it is a great part of the game. What could have been a failure was a complete succes. 2 men in xbox live is an effective way to carry the feel of the game. They could have gone with normal deathmatch, but they stuck to the true feel.
And finally the story. Your characters are made to be kickass, don't take no for an answer, great guys. When in actuality, mercenaries are not this. Salem is true to his proffession though. When situation rises, the little Salem is all about the money, but big ole` Rios has his morals. This actually annoyed me, becuase I would have liked Rios to take the money and run. But the story is good and intresting, if not a little familiar.
And own a side note, the masks are awesome (Red Devil is the best)