The wild boys of the SSC face hell again in this sequel to the hit third-person teamwork-based shooter. Army of Two: The 40th Day reunites Salem and Rios as they're forced to survive in a city under siege. The sequel includes more co-op moves for players to use at any time, which will allow for completely different strategies and options in battle, adding up to a bigger, more organic and immersive co-op experience.

The story of The 40th Day places Salem and Rios in the middle of Shanghai, China, as a disaster of epic proportions strikes the city. While they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, they are the right men to react to the chaos. As they fight their way through ruined districts of the city, they discover more and more catastrophes are being orchestrated to devastate Shanghai piece by piece. It's up two Salem and Rios to uncover the secret of the 40th Day and survive the chaos.



So What's New?

There's more man, less mask. In Army of Two, Rios and Salem weren't particularly distinguishable besides their different masks. Schneider pointed out that both characters will have more physically distinctive traits, and indeed, it appeared that one was slightly leaner than the other. Plus, in between skirmishes, both mercenaries will flip up their masks so that you can see their faces. Schneider explains that this should help convey their personalities more. It also functions as a signal that a fight has ended. Games like Resident Evil 5 use foreboding music scores. 40th Day opts for flipped masks. Whatever gets your point across, right?

There's a playbook for the battlefield. In a gesture that seems straight out of Metroid Prime, you can scan a pack of enemies and figure out who's in charge. This can lead to efficient takedowns. If you subdue the leader of a pack, his subordinates will drop their weapons...giving you or your partner the chance to play dirty and smoke them. It also works for co-op sniping, which makes its return.

Using cover is as simple as walking up to it. Hutchinson cited Gears of War as a profound influence on Army of Two, but also mentioned that the team wanted to move away from its "snap into cover with a button press" technique. Instead, when you lead Rios or Salem up to a cover point, they'll immediately position themselves appropriately. They can also slide into cover if booking it at full speed. It's also planned for the characters to automatically vault over certain obstacles (this wasn't fully implemented in the demo).

Take that, Mass Effect! Shows off some mini-games that can keep you engaged, even when your characters are hanging out in an elevator loading another section. I watched him place a bet between one of the mercenaries and a radio dispatcher. 40th Hour lets you name your price for an assassination, and the dispatcher decides whether take you up on it or not. It's unclear if there's anything else to do while waiting elevators; hopefully!

Decisions, decisions. 40th Day doesn't feature any "good karma," or "bad karma." At least, not that I know of. You'll be able to decide how to engage your enemies. though. I watched as Hutchinson and Schneider worked their way from the elevator to street level, where they encountered a hostage situation. They played through the scenario twice, once by simply mowing down both terrorists and civilians, and a second time by planning out the attack, which consisted of a playbook scan, hostage scenario, and full slaughter of the terrorists. Hutchinson accidentally killed one of the hostages in the middle of the action. It was here that Schneider mentioned that human beings have the same properties as any other cover in the game. You can shoot through a hostage just as easily as you could fire through metal or wood. I wonder if that'll come into play in a boss battle...?

Turn that white flag crimson. 40th Day retains Army of Two's Aggro system, which draws attention toward one combatant, allowing the other to sneak past enemies unscathed. The mock surrender system looks like an extension of it. As Schneider picked up a sniper rifle, Hutchinson walked out in front of enemy fire with hands raised. While the terrorist barked orders at him, Schneider steadied his aim and fired off a headshot. As the soldier fell, Hutchinson took down two more soldiers.

Good post mate, im still unsure about this game as the first was a bit... meh.

Im hoping that a demo will be released but if not im sure a rental will be done

Same here getting the demo first to see what it's like could be a good one i hope.

looks alright, have to play a demo first tho me thinks

Im definitely getting this. Loved playing the first one split-screen with my bro.

The trophies:

Exclusive: Army of Two: The 40th Day Trophy List


We here at TSA have secured a glimpse at the silverware in Army of Two: The 40th Day. Just yesterday I talked about a few of them, I wonder if it’s just a coincidence that today I can show you the full list? Also, it is rather unfortunate that the Extraction game mode, which is like Gears of War’s Horde mode, will be pre-order exclusive for a month. Anyways, gaze on below:

Bronze

* Not What I Thought It Was
Complete Chapter 1 on any difficulty level

* A Steep Descent
Complete Chapter 2 on any difficulty level

* A Decent Animal
Complete Chapter 3 on any difficulty level

* Emergency Room
Complete Chapter 4 on any difficulty level

* Gone Shopping
Complete Chapter 5 on any difficulty level

* Meat Bag
Use 15 enemies as human shields

* Chaaaaarge!
Charge through 20 enemies

* Grenadier
Kill 3 or more enemies with a single grenade

* Pistolier
Kill 150 enemies with pistols

* Old Faithful
Kill 400 enemies with assault rifles, submachine guns or shotguns

* One Shot, One Kill
Kill 100 enemies with a sniper rifle

* Quick Draw
Kill 25 enemies with a quickdraw from mock surrender

* Open Hand Slap!
Kill 50 enemies with a melee or bayonet

* Not So Bad After All
Tie up 15 enemy combatants instead of executing them

* Healer
Heal your partner 10 times

* Co-Op Sniper
Co-op snipe 5 enemies

* Attention Grabber
Allow your partner to snipe 5 guys while in mock surrender

* In Synch
Kill two enemies with simultaneous quick draws while in co-op mock surrender

* Pumpkin Patch
Shoot 2 enemies in the head with a single bullet

* Total Fist Bump Destruction
Finish the game as best friends

* Total Fist Bump Deflation
Finish the game in a fractured friendship

* The Truth Is Right Here
Listen to all of the radio broadcasts

* Loot and Pillage
Collect $1,000,000

* Hate Monger
Customize a primary weapon to high aggro

* The Optimist
Make a positive coop morality choice

* The Pessimist
Make a negative coop morality choice

* Fresh Meat
Versus: Revive your partner and perform a partner reload during the same public match

* Fancy Meeting You Here
Versus: Invite a friend before joining a lobby to play a public match

* Big Game Hunting
Versus: Kill both members of a single partnership during a public match

* Job Seeker
Versus: In public matches, kill a player with either the primary or secondary weapon from every weapon kit

* DIY PMC
Versus: Create a custom facemask online (www.armyoftwo.com) and wear it in a public match

* Death Dealer
Versus: Kill 10 players with headshots on a single map in a public match

* Power Couple
Versus: Earn the highest partnership score in a Co-op Deathmatch, Control or Warzone public match

* All Guns Blazing
Versus: Kill a player with every weapon, including special weapons, in public matches

Silver

* Survivor?
Complete the game on any difficulty level

* Softcore
Complete half the game on hardest difficulty level

* Unbreakable
Survive an entire level without needing to be revived on normal difficulty or above

* Full Arsenal
Collect all weapons and weapon parts

* Touch Not A Cat But A Glove
Shoot all Maneki Neko cats in the game

* Humanist
Save every hostage

* Future Visions
Unlock all potential futures

* Bound For Life
Versus: In a public match, survive an entire Extraction map without suffering a single death on your team

* King Of The Hill
Versus: Win a public match on every map in Co-op Deathmatch, Control and Warzone

* Survival Of The Fittest
Versus: Complete all 16 rounds of an Extraction game in a public match

Gold

* Hardcore
Complete the game on the hardest difficulty

* The Beast
Kill 6,666 people in Campaign

Platinum

* Better Than Gold
Earn all other trophies

There are also 4 secret trophies, adding up to a balanced 51. The game will be releasing next month for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

look sneat

Never played the first one - .... but they sure look mean !

Hi everyone! I’m Spenser Norrish, the Community Coordinator for Army of Two, and couldn’t be happier to be announcing the upcoming release of our demo

The demo for Army of Two: The 40th day will be available as a free download via the PlayStation Network on December 17th for the PS3 and on January 14th for the PSP. The PS3 demo includes most of the first level in the game, where the iconic two-man private military team of Salem and Rios find themselves trapped in Shanghai as it falls under attack. You will be able to experience the focused co-operative action online with a friend or via split screen and, maybe most importantly, you’ll get a taste for the unparalleled weapon customization…although you may be disappointed to hear that you won’t be able to unlock the zebra print this early in the game…

To be released January 13th on PS3 and PSP, Army of Two: The 40th Day is the sequel to the 2008 multi-platinum co-op shooter. Players must work as a team to survive relentless enemy assaults and escape the city as it collapses around them. The 40th Day delivers an organic and immersive cooperative adventure with one of the most robust weapon customization systems ever found in a videogame. Players can mix and match weapon parts found in the world and execute strategic two-man tactics that create a one-of-a-kind co-op action experience.



And while you’re waiting for it to all go down make sure you check out the Army of Two Custom Mask & Armor Creator . You can go online and use this tool to create your own custom mask that will be wearable in-game the day you get your hands on the disc. Our fans have already created hundreds of masks and shared them in the gallery for you to check out.

Have fun with the demo later this week, and be sure to check us out on Facebook where we are more than happy to answer questions.

I think I'll pick this up, just purely for the co-op

not a fan of this guys i played the demo with nukester and i have to say to start with, the graphics are awful for a supposedly next gen game, i also do not like the controls at all they are so unresponsive by the time you've moved the crosshair on to an enemy your already dead. 2/10