Army of Two: The 40th Day Multiplayer Hands-On

For a few moments, we had it in the bag. Our squad of three players successfully made it to a control point in Army of Two: The 40th Day's new multiplayer Control mode after a brutal firefight just a few feet away. Two of us stayed at the point for a few moments to secure it while the other member of our team went off into one of the nearby alleys; he was assured that if any enemies were coming back for the control point it'd be through there. But just as the timer nearly indicated that we took the control point, three members from the other team got the drop on us from a small balcony above, completely taking us by surprise with a hail of grenades and assault weapon fire. Within seconds, it was over, and we were crawling on the ground yelling for our remaining team member to come heal us. But it was hopeless. They took him out and managed to fend off our counterattack by working as a team to take the control point.

Teamwork is an important facet in all four of Army of Two: The 40th Day's multiplayer modes, which include the aforementioned Control mode, as well as Co-Op Deathmatch, Extraction, and Warzone (which wasn't shown at a recent event, but it will be based on the same mode from the original game). In fact, one of EA Montreal's main goals is to transfer much of the cooperative experience from the game's single-player campaign into its multiplayer experience, encouraging players to work together to stay alive instead of running off and gunning down everything in sight. Of course, you can still do that if you want--Army of Two doesn't handcuff you to your buddy or teammates--but there are explicit benefits to staying within close proximity of your teammates. For example, the only way to replenish grenades is to stand next to your teammate and press the corresponding button, which is a great incentive for staying close, as well as an interesting way to keep players from constantly spamming grenades.

But cooperative play is advantageous in just about any multiplayer mode in The 40th Day. In the Co-Op Deathmatch mode (which supports up to 12 players), all participants are paired up with a partner who is conveniently marked with an icon throughout the match, so you always know who your partner is and his or her general location. As previously mentioned, you don't have to stay right on top of your partner--in fact, doing so makes it easier for other pairs to take you both out at once if you're not paying attention. Instead, a better strategy seems to be sticking close together but just far enough apart that if you get ambushed, one player takes the brunt of the assault while the other can quickly seek cover and perform a small counterattack. This method seemingly gives you the chance to run in and heal your partner if he or she hasn't been completely killed and is crawling on the ground asking for help (though, the window to help your partner can be pretty narrow). It's also pretty fun to run in and melee other players if they're focusing solely on your buddy and to finish them off with a well-placed stomp to the head.

The third mode we played, Extraction, requires similar thinking, but it's quite a different experience from the other multiplayer modes. Modeled somewhat after the Gears of Wars Horde mode and Left 4 Dead, Extraction puts four players in a confined area where they have to hold out, defeating wave after wave of enemies before moving onto a new section. The trick with this mode is that you're never really sure where the enemies are going to come from--it could be a small doorway on your left, the steps in front of you, or the building on the other side. As such, this mode encourages a little more teamwork because it pushes you to watch a certain entry point while the three other players watch the other points. If someone in your squad isn't paying attention, there's a good chance your location will be overwhelmed with enemies in seconds or, at the very least, an enemy or two can easily ambush you. This mode will be included for those who preorder Army of Two: The 40th Day, but it will be available for everyone else (for free) 30 days after its release.

Before starting any of these modes (and during), you have the option to change your weapon loadout. There are four different types of loadouts--and two variants--to choose from, with each slightly changing your approach to multiplayer. There are commando and assault weapons, which have light machine guns and assault rifles, respectively. There's also close combat and sniper kits for those looking to get either super close to the action or to inflict damage from a distance. In any case, it's probably a good idea to have weapons that complement those of your partner. Look for more on Army of Two: The 40th Day before its release on January 12.