Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 207 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 207
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 207
  3. Negative: 53 out of 207
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. CriticalMedic
    Dec 13, 2013
    6
    What happened to the back to back shootouts and the sniper effects that truly made this game playable? Gone. This Devils cartel was a joke compared to the Army of two I had come to like(not love). The online is goofy and the single player is not entertaining. If you play the 2 player co-op it can be fun but what game isn't fun playing with your friend on the same screen? Im glad I rentedWhat happened to the back to back shootouts and the sniper effects that truly made this game playable? Gone. This Devils cartel was a joke compared to the Army of two I had come to like(not love). The online is goofy and the single player is not entertaining. If you play the 2 player co-op it can be fun but what game isn't fun playing with your friend on the same screen? Im glad I rented this game and didn't buy it… Expand
  2. DragonEffect4
    Jul 16, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The split screen gameplay is great and its one of the first arduous FPS I've seen in a while but there are a few things wrong with the game.
    Now I'm a person that doesn't really mind the look of the game but for the ones who do, the graphics aren't that great, round things, like apples, are square (seriously, my brother found square apples) and it looks overall unfinished cosmetically but the majority of the game looks great.
    There is also a lack of guns and customizations especially with no pistol mods but the dragons breath on shotguns is a nice feature.
    The main problem is the story, not only are they ruining the PROTAGONISTS of the first two games but they are ruining TWO as a whole. They make Rios and Salem seem like complete **** in the beginning but the worst of it is Salem is an enemy. I mean wtf is that, and its all over some stupid COD-like weak reason of complete and utter butthurtness. Then ALL of the Two solders die, come on, it has to be the biggest defilement of the whole basis of the game, that the people part of TWO are good enough to be an army made of two people not just some random people off the street.
    The ridiculous cinematic scenes, like Batista killing two of the TWO solders when five people are there, are just too unrealistic, it felt like i was playing with a group of idiots.
    The HUD is also way to big and the speed at which overkill is achieved makes the the game very easy at some points.
    The game is still a lot of fun and, while ignoring the terrible plot, it is an amazing and challenging shooter to play with a friend    … Expand
  3. JDConspirator
    Apr 16, 2013
    7
    On the surface, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel may appear to be an inferior facsimile of the previous two games. Alpha and bravo have generic names, and their personalities are blunt. But the potential for co-op fun is immediately recognised. Most of its merit is afforded to by the Frostbite engine, rendering great destructive environments and dynamic lighting. You may be shooting forOn the surface, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel may appear to be an inferior facsimile of the previous two games. Alpha and bravo have generic names, and their personalities are blunt. But the potential for co-op fun is immediately recognised. Most of its merit is afforded to by the Frostbite engine, rendering great destructive environments and dynamic lighting. You may be shooting for eight or so hours, with a few weird AI bugs, but The Devil's Cartel is a great co-op shooter for a perfect weekend of blasting with a pal.… Expand
  4. drlowdon
    Aug 21, 2013
    5
    Most games are pretty fun when played with a friend and The Devil's Cartel is no exception. Unfortunately however this latest entry in Electronic Arts's Army of Two series makes no attempt to do anything original, or even particularly interesting, with the co-op concept. The story is your usual macho video game nonsense and at some point you'll find yourself playing through virtually everyMost games are pretty fun when played with a friend and The Devil's Cartel is no exception. Unfortunately however this latest entry in Electronic Arts's Army of Two series makes no attempt to do anything original, or even particularly interesting, with the co-op concept. The story is your usual macho video game nonsense and at some point you'll find yourself playing through virtually every shoot-em-up cliche you can think off, from on rails helicopter sections to breaching doors in slow motion.

    If you can find this for a reduced price, as well as a friend with a copy, the gameplay is certainly fast paced and satisfying enough to make it a worthwhile (if instantly forgettable) experience.    … Expand
  5. bovian
    Apr 15, 2013
    7
    This game is not as bad as everybody thinks. I personally don't like the idea of toned down salem and rios (as if they don't have any idea to make the original game more interesting). Yes there is no chemistry between Alpha and Bravo (not even their real name) but the action is quiet good but never great.
  6. ilution15
    Apr 29, 2013
    5
    This is the worst army of two series...the graphic ufff..cant discribe
    the story not even good one.
    no aggro system like before.Danger close is ruining this frenchise.
  7. Scottixboy
    Apr 27, 2013
    5
    Was really looking forward to this, but ended up being a bit of a flop, firstly, the story is dead, the instant they announced that you'd play as 2 "New" characters, I knew the story would be dead and I was right, Story is crap overall, But that's not the only reason I'm giving it a "Meh" score, The reason is, that feature wise, this game takes more away than it adds, Lets look at whatsWas really looking forward to this, but ended up being a bit of a flop, firstly, the story is dead, the instant they announced that you'd play as 2 "New" characters, I knew the story would be dead and I was right, Story is crap overall, But that's not the only reason I'm giving it a "Meh" score, The reason is, that feature wise, this game takes more away than it adds, Lets look at whats gone: Weapon customization freedom(ANY gun part could go together to make wild combinations), Dynamic cover system(You didn't have to cover, just shooting while behind an object would make your character shoot over the cover), Poor graphics(For the frostbite engine, this game looks pretty poor), Visual Aggro system(There would be a wild RED or BLUE indicator to show you who had aggro and who was stealth from fire), Environments are linear and badly designed (except for the co op areas where you both go to different locations but even then, it's completely linear, no flanking whatsoever completely BREAKING the Aggro system), Destructible cover just makes things more difficult for the player(Like there never seems to be any decent unbreakable cover around, meaning it's hard to avoid taking damage while covering) Gun models and animations are worse(The frostbite engine is known for having VERY precise looking animations, it honestly just feels like they didn't try whatsoever here, The mag clips in the players hand/gun a lot too, Just poor development all round) and finally, the voice acting for the new characters is nowhere near as good as Rios or Salem(Who are now ironically only side characters)

    There are some more annoying things like being forced to wait for the end of the level before you can change your weapons attachments and how you can't just pick up a weapon temporarily any more it makes you switch to the picked up gun completely, The lack of pistol attachments, Overkill adding complete unrealistic-ness to the game and there is probably more, Overall this game just isn't worth playing, the Co oP is the only good part, you still got all the awesome co op parts from previous games.

    When Visceral said they were adding new features without dumbing the game down, what exactly did they mean? Because all I can see is a dumbed down cash in sequel, I've not even touched on the lack on MP, that's a whole other story, MP was hit and miss on the 40th day when it worked it was great, But sadly, it hardly EVER worked and was plagued with Lag issues. The lack of an improved mp more would have bumped my score down few, but the lack of an MP mode entire bumps it down a lot more.

    So what do you have, you have a stripped down version of a great game, with most of the features dumbed down or removed completely, Makes me sad, I really hope all of this wasn't just to support the frostbite engine, because to be fair, I find no REAL difference in the physics or graphics, But something tells me it's more to do with either a rushed release or lazy development, Just look at Dead Space 3, Visceral have proved they can make absolutely AMAZING games when they are given time, So it feels more like EA rushing them. Makes me sad, Army of Two was once a great series.    … Expand
  8. Skydog
    Apr 7, 2013
    7
    Even though this game is short I haven't played the first two because I heard awful stuff about them), the coop aspect with a online friend is amazing. The customization is very cool even though it's kind of limited in spots. The Mask Creator is much better than the defaults (recommend just making your own for the people just starting).
    Overall the game is fun, gave me about 15-20 hours    Even though this game is short I haven't played the first two because I heard awful stuff about them), the coop aspect with a online friend is amazing. The customization is very cool even though it's kind of limited in spots. The Mask Creator is much better than the defaults (recommend just making your own for the people just starting).
    Overall the game is fun, gave me about 15-20 hours of gameplay (which i spanned over a couple days), and proved to be worth at least the $35 of the $60 price.
    Yes that may sound harsh, but I won't give a game I find fun a $60 value if it takes me just 15-20 hours to beat it.

    This is getting a 7 for that very reason. It's very fun though especially for COOP-fans!    … Expand
  9. blogfirstlast
    Jul 29, 2013
    6
    This game is a very action packed game that doesn't need some of the features in the other two to be good. Even though it's my least favorite of the series, it's still a pretty fun game to grab and play with a friend. That being said the problems in this were pretty major. The bugs were bad, so was the story, but the action was good and the graphics were so-so. Make a long story short, ifThis game is a very action packed game that doesn't need some of the features in the other two to be good. Even though it's my least favorite of the series, it's still a pretty fun game to grab and play with a friend. That being said the problems in this were pretty major. The bugs were bad, so was the story, but the action was good and the graphics were so-so. Make a long story short, if you like the other 2 for more than just a couple features, then you will like this. Just don't expect to much.… Expand
  10. fillesy
    Apr 12, 2013
    5
    Very disappointed in this game.
    For some reason they've simplified the gameplay to the point that it is not really a co-op shooter any more but a game where two people shoot-stuff-up side by side. Besides lifting some gates and getting revives, you almost never need to rely on your teammate. Getting more money is the only incentive to use "smarter" killing methods so many times you    Very disappointed in this game.
    For some reason they've simplified the gameplay to the point that it is not really a co-op shooter any more but a game where two people shoot-stuff-up side by side. Besides lifting some gates and getting revives, you almost never need to rely on your teammate. Getting more money is the only incentive to use "smarter" killing methods so many times you basically forget that he (or she) is also there.
    An other problem is the overkill mechanic is exactly what it's name says and makes the game way too easy. We've played on Insane difficulty without using Overkill (except the parts where you must, like shooting up the huge truck in the chase sequence) and the game still wasn't giving us a challenge.
    This is a very different game than the previous two parts where teamwork was a MUST. Here it's nothing more than an option and that is pretty sad.    … Expand
  11. CancerousJedi
    Jan 2, 2014
    6
    Story: 3; Who doesn't even bother to name their main characters?! Alpha & Bravo, when EVERYONE else in the game gets a name, even the throwaway NPCs that die after 1 mission. Everything else about the story is hackneyed and tired.
    Graphics (with install): 8;
    Looks great, requires 1.5GB HD space for the pretty. Gameplay: 7; Does nothing new from the previous games and takes away some    Story: 3; Who doesn't even bother to name their main characters?! Alpha & Bravo, when EVERYONE else in the game gets a name, even the throwaway NPCs that die after 1 mission. Everything else about the story is hackneyed and tired.
    Graphics (with install): 8;
    Looks great, requires 1.5GB HD space for the pretty.
    Gameplay: 7;
    Does nothing new from the previous games and takes away some of my favorite bits. No Back-To-Back, no Aggro Meter, and the Overkill mechanic isn't well executed or explained.

    TL;DR, play it for the co-op shooter fun, but don't expect a lot.    … Expand
  12. GuineaPigMan
    Feb 6, 2015
    5
    The third part of the series, your success is quite wrong. In the beginning, yet enjoyable game quickly loses all kinds of unique and will not be more than a mediocre TPS. The story is something wrong killer. I expected more from him, was a big disappointment
  13. Bajo19
    May 17, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was expecting something worse, but that game is not bad. Only thing I hate about it is that every single important person just dies. Gameplay was good, could be better. You can try it but there are better games on the market.… Expand
  14. Termin8ter
    Apr 19, 2015
    6
    Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a pretty enjoyable Third-Person Shooter. Its not as bad as some people say, and not as good either, it has a ton of flaws. The camera angles are frustrating and annoying and I would find myself getting riddled with bullets not knowing where the enemies are. The guns feel non-powerful when you fire them. The objectives pop up right on the screen almostArmy of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a pretty enjoyable Third-Person Shooter. Its not as bad as some people say, and not as good either, it has a ton of flaws. The camera angles are frustrating and annoying and I would find myself getting riddled with bullets not knowing where the enemies are. The guns feel non-powerful when you fire them. The objectives pop up right on the screen almost constantly which is so annoying because you can't see. The graphics look alright-ish, not terrible. Lastly the controls just feel unresponsive. I bet you will have a fun time, especially with Co-Op but just beware. So buy if you want to.… Expand
  15. killing4blood
    May 26, 2015
    7
    Rated 7/10 it was good but one level wouldn't end it seemed to go on for ever. I would play with another person for more fun. But overall the best part is the masks.
  16. frederik1478
    May 2, 2020
    5
    It's a very fun co-op you know you can play with your friends but it lost a lot of what made it Army of Two
  17. Kostas101
    Nov 3, 2021
    6
    It's fun to play, especially with other players, there's a lot of violence, and the customization is fine, but the gameplay mechanics are a bit clunky, and the story is very uninteresting.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
42
#42 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 55
  3. Negative: 11 out of 55
  1. GameCritics
    Jun 9, 2013
    35
    In the end, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a boring, meatheaded slog through about ten or so hours of predictable situations and sub par dialogue, and if someone told me that the development team had simply been handed a bit of cardboard with the words "sink this series" emblazoned across it as a design document, I'd believe it without hesitation.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    May 20, 2013
    50
    As an entry into a series that has failed to realise its potential, this is safe and dare we say it, also a bit boring. [Issue#135, p.106]
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    May 13, 2013
    70
    A prime example of a gamified action film from the eighties. The story is only an excuse for bloodshed and the game is far from unconventional. Yes, I've seen this before at least dozens of times, but then again, there's always room for some good old-fashioned pointless violence. [May 2013]
See all critic reviews »