EA has just announced Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel a mere week ago, but now we have ton of details for Visceral's upcoming shooter.
Courtesy of Game Informer, which has Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel as the cover feature in its latest issue (via Gaming Everything), we now know a few things about the game's story and gameplay elements.
If you're the type who easliy balks at spoilers, then you might want to proceed with caution — though they're not things that will ruin the game for you.
Story Details
– Salem and Rios are in the game, and they’re a big part of the story
– At the same time, they’re both taking a background role as top executives of the Tactical Worldwide Operations organization
– New duo: Alpha and Bravo
– Game is set in Mexico, a nation besieged by extraordinarily violent drug cartels
– Tens of thousands of people have been murdered by cartels over the past 10 years
– This includes people involved in the drug trade and civilians
– There are decapitated bodies left in streets
– Mutilated corpses hung from public places to serve as warnings
– Won’t learn of Alpha and Bravo’s real names in the game
– Alpha is a veteran of multiple armed conflicts with the U.S. military and special forces
– Wasn’t until Rios offered him the opportunity to use his tactical skills “for good” that he considered becoming a mercenary
– Alpha considers himself to be more of a soldier or operative than a mercenary
– Alpha is a born leader
– He thinks of T.W.O. as a chance to bring military precision and ruthless efficiency to a para-military environment
– Bravo served one tour with the U.S. army
– After this, he decided military life wasn’t suited for him
– Bravo took odd jobs and was a freelancer with various private military companies around the world after returning to the U.S.
– T.W.O. headhunted Bravo after a high-profile urban rescue operation in the Balkans
– He jumped at the chance to work with Elliot Salem
– Compared to Alpha Bravo is more about quick reactions, instincts, and raw talent to keep alive in battle
– Visceral is treating the cartel wars maturely
– Alpha and Bravo won’t fix everything for Mexico
– Won’t be high-fiving during battle or anything like that
– Game begins with T.W.O. taking on a mission to protect La Puerta’s mayor, Juan Angelo Cordova, as he attends a political rally
– He’s only been in office for a short while but has already made enemies by taking on the La Guadana cartel
– This is a fictional organization also known as the Scythe
– The group murdered Cordova’s family in retaliation for his anti-cartel stance
– La Guadana has been built by Esteban Bautista into an international crime syndicate by gun running and drug smuggling
– It’s also a strong paramilitary force
– T.W.O. has grown since the events in The 40th Day in terms of size and reputation
– T.W.O. doesn’t operate in secrecy
– Visceral wants to provide context for the big moments
– Alpha and Bravo face difficult choices that pit following orders against moral instincts
– The two team up with GAFE and Salem and Rios during the story
– Mostly operate without backup
– Cover is important in the game
Gameplay Details
– Need to press a button to duck into or behind safety, unlike past games
– Other cover zones are marked with an icon
– Press the cover button to move into the new area
– Can cancel the animation by moving in another direction
– Also use the cover button to vault over low objects including air-conditioning ducts
– Use it together with the run button to make Alpha/Bravo move up and over smaller cover items
– New HUD direction
– Aggrometer seems to be gone
– Overkill feature brought in so that players can trigger back-to-back moments
– Overkill reinforces and rewards co-op
– When your partner activates Overkill at the same time, you go into Double Overkill
– Action slows down, audio comes to a crawl, and the screen takes on a sepia tone
– This makes your shots more powerful
– Double Overkill ends after roughly 15 seconds
– Cooperating can lead to more money and Overkill points
– Adjust weapon accuracy and recoil with upgrades
– Two main orders for the AI: follow and advance
– AI is more aware of how combat is unfolding
– AI will be balanced so that it’s tactically useful while not completely taking over
– Players can choose which part they want to play when the characters are split up
– AI interface still being worked on
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is being developed by Visceral Montreal and is expected to hit current gen platforms and PC on March 2013.
Now that you know a ton more on Army of Two's newest entry in the franchise, are you willing to give it a chance or are there more viable shooters out next year in your opinion?
