Army of Two: The 40th Day

Right from the get go you’re given the impression that your time in The 40th Day will be based around explosions, one-liners and fist bumps. In this case the story is non-existent but it’s important to note that’s not always a deal breaker. Sometimes we don’t need war & peace, just explosions.

The name of the game in this case is to escape the terrorised Shanghai in one piece, which is under siege by a shadowy mercenary group. Whilst play is mainly set up for co-operative participation, the computer also does a sterling job if you want to play on your own. Gun customisation is back but bigger and better, with more attachments and crazy paint schemes available. The control scheme is also much tighter and the visuals have had an upgrade and look pretty smart.

One problem is the length of the campaign which clocks in at around six hours, but it does feel a little longer whilst playing. Whilst Army of Two was criticised for it’s crass undertones; EA Montreal seem to have now gone too far the other way by removing most of the game’s character, but too little is definitely preferable to too much in this case.

There’s also a competent multiplayer suite included featuring Co-op Deathmatch: pitting you and a partner up against other partnerships, Control: where you have to control zones for a set period of time, Warzone: an objective-based mode which changes on the fly and finally for those who pre-ordered, Extraction which pits four people up against waves of enemies.

Whilst it’s pretty short, The 40th Day is entertaining and when playing with a friend it’s even better. However it might be worth waiting until it comes down in price a little.