Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel

No summary available

“EA's Army of Two is just dumb and heartless, even by shooter standards.”

While never a massive franchise, Army of Two was always a solid shooter that had its fair share of die-hard fans. Everything about Devil’s Cartel seems like a giant misstep for the series in every conceivable way, and it’s hard to recommend this game to anyone... If you're a die-hard Army of Two fan then you may find something to like about this installment, but even that's a stretch.

Devil's Cartel feels like a hollowed-out version of previous Army of Two games. The distinctive edges have been sanded down, creating something that’s not just generic but unrelated to what went before. The humour has been drained and long-time fans might feel aggrieved by the decision to sideline Salem and Rios in favor of these lame characters. If you absolutely must experience the mediocrity first hand, Army of Two: Devil’s Cartel is still probably best played with a friend... but friends don't let friends play tedious mediocre games.

For everyone else, the game should be skipped, outside of an eventual rental or bargain bin acquisition for friends looking for a two-player day of carnage. The Devil's Cartel represents another missed opportunity for the series to expand on gameplay and multiplayer features. While there's some fun dialogue and character moments, even some goofy self-referential commentary, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is an exercise in repetition and senseless action. It's a rather lazy effort for a game debuting the year the next-gen consoles are being introduced.

Army of Two has never been an especially bad series, it’s just never been an especially good one. The Devil’s Cartel is the ultimate example of this. Is it bad? Not especially. But it’s a far, far cry from good.

If you’ve got a friend to sit down with or an online buddy then you’ll definitely have mindless fun with this game. There is still fun to be had if you’re playing by yourself but don’t expected to be wowed by the production values or story. Most of the replayability comes in the form of weapons and weapon upgrade and this is easily the games best asset.

Some co-op games focus on helping each other out and relying on a variety of skills and abilities in order to progress and succeed. Then again, some just want you to blow shit up. Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel fits firmly into the latter camp and has actually toned down some of the in-game co-op shenanigans from the earlier titles in favour of shooting everything in sight – then shooting it some more just to be sure. The game wears its heart firmly on its sleeve, presumably so you can sho...