I hung out with EA for a while this morning to check out Army of Two. While I didn't get to actually hold the controller and play the game, I did get to see a lot of the features we've heard about in action, including the intense agro design and fun with tampons.

First impression: it's Gears of War with more color, less texture and no camera shakes. I really dug that they added a very realistic aperture to the game, which is the first time I've ever noticed the effect. Essentially, the camera works like you eye to balance light. You look up at the sky—for a moment it's blow out white—and then blue clouds and sky appear. The same principles apply to the shadows as well, and it's a subtle, well-executed effect we'll be seeing a lot more of, I'm sure.

I knew that the game had an agro meters, but I didn't realize that it's so integral. There is only one meter between two players, meaning it's a constant tug-of-war...or not, depending on how well you cooperate. Anything hostile you do agros you up, making you turn more and more red. At the same time, your partner becomes more translucent, Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox style.

It's a constant distraction/stealth combination that's extremely fluid. I cause a distraction, my partner sneaks around. The more red I am, the more the bad guys notice me instead of my friends. And at the most extreme of this meter, enemies can almost not see the stealth player at all, allowing them to sneak up and do brutal hand combat. And when the agro guy peaks, he can go into "overkill", causing his peripheral to blur and double damage. Squads of suicide bombers run at you while time slows a bit. You mow them down, subsequently saving the universe. It's intense. And looks fun as hell.

The other combined control gameplay elements are based upon combos. During a parachute attack, one player dodged bullets while the other snipes. But to get a clean shot, the player controlling the chute needs to hold still.

Going back to back makes you and invincible turret. You stand in place but can rotate fluidly around one another. Some nice animations here.

Yes, you can interact with you partner to play some air guitar on your guns, but the gameplay really isn't riddled with lowbrow humor. I asked the developers about the negative reaction from some about the juvenile humor, and they likened it to Bad Boys. It's buddy cop stuff. And if the game has stupid characters who fart alot...just know they are really making fun of Haliburton in the process.

Contact information for this author is not available.