Army of Two: The 40th Day - 360/PS3

Hard-nosed, back-slapping buddies Rios and Salem are back, in a game which although improving on its predecessor, still comes up well short of the mark.

Dropped in the middle of Shanghai just as terrorists attack the city, the duo battle their way through crumbling buildings, Buddhist temples and the local zoo to get to the bottom of a terrible atrocity. Really, it's just an excuse for the two US mercenaries to compete in trying to rack up the biggest body count.

In blockbuster style, every building the pair come close to blows up in spectacular style, while identical enemies attempt to gun the dynamic duo down at every opportunity. While the visuals are fine, the game suffers due to repetition. It's just one killing arena after another, with only the sporadic introduction of hulking armour-clad brutes mixing up the standard pop-and-stop gameplay.

The single player campaign can be polished off in around seven hours, but two player co-op proves to be a longer-lasting experience. Teamwork leads to daring escapades as you and a friend tactically find the best way to take down enemy soldiers.

Army of Two: The 40th Day is an improvement over the original, but ultimately repetition lets the game down. Good, but not great.