Army of Two the 40th Day is the slightly unexpected sequel to a title that came out in 2008. I say unexpected because, although I liked the game, giving it 87% on here, it wasn’t as well received by some of the other magazines and websites out there. Once again featuring the team of Rios and Salem, this time instead of the action taking place in various areas over a number of years, the action is concentrated in Shanghai and all the game takes place over a few days. But once again Rios and Salem find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and become increasingly involved when all hell breaks loose.
Infact you think it is from the second the game loads, as building are blown up and planes fall from the sky but then you are whisked back in time to see the events that led up to this occurrence. The two main characters are there on what seems like a pretty routine mission for TransWorld Operations. All they have to do is kill a few people, achieve a few objectives and for this they will be paid greatly, but of course, things never go to plan and it isn’t long before they are struggling to survive, but survive they must so they can figure out who is behind their problems. Customising weapons was one of the things that I highlighted as a plus in the first game and this has continued and improved upon here. There are lots of options to modify your weapons to make them more effective on the battlefield and you can customise them at any time, except of course in the heat of battle. This time there is the added bonus of supply crates scattered across the battlefield. If you can stop the enemy from calling for reinforcements then you get cash and weapons from them, however, they will lock permanently if you do not move quick enough. Another addition this year is that Rios and Salem actually carry a GPS with them this time, this allows them to tag their opponents and keep track of where they are, even if they are cowardly hiding somewhere. However, for some reason the character you are not controlling does not seem to take advantage of this sometimes which can be frustrating. This brings me to the Ai in the game. In the first game I highlighted that the AI of your partner seemed excellent but I still highlighted that the game was better played with a human companion. If anything the difference between the two modes is even greater in this sequel. This game is meant to be played with a friend and you can tell that right from the op. This is not to say that when playing as a single player your partner does anything particularly stupid – they just seem to leave you to do the majority of what you need to do to complete the chapter. Graphically the game has surprisingly improved on what I thought was excellent if a little grainy in the first game. The animations of the killings are super and there has been a lot of attention to detail paid to Shanghai and the various locations in the city that the action takes place in. This helps to make the city seem “alive” and drags you into the game and makes for a much better and fulfilling experience. Sound wise the vocal acting is excellent especially the two lead characters, with some genuine funny moments taking place amongst the carnage. The effects of the weapons and explosions are also excellent and give you the feeling that you truly are in a war zone. Overall I loved the first game and I love this game too. The morality elements where you have choices to make and then see the repercussions of your decision in a cut scene are excellent (and I hope if there is a third title that we see more of them). Because the action is more confined to one location and time period the game feels more organized and strangely compelling and keeps you glued to the action that occurs. It is not perfect however. For one thing there are a number of times when you encounter graphical texture pop up which I do not think should happen in 2010 and there are camera issues in some places. The single player game is good but of course the co-op is better so grab yourself a friend and get playing this one because you will not regret it – I promise you! | 
XBox 360 
