Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I must admit I was quite excited for The 40th Day. I enjoyed the previous installment in the series and had fairly high expectations for the second. So I sat down and put the game in and waited to be wowed. And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. And then the credits rolled.
The 40th Day isn't an awful game but all the things that made the first game memorable like the co-op mechanisms, the tongue in cheek bromance, the ambiguous morality and the hard fighting brutality were completely underdeveloped here. The strength of a sequel over a new title is that a dev team can take all the popular aspects of a previous game and with that previous experience up the ante and redeliver a superior product based on those known strengths and weaknesses. Instead with the 40th Day you get exactly the same thing as before with an even thinner story (which I didn't thing possible) and a less engaging aesthetic. There is basically nothing here that makes me believe that a single lesson was learned from the previous title.
The controls are wonky but not intrusively bad. I did have an unexplainable bug where after I came back from turning off the game the Y-axis reset to un-inverted and I couldn't change it back. So if you're a freak of nature like me and play with an inverted Y-Axis be on your guard. The bug might make this game unplayable.
Also be warned: if you're looking for single player play time then don't put down your money on buying this game. I finished this game in less than six hours on Hard. There are a few unlockables but nothing to make it worth really playing through the campaign again. My recommendation would be to rent it and based off how much you enjoy the multi-player consider buying a copy then.
As far as the actual game play is concerned I was never once really engaged. The enemies have a very limited number of very jerky animations and their AI is unsatisfying. Like many poorly designed games that place an emphasis on the use of cover you'll often find yourself feeling like you're playing a game of wack-a-mole where you sit behind your cover and they sit behind theirs as you wait for them to lean out to ineffectually spray bullets at you. The enemies are not challenging and most of the episodes were you find yourself being challenged is when due to the design of the spawn points and the poor camera angles a half dozen opponents appear behind you. They're mostly carbon copies of each other, some with helmets and some with body armor but it's all the same deal. This is mixed up by having the occasional mini-boss which is decked out in heavy armor and has a special weapon like a Gatling gun or a grenade launcher. Between the combat cover mechanic and the cheesy pseudo-anime looking enemies I felt like I had traveled back in time fifteen years and was playing Time Crisis at the arcade again and not in a good way.
This is all interrupted by situations where you can take hostages and/or rescue civilians. While that sounds fun, and it is at first, it wears off about an hour into the game due to the fact that it's the same situation every time and you're never presented with a reason or a reward that makes you care. This brings me to the "moral choices" in the game. One of the great ideas in the game that had simply terrible execution the moral choices have almost no affect on the storyline or the game play. There are some items and weapon parts you can get one way as opposed to the other but they're not really a big deal and don't much alter the way you play the game or the manner in which it is or isn't enjoyed. You could be totally good or totally bad without significant alteration in the basic experience.
The second incredibly disappointing aspect of the game was the weapon modification. This is another idea that just never really seemed to get off the ground which is bizarre considering the attention and marketing it got as a component of the game. While you can change out barrels and add new sights or stocks, etc there is very little substantial difference in the weapon platforms. Once you buy one modification or the other it makes little difference what your "base" weapon is. Also the modifications themselves are limited and uninspired. With all the focus placed on attaining money in the game you'll find little reason to actually spend it as none of the mods have a real "fun" factor to them and their effect on your game play is minimal.
The multi-player is adequate but I don't see any shooter fan who owns a copy of Modern Warfare 2 spending enough time play The 40th Day to justify a purchase. You'll also notice that since you didn't pre-order a copy you don't yet have access to the Extraction feature of the game for a month. Note to EA: put a $10 mail in rebate or a poster or the such in your pre-orderers boxes. Leaving out an entire portion of your game for one of the most critical time periods for the sale of your product is incredibly stupid. Basically what EA has done is create the illusion of pre-orderers getting "extra material" by taking it away from everyone else. What a clever way to screw over your customers. Fire the guy that came up with that.
Bottomline: The game is a decent but not impressive 6 hours duck and shoot exercise. Unless you simply loved the multi-player portion of the first game I wouldn't recommend paying retail for this one. A rental isn't out of the question for a lazy weekend but with Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2, all vastly superior sequels, out or soon to be I'm not sure I'd argue you'll have more fun with this in your 360.
Pros:
*Good looking graphics, nice textures.
*Not too hard, not too easy.
*Curb stomping.
Subjective qualities:
*Simple combat mechanics.
*Check point save system.
*Not overly tactical, very shoot 'em up.
Cons:
*Terrible story.
*Very short.
*Undeveloped core concepts (weapon mods and moral choices).
*Painfully cliche aesthetics.
*Simple AI.
*Goofy Achievements.
*Little variation in play.
*Wonky Controls.
*You don't get the whole game you pay for on release (Extraction).
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Product Description:
Army of Two: The 40th Day is a third-person shooter based in groundbreaking cooperative gameplay functionality. Sequel to the 2008 game of the same name, and featuring series heroes, Rios and Salem, in this new iteration players have a bigger playbook of features and a new arsenal of co-op moves that either player can perform at any time, opening up fresh strategies in the face of overwhelming odds. In addition, the game features advanced weapon customization and upgrade systems, as well as four explosive online multiplayer modes, each focused on unique cooperative play.
Extreme co-op tactics and gameplay.
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Extensive weapons customization.
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Help from Mission Coordinator Alice Murray.
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Improved cover system.
Viewlarger. Story
Set a few years after the events of the original Army of Two game,Army of Two: The 40th Day features the continuing adventures of millitarycontractors Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem. With the help of Alice Murray,their mission coordinator, they now run their own paramilitary business,known as TransWorld Operations (TWO). Working what seems to be a routinemission in Shanghai they find themselves surrounded by a force of competingprivate military contractors intent on running amok in the city. Will Riosand Salem survive? Will they be able to make a few bucks off a bad situation?All they have is each other to rely on. Gameplay
As with the original Army of Two, and as the name of the seriesimplies, gameplay in Army of Two: The 40th Day revolves aroundco-op combat tactics necessary to survive specific and general combatsituations. Players can team up with an AI companion in single playermode or a human friend in two-player co-op. Co-op tactics are made awareto the player in what is known as the co-op playbook. Unlike the originalgame, which in some instances limited the use of some tactics to certainsituations, in The 40th Day, players have access to all tactics.Implementing these against opponents revolves around the game's "Aggro"system, tallied in the heads-up-display (HUD) and which measures the amountof attention a team member draws from opponents for certain tactics, leavingthe other team member in various states of freedom to launch coordinatedattacks as chosen. In addition to this change, players are also facedwith moral dilemmas in the game, including choices presented to one ofthe players on a team that the other must bear the consequences of, aswell as the decision as to deal with and/or defend civilian non-playercharacters (NPCs), who can be killed in the game. Multiplayer Modes
In addition to its single player campaign, Army of Two: The 40th Dayoffers a robust, region-free, multiplayer experience that provides anarray of unique features for up to 12 players at a time. This experienceconsists of four modes, including, three brand-new modes that providea variety of objectives for partners to battle over. The four modes are:
Co-op Deathmatch - An intense battle of survival between upto six two-player partnerships. Only by mastering teamwork and partnershipskills will players earn the most points and come out on top.
Control - Sets players partnerships as TWO or FDI rival factionmembers as they aim to capture strategic locations in the city. Workwith your partner and faction to control the most points within thetime limit.
Warzone - Is an all-out objective-based battle between TWOand FDI forces. Complete the most Destruction, Assassination, VIP, andInfiltration missions with your partner and faction to crush the oppositionand win.
Extraction - Pits a team of four players against a series ofunique enemy waves as they move from point to point in the ruined city.Players must strategize as a unified team to combat the different forcesof the 40th Day Initiative while trying to get out alive. Extractionis a bonus mode that will be available for free one month after Armyof Two: The 40th Day is released, or at launch for players who pre-ordered.
Army of Two: The 40th Day features the most advanced weapons customizationever seen in a video game. Using money earned in-game for your contractingduties you can adapt your arsenal and firepower to fit the obstacles youface. With malleable attributes like handling, accuracy, ammunition capacity,and power, coupled with a huge variety of parts and the ability to makecustomizations at any time in the game, the possibilities and impact youcan make through customization are virtually limitless. Key Game Features
The Best Co-op Experience with All-New Moves and Tactics -Army of Two: The 40th Day has been built from the ground up witha focus on an incredible cooperative experience. The result is a bigger,better, more organic and immersive co-op experience that lets you putyour best two-man tactics to use whenever and wherever you want.
An Epic Story - A carefully orchestrated series of mysteriouscatastrophes is dragging Shanghai, China to the brink of ruin, and nowthe Army of Two must fight their way through ravaged city districtsas they try to beat the odds and uncover the secret of the 40th Day.
Explosive Game Modes Focused on Unique Co-op Play - Take yourpartner online in explosive multiplayer modes, each focused on uniquecooperative play. Or strategize in the four-player co-op Extractionbonus mode and take on a series of intense enemy waves as you move frompoint to point through the ruined city.
12-player Multiplayer Support - Game supports up to 12 players in online modes.
Advanced Weapons Customization - Change your weapon in theheat of battle and adapt your firepower to the situation.
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