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Battlefield: BC, Mass Effect, Army of Two sequel sales all top 1 million; Dante's Inferno comes close in Q1 2010
Electronic Arts' high-profile sequels helped the publisher fight its way to some positive cash flow in the final quarter of an otherwise traumatic fiscal year. Overall, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 led the charge with over three million units sold in the quarter across Europe and North America, with five million units sold to date. Mass Effect 2 didn't do too shabby, selling 1.6 million units during the quarter in North America and Europe, while Army of Two: The 40th Day sold "over one million units worldwide in the quarter." It wasn't all sequel talk for the core titles,as Dante's Inferno got a mention too, having sold "almost one million units in the quarter" across Europe and North America. Oh, Dante, don't cry! It ain't easy for a new franchise in this world -- just ask EA's new IPs from last fiscal year.
Army of Two: The 40th Day DLC fix coming soon, EA says
Has your brotainment been at an all-time low with Army of Two: The 40th Day's campaign DLC, Chapters of Deceit? Well, according to Eurogamer, EA is well aware of the issue regarding faulty Achievement and Trophy unlocks and is currently working on a fix. "There is a known issue affecting Achievements in an Army of Two DLC pack," an EA spokesperson said. "We are looking into a solution and hope to provide an update soon." In the meantime, we suggest you enjoy one of those other games that inspired The 40th Day. It's not a bad way to pass the time until you wait for "soon" to come around.
New Army of Two: The 40th Day campaign DLC coming in April
Electronic Arts has announced that new Army of Two: The 40th Day downloadable content is on the way. Entitled "Chapters of Deceit," the pack contains two campaign maps (once again set in the city of Shanghai) where "players stumble upon information that could lead to ending the invasion by Jonah and his 40th Day Initiative army." The DLC will arrive for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 1 and will cost $9.99 and 800, respectively. Since the game flaunts its strength as a co-op shooter right in the title, EA Montreal's new content seems like a natural extension. Here's hoping it maintains the impressive level design and high degree of polish we experienced the first time around.%Gallery-86309%
Army of Two: The 40th Day for The 40 Dollars
Looking to add some more psychotic mercenaries to your life in increments of two, but light on cash in this ridiculously overstuffed Q1? Look to Amazon's Video Game Deal of the Day to fulfill your Army of Two: The 40th Day-related needs. For today only (or until the retailer runs out), both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the co-op shooter are marked down to $39.99. If that's still a bit much to pay (and if you're really desperate for some masked mayhem in a game), we'd like to suggest employing the same "buddy system" that Salem and Rios use. Buy it with a friend, play it together, and strengthen your relationship! You know, while blowing stuff up.
Metareview: Army of Two: The 40th Day
You've already heard our incredibly well-thought-out critique of Salem and Rios' latest mercenary endeavor, Army of Two: The 40th Day -- however, we understand your impulse to shop around. Here's what some of the other reviewers have been saying about the supremely bromantic game. IGN (85/100): "A disaster movie in a game package, Army of Two: The 40th Day capitalizes on its co-op play to deliver an awesome action experience that's incredibly fun to play." Official Xbox 360 Magazine (80/100): "Marry that to some satisfyingly chunky gunplay and the odd spectacular, building-levelling explosion and you have an action game that is far more fun than it has any right to be. You get plenty of co-op games, but not that many 'buddy' games and this is a fine example - a frantic, punchy bullet-storm that's best enjoyed with a friend." 1UP (B): "Even though I think they ultimately contributed to the Army of Two's inconsistent tone, which moves from "flippant" to "serious business about how messed up people can get," the morality moments are what I'll remember most about The 40th Day." Game Informer (65/100): "With so many great co-op experiences available to gamers, it's tough to recommend The 40th Day. Lacking a cohesive story, solid controls, key multiplayer features, and polish, this sequel fails to close the gap of mediocrity running through its core game design."
EA confesses to bad ideas in first Army of Two
EA Montreal boss Alain Tascan admitted to Videogamer.com that the first Army of Two game "piss[ed] off a lot of people" with some of its missteps; most notably the killing of terrorists for cash in areas in which real soldiers were dying. So the mistake was, basically, the whole game. Before we pile on EA too much, we'd like to remind you that the stuffing of tampons into bullet wounds was actually cut from the game, so the final version of Army of Two didn't have nearly as many bad ideas in it as it could have. Tascan went on to say that "the new one I feel is still very funny, but at least it's more 'Bruce Willis funny' than 'Steven Seagal funny.'" Well great, guys, you've gone from pissing off overly sensitive people to pissing off Steven Seagal. Talk about leaping from the frying pan into the fire that also happens to be a reincarnated, part-time deputy sheriff.
Review: Army of Two: The 40th Day
Never did I think that, after finishing the original Army of Two, I'd ever be re-enlisting for a sequel. Sure, it sold well, but its myriad not-quite-fulfilled ideas and irritating "Dude! Bro!" lead characters just made me want to shrug off the game and move on with my life. So I sit here writing this pretty amazed at how good the sequel is. It's not, say, Assassin's Creed to Assassin's Creed 2 good -- but a very solid improvement on the core co-op action concept, shedding just the right things and finally delivering an experience that actually plays off the strengths of being a two-man fighting force. Plus, it does so with a high degree of polish and prettiness, not to mention reworked characters that are -- and I can't believe I'm saying this -- actually funny and ... cool. %Gallery-47821%
The Army of Two infiltrates GameStop
Army of Two: The 40th Day's Salem and Rios are no strangers to the modern world. Sure, they may have acted a bit ... out of place during previous visits to EA Montreal and EA Headquarters, but that doesn't mean they're not fit for retail life. Take, for instance, the video above of the two trying their best to lend a hand to the fine folks at GameStop. They might be a bit rough around the edges, but that doesn't mean that they didn't get the most magazine upsells for the month of December (they did!) or that they aren't capable of re-alphabetizing the used PS2 section six or seven hundred times a day (they are!). Give them a chance, folks. Under the inhuman terror mask and bullet-proof chest padding beats the heart of a human being. %Gallery-47821%
New Army of Two trailer previews multiplayer modes
So, okay, Army of Two: The 40th Day is kind of the definition of a multiplayer mode: "All co-op, all the time." But on top of the constant comradery of the core campaign, this sequel also features several traditional multiplayer modes inspired by other popular multiplayer games. This latest trailer chronicles the classic struggle between the colors Red and Blue across the game's four muliplayer modes: Warzone, Co-op Deathmatch, Control, and Extraction. Sadly, it appears that the So You Think You Can Fist Bump competition didn't make the cut. %Gallery-47821%
Army of Two: The 40th Day PSP: no demo today, but have a trailer
Feeling left out by today's Army of Two demo news, PSP owners? You may not get to play the PSP version of Army of Two: The 40th Day today, but EA sent out a trailer, ensuring that you'll be able to ... watch it being played. And this trailer does feature a good amount of footage of the Commando/Ikari Warriors-esque top-down shooter. Not that you won't get the chance to step into the shoes of a masked, bloodthirsty murderer before the January 13 release in North America. A PSP demo will be available on PSN January 7 (January 14 in Europe). Just try to hold out until then. Maybe seek comfort from one good friend.
PSA: Army of Two: The 40th Day demo on XBL
A reminder from your friendly neighborhood Joystiq: The Army of Two: The 40th Day demo promised earlier this week is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Weighing in at a less-than-diminutive two gigabytes, the demo allows players to try out a part of the first level of the game. And, since Army of Two kind of depends on cooperative play, the demo thankfully offers both offline and online co-op for two players. The demo may or may not also contain bro hugs. We hope it does. Shortcut: Add the Army of Two: The 40th Day demo to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]
Watch Shanghai blow up in Army of Two: The 40th Day's intro
Modern Warfare 2 has made blowing up American capitals so passé. EA Montreal is far more visionary, preemptively blowing up the largest city of our future masters: Shanghai. The explosive intro to Army of Two: The 40th Day certainly fits the studio's new "blockbuster-type" focus and reassures doubters that this game will be a more serious affair than the first. Perhaps you've noticed the deliberate lack of bromance in this clip?
Army of Two: The 40th Day to offer weapon customization, garish camo
We've never felt satisfied by the weapon customization options afforded to us by first-person shooters. Oh, three different kinds of scopes? An optional grenade launcher attachment? Yeah, those are pretty cool, we guess -- however, we'd also like a different stock, ammo clip, suppressor and barrel on there as well. Hey, while we're at it, we also need a blender. You know, for when we require a cool coconut smoothie in the middle of a heated firefight. The latest trailer for Army of Two: The 40th Day gives us a look into the weapon customization engine we've always dreamed of, giving us unparalleled control over our in-game boomsticks. You can quickly turn your military grade M107 into a hulking, unwieldy monstrosity, complete with hideous, circus-themed camouflage. Sadly, the above trailer doesn't show off any kitchen appliance attachments -- we're sure they'll show up as DLC shortly after the game launches on January 12.
TGS 2009: The Recap Post
Last week, the Tokyo Game Show brought in over 100 posts worth of news, previews, interviews, galleries, and videos. Clearly, a lot happened. If you're looking for a comprehensive list of all the goings-on during TGS 2009, Joystiq has you covered -- and organized! Click on a platform below to scan the highlights: (On the far right: that's "News" and "Culture" on the top and bottom, respectively)
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Army of Two: The 40th Day
Andrew: "Oh my god, you shot her in the face!" Ross: "Hey, we're an army of two. I don't want a third wheel." Seconds after booting up the Tokyo Game Show demo of Army of Two: The 40th Day, we managed to completely botch a hostage "rescue" operation, while brutally murdering the four terrorists involved. Our morality meter went down quite significantly after that, we're sure. Had we managed to progress with some more finesse, we would've been able to sneak behind two enemies, grab them and "negotiate" a solution for the others. Is there a morally "good" way out of a situation like that? Perhaps, but we'll never know. While it's easy to simply accuse Ross of insatiable bloodthirstiness, his less-than-graceful approach at this scenario could be blamed on the (admittedly early) build's choppy framerate, and the sometimes confusing controls. Ross found it difficult to stick to cover, and move from one place to another; I found myself inadvertently switching between crouching, cover and something in between. %Gallery-73808%
New AoT: 40th Day screens drop shield, charge head first
We're misleading you a bit. The screenshots aren't quite dropping anything themselves, so much as the stars of upcoming bromance sequel, Army of Two: The 40th Day, are putting down their shields. Donning masks with flames -- so as to terrify enemies into thinking they're being advanced upon by White Zombie, of course -- Salem and Rio are clearly concerned with meeting attire standards for the professional workplace: sporty, yet hardcore. That's what those bad guys get for standing in the way of movie night! %Gallery-73808%
Army of Two: The 40th Day joins the Q1 2010 party
EA has announced that Rios and Salam's latest outing, Army of Two: The 40th Day, is headed to the crowded Q1 2010 quarter, specifically January 12 in the US and January 8 in Europe. It's a good time to release a game, really. Look at every one of these other games doing the same thing! The press release also mentions a pre-order bonus for the game in "Extraction," a multiplayer mode available to those who pre-order The 40th Day. Everyone else will gain access one month later.
Salem and Rios visit EA Montreal in bizarre Army of Two trailer
We're not exactly sure what this new trailer for Army of Two: The 40th Day is supposed to tell us. Salem and Rios, the two masked stars of the series, stop by EA Montreal's office to play their own game and goof off. The ensuing mayhem results in the destruction of a defenseless copy machine -- without it, the game is certainly going to miss a 2009 release! Perhaps this bizarre trailer is meant to emphasize that the game isn't all about serious stuff, like morality ... and explosions. Perhaps this marks the return of the series' trademark "bromance"?
New Army of Two: 40th Day trailer takes aim at morality
Rios and Salem have a tough choice to make in this latest trailer for Army of Two: The 40th Day. The clip highlights the game's new morality system, a set of scripted events where the player (or players, if you're rocking co-op) must make a choice, shaping the way the game plays out. In the video above, the same scene we saw at E3, Rios and Salem find a gun stash, but a nearby officer walks in and catches the two in the act. As one might assume, he's not to happy with what he sees. Do Rios and Salem put the guns back? Do they take them anyway? Do they just shoot the crap out of the cop? You'll just have to watch to find out! (We've already made our choice.) The trailer also reveals that noted comic artists Chris Bachalo and Jock have signed up to do some illustrations for the game. Bachalo's even on hand at Comic-Con right now signing stuff, so if you're attending, hit up booth #5213. %Gallery-68603%
Army of Two: The 40th Day: All the gunplay, half the bromance
Army of Two: The 40th Day will tone down the gratuitous bouts of fist-bumping and other high-octane manlove celebrations so liberally sprinkled throughout the first game, developers have told USA Today. The shoot-everything-then-chest-bump-each-other mechanic of the first game will receive less emphasis than moral choices, which will require you to make difficult decisions at certain intervals throughout the game. It's a shame about all of the brolebrations, though, because we think they added a lot to the game. Well, okay, a lot for us to make fun of. %Gallery-47821%
