These days, it's not unusual to see action games include a co-operative mode where two, sometimes four players, real or computer controlled, will work together towards a common objective. EA's Army of Two, however, puts this so-called "co-op mode" at the forefront, making tag team missions its gameplay mainstay play rather just than an optional mode. Unfortunately while the idea is ambitious and its delivery serviceable, Army of Two falls flat in a couple of key areas, making it ripe for a rental but otherwise worth waiting for Army of Two 2.

The game has you playing as Salem and Rios, a pair of mercenaries who basically spend their lives killing people for money. The story spans some 16 years, and you eventually discover that something just isn't right, that the pair of you are being set up for a fall... a fairly formulaic plot peppered with plenty of R-rated dialog; cracks about the regular army, pointless banter, etc. Not what you'd call "gripping," but well acted just the same.

A good looking game for the most part -- though not "stunning" or "dazzling" like you'd hope for in a brand new, AAA EA title -- with detailed but repetitive character models, crisply drab backgrounds. And while Army of Two tries to add a certain cerebralness to the action, where you have to stand still to aim well and stealthy melee kills are better anyway, enemies don't seem to require such prudence and seem unduly resistant to bullets -- empty three weapons worth of ammo and you still have to finish them with a knife kill... oh well.

Gameplay itself sees you and your buddy -- controlled by a real person, ideally; computer controlled otherwise -- going after a target, mission after mission, each of which usually involves the timely nemeses, Al-Qaeda. The money you earn is used to buy new/more weapons and customizations, a sort of "pimp my mercenary." But it's not all Barbie doll dress-up for men, gold plated guns have a purpose beyond looking cool; such weapons help with "aggro," that A.I. algorithm that allows select characters to draw attention to themselves so that their partner(s) can flank enemies and effectively take them out. It's a staple of role-playing games with massively online mobs, but in Army of Two, this aggro mechanic allows one player to go full-on ghost while the other player turns a glaring, look-at-me red -- great for diversionary tactics and, obviously, for taking out the enemy from unexpected angles. What's more, there are plenty of other co-operative opportunities that include one guy providing cover fire while the other performs another task, like dragging wounded buddy to safety and healing him, one guy playing possum to draw the enemy out, or in a tandem parachute jump where one guides the decent while the other guns clear a landing spot.

Ironically, playing Army of Two by yourself isn't much fun; computer controlled buddy is downright dumb at times; the idiot'll drag your wounded butt into heavy fire instead of out of it, for example. Even when he's on the ball, he's only receptive to the most basic of directions -- go there, stay here, or shoot a lot -- and even then only some of the time.

Your best bet is to play this game with an actual friend, one you can actually talk to and strategize with in sensible fashion, making Army of Two a good game for roommates or for those with an online buddy with a similar game-time schedule. But, lacking one (or more) of those, Army of Two's next-level ambitions are undercooked. Of course, being an EA title, you can expect 20 sequels over the next 8 years that will eventually get it all right.