Top 10: Ways to make Army of Two 2 Amazing

Army of Two left us feeling a teeny bit disappointed after we managed to blast through its six to seven hour campaign. While the core co-op gameplay, built around the Aggro system is solid, the rest of the game leaves a lot to be desired. We can see that Army of Two has the potential to be a great franchise though, so in the spirit of helping EA produce what gamers want, we’ve put together our Top 10: Ways to make Army of Two 2 Amazing.

10. Improve or drop vehicle sections

Anyone who’s played the shoddy hovercraft sections in Army of Two will know that they’re not what gamers want from an action game. The original vision for Army of Two included many more vehicles, so in the sequel we want them to offer more than a way to ferry you from one point to the next. Make them as exciting as the vehicle sections in the Halo series or drop them completely.

9. Improve aiming accuracy

For two guys who are paid to risk their lives in dangerous situations, they’re not the best at shooting guns while moving. We know the precision aiming lets you get a better shot, but it’s too slow and not really usable when out in the open. From time to time in Army of Two you want to burst into a room and take guys down, and a little more accuracy in the standard aiming view wouldn’t go amiss.

8. Make more of the story

The set up for Army of Two is excellent. It deals with the privatisation of the military and the shady business of guns for hire. There’s even a decent backstabbing and revenge twist, but not enough is made of it. Salem and Rios gun down enemies in some of the biggest political hotspots in the world yet it feels like just another mission in a video game. EA has the chance to make the story deeper than your average action game so we want them to nail the storyline in the sequel.

7. More multiplayer maps

Army of Two’s four-player Vs. mode turned out surprisingly well, but you only get four maps to play with. There’s no doubt that more will be appearing as DLC in the near future, but in the sequel we want more from the off. And although the game’s all about working as a pair, can we get some army of four action too? Playing with just three others doesn’t hurt the experience, but our friends list is big. The option to play with more people allows more friends to play together.

6. Less teenage boy pleasing dialogue

We can’t have been the only ones who didn’t love the dialogue between the two lead characters. Sure, it’s a step up from some games, but these two talk to each other like they’ve just left high-school. In the middle of a life or death situation I’d expect them to be a little more serious in tone. The cringe-worthy gestures you can make to your partner need completely overhauling too. We performed an air guitar solo once and that was enough.

5. Improve close-quarters combat

If there’s one thing that annoyed us more than anything else while playing through Army of Two, it’s how awkward the controls feel when you’re trying to take down an enemy that’s run within touching distance. Melee attacks seemed hit and miss, and aiming your gun at close quarters was nearly impossible when having to resort to the painfully slow precision aim. We just want to be able to take down enemies like the rock-hard brutes we’re playing as should be capable of.

4. Proper bosses

There are bosses in Army of Two, but they only just scrape that title. The majority simply require you to get your partner to take the aggro, while you head behind and shoot him them in the back. It’s hardly brain taxing and by the end of the game it became a little bit tiresome. The one big boss that you do encounter doesn’t put up much of a fight either. Army of Two has a great aggro system, but it needs to do more with it. Unique bosses that require some thought to take down would be a great step towards that.

3. Improved team-mate control

You’re not always going to be playing with a real life buddy, so some changes to the AI team-mate control would really help smooth out the single-player experience. You can get by with just follow, head-on and hold firm, but the game’s crying out for a Rainbow Six Vegas style point and move command system. Just being able to set up your team-mate in the exact position you want would do wonders for the single-player game.

2. More spectacle

When you get into it Army of Two is a decent if quite flawed shooter, but you don’t get up to much other than shooting guys. Games like Call of Duty 4 have spoilt gamers with awesome set-pieces throughout, so when Army of Two’s best bits were in cutscenes it was a little disappointing. Why weren’t we able to play the brief encounter on-board the aeroplane and when Salem and Rios took out the helicopter with an RPG, why was it just a cutscene? These are moments that should be a reward for working through to the end of a level, and taking them out of your hands doesn’t cut it.

1. More use for co-op manoeuvres

Army of Two is a co-op game through and through, but a number of its key features aren’t nearly as exciting as they initially appear. The back-to-back sections are entirely scripted, the use of a shield isn’t nearly as handy as it ought to be, and the parachute sections are awkward and can be largely ignored. With a little bit of tweaking we’re sure EA can come up with great co-op moves that work in tandem with the already excellent Aggro system.

What do you think of our suggestions? Let us know in the comments section below.