Army of Two: The 40th Day

The original _Army of Two_ was by no means critically acclaimed; with its setting located partially in Iraq and its glamourised portrayal of modern warfare and private military companies, it struck a little too close to home for some. Premise aside, the game comprised of a well rounded third person shooter that implemented the “agro” system, allowing one player to draw enemy fire while the other flanked, a unique feature that differentiated the franchise from the likes of _GRAW_. While the game received only average reviews, it appears to have sold enough copies to warrant a sequel, found here in the form of _The 40th Day_.

Although the game continues the story of Rios and Salem, the protagonists in the original game, the setting is so removed and plotline so tenuous that _The 40th Day_ has avoided the former pitfalls of controversy encountered by the original. While on mission in Shanghai for their own private military company, cleverly named Trans World Operations (i.e. T.W.O), the city is attacked and effectively turned into a warzone. For the majority of the rest of the game, the mission objective is simply to get out of Shanghai. While the original could have been regarded in some respects as a commentary on modern warfare, _The 40th Day_ is an explosion filled, summer action flick of a ride.

This is primarily due to the combat revolving heavily around high calibre assault rifles and grenade launchers, which for the most part plays well. All the weapons feel solid, give some punchy feedback and do a lot of damage. The enemies aren’t the bullet sponges found in some games, such as the original Uncharted, and enemy variety is pretty impressive. There is also a great weapon customisation system available at any point within the game that allows you to spend cash on numerous different weapons, and parts to upgrade them. These range from extended magazines to shields that attach to a gun’s barrel, adding a distinctive feature to what is otherwise a bog standard third person shooter. If one thing alone could sum up the exaggerated tone of _The 40th Day_, it would have to be the inclusion of “pimp” camo for your weapons; watching Salem gun down a group of enemy soldiers with a silver and gold plated rifle never gets old.

As with every other third person shooter released in the last 5 years, it’s no surprise that _The 40th Day_ includes a cover system similar to that found in the _Gears of War_ franchise. While the mechanics may be similar, the execution is not. Although supplying all of the required abilities, such as blind firing and shooting from cover, the experience lacks the fluidity found in higher calibre titles. In addition, movement is consistently awkward causing navigation around the environments to verge on frustrating; this is especially true in the middle of a fire fight when your character is unable to vault over a low obstacle or is incapable of changing direction while running.

The “agro” system returns in _The 40th Day_ and does exactly what it’s supposed to; if Rios unleashes a barrage of bullets, the AI will turn their attention to him, allowing Salem to sneak around, virtually undetected. While the system works perfectly, the major flaw is that it isn’t a necessity for the majority of the game. Only encounters with the game’s mini-bosses actually benefit from the use of this tactic, mainly because they either have explosive boxes or gas canisters attached to their backs. With enemies that require barely any effort to be killed and the AI being consistently oblivious to the player with the low agro, the combat
quickly devolves into simple run and gun tactics.

A new feature to the franchise is the inclusion of moral choices that occur at several points in the campaign. The game will set up a decision through the narrative and confront the player with a rather obvious good or bad choice. After the choice has been made, animé styled art work progresses the decision to some form of conclusion. While it’s clear these choices were included as an attempt to add emotional weight to the non-existent plot, since the good choice doesn’t always lead to a good conclusion, the whole thing feels rather pointless. It doesn’t matter if you choose to be good as the result could turn out either way. Although it’s possible to argue that _The 40th Day_ is imitating the real world, where things don’t happen the way you want, it simply doesn’t pull it off.

Due to the addition of two player cooperative play throughout the entire campaign and the enjoyable gunplay and combat, _The 40th Day_ can be a lot of fun when played with a mate. The plot is there simply as a vehicle to blow things up and gun down a lot of soldiers, and while this may be mind numbing for some, it is escapism in its purist form. The entire game is so far removed from reality and ridiculous (it’s even possible to blow an entire enemy’s head off), that it can be very entertaining.
Unfortunately, that’s all _The 40th Day’s_ campaign has to offer. With the villain not being revealed until near the end of the game and the ending itself verging on diabolical, there is a distinct lack of accomplishment upon completion.In addition, although your AI partner performs admirably in the single player mode, playing without a mate removes a lot of the enjoyment from the experience, resulting in a drab shooter.

As with all modern games, _The 40th Day_ also includes an online multiplayer component that offers a surprisingly compelling experience. Although the game types are instantly familiar, ranging from deathmatches to capturing control points, what makes the online gameplay substantially different is the division of the teams into multiple partnerships. Game modes such as co-op deathmatch are based solely around this concept, allowing four teams of two to battle it out for victory, while modes requiring larger teams are still sub-divided into partnerships. Someone’s always got your back, adding a real sense of camaraderie to the online, in addition to the underlying tactics it entails. With a warzone mode that changes the game type on the fly and a selection of different weapon layouts, though disappointingly no weapon customisation, there’s definitely additional value to be had from The 40th Day’s competitive multiplayer.

_The 40th Day_ is a game that has to be played with a friend, be it online or locally. Together you can have a great time, blasting your way to freedom through the decimated ashes of Shanghai. The combat operates well enough to be enjoyable, with only a few problems here and there, and the game looks and sounds great. Although _The 40th Day_ has a surprising amount of replayability for a game of its type, its short campaign (5ish hours), its insubstantial plot and its merge execution of moral choices detract from what could have been a great experience.