Army of Two Producer Q&A

Army of Two Producer Q&A with EA Montreal.  Most of you have read my review of Army of Two and it turned out to be a review that received some amazing feedback. 

“Your review should be the benchmark for this game because it’s objective, and puts the game in perspective from a Gamers point of view.” – Bumble14

Now I have even more of the coverage you love.  I had a chance to submit a Q&A to EA Montreal made up of community questions about Army of Two.  I took all the Aggro for the Q&A so that you all could relax and simply read.   And here are the groovy results. 

Army of Two
Developer: EA Montreal
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Army of Two

The Players

Matt Turner, Assistant Producer

The Interview

New IPs are always a challenge with any company. Where did the inspiration for AOT come from and is it an IP we can expect more of?

The inspiration came from many places. We really saw a gap in the shooter market. And that gap was a game that truly was COOP. Many games had COOP features but they weren’t built for COOP and that’s what we wanted to make. We pulled inspiration from a few classic titles. Contra and Double Dragon were two of the major influences of the game and so was counter strike. We definitely have ideas and plans for future content under the AO2 banner but first we have to wait and see how our first one does.

The setting of the game deals with some real world events. Any concern on AOT stirring any controversy?

Not really. We were very careful on how we approached and addressed the touchy subjects. I think we managed to remain tasteful and relevant and people will appreciate that.

How were the two main characters chosen?

We chose characters that had relevance, and believability. They had to be archetypes of expected personas.

Was there any significant research done from a technical standpoint to make the two characters seem believable?

Yes. In fact, we hired a real PMC to consult on the lives of mercenaries. He was really helpful and an extremely interesting guy. We had some really fun conversations about the whole crazy world.  His name is Woody Mister and we are really thankful for all his help.

An early article had Reid Schneider saying that the game could essentially not be completed by ‘doing your own thing.’ It makes completing the game without good commuication sound impossible. Is your Partner AI (PAI) system reliable enough to not frustrate players?

Absolutely. You have a certain amount of control over the PAI so if he is ever getting a little silly or not doing what you want; just bark some orders at him. He’s actually pretty satisfying to play with.

How important is the Aggro system in the game?

Aggro is everything. You need to use Aggro in order to get anywhere in the game.

How will Alice work in single and co-op? Will she be issuing any relevant information to each player?

No. Nothing changes from single player to COOP regarding Alice.

What would you say are AOT’s main differences from other co-operative play games?

The difference is that AOT is made to be played coop. All the mechanics and the core game play are based around coop. It really is a pure coop experience where the players are linked second to second.

Did delaying the game result in a better AOT for release?

Absolutely. There is no comparison.

Who’s the more bad ass character in the game?

I would have to say that Salem is the most badass of the two…he comes from a background of crime and is a little nuts all around. But Rios is definitely tougher.

What can gamers expect in terms of DLC content in the future?

I can’t go into at all but we are planning on hitting hard with the DLC in the coming months.

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About the Author

They call me "The Velvet Voice". I like sunshine, games and large amounts of money. You can follow me on Twitter or Google+ .... but be warned, sometimes I talk about some ridiculously random things.

14 Responses to “Army of Two Producer Q&A”

  1. 1
    Starman Says:

    Another interesting question would be why are there separate releases for each region. EU/NA/Asia – which means no cross region play which for a mainly co-op title is a real bad decision on EA’s part.

  2. 2
    DeaconBlade Says:

    you answered it yourself. “regions”. they’re all handled differently.


  3. 3
    Goon360 Says:
    Member has registered Member accomplished a triple threat Member had enough luck to win Member is 200 contributor Member has played at Unscripted Nights Guest appearance on show 
    Member is a contributor of news & tips Went beyond 15,000 Gamerscore The Puzzler Community Playdate Participant Went insane & reached 50,000 Gamerscore

    I really hope they release more Campaign Missions.


  4. 4
    IRISHprik411 Says:
    Member has registered Member accomplished a triple threat Member had enough luck to win Guest appearance on show Member has U360 Showcase Member has played at Unscripted Nights 
    Member is 200 contributor Original Gangsta when U360 debuted Went beyond 15,000 Gamerscore Community Playdate Participant Went insane & reached 50,000 Gamerscore I gave, I am awesome. Look upon my Medal.

    I better be able to get my hands on this for the weekend…I’m dying for a new shooter (especially for co-op with my boy Pilex)…nice interview DB :)


  5. 5
    CharmedPower Says:
    Member has registered Member had enough luck to win Member is an international fan Member has played at Unscripted Nights Member accomplished a triple threat Member is a contributor of news & tips 
    Went beyond 15,000 Gamerscore

    Who wants to be my coop player in Army of Two? :)


  6. 6
    Commander JC Says:
    Member has registered Member is an international fan Member is a contributor of news & tips Member had enough luck to win Has downloaded U360 content on Xbox Live Went beyond 15,000 Gamerscore

    Just got this game!


  7. 7
    sedington86 Says:
    Member has registered Guest appearance on show Member had enough luck to win Has downloaded U360 content on Xbox Live

    I’ll be just about anyones co-op partner if they need one for AO2, including you CharmedPower, if you need one….


  8. 8
    DeaconBlade Says:

    i should be on some online co-op this weekend.


  9. 9
    sedington86 Says:
    Member has registered Guest appearance on show Member had enough luck to win Has downloaded U360 content on Xbox Live

    Does that mean I may get to play with the great Deac? He ran away from my GHIII challenge, :P , (I would too).


  10. 10
    sedington86 Says:
    Member has registered Guest appearance on show Member had enough luck to win Has downloaded U360 content on Xbox Live

    I kid, I kid…


  11. 11
    DeaconBlade Says:

    i run away from no one. play with the great one you shall. lol ;)


  12. 12
    IRISHprik411 Says:
    Member has registered Member accomplished a triple threat Member had enough luck to win Guest appearance on show Member has U360 Showcase Member has played at Unscripted Nights 
    Member is 200 contributor Original Gangsta when U360 debuted Went beyond 15,000 Gamerscore Community Playdate Participant Went insane & reached 50,000 Gamerscore I gave, I am awesome. Look upon my Medal.

    got my copy too :)


  13. 13
    shoedog Says:
    Member has registered The Puzzler Member had enough luck to win Went beyond 15,000 Gamerscore Has downloaded U360 content on Xbox Live

    I really have to stay off this site. Every single time I visit I find DB has posted some new tidbit about a game and I find myself drooling. Is 2008 shaping up to be better than 2007 with regards to 360 gaming? Thus far my checking account is sighing an exasperated, “yes.”


  14. 14
    DeaconBlade Says:

    i apologize shoe. :)


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