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Review by biosc1
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There is already a great review of the game by Shodan2020, found here, so I will not repeat what has already been said.
Instead, I'm going to review this games co-op experience. This is one of those games where having the artificial intelligence replaced by a person on the couch next to you can lead to hours of fun.
Yes, this game is dark and foul, but that's the way it is supposed to be. These aren't unlikely heroes you're controlling, they are villains. Villains fighting more villains. Once you get a handle on the fact that you're a bad guy and you begin playing as one, you will begin to see how the developers meant this game to be viewed.
Co-op is played on a vertical split screen, there is no online co-op mode. One player plays as Kane, the other as Lynch. There are minor points during the story where you will split up. One man may be sniping while another is on the ground. Really, though, there is no rubberband keeping you two together, so you can roam away from each other and adjust your strategies accordingly. This isn't just a run and gun game, though, so working together and covering each other can help you progress and add to the fun. One of the great features of this game is that you can play through it twice, in co-op, and just switch up who is playing as whom, allowing you to experience the story from a slightly different angle with different challenges.
Many of the levels work very well for growing the co-op experience. Few narrow hallways mean lots of opportunity for covering fire and flanking. If one of you goes down, the other player can come over and revive, as is common in many games. Visual queues of where your partner is and even ammo and gun exchange are present as well.
Difficulty levels are names after various pain medications as aspirin, codeine, and morphine. As two players working together, you can complete the "hard" morphine level in about 5 to 6 hours. You may want to play through on a lighter difficulty level to begin with, though, to get a handle on some of the frustrations that the game can throw your way.
Controls, for the most part, are pretty much what you would expect in a third person shooter. Reloading is tied to the 'A' button, but so it is also the "action" button. So, sometimes, when you just want to perform an action (such as revive your teammate), you may end up performing a reload instead and vice versa. The cover system in this game consists of running up to cover and automatically sticking to it...sometimes. I found it easier to just stay back and use the cover as you would in a game like Call of Duty, by playing the angles instead.
Overall, as a co-op game, if you like gritty action games then you will like this game. Whether it is worth a purchase or not, is up to you, but you can easily finish it in a weekend sitting down with a buddy
Final verdict: Rent it.
Shodan2020 on 10/06/2008
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