Army of Two // Xbox 360
Two to tango

// The skinny: Salem and Rios are two ex-military turned mercenaries for a privatized army. As members of their old squad turn up dead and they find themselves abushed at every turn, they decide to stop being pawns in a political agenda.

// Review: The best thing about Xbox live and why it's superior to the PS3 comparable service is its online multiplayer experience. Unless you live in college, it's hard to get a buddy or two together to play video games. The problem is that many multiplayer components with games feel like a tacked on afterthought just to add another bullet point on the back of a box. With Army of Two, not only was co-op play a priority, it's essential.

/ In this 3rd person shooter reminiscent of Gears of War, you duck behind cover and pop up to kill stuff good. One of its distinctives is the use of aggro. Basically whoever is shooting the most draws the most attention so your partner can flank your enemies. It's a mechanic that works well and forces team work. It's flawed in that much of the level design funnels you through a bottleneck, which defeats the purpose of flanking.

/ They implemented other team fostering activities, but it's a mixed bag. Having a partner tank for you using a riot shield or car door is cool. Giving a boost up or the highly scripted back to back shoot outs are lame. The AI for the most part is competent, but there is an enormous difference having a human partner.

/ If you focus on filling everything with bullets and aggro boosting your weapons by pimping them out, then you'll enjoy this game. But you have to turn your brain off when it comes to the story, which glorifies mercenaries and disparages the armed forces. With the fiasco that was Blackwater, how is this a good idea?

// Wrap up: Army of Two was delayed to add more polish on this planned franchise. But one still has to think this game was rushed out the door as it doesn't deliver on many of the promises when early builds were first unveiled. Even with an unpatriotic storyline and co-op misfires, this pretty game is still entertaining.

Entertainment rating: 3.5