Army Of Two: Now without cross-region play!!

darleysamdarleysam On my way toUKRegistered User regular
edited April 2008 in Games and Technology
Dammit EA, why'd you make me do this?
Apparently there is no cross-region play. You buy PAL, you play PAL, and good luck trying to connect with someone who isn't in your region.
What the dickens?

What's this about co-op issues?
It's apparently just mis-interpreted. Go read Tycho's clarified statement, it's just for LAN play.
Tested the 360 version of splitscreen coop like such...

Internets connected:
Profile 1: Gold, Profile 2: None
Profile 1: Gold, Profile 2: Silver
Profile 1: None, Profile 2: None

No internets connected:
Profile 1: None, Profile 2: None

All forms I tested, splitscreen coop worked fine. So no, both accounts do no have to be gold in order for same box, split screen, cooperative two player action to work. The only requirement was both players be signed into a profile.

The complaint as I understand it is there is no System Link. Or, there is no hooking a cable from one XBawks to another XBawks and playing offline with two people and there own screen.




Say What?
Army Of Two is a co-operative shooter game from EA (no, please, keep reading) for PS3 and 360. I've been interested in it for a little while now, but reading 1UP's coverage on it this week has me fascinated. Designed from the start to be a co-operative game, you play either solo with an AI, or with a friend (preferred, of course), as a pair of private military soldiers, charged with the task of working together to shoot a whole lot of things.

EA? So who's sponsoring it?
Very funny. Probably Blackwater.

So why should i be interested?
Well, you might not be. It does feature an 'aggro meter', which might not be your cup of tea. It's sort of a swingometer, depending on who's being more 'aggressive', that is designed to affect how the game is played. This spoilered (for size) piece of text should explain things
One of the ways the team set out to accomplish this is what we can exclusively reveal today: the Aggrometer. Sitting at the top of your screen, this meter ties the two characters together at all times by displaying which character has more 'Aggro' at any given time, something that's also indicated by a red hue on the character with more and a slight transparency on the character with less. As you play, it's a constant back-and-forth in terms of where the Aggrometer rests, but this is used for far more than just bragging rights. Aggro actually comes into play in almost every aspect of the gameplay.

For example, as a character gets more Aggro, enemies will start focusing more on him. What this allows, then, is for the other player to use this as a tactical advantage. "Aggro is a fairly common thing nowadays, but most people always think about it in RPGs and whatnot," says Chris Ferriera, Army of Two game designer. "But it never really existed in the shooter space. And in the shooter space, what do you always do? You fight your enemies and you kill them. We wanted a way for you to interact where you can actually manipulate the enemy." So now, enemies will focus on the player with more Aggro, offering some interesting gameplay tactics. "If both players are firing at the same time, for instance, the Aggro is going to stay centered. So there's no bonus for that. But if you say, 'OK, I'm going to take cover and hang back; you're going to go risk yourself. Run in front of everyone and draw their attention.' Boom! All of a sudden you're doing more damage, and I'm more stealthy and can sneak around."

We test out this concept. Some of the enemies in the game wear armor just as you do, making them impossible to take out without hitting their weak points from behind. Ferriera starts shooting like a maniac, builds up his Aggro, and the enemies all start trying to take him out -- meanwhile, I'm flanking the guy with the armor by running through an empty house and hitting him with a few shots in the back of his neck from a window. It works perfectly. Later, I decide to have some fun with it. Ferriera distracts the enemies and I lay down some C4. I tell him to stop shooting. I begin firing at the enemies, and they start running in my direction. Boom. It's not A.I. you haven't seen in other games -- it's just better manipulated through coordinated efforts here.
Could be interesting, no?
It's also affected by your weapon selection

Weapon selection?
Indeed! You want weapons? We got weapons. We also got customisation. And a nasty rash, but the doctor says it'll clear up in a couple of weeks.
Not only do you get a handy selection of deathsticks to point at people, you get an even handier array of customisation options. Why? Well, because that's how it works in real-life, chaps. This isn't the army, and these people get to choose how they want to kill (no, really, i read it in my friend's blog while looking up lolcats). Read this:
So as the team began to build the weapons in the game, the artist had to completely change the way they think about guns. "Basically, they had to build guns as pieces," says Schneider. "So guns in Army of Two are almost like Legos. We don't actually build a whole gun, we build pieces of guns that can be put together." But what that allows for is complete flexibility in terms of what you can do to the guns in the game. "It's just a stupid amount of combinations," admits Schneider. And the neat part is that almost every change you make to the guns will actually affect your gameplay. If you put a shield on your gun, for example, you'll likely lose fewer health points in battle
See? Oh, and yes, you can have gold-plated guns. Blingin'.

Well this is just all very silly. People don't do this in real life..
Maybe not precisely this, but apparently, it's closer than you think. How do we know?
woodie.jpg
This man. Richard Woodie Mister.
He's a former SEAL, who's done his time with private military companies, and now consults on these types of games (Splinter Cell and SWAT 4, too). He knows things.
There's a lot of text to post here, but basically this interview is a fascinating read, but also lets you know where EA have gone a bit silly with the design, and where they've got things surprisingly accurate.
And the customisation deal and crazy armour (apart from metal faceplates)? That's kinda real.

Okay, well i'm interested, but how does it look?
Good sir, it looks pretty.
THANKS GAMESPOT
932860_20070605_screen001.jpg
hump the scenery!

932860_20070605_screen005.jpg
drag your fallen comrade!

932860_20070605_screen009.jpg
point at things!
(images spoilered for violent h-scroll abuse)

THANKS 1UP (even though i'm hosting these)
clothesline.jpg
CLOTHESLINE!

slap.jpg
settle domestic arguments!

rockout.jpg
play air-Guitar Hero!


CO-OP SHENANIGANS
courtesy of Inquisitor:

Two-Man Parachuting
Two-Man Rappelling (one man acts as the anchor, while the other rappels)
Standing on your opponents view for a better vantage point.
Tandem Sniping (sniping two people as close to simultaneously as possible)
Back to Back Maneuvers (for when you get surrounded, also, the two characters heavy body armor are designed to help cover each other)
Dragging your wounded buddy
Reviving your buddy
Throwing ammo clips if your team mate runs out.

There are probably some more but my memory is failing me.

Edit: Here we go, here's the IGN article http://ps3.ign.com/articles/706/706304p1.html
Pharezon wrote: »
Do we get to kill innocent civillians and video tape them for our trophy case?
For instance, during one mission in Afghanistan, Rios constantly yelled at Salem whenever he pointed his gun at a civilian, telling him to stand down and holster his weapon. When Salem finally stopped pointing the gun at the civilian, Rios sarcastically quipped, "That's why people hate Americans..."

A video?
follow the link to gametrailers to have a look at people shooting things and stuff
http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/12915

E3 SEZ MOAR!
E32007 Trailer (HD)

E32007 Duck and Cover gameplay (HD)

forumsig.png
darleysam on
«13456710

Posts

  • EndomaticEndomatic Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Seems pretty fucking great to me!

    Endomatic on
  • VoranthVoranth MI NOMBRE, POR CIERTO ES DONTÉ!Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    So it's like Armoured Core/Chromehounds, but with guns?

    I am stoked. Nice op, by the way. :^:

    Voranth on
    camo_sig2.png
    PS4: Voranth
  • Inigo MontoyaInigo Montoya Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Fuck you I'm driving

    Inigo Montoya on
    "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    after actually reading about the PMC folk, i found myself even more intrigued by this (hence the effort in that OP). When i first heard about it, it was 'that game where you could pimp out your gun and tell your teammate to fuck off'. Now, it's actually sounding like it could be really fun to play, with some interesting co-operative mechanics, and an awesome selection of weapon customisation abilities.
    Damn you EA, this isn't meant to happen.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I've been keeping an eye on this game since christmas, back when it was supposed to come out in February or something.

    Any concrete details on what the release date got pushed back to?

    Also, OP needs more mention of the awesome co-op things you can do. Such as reviving your team mate. One player tries to run away from the white light, while the other player does CPR. If the player doing CPR screws his timing up, the guy running away trips and the white light moves ever closer.

    Also, real world PMCs are scary.

    Inquisitor on
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Do we get to kill innocent civillians and video tape them for our trophy case?

    Pharezon on
    jkZziGc.png
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Inquisitor wrote: »
    I've been keeping an eye on this game since christmas, back when it was supposed to come out in February or something.

    Any concrete details on what the release date got pushed back to?

    Also, OP needs more mention of the awesome co-op things you can do. Such as reviving your team mate. One player tries to run away from the white light, while the other player does CPR. If the player doing CPR screws his timing up, the guy running away trips and the white light moves ever closer.

    Also, real world PMCs are scary.

    ooh, this is news to me. Source?

    edit: i also imagine we'll get a release date at E3, if we haven't had something already. I'll go check some sites.

    edit 2: gamespot says november 9th, 1up says december 15th.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Better be November and not December. Coulda sworn I heard October back when it first got delayed.

    My source is older articles on Army of Two, back before the delay, I can try to dig them up again if you'd like.

    They went into a lot of the team maneuvers in the game. Off the top of my head this included:

    Two-Man Parachuting
    Two-Man Rappelling (one man acts as the anchor, while the other rappels)
    Standing on your opponents view for a better vantage point.
    Tandem Sniping (sniping two people as close to simultaneously as possible)
    Back to Back Maneuvers (for when you get surrounded, also, the two characters heavy body armor are designed to help cover each other)
    Dragging your wounded buddy
    Reviving your buddy
    Throwing ammo clips if your team mate runs out.

    There are probably some more but my memory is failing me.

    Edit: Here we go, here's the IGN article http://ps3.ign.com/articles/706/706304p1.html
    Pharezon wrote: »
    Do we get to kill innocent civillians and video tape them for our trophy case?
    For instance, during one mission in Afghanistan, Rios constantly yelled at Salem whenever he pointed his gun at a civilian, telling him to stand down and holster his weapon. When Salem finally stopped pointing the gun at the civilian, Rios sarcastically quipped, "That's why people hate Americans..."

    Inquisitor on
  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    The EGM article went on for like a year on the "using a tampon to stuff a wound" feature. It must have been like a whole page on it. :x

    Cantido on
    3DS Friendcode 5413-1311-3767
  • DarkCrawlerDarkCrawler Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Christ, I am so pumped up for this. Could be really A+ game if done right.

    You can even give CPR to your buddy in this game.

    DarkCrawler on
  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    You can even give CPR to your buddy in this game.

    :winky:

    Darmak on
    JtgVX0H.png
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Darmak wrote: »
    You can even give CPR to your buddy in this game.

    :winky:

    :!:

    Pharezon on
    jkZziGc.png
  • RaereRaere Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    What's with the co-op thing lately? First Kane and Lynch and now this.

    Raere on
    Raere.png
  • NickTheNewbieNickTheNewbie Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    WILL THERE BE BUTTSEX BETWEEN THE PROTAGONISTS? Y/N

    NickTheNewbie on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Cantido wrote: »
    The EGM article went on for like a year on the "using a tampon to stuff a wound" feature. It must have been like a whole page on it. :x

    yeah.. they mention it in the 1UP stuff too, but don't really dwell on it (more like a "yes you can, yes they do it in real life, next" sort of way)

    and i'll put that co-op stuff in the OP

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I kinda keep getting this mixed up with Kane and Able, no Lynch. I'm guessing the mainn difference is that this one doesn't have much of a story. This looks pretty fun though.

    Malkor on
    14271f3c-c765-4e74-92b1-49d7612675f2.jpg
  • GarthorGarthor Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    WILL THERE BE BUTTSEX BETWEEN THE PROTAGONISTS? Y/N

    Well, the REAL protagonists are the people playing the game
    Y

    Garthor on
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    This game appears to be ticking quite a few of my boxes, if you know what I mean.

    Mojo_Jojo on
    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Malkor wrote: »
    I kinda keep getting this mixed up with Kane and Able, no Lynch. I'm guessing the mainn difference is that this one doesn't have much of a story. This looks pretty fun though.

    i thought the same about the story, but actually reading what they had to say over at 1UP, i'm starting to think there'll be more. I'm not expecting something epic here, but they seem quite interested in the PMC angle, having corporations controlling wars to profit from them (where MGS4 seems to be going, too). It certainly sounds a bit more considered than i summed it up in the OP, anyway.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Pharezon wrote: »
    Darmak wrote: »
    You can even give CPR to your buddy in this game.

    :winky:

    :!:

    I was going to write some gay fanfiction but I couldn't bring myself to do it

    Zombiemambo on
    JKKaAGp.png
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/12915

    A bit of gameplay here. I think my jury's still a bit out until i know more about how well the mechanics blend together, but i'm still enthusiastic.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • Dublo7Dublo7 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    This looks pretty great, but am I the only one that's deeply irritated by the constant snarky comments made by the characters?

    Dublo7 on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ginguskahnginguskahn Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Im hoping this game will be awesome, I love me some coop. Hope they have a playable demo on live once e3 gets going :)

    ginguskahn on
    ginguskahn360.png
  • Waka LakaWaka Laka Riding the stuffed Unicorn If ya know what I mean.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    First things first, I don't buy EA games outside of the Battlefield series, but this appeals to me in many ways. PMC wars and mercenary missions have fascinated me for a long time.

    According to that interview with the guy that really does this thing for a living, the wise cracks are very similar to the ones his own group does (read the article) i'd say its for a morale boost and to keep things under control mentally. Lightening the fact that you could be killed at any second.

    Waka Laka on
  • EvangirEvangir Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It's still really early, but I'm not at all impressed with the way that game looks so far. Some of the animations are nice, but it doesn't seem to have much of the 'oomph' that made Gears so great.

    Evangir on
    PSN/XBL/STEAM: Evangir - Starcraft 2: Bulwark.955 - Origin: Bulwark955 - Diablo 3: Bulwark#1478
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    For instance, during one mission in Afghanistan, Rios constantly yelled at Salem whenever he pointed his gun at a civilian, telling him to stand down and holster his weapon. When Salem finally stopped pointing the gun at the civilian, Rios sarcastically quipped, "That's why people hate Americans..."

    I can finally live Reality. BLACKWATER 4 LYFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:
    Tasteless joking about reality aside this looks like a fun game. It will be bought upon release.

    Pharezon on
    jkZziGc.png
  • Dublo7Dublo7 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Evangir wrote: »
    It's still really early, but I'm not at all impressed with the way that game looks so far. Some of the animations are nice, but it doesn't seem to have much of the 'oomph' that made Gears so great.
    The animation actually looks pretty clunky to me.

    Dublo7 on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    ginguskahn wrote: »
    Im hoping this game will be awesome, I love me some coop. Hope they have a playable demo on live once e3 gets going :)

    this is what i'm hoping for, too. Would be a nice present.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    new E3 videos released, added to the OP:
    E32007 Trailer (HD)

    E32007 Duck and Cover gameplay (HD)

    going to watch now

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I dunno it looks kind of...boring now. I think I'll need to rent it first.

    Pharezon on
    jkZziGc.png
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    yeah, for all my enthusiasm earlier on, i'm not sold. I'm gonna have to wait for reviews to see how it actually plays. Solid co-op will be a major plus, but i'm not waiting to throw my money at this yet.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    New video up. Very interesting choice. I'm interested again and now I need to decide if I want to buy it in November lol.

    Pharezon on
    jkZziGc.png
  • EchoEcho ski-bap ba-dapModerator mod
    edited July 2007
    darleysam wrote: »

    That looked pretty disappointing. Can't stop comparing it to Gears of War, and that just looks like a cheap knockoff.

    Echo on
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Echo wrote: »
    darleysam wrote: »

    That looked pretty disappointing. Can't stop comparing it to Gears of War, and that just looks like a cheap knockoff.

    Hopefully they ironed out the robotic animations.

    Pharezon on
    jkZziGc.png
  • Henry_HydeHenry_Hyde Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Imagine that after you beat the game, the two remove the masks and they're WOMEN! Beat that Nintendo!

    The game is looking pretty awesome though. Sweet videos. I'm just nervous this'll be like Black only two people can be disappointed this time.

    Either way, these guys no what to do in case of a volcano eruption. Duck and Cover.

    Henry_Hyde on
    Angry and Destructive Gamers, ASSEMBLE!

    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • Hotlead JunkieHotlead Junkie Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    This has the potential to be pretty fucking awesome for Co-op XBL. Definatley keeping my eye on this one, any news on a demo?

    Hotlead Junkie on
    tf2_sig.png
  • AbsoluteZeroAbsoluteZero The new film by Quentin Koopantino Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Pretty graphics but the environments look a bit barren and uninteresting. It's too bad you can see seams of the textures, and interesting to note that they too still get blurry up close (I guess that's not something this generation of consoles is going to do away with).

    AbsoluteZero on
    cs6f034fsffl.jpg
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    threads that go BUMP in the night?

    interview with someone important on gamasutra http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1665/an_uphill_battle_chris_ferriera_.php

    My reactions are still pretty mixed. A character/story-driven game from EA? That doesn't sound right. The gameplay still doesn't completely have my attention, but the story certainly does.

    darleysam on
    forumsig.png
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Man this game looks badass. I stumbled upon this while trying to navigate a French gaming blog, and it looks really awesome.

    30-some weapons, 10-15 upgrades per weapon

    holy shit! Is this the multi-player BLACK that everyone wanted?


    New videos
    http://www.gametrailers.com/player/26407.html

    also, the senior producer talks his game up:
    http://www.gametrailers.com/player/26331.html

    http://gamersyde.com/stream_4161_en.html
    http://gamersyde.com/game_1079_en.html

    DouglasDanger on
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Crazy multiplayer too!
    RS: Army of Two multiplayer is a four-player game consisting of two competing teams of two players each. You can enter into a custom match with your friends, or join a quick match on your own. Army of Two multiplayer challenges players to complete objectives while competing with a rival team, to earn cash. When the players earn cash, they can buy new guns and armor. Like the campaign mode, Army of Two multiplayer brings cash to the forefront, making it the win condition for multiplayer matches. Leaderboards will show the amount of cash each player has earned, giving them incentive to earn more than their rivals.


    It's generally not wise to take a nap in the middle of a firefight.

    Army of Two multiplayer has a variety of objectives in each mission area. Primary objectives are dependent on the game mode selected; this varies from destroying items, killing terrorist targets, or rescuing hostages. Secondary objectives are scattered throughout the missions, allowing players to collect additional intelligence data. A successful team will discover the best ways to complete their objectives using a variety of paths through the missions.

    Multiplayer missions in Army of Two embrace the idea that players will need to learn everything they can about their environment. Teams that can identify the route their opponents are using will quickly realize what counter-route they can take in order to get there first. Knowing key positions of advantage in the missions and their counter-positions will be extremely important for teams that want to make loads of cash.
    (gamespot)

    DouglasDanger on
Sign In or Register to comment.