I have been looking forward to Army of Two for some time, the whole idea of a proper co-op game off and online has been a long time coming. The good thing is now that it is here it does not disappoint, in fact it even throws in a few unexpected surprises along the way.

Army of Two has a unique feature that many other games do not bother to offer, and that is the two very different ways to play the main campaign, on your own or with a friend. On you own is a real treat as the AI of your partner is well controlled, he will always do the right thing, you control his main actions with the D-pad, telling him to hold position, cover, go ahead or stay close, you are also able to tell him to go Aggro, which then makes most enemies concentrate on him, enabling you to take out some of the tougher opposition.

Two player is really what this game is all about though, with the ability to plug in another controller or even take it online, here use of the voice chat is as equally important as knowing when to dive for cover as communication in the team will make some of the tougher enemies much easier to figh against. > >

Each level is split into smaller checkpoints, so if you do die, there is not too much to replay. With a press of the select button you are able to see the HUD, which will show the direction to go in and also the mission objectives along with their price for completion. Each mission also has 3 briefcases to find which gives you a cash boost, there are also additional missions as such as taking out a chopper before it gets away, finding a POW or disabling vehicles.

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There are a few little touches in this game that really separate it from the rest, going Back to Back at certain points of the game really emphasises the team work, the game play will slow down and both of you have to shoot as many bad guys as possible as you are being surrounded. You also have some tandem parachute segments, where depending who you play you will have to control or shoot a clear line to safety. Level design is also a welcome change as there is a lot of variety on offer from the seemingly open-ended levels to narrow corridor fighting. One of my favourites is the aircraft carrier with enemies coming from all sides, the final run to safety as it all goes horribly wrong is one of the best gaming moments I have had in a while.

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Its seems EA have done to weapons what they have done to their cars in the Need for Speed franchise, by adding plenty of customisation. Each weapon you purchase can be upgraded and pimped in many ways, some weapons can have larger ammo capacity or silencers, while machine guns can have an alternative fire, like a mounted shotgun and even a shield, this makes for some great combinations. At certain points of the game you are able to go to the shop and swap weapons and upgrades as long as you have the cash. 

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Online play is well worth a look as it brings something different to the tried and tested formulas of other games. One of my favourites is the mission mode, where you have two teams of two, each team is shown an objective and its up to you to complete it before the other team. You are able to upgrade and purchase new weapons at certain points of the levels and with each kill and successful mission you earn more cash. The missions will range from taking out a certain computer-controlled character, blowing up a vehicle or sabotaging computer equipment. As well as the other team to contend with you will also have a few computer enemies to contend with, making this a breath of fresh air from the usual death matches.   

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Army of Two is certainly a game which you should consider if you want something a bit different from your usual shooters, it’s unique in the way that this is a game made to be played in co-op mode, and you can say that about many games these days.