Rock, Paper, Scissor, SHOOTS!

If this week's pick seems like the same as last week's you're WRONG! ...this one has no zombies.

Why Can't We Be Friends?:
Army of Two: 40th Day
Like last week's co-op pick, this week's game was built with co-op in mind as a staple of gameplay. The game follows two mercenaries, Salem and Rios, through a routine mission in Hong Kong that goes horribly, HORRIBLY WRONG! Before they can wrap up their business and cash in their paychecks, Hong Kong is attacked by a terrorist group and, unlike most games where the objective is to save the day, these two just want to escape in one piece. The game is littered with great co-op moments like mock surrender (one player walks out into the open and feigns surrender while the other player pops out and blows the enemies away) or the co-op snipe (an efficient and stealthy way of killing two targets at the same time). Much like Resident Evil 5, you split up occasionally, but for the most part you two play like peanut butter and chocolate, always together, which comes in handy when using the Aggro System. You gain aggro, essentially the enemy's full, undivided attention, while firing on them. One player can take the attention of the enemy by continually firing while his partner holds back or takes a few, precise shots with a silenced weapon. Then that player can sneak around enemies to flank them or take a few of them out without their allies knowing it. THAT'S how demanding the first player's attention is! There's no item swapping here, but you can upgrade your guns in a variety of ways (clip size, accuracy, damage, you can even PIMP it which means you gold plate it. Why, you may ask? Because you can, THAT'S why!) and if your partner gets shot down, drag them to safety and heal them. Mission objectives are fairly straight forward (i.e. SURVIVE!) though sometimes you can choose to save hostages along the way, escort civilians, or hold off invaders while a back-up generator boots up. It's basically charity work for mercenaries. The game is also riddled with moral decisions, some as simple as shoot a perp or arrest him? Some more difficult: you can "borrow" some guns to escape a building alive but to do that you'll have to kill the security guard trying to protect them. And even the "obvious" scenarios play out with a twist when you see the result of your actions. A few things the less experienced gamer may like: two players can play on two different difficulty settings while playing the same game. Finally, a reason for experts and novices to get together. There's a GPS you can use with the press of a button to show you where your next objective is or to highlight enemies with. And, if all that shooting gets to be a bit much, there's a lighter side! You can decorate your gun, choose between different masks for your character, you can even go onto their website and create your own. You can also, take a break between firefights and play rock, paper, scissor, shoots with each other (no, really!). Lastly, the banter between our protagonists... is pretty funny. Especially for mercenaries.



There's also dlc available for $10 called The Chapters of Deceit. They're two extra chapters (about 45 minutes long each) that set up new and interesting challenges in Salem and Rios' way as they try to escape. I haven't played it yet so I can't vouch for it. It has mixed reviews but, as I understand it, if you love the game then the extra gameplay is a welcome addition and some of the scenarios they throw you in are very intriguing.

The characters in this game are great because they're not cookie-cutter action heroes. They're morally ambiguous survivors. They're anti-heroes. Who do you think is the most interesting anti-hero? Tell me why.