Army of Two...the Phantom Menace of video games.

Senior producer Reid Schneider made a comment to PSW magazine staff that the first Army of Two game was an over-ambitious title, boasting vehicle sequences and boss fights that weren't really "grounded in reality".

According to Schneider, the team is aware of the hyper-cinematic nature of the first game, and are seeking to rectify their faults this time around.

We're trying to make something a little more grounded in reality. You're going to have waves of enemies and harder enemies to kill but the notion of boss fights... we did it a little bit in the first game but here we want to keep an air of credibility to the events.

I couldn't help but notice that the senior producer neglected to mention the outlandishly macho behavior of Rios and Salem... Hopefully, the team at EA Montreal will take note of this inspired comic strip and catch on  to the gaming crowd's thinly veiled reprehension.

Source: Link

Earlier, we heard wind of an Army of Two sequel coming down the tubes. Now, it seems that Electronic Arts will capitalize further on the underappreciated co-op game with a movie. Universal Pictures will distribute the big-budget film, and is fast-tracking to start full production in 2009, with Scott Stuber producing in the first partnership with EA.

Attached to write the screenplay is Scott Z. Burns, who is credited for the Bourne Ultimatum script.  Says Burns about the project (after the "Read More" link):

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Variety online has reported that EA Games president Frank Gibeau has let slip that an unconfirmed sequel is coming down the tubes for this year's most impactful co-op beautiful letdown: Army of Two.

While most agreed that the game was fun for a playthrough, the same crowd castigated it for its repetitive gameplay, horrid online interface and matchup system, and lack of enticing features to grab gamers' attention.

Personally, I would have enjoyed Army of Two if more of my friends could have hopped off of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for fifteen minutes. Two DLC map packs (SSC Challenge Pack and Veteran Map Pack) were offered shortly after release, but the dull thud of solid game content hitting the barren sandbed of a creek run dry was too much to bear, and my copy found a new home without ever really having a chance.

Thanks to EA Games and their annoyingly optimistic way of squeezing every last drop from an intellectual property, Army of Two will get a second chance. Click the "Source" link to read the whole article, which also includes news about the budding Dead Space and Battlefield Bad Company franchises.

Source: Link

There's nothing better than getting more co-op content for an already superb cooperative game.  Ok, there is something better, getting free content for an already superb cooperative game!

EA has just announced the Veteran Map pack will be available this Thursday, May 29th on both Xbox Live and PSN for FREE!  The pack is sponsored by Pontiac and features two brand new co-op missions and a new 2 vs 2 multiplayer map.

The first mission takes place in a subway station in Kiev where you must find and destroy the central hub of a dangerous militia.  The second mission takes you back to SSC headquarters in Miami where you get the chance to take out Dalton, Rios and Salem’s ex-boss and the man responsible for framing them, in an "intense boss fight where the glory of revenge is finally felt."  The final map, a multiplayer versus map, is set in a China Canal Lock.

The map pack is said to have "dynamic and destructible enviornments" not available in the original version of the game.  Could that mean something along the lines of the aircraft carrier mission?  I guess we'll know this Thursday.

Good news for fans of Army of Two.  EA has announced that the first set of downloadable content entitled "The Security and Strategy Corporation Challenge" will hit Xbox Live and PS3 next Thursday for the low price of $7.50.  The pack contains four maps and a series of obstacle courses, and upon completion, players will be invited to join the SSC.  What that means is anybodies guess, perhaps you'll be allowed to wear scary face masks in public.

"We want to support our fans with new content that delivers on the two-man gameplay but with a unique twist," said EA Montreal's Alain Tascan, adding, "The SSC Challenge gives players a chance to test their skills in a different setting while retaining the action packed co-op intensity that gamers have come to expect in Army of Two."

Be sure to check out our review of Army of Two for more info on the game.

With all the crazy hoopla of April Fools Day going around, it can be hard to know what's true and what's not. One thing that is true: Microsoft has released a demo of Army of Two onto Xbox Live Marketplace (in all regions except Germany). The demo is multiplayer/online only, so your options are splitscreen with your buddy next door (or wherever your nearest buddy is) or online with any one of your buddies (or a random person) from around the world. The demo has been tested by yours truly, and the online seems to work just fine, as does split screen. Check out the demo, or our review, and see what you think.

We've just posted our co-op review of Army of Two for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  Is it the game that every co-op gamer has dreamed of?  Or do things fall short of expectation?    Find out in our full review - and don't forget to stick around for the 60 second video review!

Read the full review right here.

According to Destructoid, Army of Two's online co-op mode is limited by disc region.  What exactly does that mean?  That means if you've got a buddy with the game in England, and you are located in the US of A...well you are SO of L.  The lone clue to this fubar situation came from the PAL version game's manual.

"NOTE: The online game modes in Army of Two are not cross region compatible and is only supported between PAL discs."

While not a big deal to most people, it's still suck-full situation for those of you who have international friends that you game with.   Thanks to Xbox Live I've personally made some aquaintances located in the European and Asian markets - looks like I won't get to do a fist pound after a massacre with them.

Source: Evil Avatar

Update: Joystiq got the explanation from EA regarding the situation:

According to Schneider, said super slow connections are what prompted the region blocking. Using a deterministic (peer-to-peer) network model enables the game's synchronized gameplay animation, but requires parity on both systems. If a slow connection is thrown into the mix, "the person with the worst connection brings down the whole group to his/her worst connection level," explained Schneider. "While not generally a problem for COOP (since most people play coop with friends) when playing in Versus mode 3 people can be highly adversely affected by one player with a bad connection. We use the region lock to minimize the likelihood of this occurring."

While we plan on posting our own review of EA's Army of Two sometime next week, we figured what better way to kick off the weekend than with Gametrailer's excellent 8 minute long video review.

The review highlights just how good the co-op is.  That is, playing with a friend yields rewarding gameplay and re-playability.  Playing with the AI is just downright frustrating at times.   One thing many people might not realize is the level of customization available in the game, whether it's customizing your characters appearance, or customizing a weapon to use. 

The full video is posted after the jump.

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We've just posted our interview with Army of Two Assistant Producer Matt Turner.  With a game designed from the ground up for 2 player co-op, the folks around Co-Optimus HQ are highly interested in Army of Two.  So what drove EA to create a game based around the cooperative experience?  How difficult is it to make a cooperative game?

Find out in our full interview!