The Devil's Cartel
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''Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel'' is a
third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
video game developed by the Montreal branch of
Visceral Games Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores) was an American video game developer studio owned by Electronic Arts. The studio is best known for creating and principally developing the Dead Space (franchise), ''Dead Space'' series, and was also in ...
and released on March 26, 2013 by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
for the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
and
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
. It is the third and final game in the ''
Army of Two ''Army of Two'' is a third-person shooter video game series developed by EA Montreal. The first game in the series, '' Army of Two'', was released on March 6, 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. Focusing on cooperative strategies, ...
'' series, following 2008's ''
Army of Two ''Army of Two'' is a third-person shooter video game series developed by EA Montreal. The first game in the series, '' Army of Two'', was released on March 6, 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. Focusing on cooperative strategies, ...
'' and 2010's '' Army of Two: The 40th Day''. The game takes place in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and pits T.W.O. against a drug cartel known as La Guadaña (Spanish for "the Scythe"). It is the first game in the series to run on the
Frostbite 2 Frostbite is a game engine developed by DICE, designed for cross-platform use on Microsoft Windows, seventh generation game consoles PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, eighth generation game consoles PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and ni ...
game engine, whereas the previous two ran on
Unreal Engine 3 Unreal Engine 3 (UE3) is the third version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. Unreal Engine 3 was one of the first game engines to support multithreading. It used DirectX 9 as its baseline graphics API, simplifying its rendering code. The ...
. It was the second to last game developed by Visceral Montreal. The game received mediocre reviews; criticism was drawn towards the game's removal of the co-op interactions, being only able to play as Alpha, and the game's story. ''The Devil's Cartel'' was also a commercial failure for Electronic Arts.


Gameplay

Whereas the last two games focused around characters Salem and Rios, ''Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel'' focuses around two new T.W.O. operatives named Alpha and Bravo. The reasoning behind the unidentified names is to give the player the feeling that it is them fighting through the missions. Returning from the first game is the Overkill mode, which makes both players invincible for a short period of time. However, features such as back to back, playing rock, paper and scissors with your partner, and other co-op interactions have been removed in favor of more fast-paced gameplay. Competitive multiplayer from the second game does not return to focus on a richer co-op experience.


Features

It has been noted that the game features more customization options compared to the previous games in the series. ''The Devil's Cartel'' features a mask creator which allows players to completely customize their masks, thus giving their TWO operative its own persona. Customers can pre-order the ''Overkill Edition'' which comes with bonus weapons, masks, outfits, and missions that are not available with the standard version of the game.


Plot

Shortly after being recruited into T.W.O. (Tactical Worldwide Operations), T.W.O. founders Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem bring Alpha and Bravo on a rescue operation to save multiple hostages in a cartel compound. Estaban Bautista and his henchman flee as Rios, Salem, Alpha, and Bravo raid the compound. Only one hostage is found alive, a girl named Fiona. Salem attempts to persuade the group to leave, not wanting to risk their lives to save Fiona, who is not part of their mission objective; Rios insists that she's innocent and that he won't leave her behind. Alpha and Bravo agree, and Salem decides to go alone and leave. During Salem's escape, a thug destroys Salem's vehicle, leaving Rios, Alpha, and Bravo attempting to rescue him, but Rios injures his right leg in the process. Alpha and Bravo save the girl from the cartel and evacuate with Rios. Five years later, T.W.O. is hired by Mayor Cordova, a Mexican politician seeking to bring down La Guadaña and kill its leader, Bautista. The T.W.O. operatives believe nothing will go wrong until the convoy's movement is interrupted by La Guadaña's forces. Alpha and Bravo survive constant waves as Cordova escapes. Alpha and Bravo push their way to the Cartel's forces to City Hall for extraction. T.W.O. operative Mason drives them out of the city but is killed when the Cartel ambushes them on the road at a gas station. Alpha and Bravo meet Mason's contact, revealed to be Fiona, who assists the team in bringing down La Guadaña and killing Bautista. Fiona gives Alpha and Bravo intelligence that Cordova fled to a local church that is serving as a La Guadaña compound. Alpha and Bravo fight through a hotel resort to encounter El Diablo, La Guadaña's top lieutenant, learning that El Diablo killed a number of T.W.O. operatives and captured Cordova. El Diablo sets off charges in the hotel resort to make his escape leaving Alpha, Bravo, and Fiona trapped inside. They survive El Diablo's counterattack, and the trio goes to the church, listening in on Bautista's interrogation with Cordova. El Diablo alerts them as the duo fight their way to Fiona. Surviving a train disaster, Alpha, Bravo, and Fiona temporarily rescue Cordova while surviving T.W.O. operatives die protecting the mayor. Alpha, Bravo, and Cordova navigate through a Mexican ghetto and are captured after trying to rescue T.W.O. operative Bradley. Alpha, Bravo, and Cordova are tortured by the cartel in a room. El Diablo reveals his true identity as Salem, who survived the explosion and was forced to face the Cartel by himself. Surviving, he joined forces with Bautista and feels betrayed by Rios and the duo for not checking to see if he was alive. Salem kills Cordova and leaves. Alpha and Bravo escape and regroup with T.W.O. operatives "Baker" and "Chuy". Rios hears of Salem's betrayal and orders him to be kept alive and brought to him. Fiona tells the team that Salem and Bautista are hiding at a hacienda. Alpha, Bravo, Baker, and Chuy lead a T.W.O. strike force with assistance from Mexican Special Forces to raid the hacienda. During the raid, Bautista kills Chuy and Baker. Fiona pursues him but is captured and relocated to a quarry. Alpha and Bravo are extracted by Rios via helicopter to rescue Fiona. The trio crash as Alpha and Bravo save Rios, who tells them to go ahead and get Fiona. Alpha and Bravo reach Fiona, who kills Bautista for taking her. However, Salem reveals that killing him was part of his plan and holds Fiona at gunpoint. Salem tells of the times he risked his life for Rios (especially to "save Shanghai" and taking a bullet for Rios, implied of the previous installment), and kills Fiona. Rios charges at Salem, and Salem shoots Rios in the abdomen and throws him off of a two-story balcony before escaping. Alpha and Bravo regroup with Rios, who now orders them to kill Salem. Alpha and Bravo corner Salem, who attacks them with an armored vehicle. Destroying the vehicle, Bravo is given the command to kill Salem, but instead, allows the Mexican Special Forces to take him into custody. Rios, Alpha, and Bravo promise to oversee Fiona's burial, carry out an extended vacation, and then sign on for the next mission. Meanwhile, Salem etches the name Alice on his prison cell wall. In the post-credits epilogue, Salem is seen smiling when an armored guard and an unidentified visitor approach him.


Development


Alternative characters

EA said at the time that purchasers who pre-order the game could play with characters based upon
B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with record producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainm ...
and
Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...
. The hip hop artists have collaborated on the game's theme song "
Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either cancellation of a debt ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It can be seen as a gentleman's ag ...
", produced by
SoFLY and Nius SoFly and Nius (stylized as soFLY and Nius) were a French music production and songwriting duo signed to Artist Partner Group, Artist Publishing Group (APG). Members SoFly and Nius is made up of: *Raphaël Judrin (artist name SoFly), born in P ...
and Oddfellow, and appear in game as T.W.O. operatives Charles 'Chuy' Rendall (Big Boi) and Anthony 'Baker' Barnes (B.o.B), sent to take down the cartels in Mexico.


Reception

''Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel'' received "mixed" reviews on both platforms according to the
review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. In Japan, where the game was ported for release on March 28, 2013 (the same release date as the Australian import), ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of 29 out of 40. The game was heavily criticized for the removal of the co-op interactions, only being able to play as the Alpha character, and the game's story. Daniel Krupa of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' criticized the enemy AI as moronic, insipid environments, cover mechanics being frustrating, the gameplay being monotonous, but praised the ally AI for being reliable. In the Verdict, Krupa said: "''Devil's Cartel'' feels like a hollowed-out version of the previous ''Army of Two'' games. The distinctive edges have been sanded down, creating something that's not just generic but unrelated to what went before. The humor has been drained and long-time fans might feel aggrieved by the decision to sideline Salem and Rios in favor of these lame characters. If you absolutely must experience the mediocrity first hand, ''Army of Two: Devil's Cartel'' is still probably best played with a friend... but friends don't let friends play tedious mediocre games." Richard Grisham of ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'' found the Xbox 360 version to be fun. Grisham stated at the end of his review: "''Army of Two: Devil's Cartel'' seems to accomplish exactly what it set out to do, offering an intense, impressive two-player co-op experience that's heavily customizable and replayable. While it won't likely scratch the itch of those looking for a more traditional shooter game--namely, competitive online multiplayer--it's an original concept set inside familiar trappings." On the more negative side, Kevin VanOrd of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' criticized all of the series' best aspects being removed or toned down, the gunplay being forgettable, forgettable story and characters, the cooperation between players being very little, and problems with the AI but praised some of the fun set pieces, the more open levels give you room to maneuver, and cover system encourages fluid movement. VanOrd said in the verdict: "Previous ''Army of Two'' games stood apart in their own ways, not always excelling, but still willing to hew their own paths. Engaging the opposition in a Shanghai zoo, escaping across a collapsed skyscraper, saving civilians from menacing threats--these are small but meaningful moments that might be etched on your psyche from the series' past. There's nothing here to make a mark: no creativity on display, no clever competitive modes, no sense of accomplishment. There's only a seven-hour campaign, optional missions in which you try to keep the overkill meter consistently replenished, and the knowledge that in a month, you won't remember having played ''Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel''." Dan Whitehead of ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' said at the end of his review of the Xbox 360 version: "''The Devil's Cartel'' is functional and fuss-free, a game that delivers the expected genre tropes with as little imagination and as much bluster as possible. It's not a bad game, but nor does it have anything beyond basic mechanical competence to mark it out as "good" – and even that competence wobbles more than it should. In a few years' time, I'll probably look back over my Xbox Live profile and be surprised to see that not only did they make a third ''Army of Two'' game, but that I apparently played and completed it." Joshua Vanderwall of '' The Escapist'' gave the Xbox 360 version a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "Ultimately, ''Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel'' is easy to pick up and fun to play, but generally lacks in distinction. The co-op centered gameplay is a neat trick, but it doesn't do enough with the co-op mechanics to really set itself apart." However, Rob Kershaw of ''The Digital Fix'' gave the same console version five out of ten, saying, "The biggest criticism of ''Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel'' comes down to how utterly tedious and derivative it is." David Jenkins of ''
Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
'' also gave it five out of ten, calling it "A masterpiece of mediocrity and a crowning achievement in unambitiousness." Steve Tilley and Daniel Barron of ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' gave the same console version two-and-a-half stars out of five, with the former reviewer saying, "The ''Army of Two'' games have always been overshadowed by ''
Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...
'' and ''
Gears of War ''Gears of War'' (also referred to as ''Gears'') is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition (company), The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The ...
'' and the other shooter juggernauts, but they had unique co-op gameplay elements and a goofy charm that set them apart. Both of these things are mostly missing in ''The Devil's Cartel'', and that's a damn shame." Chad Sapieha of ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.
'' gave the PlayStation 3 version 4.5 out of 10, saying, "The very definition of a mindless shooter, EA Montreal's latest — the third in the middling ''Army of Two'' series — is a stripped down, by-the-book, bereft-of-imagination bang-bang that left me less satisfied than a parched man served a salt lick and an empty glass." Responding to the negative response, Visceral Games executive producer Julian Beak said that the game suffered "low morale".


Sales

The game was not successful as EA's previous month releases, due to the game being released the same month as ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...
'' and ''
BioShock Infinite ''BioShock Infinite'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K. The third installment of the ''BioShock'' series, ''Infinite'' was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, a ...
''. The game sold over 260,000 units worldwide.


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2013 video games Cooperative video games Electronic Arts games Frostbite (game engine) games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 3 games Split-screen multiplayer games Third-person shooters Video game sequels Video games about the illegal drug trade Video games developed in Canada Video games scored by Brian Tyler Video games scored by Sarah Schachner Video games set in Mexico Video games using Havok Visceral Games Works about Mexican drug cartels Xbox 360 games EA Montreal games