Actions such as these should result in a meat spray.
Because all four characters are on screen at all times, The Expendables 2 lends itself to co-op however I failed to successfully connect to an online game. The odd chance that I did, the net code was so busted that I could barely control my character on screen until I was ultimately kicked from the game. I had to rely on a couple local friends who I forced to join me. I found the co-op experience to be infinitely more enjoyable than single player, mostly because the AI couldn’t figure out which way to hold a gun and they were of little use to me. In their defense, they were quick to heal downed characters but playing combat medic doesn’t help in this game because dying is of no consequence unless you are looking to get a high score (I wasn’t). Having a couple friends on the couch helps to ease the pain as I was able to hide behind cover and draw fire, while my teammates picked off the unsuspecting baddies. The game also becomes far easier with co-op since you have more people shooting, and does help to make the game flow.
At the end of each mission you are given a score, which translates to experience points that you can use to upgrade each character. You can upgrade the weapons to deal more damage, have longer range, and larger clips or you can beef up your character’s health and speed. If you are lazy and have coins falling out of your pockets, you can always pay for all your stats to be fully upgraded. Your points are scored globally, but you have to buff each of the four heroes individually so I found myself sinking a ton of abilities into one character that I would use on a consistent basis. In co-op, if someone chooses your heavily invested character you're going to be stuck with someone who is weak, as you cannot have multiples of the same character in game.
Don't worry, there are plenty of turret sequences to go around.
I haven’t watched The Expendables 2, but I’m willing to bet that the game isn't going to have an effect on the movie. The plot is forgettable and I'm sure doesn't count as canon, even though they deem the game as a prequel to the second film. For the entirety of my time with the game I was on the hunt for a diplomat that had been captured by my enemies, and upon his return the team would collect a fat paycheck. Scattered between every couple levels are turret sections that feature the semi-iconic Expendables airplane. They would be a welcome change to the monotony of the isometric shooting if they were not so boring and useless. One of the most jarring characteristics of The Expendables 2 was that I never knew what my goal was for each level or when it would end. At times it would simply fade to black after I had killed everything on screen and others relied on finishing a ‘boss fight’ that consisted of blowing up a large tank/boat/helicopter.
It is really a shame that The Expendables name is tarnished by this tasteless excuse for a game. I mean, it could have been something interesting or at least just some stupid fun but it fails on all accounts. Fifteen bucks is a tough asking price for a game that aims to make you feel powerless, when all you want to do is drink a can of nostalgia and embody your favorite action star of the past in order to shoot thousands of bad guys. I’m not surprised that this licensed title failed to deliver, but I am disappointed with their lack of trying. You can see the framework for a great game, but unfortunately typical constraints for a rushed game choked the life out of something that could have been beautiful.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Players can join up to three friends locally and online to experience all-out action in cinematic, close quarters combat or while controlling an arsenal of vehicles in exotic locations including Somalian deserts, Burmese jungles and more.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.