" A bit of mindless killing, which results in mindless fun"
Video Review
Intro
Before this game came along, my only experience with the series was a demo I played for the original Army of Two when it first came out 5 years ago. I remember thinking it was kind of cool, but for some reason I never purchased it. After playing this newest entry, I now regret having skipped out on playing the others. While the gameplay can become a bit repetitive, that doesn't stop it from allowing a bit of mindless killing, which results in mindless fun.
Story/Graphics
As everybody probably already knows, this game is specifically built for co-op. The name Army of Two hints at this. In this game, you play as Alpha and Bravo, new initiates into the T.W.O (Trans World Operations). In the beginning, they are being trained by two men by the names of Salem and Rios. From what I've pieced together, I'm guessing Salem and Rios are the characters you play as in the past entries. If this is true, then the developers very smartly introduced new main characters to spice up the story, while still using the previous characters in supporting roles. The plot reminds me a lot of a B-movie action film. I don't mean that in a bad way either, because it works wonders for this game. A lot of the time, the dialogue is cheesy, but it's funny. This adds to the game, particularly the constant bantering that takes place between Alpha and Bravo. The plot is fairly predictable. Normally that would bother me, but this game literally mocks it's own predictability, which is pretty awesome. The story has everything a good not-so-serious action game should have: great characters, comedy, a memorable antagonist, high-octane action scenes, betrayal, and a well-used female character. Unlike a lot of games, the cinematics in Devil's Cartel are used tastefully. They are brief, enhance the story, and are very action-oriented. People like to joke that the more recent Call of Duty games seem as if they're directed by Michael Bay, due to their constant action and excessive use of explosions. Some might say the same about this game, but I got more of a Quentin Tarantino vibe from it.
Graphically, I have a hard time describing this game. Not because it has a unique art style or anything. Simply because it doesn't really have a whole lot going for it. I mean, it's just really average. It doesn't look bad, but it won't blow your mind in any way. Flame effects from explosions look nice, and the amount of carnage that happens on screen after activating Overkill is pretty sick. Thinking about it, one thing did impress me was the sheer amount of destruction that can happen to the environment. Of course, I have always been partial to destruction in games. I think it makes shooters feel more realistic, while looking cool at the same time. Not everything is destructible in this game, but a vast majority of objects are. Mainly the important things like your enemies' cover and the things that you can hide behind. It's pretty awesome to be able to shoot the cover where you believe your enemy's head is, and to see that cover be blown away, along with the head. Everyone should agree with this, because all of us have played a game hovering our crosshairs above cover, and having to wait for the enemy to pop his head back up. It is so rewarding to no longer have to wait for that opportunity.
Gameplay/Customization
Devil's Cartel, like its predecessors, is played from a third-person perspective. I was fairly impressed with how well this game controlled. The shooting mechanics are tight and responsive allowing for your enemies to drop like flies every time you pull the trigger. Unlike a lot of shooting games, enemies die easily. Just a few bullets will send them to their demise. The game has some generous aim assist, no more than Call of Duty, which makes pulling off headshots a breeze. Shooting enemies will charge up a meter that, when filled, can be used to activate Overkill. Overkill is very smartly implemented. During Overkill, the player is invincible and possesses infinite ammo. A simple activation can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor. Your co-op or AI controlled partner can activate their own Overkill whilst yours is active to go into what is called Double Overkill. Double Overkill extends the duration and makes you even more powerful, which is even more awesome. All of these things combined cause the player to truly feel like a shooting god. Throughout the impressive 8-11 hour campaign you will easily kill 1000+ enemies.
Another thing I really liked about this game was how I was able to have two main weapons along with a trusty back-up pistol I always had access to via a double tap of the "Y" button. This was extremely convenient, enabling me to quickly switch to it whenever the need arose.
As you may already know, Army of Two is meant to play primarily as a cover-based shooter, like most third-person shooting games. One thing that breaks this game apart from other similarly themed games, is how well its cover-to-cover system functions. When in cover, the player has the ability to quickly highlight a new piece of cover near them; it can even be behind the player. After highlighting it, the player can select that cover and their character will quickly sprint over and take cover behind the selected object. This feature has been implemented in other games. However, this is the most refined, helpful, and easy-to-use version of it I've seen.
Pretty much everything I've said about this game so far has been positive. Sadly, yet expected, the game has a few flaws that can't be overlooked. Most of these flaws could have been revised with further polishing. The one flaw that couldn't really, though, is the monotony that begins to set in towards the end of its lengthy campaign. During my first playthrough, I never really got bored with it. However, when it comes to gaming, my attention span is very high. Even I can't argue the fact that some people will find the gameplay too repetitive. This is mostly because there isn't really any change to the gameplay throughout the campaign. That's not to say that the developers didn't add in a few segments to change up the pace a little. These segments consist of alternate paths the player can choose to take, some turret-based shooting, and a mostly lackluster driving bit. While these segments help, they don't happen often enough to make much of a difference. Another issue that further adds to the repetition, is the obvious, and frequently poor, enemy spawn layouts. It won't take long before you begin to realize the gameplay is very wave-based, opposed to the enemy location being strategically placed. Too many times I came across the exact location where the enemies were spawning. Enemy spawning is supposed to seem hidden, not obvious. Another flaw was that the enemy AI definitely could have used a bit of work. I am happy to say my AI controlled partner was fairly smart, helpful, and only frustrated me a few times. One time because he failed to help me do the objective he was supposed to, and the other times because, at the last minute he took the cover I was trying to get behind. The only other issue is just some little glitchiness I would occasionally encounter. The glitch I ran across more than once was, for some reason, my character wouldn't latch all the way into cover. Instead, he would appear as if he was stuck, while flickering back and forth. Luckily, these technical flaws were fairly rare, and none of them were game-breaking. They just showcased the need of another coat of polish. One more thing (this can't be classified as a flaw more of a wish): I really wish that the developers would have added in another mode, aside from the campaign. I could see some sort of horde mode working wonders. I think that this game would have benefited from it, seeing as this installment has no competitive multiplayer. The addition of an extra mode would have helped justify the $60 price tag, for a lot of people. As it is now, I could only really see myself getting 20 hours of entertainment from it, which in my books, would cause me to wait for a price drop to $40 before I could see myself actually purchasing it.
In between the levels, the player is able to spend their hard-earned cash on new weapons, upgrades for said weapons, and some cosmetic items. I've never actually played a shooter that had such an in-depth and vast customization option. Each weapon can be tailored however the player wants them to be. It's not just enhancements that can be bought, but also a ton of different weapon skins. I really felt like each weapon I owned was unique to my own identity. Before starting each level, the player is able to switch out their weapon load-out, which actually helped the game the most when it comes to repetition. If I ever felt tedium kicking in, I'd just switch up my load-out and mess around with some of my other toys. As I said, cosmetic items for your character can also be purchased. The player is able to change their character's outfit, add different tattoo layouts, and swap out signature masks. If the hundreds of different options weren't enough you even have the ability to create your own custom mask. You are able to put tons of different graphics on your mask, then scale, position, and color them. There are a total of 12 different layers to add to the mask, which is more than enough to create something unique. Actually, I almost thought 12 was too much, because my mask started to look a little too crowded. Your custom mask can be equipped after completion, and will be seen on your character at all times, even during cinematics.
Conclusion
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a strong entry into the series. I would even go as far as to say that this game can compete with some of the more triple-A shooting games. The story is enjoyable, especially when compared to stories typically accompanied with shooters. The robust cast of characters are comical and intriguing, which further adds to the story. Devil's Cartel is a blast to play, especially if you've got a friend. Even if you don't, the campaign plays well with the AI-controlled partner. Customization options are so vast, that it is actually kind of daunting. There are some technical flaws, along with a bit of repetitive gameplay. The game doesn't offer anything beyond the campaign in terms of different modes. Due to the lack of a competitive multiplayer, this game could have used some type of extra mode, possibly something similar to horde. I'm not complaining, though. I'm glad the developers put all their work into the campaign, but it needs something more to justify a $60 price tag for me. If you're looking for a good third-person shooter or co-operative game to play with your friends, I would highly recommend this game. Actually, I would definitely recommend this game over the new Gears of War Judgment which ended up being a bit of a mess.
Pros
+ Fun mindless killing
+ Lengthy campaign
+ Comical characters
+ Interesting story, as far as military shooters go
+ Really fun, great co-operative experience
+ Overkill is awesome!
+ Cover to cover is very refined
+ Great shooting mechanics
+ Tons upon tons of customization and weapons
Cons
- Some technical flaws
- Gameplay can become repetitive
- Enemy AI issues
- Poor enemy spawn layouts
- No modes besides campaign
 |
| Shotgun Mayhem! |
Story/Graphics
As everybody probably already knows, this game is specifically built for co-op. The name Army of Two hints at this. In this game, you play as Alpha and Bravo, new initiates into the T.W.O (Trans World Operations). In the beginning, they are being trained by two men by the names of Salem and Rios. From what I've pieced together, I'm guessing Salem and Rios are the characters you play as in the past entries. If this is true, then the developers very smartly introduced new main characters to spice up the story, while still using the previous characters in supporting roles. The plot reminds me a lot of a B-movie action film. I don't mean that in a bad way either, because it works wonders for this game. A lot of the time, the dialogue is cheesy, but it's funny. This adds to the game, particularly the constant bantering that takes place between Alpha and Bravo. The plot is fairly predictable. Normally that would bother me, but this game literally mocks it's own predictability, which is pretty awesome. The story has everything a good not-so-serious action game should have: great characters, comedy, a memorable antagonist, high-octane action scenes, betrayal, and a well-used female character. Unlike a lot of games, the cinematics in Devil's Cartel are used tastefully. They are brief, enhance the story, and are very action-oriented. People like to joke that the more recent Call of Duty games seem as if they're directed by Michael Bay, due to their constant action and excessive use of explosions. Some might say the same about this game, but I got more of a Quentin Tarantino vibe from it.
 |
| Salem and Rios Kicking *** |
 |
| Told you Flame Effects look nice |
Gameplay/Customization
Devil's Cartel, like its predecessors, is played from a third-person perspective. I was fairly impressed with how well this game controlled. The shooting mechanics are tight and responsive allowing for your enemies to drop like flies every time you pull the trigger. Unlike a lot of shooting games, enemies die easily. Just a few bullets will send them to their demise. The game has some generous aim assist, no more than Call of Duty, which makes pulling off headshots a breeze. Shooting enemies will charge up a meter that, when filled, can be used to activate Overkill. Overkill is very smartly implemented. During Overkill, the player is invincible and possesses infinite ammo. A simple activation can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor. Your co-op or AI controlled partner can activate their own Overkill whilst yours is active to go into what is called Double Overkill. Double Overkill extends the duration and makes you even more powerful, which is even more awesome. All of these things combined cause the player to truly feel like a shooting god. Throughout the impressive 8-11 hour campaign you will easily kill 1000+ enemies.
 |
| Double Overkill can result in some ridiculous physics |
As you may already know, Army of Two is meant to play primarily as a cover-based shooter, like most third-person shooting games. One thing that breaks this game apart from other similarly themed games, is how well its cover-to-cover system functions. When in cover, the player has the ability to quickly highlight a new piece of cover near them; it can even be behind the player. After highlighting it, the player can select that cover and their character will quickly sprint over and take cover behind the selected object. This feature has been implemented in other games. However, this is the most refined, helpful, and easy-to-use version of it I've seen.
 |
| Cover Time |
 |
| Honey you may have a wedgie |
 |
| My Custom Mask |
Conclusion
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a strong entry into the series. I would even go as far as to say that this game can compete with some of the more triple-A shooting games. The story is enjoyable, especially when compared to stories typically accompanied with shooters. The robust cast of characters are comical and intriguing, which further adds to the story. Devil's Cartel is a blast to play, especially if you've got a friend. Even if you don't, the campaign plays well with the AI-controlled partner. Customization options are so vast, that it is actually kind of daunting. There are some technical flaws, along with a bit of repetitive gameplay. The game doesn't offer anything beyond the campaign in terms of different modes. Due to the lack of a competitive multiplayer, this game could have used some type of extra mode, possibly something similar to horde. I'm not complaining, though. I'm glad the developers put all their work into the campaign, but it needs something more to justify a $60 price tag for me. If you're looking for a good third-person shooter or co-operative game to play with your friends, I would highly recommend this game. Actually, I would definitely recommend this game over the new Gears of War Judgment which ended up being a bit of a mess.
Pros
+ Fun mindless killing
+ Lengthy campaign
+ Comical characters
+ Interesting story, as far as military shooters go
+ Really fun, great co-operative experience
+ Overkill is awesome!
+ Cover to cover is very refined
+ Great shooting mechanics
+ Tons upon tons of customization and weapons
Cons
- Some technical flaws
- Gameplay can become repetitive
- Enemy AI issues
- Poor enemy spawn layouts
- No modes besides campaign
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