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Army of Two gets served with delay papers
Delayed, delayed, delayed! That's the only adjective we can come up with to describe EA's Army of Two, because it has officially been pushed back into 2008. Yesterday, EA had the unfortunate task of releasing a press release notifying everyone that Army of Two would not make its November 13th release, instead being pushed back to a yet to be revealed 2008 date. The reason for the delay is quite simple, they need more time to polish and buff the game to make it sparkle. And we have no qualms with that, because we're willing to take a delay if the end result is a better end product. Something EA hasn't done too much of in the past (zing!). [Thanks, Bravo6]
Joystiq hands-on: Army of Two (360/PS3)
I recently played an almost-complete version of Army of Two, days before the decision to delay it until Q1, 2008. Originally planned to be released November 13, EA told me that the delay related most to them wanting to make sure this new intellectual property can be all it can be. (Did somebody say "franchise?") Of course, the company will easily benefit by spacing the game out from the current flood of mega hits. Army of Two casts players as mercenaries, responsible for blowing up the local scenery while following your employer's missions. Often, those objectives are the same. The Army of Two I played was a risky game that stood out in its story tone and gameplay mechanics. Some of those gambles clearly paid off -- the co-op style is the best part of the game. But EA may take this extra time to re-tune repetitive elements, like the revive-your-teammate mini-game. %Gallery-3678%
Army of Two delayed until Q1 2008
Which, if we're reading 1UP's interview with executive producer Alan Tuscan correctly, is to "add the polish." They must be having a devil of a time finding a translator, eh? But seriously, folks, Army of Two has been delayed until the first quarter of 2008. While those looking forward to the co-op macho men antics of the high-profile shooter will restrain their bitter tears until they're alone, EA's November bail-out is probably for the best. "This is an important new IP for us and we don't want to spoil it," says Tuscan, displaying full awareness of the competition found in Halo 3 and even Gears of War. "Are they setting the bar at a certain level? Sure. But that's the bar we're hitting anyway -- it's the bar we were aiming for even before seeing these games." Though it sounds like a slight against the game, it's clear that nobody is going to miss Army of Two in a holiday brimming with a ludicrous number of $60 epics, least of all an unpolished version of it. Let's hope a few more publishers realize the calendar goes on after you page past the holiday months. [Thanks, Corey] %Gallery-3678%
New Army of Two screens celebrate militaristic dualism
The meaning of the clichéd phrase, "Two heads are better than one," has always been pretty obvious to most (ask a second head to explain it to you if it's not). Two people working together stand a much better chance of surmounting problems -- that much we know. What the phrase fails to highlight, however, is how effective those two people can be when they're both equipped with unnecessarily large guns. If that's the case, problems have a habit of becoming entirely surmountable, awkwardly posed corpses. Though devoid of any such defeated problems, the latest batch of screens for EA's Army of Two (taken from the Xbox 360 version) serves as a reminder of not only the game's sharp visuals, but its emphasis on cooperative combat from behind cover. We've seen jump-in-anytime online play before in Gears of War and Crackdown, but it's not something we've yet seen enough of. If anything, our gallery should get you excited for the inevitable sequel, Army of Two 2, set to feature a deranged Anglican bishop clone out to conquer the world with his deadly robot ballerinas. Probably. %Gallery-3678%
Army of Two = 1 part innovation + 1 part bad dialogue
"I'm driving."' "F--k you, I'm driving." And with that terse exchange, Army of Two reminds us of how it simultaneously advocates a new kind of cooperative gameplay while settling for the same rehashed action movie dialogue we've been hearing for years. N'Gai Croal spoke with EA Montreal's general manager, Alain Tascan, about the buddy cop sensibilities of Army of Two and what we can expect from the final product. Perhaps most interestingly was Croal's suggestion that the dialog was refined in response to the slightly homoerotic undertones of a game about two guys doing lots of "crotch level hoisting." In other words, if Tyson and Elliot talk tough (while they just so happen to be holding each other's crotchular region), there's no way they could be gay, right? Tascan said, "The trailer, for us, is a way to gather feedback. It's like a mini-demo." So, readers, after "demoing" the game via the trailer above, whaddya think?
Army of Two footage: funny or not?
Since Army of Two was first announced by EA, we've been intrigued. Seeing an original IP emerge from a company that heavily capitalizes on franchises and sequels was refreshing. Early descriptions of the game emphasized teamwork and cooperative play. Then the first trailer showed up, showing off something that looked essentially like a buddy comedy. Still, the co-op elements looked solid. Now EA has released another "funny" trailer for the game, again showcasing some of the co-op elements in the game. We have to point out though, the idea that a car door can stop bullets was thoroughly debunked by MythBusters. The game looks pretty decent though. Here's hoping the humor stays funny and doesn't become annoying.[Via Live Gamer]
Today's hottest game video: Army of Two
Today's hottest video again hails from the rocky peaks of GameTrailers; a trailer for Army of Two is that site's most watched file. This action-shooter's video shows a single army (of two) engaging a variety of enemy situations. Apparently berating your teammate and slapping him is a situation for which two-person armies are trained. (Didn't they watch Patton?) At least we also see the cooperative moments -- partly offsetting these in-your-face-to-the-extreme antics -- like when one soldier drags his injured buddy away from the fire-fight. Watch the video after the break.
Go into the light with Army of Two screens
EA dropped some new screens from Army of Two, its co-op centric shooter. The screens show off some amazing detail and even a few gameplay dynamics like parachutes, vehicles, and assisting a wounded teammate. Is it just us, or does this picture look like a CPR minigame? Keep your buddy from going into the light maybe? Hating on EA is somewhat de rigueur around here, but this game actually looks pretty good, and more co-op is always a good thing. Anyone excited for it?
Army of Two info and screens
EA released some new info and screens of the upcoming co-op centric game, Army of Two. As you can imagine, the game is based around the concept of a two man tactical unit. The game is set to feature super fantastic AI for your squad mate, which promises to adapt to the player. Do you like to hold back? Then your squad mate will learn to take the lead (in theory). Behold, EA's marketing spiel:"Never go into battle alone! EA's new next-gen boutique development studio is changing the face of how people will play games. Delivering a groundbreaking strategic 3rd person co-op shooter unparalleled in the action genre, EA Montreal's ARMY OF TWO focuses on gameplay centered around TWO man missions, TWO man strategies, TWO man tactics and a TWO man advantage "Extreme capitalization aside, Army of Two could be wicked fun, especially with a buddy. Wait a minute. Original and intriguing IP coming from EA? Is it just me or is it crazy in here...
