The buddy flick genre of video games started off with Mario and Luigi and in the modern day setting Salem and Rios have taken the spotlight. The Army of Two series is back to blow some things up and that’s exactly where this game starts off.
STORY:
The big problem with The 40th Day is its lack of story. Salem and Rios are in Shanghai when everything goes wrong. The whole city is blown to smithereens by a madman. That is pretty much the extent of the story. I suppose that the game is focusing more on the action but you really have no idea why you are there and why this horrible situation is happening. As you move throughout the game you can collect radios which fill in the gaps a bit but still leave you sitting and wondering ‘Why am I doing this?’ If you are looking for an epic tale to be a part of then this game is probably not for you. The story just seemed too short and I played through the entire single player experience in about four hours. The game doesn’t feel rushed at all, it just doesn’t have a lot of meat to it.
With that being said the relationship of Salem and Rios is one of the game’s highlights. This is a bromance at it’s finest. As you play through the game and, especially at the end, you get the feeling that these guys are the best of friends. There are some tough decisions a long the way and you can even bear hug each other to up the morale. There is a point in the game where you have to prove your friendship and that’s about as nail biting as it gets.
GAMEPLAY:
The 40th Day is another third-person shooter with a friend attached at the hip. Button layouts are easy to use and I didn’t have any problems figuring it all out. What I did love about the controls is how easy it was to jump right in there and start the action. Compared to the previous game, the AI of your partner is much improved. By using the d-pad you can tell your partner where to go as well as if you want him to draw some ‘aggro’ (which is the game’s term for drawing enemy attention). I thought this system was fairly easy to use and never encountered one error with it. EA deserves some real kudos for focusing on the buddy system, making sure there were little to no bugs in the finished product.
Salem and Rios are all about packing a huge punch and in this game there is tons of ‘punch’ to choose from. The amount of customization in this game is really incredible and addicting. Right from the start you are able to customize your masks and even use your own designs via the game’s website. As you play through the game you earn cash to use on the black market for gun upgrades. What’s great is that the game really doesn’t take the the various weapons that seriously. Feel like buying a gold plated sniper rifle with a Pepsi can as a silencer? Oh, you can do that and whole lot more. You can literally spend an hour sitting in the customization menu planning out which look or stats you want. With three weapon slots, and grenades, you can pack some serious heat.
Something new to the series is what EA calls ‘morality situations’. Throughout the game you will be presented with certain situations where you need to make a choice. Each choice will have a different outcome, good or bad, and can affect how things play out. After each choice is made you are presented with a graphic novel-style cut scene showing you what happened due to this choice. This was a really great addition to the series however they are too few and far between to make an impact. It’s a great plot device and there needed to be more of them in Army of Two: The 40th Day.
As far as the combat goes it’s all fun but fairly standard if you are use to third-person shooters. You can use almost every object in the game to duck behind for cover or even steal riot shields from your enemies. It almost felt as some points like this was a coin-op game as it is just waves of baddies coming for you until you clear a certain number of dead. This was a little bit taxing but the gameplay in itself made for a fun shooter that is good to pick up and play – especially with a buddy. If you go into the gameplay only expecting that then you can have some quality fun with a friend. As with most titles these days the camera can work against you so be careful when you get in sticky situations.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND:
The graphics in The 40th Day were very decent. We reviewed the Xbox 360 version and did not find any ‘weird’ screen-tearing or framing issues. The complete destruction of Shanghai was beautiful in terms of its detail and really drove home the chaos taking place in the city. There is one level where people are falling from the sky and that actually made me cringe a bit! With this level of destruction, there is tons of blood everywhere so this is definitely a M-rated game. The levels don’t vary much in looks and that would be the only negative I have about the graphics. It would have been nice to see a bit more than just an alley or courtyard that you happened upon. I do have to say that the zoo level was very impressive.
The sound in The 40th day was pretty typical for a action game. Explosions were loud and the screams of the dying were everywhere. I encountered no weird sound artifacts and was pretty pleased throughout – though the generic enemy grunt sounds did get a bit repetitive. There are only so many times I can hear a grunt say ‘Get down!’
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Although short on story, Army Of Two: The 40th Day is a very enjoyable game. Playing the game by yourself is fun but this title is really meant to be enjoyed with a friend. The 40th Day is an exciting experience that could easily pass for a Hollywood action/buddy flick. I highly recommend you take this one for a spin and hope that EA fleshes out the story a bit more in Salem and Rios’ next adventure.
