When the campaign honeymoon is over is where Extraction mode comes in, playing out as four-stage missions in an area overrun by waves of enemies. Up to four players each grab their choice of preset loadouts composed of two weapons and a grenade. Enemies are relentless, finishing you off if you're down without a friend to revive you. Aggro doesn't appear in any visual form, but Jason and I witnessed enemy reactions that were appropriate to the base Aggro concept - giving a friend covering fire draws enemy attention accordingly. By far it is the most fun I've had in a while. In fact, I'd rather play Extraction than Terrorist Hunt.
Jason:
As far as the other multiplayer modes go, Co-Op Deathmatch, Control, and Warzone, EA's description of "All Co-Op, All the Time" wasn't too far off (granted it's a different definition of co-op than ours). The one element that all of the multiplayer modes, Extraction included, have in common is that they rely rather strongly on you and your partner, or partners in some cases, working together as a well-oiled, co-op machine. While this can be rather advantageous from a co-op perspective, it also means that joining a public match without a buddy or two along is a lot like relying upon multiple GPS driving devices all set to insult mode: each one has its own idea about what you should do/which route you should take, and failing to do so leads to a steady stream of curses and questions about your intelligence. During the play sessions we had in the multiplayer modes, groups varied greatly with some folks tending towards the usual multiplayer mentality of "every man for himself and if you're not helping the team you're hurting it," and a few that were far more friendly in their approach to teamwork. All in all, the multiplayer modes can be quite fun, but they can also be an exercise in frustration if you get stuck with a particularly competitive group. A fun mostly co-op experience for all, without the worry of being called names that you didn't even know existed when you were 13.
As a side note: the armor and mask creator are all gravy, and work well.
Army of Two: The 40th Day doesn't try too many new things. It basically takes the original game and tries to improve in as many ways possible, and for the most part succeeds. I could nitpick about the generic plot and visuals and the lack of destructable environment...but I'd just be chipping away at a solid, fun game that was taken an extra mile or two for the favor of co-op fans. Of which I am one.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Once again you'll team up with a buddy through the game's cooperative story. The game promises more freedom in your decisions as well as new cooperative moves. Also new is the four player co-op Extraction mode.
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.