Can Visceral breathe fresh life into the shooter franchise?

Jan 16, 2013 10:44 GMT  ·  By

What we know:

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is the next installment in the Army of Two series and is set to really showcase that the franchise can produce a great experience, not just mindless shooters that only emphasize cooperative action.

Gone are the two main protagonists of the first two titles, Salem and Rios, as they're replaced by new heroes known only as Alpha and Bravo.

The new characters are also part of the game's fictional T.W.O. (Tactical Worldwide Operations) organization and are sent into Mexico to fight off against a ruthless drug cartel known only as La Guadana (aka The Scythe).

As you can imagine, things don't go according to plan and, as we've seen in previous gameplay videos and screenshots, all hell breaks loose so players will have to work together if they want to make it out alive.

Like previous titles, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel emphasizes cooperative action through a special drop-in drop-out system.

What's more, the new title is powered by the special Frostbite 2 engine so players are in for a stunning time in terms of visuals.

Why it matters:

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is being made by Visceral Games and the studio has shown that it can create great experiences with the Dead Space titles, so it's possible that it can breathe fresh life into the shooter franchise.

Combine that with the pretty impressive gameplay footage we've seen up until now, not to mention the stunning graphics powered by Frosbite 2, and Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel might end up being a competent shooter.

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is out on March 26, in North America, and March 29, in Europe, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms.

The full list of Incoming 2013 articles can be read on Softpedia right here.