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The wild boys of the SSC face hell again in this sequel to the hit third-person teamwork-based shooter. Army of Two: The 40th Day reunites Salem and Rios as they’re forced to survive in a city under siege. The sequel includes more co-op moves for players to use at any time, which will allow for completely different strategies and options in battle, adding up to a bigger, more organic and immersive co-op experience.

The story of The 40th Day places Salem and Rios in the middle of Shanghai, China, as a disaster of epic proportions strikes the city. While they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, they are the right men to react to the chaos. As they fight their way through ruined districts of the city, they discover more and more catastrophes are being orchestrated to devastate Shanghai piece by piece. It’s up two Salem and Rios to uncover the secret of the 40th Day and survive the chaos.

Genre: Third-Person Shooter

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Montreal

Online Play:

Local Play:

Expansions: Army of Two: The 40th Day — Chapters of Deceit,

January 8, 2010 –
Army of Two: The 40th Day feels like Bad Boys meets 2012. It’s essentially an interactive disaster movie because every five minutes something blows up or crumbles around you, which provides an adrenaline rush as you fight through enemies or just survive what’s thrown at you. A huge improvement to the franchise, EA Montreal clearly paid attention to the first game’s issues, because almost every aspect has been improved. There are still some misses, but for the most part The 40th Day is a much stronger title and lots of fun.

Unlike the first game, which spanned several years and different regions of the world, The 40th Day all takes place in Shanghai over the course of a few days. Rios and Salem are back, running missions for their own private military corporation, TransWorld Operations. They take a contract that’s way too easy: kill a few guards, handle a few objectives and score a large paycheck. But as they finish their mission, all hell breaks loose in Shanghai. Buildings blow up, aircraft fall from the skies — total chaos reigns. Salem and Rios have to stay alive long enough to figure out who’s behind this.

Watch our video review here (HD available).

Now, the basic gameplay mechanics haven’t changed too much from the original. Instead, they’ve been augmented to feel fresher and deeper. One of the first game’s most appealing elements was the option to “pimp” your gun, swapping gun barrels or stocks or even gold plating the weapon to make it more effective in battle. Unfortunately, the first game’s options were shallow, but in The 40th Day they have been vastly expanded. There are loads of new paint schemes, more options to modify your weapons, and you can even change the melee attacks based on your gear. Equip a screwdriver or kitchen knife “bayonet” on your gun and you’ll see just what I mean.

While the customization is awesome, the secondary weapon feature is too restricted — you’re locked to one of three pistol options, which can feel too limited. Why can’t you choose to equip two assault rifles and a sniper rifle if you wanted? This minor issue aside, the fact that you can customize any weapon at any time (except in the heat of battle) is a huge plus for gun fans.

Supply crates add to the customization options. These are a new addition to the gameplay and they’re scattered throughout each chapter. If you don’t stop the enemy before they call for reinforcements, the crates lock permanently. However, move quickly and you can steal cash and weapons parts from the enemy, which provides an extra challenge.

The Aggro system makes a comeback as well, but it’s better. You still work together, one player firing to distract enemies while the partner creeps up and flanks them. But now, Rios and Salem have a GPS, which can tag enemies and help you find your way. Once an enemy is tagged you can see where they are, even if they duck for cover or hide behind walls. This expands your tactical options as you and your partner seek and destroy your enemies. I just wish the computerized AI partner tagged enemies more frequently; it can feel like you have to do all the work.

Light up the glowing target, Rios.In the first game single-player was fun but co-op and multi-player really stood out, mostly because playing with a human was so much better than the feeble AI. While playing with a human via split-screen or online is still the best way to play, your AI partner and the enemies clearly got a brain transplant, making The 40th Day much stronger as a result. Enemies use the same moves and tactics that you do. If you wound but don’t kill an enemy solider, his buddies may sneak up and try to heal him.

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