The last time we saw Rios and Salem, they shut down their former PMC employer for doing all kinds of shady work that would ultimately lead to the replacement of all government military. That sour experience didn't seem to deter their fighting spirit, because they formed their own company. Aptly named "Army of Two," the duo enlisted their loyal friends to continue their mercenary work to make some bank. That was the first game; now the stakes, and style, have changed.

Members of the gaming press and EA community were allowed to experience an early build of Army of Two: The 40th Day. The first thing we saw is a super top-secret trailer that we can't talk about beyond mentioning you'll see it on GameTrailers TV on Spike, April 30, 2009. The next thing we saw was a demo of the game that is sure to cause some excitement about the direction Army of Two is now taking. And we can for sure talk about that.



The setup for the game is still tightly under wraps but the glimpse we did get set the tone for a huge action title. Rios and Salem are in China on a mission when the entire city comes under attack from a mysterious force. Buildings will crumble all around you and these invaders are anything other than nice. What we did gather is that the duo didn't have the foggiest idea something like this was going to happen and are now caught in the middle of it all. The enemies have no idea who they are and Rios and Salem would sure as Hell like to know what is going on. The 40th Day is a mission of survival as they blast their way to safety.

The loading screen was familiar and the masks are just as iconic as ever. The core of the game is still very much central to the overarching gameplay mechanics. The aggro system is alive and kicking as well as the co-op tactics that put Army of Two on the map last year. Fist bumping will also make a comeback.



What is drastically different is that the duo are no longer massively armored, Terminator Rambo Robocops that mercilessly kill a room full of people all for a paycheck from the highest bidder. They are more realistic people, put in a situation that is devolving all around them. Their character models aren't all pumped up but toned down and more what you'd expect from a pair of highly trained mercenaries. Their motivation this time appears to be more survival based than cash driven.

The overriding goal of EA Montreal for The 40th Day to make the game feel more "organic." After EA compiled a huge document of things done well and things that could have been improved, the Army of Two development team set out to make some changes to make the universe Rios and Salem live in more believable.



As the gameplay started, we were greeted by a dingy back alley in Shanghai. EA wasn't spilling the beans on what they are doing there, but it really didn't matter because the action started right away. The visuals were impactful; it felt like the Shanghai represented was an actual place where people live and work. You get to see the faces of Rios and Salem, a subtle visual cue to show that there isn't an immediate threat and puts a face behind the ballistic masks so they are easier to relate to. You see the humanity in contrast with the expressionless war-masks. Your gear moves and sways as you do in the world for a very natural look. Don't worry about the franchise going soft, there is still plenty of gunplay.

We were first introduced to a major new part of the game: precombat. In the first game, Army of Two put highly powered rifles in your hands and that was your bread and butter. There might have been a few scenes where you needed to use team tactics, which always involved shooting more guns. This time around, we were showed a new way of doing things. One scenario made the partner AI sneak up and hold an enemy as a meat-shield hostage while the other bad guy on patrol was forced to surrender. The second scenario was when Salem and Rios were forced to split up and co-op sniped enemies through thin walls with a tagging system from their GPS. The third scenario had Rios mock surrender and pull all the aggro so Salem could sneak around and flank the confused enemies. The forth scenario was in an alley courtyard where the mysterious enemies were planning a civilian execution. You can slowly open a door and handcuff the bad guys and have the option to free hostages… or kill them. These were only but a few new options to survive in a conflict that you didn't start or even want to be a part of.



Those moral choices will also factor into the game somehow, to be explained at a later date, according to EA. In addition to making those choices, you are also presented with contracts that you can accept readily, decline or ask for so much money that the contact won't be willing to pay. As always, you can find a moral grey area by asking for enough money that might pacify your unease with some of the more dicey contracts.

One bigger change that we did see is the Army of Two will get split up momentarily and have to find a way to act as a team, apart. That is where the tagging of enemies through the GPS comes in handy.

While we didn't get hands-on time with the title since things are constantly changing at this stage in the development, one good sign is that The 40th Day is fun to watch. With the visually stimulating environment and ample supply of action, it wasn't a boring demo to see. Even this early in the development, it is clear to see The 40th Day is looking to be everything a sequel should be. With a franchise that is still defining what it is, there are plenty of bold moves taken by EA Montreal that could cement the franchise as the gold standard of what co-op shooters should aspire to. As the demo ended, we wanted to see more and get our greedy little paws all over it, but I guess that is going to have to wait until next time.

The last thing we were told with big smiles was that you should keep your original Army of Two save.