While I never played the first iteration in this franchise, the sequel has definitely caught my attention.  Rios and Salem are back, but this time running through the streets of Shanghai.  Read through to get a dose of the ultimate bromance.

Co-op play is starting to become a requisite for most games, especially FPS’s.  This is the ultimate buddy-buddy shooter in the likes of Gears of War.  Testosterone runs particularly high here.  There are a few similarities between the two games: the cover system, co-op play, and steroid induced physiques.  That’s about as far as the comparisons go though.  Weapon customization and unique co-op tactics lend itself to some innovative play.

There are definitely some interesting tactics that you can take in this game.  The first being the ability to play dead.  This can lure enemies out or have them ignore you while your partner takes them down.  You can also feign waving the white flag and giving up, another tactic that allows your partner to sneak around or get enemies into open space to be taken down.  Also, on occasion, there will be higher ranked officers that can be taken hostage.  This will get the other lower ranked grunts to back off.  Then you can choose what you want to do with them.

There are also certain points where you need to work together to get past certain obstacles.  Whether it be boosting your partner over a wall or holding up a door/gate to get through, co-op play is essential to finishing this game.  If your partner goes down, you can drag him to safety and then heal him.  It’s pretty corny, but they use this blinding white light as he finishes his heal.  Almost as if he has some sort of divine power.

You can also bring up a HUD that highlights important things and marks up a path for you to follow to objectives.  This HUD runs on a meter that can only run for a limited amount of time.  It recharges fairly quickly so no need to worry about it running out.  The marked paths for you to follow will come in handy as I found myself lost running around looking for particular markings and/or exits without it.

If you are a fan of Gears of War, then this game is definitely for you.  The unique co-op tactics are well thought out and executed, separating this game from other co-op shooters.  I didn’t play through enough to get a grasp of the story, but it was intriguing enough to hold my attention.  This game will hit shelves January 12th, 2010.