game review: Army of Two (Xbox 360)

The most fun I had with Army of Two was playing air guitar. No, this isn't the next Rock Band or Guitar Hero. It's a third-person shooter much like the 2006 Xbox 360 hit Gears of War. But whereas Gears of War pitted you against grotesque aliens, Army of Two strives for a more realistic experience--kind of. So a friend and I, playing on a split-screen, were leading our characters, a couple of beefy American mercenaries, through the caves of an Afghan mountain range shortly after 9/11. We were dispatching suicide bombers and other Al-Qaeda operatives with our AK-47s and hand grenades when there came a break in the action. We looked around. It seemed as though we'd slain all the terrorists in the vicinity. Before continuing on to the next arena, my friend positioned his soldier next to mine and hit the "A" button. They exchanged high fives. He pressed it again and they gave each other a pound. "Props all around," they said casually. When he pressed it a third time, I stared in disbelief as the two bloodied combatants went into full on Bill and Ted mode, headbanging, singing power chords, and yes, playing air guitar. In the middle of a cave. In Afghanistan. My friend and I shared a good laugh over this, and then we descended further into the dark cavern with the goals, I think, of destroying warheads and rescuing a POW, but mostly just looking to shoot as many bad guys as possible.

Such is the way of Army of Two, a new game from Electronic Arts, which can be played solo, but is meant to be played with a friend online or using a split-screen. You control two soldiers of fortune working for a private military company called the Security and Strategy Corporation. The younger, prettier one is named Elliott Salem. He muses about the Wu-Tang Clan in the midst of combat, and says "bro" constantly. He is what we called in college a "douche bag" (nothing against Wu-Tang). His partner is Tyson Rios, older, grizzled and hard, though not above channeling Jack Black ala School of Rock after executing a few good kills.

Over the course of the game's six brief missions, which take you from China to Iraq ("Long live Saddam!" screams an insurgent with a Gatling gun), you uncover your employer's conspiracy to overtake the U.S. army as the country's primary military outfit. Although you play as guns for hire, it seems, at times, that there is supposed to be a message here about the risks of privatization of the military; the game even invokes President Eisenhower's 1961 farewell address warning "against the acquisition of unwarranted influence... by the military-industrial complex." However, the epilogue, in which Rios and Salem go on to found their own private military with the money of black market arms dealers, shows that Army of Two declines to advocate anything--except, perhaps, irresponsibility--in its approach to current events and the nation's military and political affairs.

I should, I suppose, be grateful not to be moralized to by a video game, especially one that allows you to "pimp" your firearms (I'm not gonna' lie, blinged-out assault rifles are kind of hilarious). Army of Two is supposed to be fun, and for the most part, it delivers in that regard. Playing by yourself (with a partner controlled by computer A.I.) doesn't make for a particularly memorable experience, but working with a friend can be a blast, as there is some strategy and teamwork required. The crux of the gameplay lies in the idea that if one player shoots a lot of bullets, he will draw the bulk of the hostile fire, rendering the other player less visible to the enemy and better able to flank and ambush them.

Comparisons to Gears of War are inevitable and Army of Two doesn't fare particularly well--it's gameplay isn't as tight and there's simply not as much action. When Gears of War 2 arrives this fall it should fairly blow this game away. Army of Two's short campaign mode and lack or replay value make it more of a rental, and actually, it's quite a good title to play with a buddy for just a few days. The most exciting moments come when one player is wounded and falls to the ground; the other player must then drag him behind cover and heal him. While the wounded player is being dragged, he can still shoot, and there's something incredibly satisfying about taking down an enemy who's about to shoot your "bro," while your "bro," in turn, is escorting you to safety. In the words of Tenacious D, that's fucking teamwork.

game review: MLB 2K8 (Xbox 360)

The rainfall was slow but consistent at Turner Field in Atlanta. I was in the top of the second inning of a scoreless tie between my Mets and the Atlanta Braves, with two outs and a runner on third, when something very strange happened: the umpire called for a rain delay. After I watched a brief cut sequence of the players milling around in the dugout, the umps called the game. And that was it. A loading screen appeared and I was back at the menu of Major League Baseball 2K8.

If this degree of "realism" sounds too, um, boring, you may be better off with the arcade-style action of The Bigs, released last summer. But if you're looking for a true baseball simulation, MLB 2K8 is the only game in town this year for the Xbox 360. And while it's a little rough around the edges--really, it's a little rough everywhere--MLB 2K8 delivers enough goods to satisfy those gamers craving some hardball.

MLB 2K8 benefits from great attention to detail. All 30 major league ballparks (and 20 minor league ones) have been recreated with the proper dimensions and some nice touches like the home run apple at Shea and the Green Monster at Fenway. Players' face animations range from decent to unrecognizable, but their motions have been captured more successfully: El Duque's high leg kick, for example, looks terrific.

Commentary from announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan also includes a few clever points. Start a game between the Yankees and Indians and they'll mention the midges that derailed Joba Chamberlain and co. in last year's ALDS. Soon enough, though, their chatter goes the way of typical sports video game commentary: I rocketed one over the left field wall and for some bizarre reason they started raving about an inside the park homerun. Those moments are awkward, but the big problem with the game's presentation is that it just doesn't run smoothly. I soon turned down the number of animations--of players walking to the batter's box, or instant replays--not because I was in a rush, but because they look choppy and load slowly.

(I must add--and I admit, this sounds like an old lady complaint--that the text is outrageously small. MLB 2K8 continues this annoying trend, seen also in games like Call of Juarez and Mass Effect, which forces gamers to either play on massive HD screens or murder their eyeballs.)

The standard game modes and features--Home Run Derby, create a player, franchise mode--are all here, though there's little more. Personally, I don't need a lot of extras if the baseball is good enough, and here, again, MLB 2K8 is a mixed bag. The gameplay makes interesting and extensive use of the right analog stick. It's used to pitch, field and hit, and for the first two it works pretty well. Each pitch--fastball, slider, and so on--requires a distinct, three point motion of the stick; it's challenging, but quickly becomes intuitive. When fielding, just point the stick in the direction of the corresponding base; hold it down for the correct amount of time and your throw will be quick and on target. Hitting is simplest of all--pull back on the stick to step, push forward to swing--but each at bat feels like a total crap shoot. When you pop out (which is most of the time), it's frustrating as hell. When, on occasion, you get a double down the left field line, you just feel lucky. It doesn't help that the computer pitchers can nip the outside of the strike zone nearly every time.

It's unfortunate that 2K Sports decided not to make a 2008 version of The Bigs, as many gamers would likely prefer a faster paced, more action packed baseball title. Baseball isn't hockey or basketball, by which I mean it's slow. It takes nearly an hour to play through a game of MLB 2K8. It requires some patience. Even if you favor a more realistic sim (as I do), 2K8 may not be your best bet. MLB '08: The Show, from Sony, is an all around better game. The Show, however, is exclusive to the Playstation systems, and those who've invested in an Xbox 360 are left only with MLB 2K8. Things could be a lot worse. 2K Sports has already announced plans for a free, downloadable patch that will make the game run at a smoother frame rate (which basically says they rushed it to shelves). With or without the patch, though, 2K8 is a solid (if flawed) and even addictive game for a baseball fan. I won't be surprised if I'm still playing it come October.