A simple patch could probably set the record straight on all of these items. Last, the automated cover doesn't control as well as it should, nitpicky on when/where to actively use sorroundings for protection. The deathknell: While a solid game on paper, AoT:40's protagonists control like molasses, lumbering along through a control scheme where single buttons are mapped to multiple actions, captures a debacle, enemies and teammates resembling each other far too closely in multiplayer. Multiplayer is supposed to reward covering your partner's rear, but I just didn't see the benefits firsthand. He also has a tendency- despite specific instructions - to follow you like a puppy dog into open fire. Still, your teammate wavers between a killing spree god and pansy, with little in between. A premium is placed on flanking opponents, with partner AI (in campaign mode) a fairly good ally in accomplishing team-based, strategic objectives. The most ballyhooed aspect of AoT:40 is its emphasis on teamplay toward victory. Perhaps I'm Tiger Woods in a whorehouse, but my attention span for a single anything is a short one. Akin to the aforementioned 'Uncharted 2' multiplayer, AoT:40 multiplayer matches - accompanied by technical glitches - go on for far too long. Slow, staggering, and buggy multiplayer resulted in freezes and stutters that grew old rather fast.
(Playing 'Resistance 2' for weeks to upgrade weapons barely paid dividends.) In AoT:40, new holds (for precision), caliber (for punch), muzzles (for cover) kick ass instantly. In contrast to other first person shooters, these upgrades become apparent almost immediately. Last, I could care less about custom mask paint jobs.Īrguably the coolest component of AoT:40 is weapons customization, where retrieved money (from victims, missions) enables a near-endless slew of ass kicking arsenal. Rios is big enough to eat babies alive, yet morphs into Kelly Slater in the heat of battle. Voice-overs waver between 'I'm the most badass person alive' to pseudo surfer-boy declarations of joy when teammates pick off baddies. We're mercenaries I'm not going to pretend to be anything but Satan with a love of the Benjamins.Īlso, while I laud AoT:40's efforts on not taking itself seriously, the humor falls flat quickly.
I press one of two buttons, cut scene ensues. Truth be told, popping a cap in my lumbering British mercenary liaison didn't feel very much like a moral dilemma upon execution. Or - more accurately - anyone among the hundreds online eager to abandon multiplayer competitive for a less intense co-op campaign option.ĪoT:40's campaign mode also features moral dilemma situations, such as whether to kill civilians, teammates and/or contacts. Unfortunately, however, I couldn't find anyone online, period willing to take this plunge. (Pre-orders received access to this mode off the bat.)Ĭampaign mode sports a clever feature of being able to tackle it with a teammate either locally or online. A soon to be available (February 12) 'Extraction' mode mirrors the Arena portions of 'Uncharted 2's' multiplayer, with characters faced with waves of enemies standing between your squad and victory. I can't help but compare AoT:40 to the aforementioned 'Call of Duty' series, likewise 'Team Fortress,' 'Battlefield,' and/or 'Mercenaries' intellectual properties.ĪoT:40 sports all the usual suspects of a solid first person shooter, including a short and sweet campaign mode, accompanied by deathmatch and 'capture the flag' ('Warzone') multiplayer genres. For a genre bursting with terrific next generation titles, AoT:40 unfortunately stands out for subtle flaws that otherwise would probably go unnoticed. So it's got little semblance of a plot.but can it blend? In AoT:40, it's a Shanghai exploding for seemingly no reason, with Rios and Salem on a mission to simply escape it in one piece.
Protagonists remain mercenaries simultaneously out for money and for somewhat doing the right thing. Same characters, slightly different player models, similar non-plot. For those keeping score at home, AoT:40 is the sequel to the well-received original of the same name (sans subtitle), albeit devoid of the original voice-overs.