Army of Two Q&A: multiplayer inspired by Contra and Double Dragon

Electronic Arts‘ Army of Two (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3), the first game that comes to mind when talking about loving your buddy on the battlefield, was inspired by co-op classics like Technos’ Double Dragon and Konami‘s Contra, according to senior producer Reid Schneider. Even online play will focus on watching your friend’s back just like in the mentioned games, he said.

In an interview, Schneider said the developers aimed for the “buddy-cop” film experience while making Army of Two. The fruit of their labor is unparalleled team play that leaves other tactical shooters in the dust, he added. This can be credited to inspiration taken from games that made cooperative play very desirable, like the influential beat ’em up Double Dragon and Contra which popularized the use of cheat codes because two guys with a few lives each weren’t enough to succeed.

Following the lead of video games that were difficult to complete alone, going through Army of Two‘s campaign and online modes won’t be easy without a pal. Multiplayer pits partners together as they reach for objectives, fragging enemy AI along the way. Teamwork comes into play when you have to maneuver two-man vehicles, or when exploiting the aggro mechanic is the only option to survive.

Aggro, as those keeping tabs on the game would know, makes the gun-totting guy more visible while the other gains a degree invisibility. Devs made sure this carries over to online modes by tweaking the aggro shaders, Schneider said. When one player has full aggro while his partner has none, the second guy will be almost fully transparent.

A lot of promising features are to be included in the Army of Two‘s multiplayer modes. Custom weapons made during offline play can’t be used online, but there will be plenty of precustomized weapons according to Schneider. Plans to offer downloadable maps on launch are being worked on, and since Army of Two is slated for a November 15 release, it won’t be long ’till we find out if they make the cut.

For the full interview, click on the Read link below.

Buy: [ Army of Two (PS3) ]
Buy: [ Army of Two (360) ]

Electronic Arts‘ Army of Two (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3), the first game that comes to mind when talking about loving your buddy on the battlefield, was inspired by co-op classics like Technos’ Double Dragon and Konami‘s Contra, according to senior producer Reid Schneider. Even online play will focus on watching your friend’s back just like in the mentioned games, he said.

In an interview, Schneider said the developers aimed for the “buddy-cop” film experience while making Army of Two. The fruit of their labor is unparalleled team play that leaves other tactical shooters in the dust, he added. This can be credited to inspiration taken from games that made cooperative play very desirable, like the influential beat ’em up Double Dragon and Contra which popularized the use of cheat codes because two guys with a few lives each weren’t enough to succeed.

Following the lead of video games that were difficult to complete alone, going through Army of Two‘s campaign and online modes won’t be easy without a pal. Multiplayer pits partners together as they reach for objectives, fragging enemy AI along the way. Teamwork comes into play when you have to maneuver two-man vehicles, or when exploiting the aggro mechanic is the only option to survive.

Aggro, as those keeping tabs on the game would know, makes the gun-totting guy more visible while the other gains a degree invisibility. Devs made sure this carries over to online modes by tweaking the aggro shaders, Schneider said. When one player has full aggro while his partner has none, the second guy will be almost fully transparent.

A lot of promising features are to be included in the Army of Two‘s multiplayer modes. Custom weapons made during offline play can’t be used online, but there will be plenty of precustomized weapons according to Schneider. Plans to offer downloadable maps on launch are being worked on, and since Army of Two is slated for a November 15 release, it won’t be long ’till we find out if they make the cut.

For the full interview, click on the Read link below.

Buy: [ Army of Two (PS3) ]
Buy: [ Army of Two (360) ]