Tag teaming

by ERIK LEIJON

EA Montreal’s mercenary buddy co-op caper Army of Two: The 40th Day (X360, PS3/EA, EA Montreal) is considerably better than its 2008 predecessor. If that sounds like tempered praise towards this locally developed Lethal Weapon-esque action shooter, it’s because The 40th Day still feels like a potentially great franchise in progress.

Army of Two, as the name suggests, stresses tag team combat, as it stars a couple of money-grubbing mercenaries waltzing into certain doom, and quickly strategizing an escape plan involving as many dead enemies as possible. Each level plays like an especially dangerous game of paintball: mercs Rios and Salem stand at one end of a typically enclosed arena, badly outnumbered by heavily armed opponents. The duo must then find the most effective method of flanking and sneaking around conveniently placed cover in order to escape to cash their cheques. That brand of strategic third-person combat remains unchanged in 40th Day, although it has been solidified to the point where going Rambo and blasting mindlessly is an absolute no-go.

The aggro system is an effective way of fostering good teamwork, because if any prospective lone wolf decides to stray from the pack, they’ll start glowing red and attract considerable attention. Seasoned mercs can use this to their advantage, distracting enemies while their partner moves into prime killing position unmolested. Planning out an attack on the fly and seeing it through remains incredibly satisfying, as much as buying new guns afterwards.

With the Blackwater scandal still fresh in our minds, the original Army of Two fell flat because it deliberately had nothing to say about private soldiers and frankly had an overly apathetic attitude towards its carnage-for-cash philosophy. Transforming Rios and Salem from globetrotting gunners to being stranded in a private army war set exclusively in Shanghai was meant to illustrate the dangers of the job as well as turn the setting (which was utterly ballast in the original) into a calling card. (Granted, witnessing Shanghai reduced to fiery rubble makes for some jaw dropping visuals, but 40th Day uncomfortably segregates sections designed to show the moral dilemmas of the gig and the action-packed shooting scenes.)

There are occasional situations where the duo must make quick morality-based decisions, but outside of the direct consequences (shown in brief illustrated vignettes), deciding whether to do the right thing or be evil feels inconsequential given you’re coolly killing hundreds of fellow private soldiers along the way. The choices are also black and white, so unless you get a kick out of being a cold-blooded jerk, you’ll likely take the reward and not shoot at innocent children/tigers when presented the opportunity.

Admittedly, while playing 40th Day, I couldn’t help but recall the controversy surrounding the first Army of Two, where the two mercs could execute choreographed high-fives after killing bad guys. It struck me that, although dopey in practice, portraying Salem and Rios as utterly callous murderers might have been a more interesting ideological stand to take rather than a series of contrived good/evil choices. Imagine the two battle-weary characters, instead of whining about being stuck in China, dropping bombs and riding them à la Dr. Strangelove. Maybe they’ll try it on day 41.

Lighting the torch

Have those endless advertorials gracing the CTV suppertime news killed your enthusiasm for next month’s winter Olympiad in Vancouver? Hopefully not, because gaming’s royal families have touched down on Whistler in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii/Sega, Sega Japan). Most of the 27 real and fictitious events are good for a brief chuckle, but the excellent curling game alone will turn your Wii party into an instant bonspiel, minus the drunken wipeouts on the ice.