In the past, Army of Two followed the misadventures of Rios and Salem, a pair of highly skilled mercenaries working for a private military corporation in hot spots around the world. Traditionally, mercenaries aren’t supposed to become emotionally attatched to the causes they are being paid to fight for. Rios, however, has a conscience that spurs him into trying to do the right thing, even when it makes life more difficult for himself and anyone he drags along for the ride, much to Salem’s chagrin.

As a franchise, the Army of Two games offer a mix of wit and explosive action. Each game focuses on co-operative gameplay over competitive action, rewarding players who work together efficiently with success and more cash to broaden their arsenal.

Army of Two

Release Date: March 2008

In the year 1993, Rios and Salem meet in Somalia as members of the United States Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment. It is there that they meet Philip Clyde, a contractor working for the Security and Strategy Corporation (SSC). Clyde scouts Rios, Salem, and their commanding officer Richard Dalton, to work for SSC. Up until the year 2009, Rios and Salem work for SSC as two of their most successful contractors.

In the post 9/11 world, Rios and Salem find themselves taking on increasing amounts of work for SSC, eventually uncovering a conspiracy involving Clyde, Dalton, and SSC CEO Ernest Stockwell. The conspirators are supporting a bill that would privatize the entire US military, while simultaneously leaking information about US military positions to terrorists in hopes of discrediting the armed forces. Rios and Salem are tricked into killing a US senator in China, who was prominent in his opposition to the privatization bill. The Chinese military pursue the two contractors to eliminate them for their crime.

Rios and Salem manage to survive this setup, return to SSC headquarters, eliminate both Clyde and Dalton, and release evidence regarding the plot to clear their names. Stockwell goes to prison, and SSC is effectively ruined as a PMC. Rios and Salem use their private contacts to start their own PMC, Trans World Operations, and they even scout their former SSC handler Alice Murray.

Army of Two: The 40th Day

Release Date: January 2010

One year after their violent break from SSC, Rios and Salem lead an operation in Shanghai as representatives of Trans World Operations. Their contact is JB, a former SSC operator who answered directly to Dalton. After they plant a series of locator beacons in strategic locations throughout Shanghai (as well as deciding the ultimate fate of JB for a little extra money on the side), the situation changes dramatically.

Shanghai falls under attack by an unknown paramilitary force, later discovered to be named the 40th Day Initiative. Their mercenaries begin to terrorize and execute innocent civilians throughout the city. Cut off from their handler, Alice, Rios and Salem are forced to fight their way through Shanghai. The duo faces a number of tough moral choices, including whether or not to risk their own lives to save civilian captives from the enemy. Despite their best efforts, Rios and Salem are eventually captured by the enemy, but a Russian contractor manages to rescue them. The trio teams up to destroy an enemy communications center before parting ways.

Alice manages to locate a helicopter pilot willing to fly her and the T.W.O. operatives out of the city, prompting a race against time as Rios and Salem fight their way through waves of mercenaries to clear a landing zone for extraction. Unfortunately, their ride is blasted out of the sky, presumably killing Alice.

Seeing no other alternative, Rios and Salem decide to take the fight directly to the head of the 40th Day Initiative, Jonah Wade. Assaulting his heavily defended temple, the two mercs manage to directly confront Jonah, who reveals that his plot was part of a social experiment. Claiming to have a nuclear device in Shanghai, Jonah offers to stand his forces down in exchange for displaying an act of sacrifice: either Rios or Salem must die. Should they kill Jonah, the nuke will detonate, killing seven million people.

While there are multiple endings available to players, the ultimate outcome is that Rios (or Salem) shoots the self-righteous jackass multiple times and calls it a day. The nuke threat turns out to be false, but there are hints that the 40th Day Initiative may have had plans to strike other cities...

Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel

Release Date: March 2013

After Shanghai, Rios and Salem renamed their company Tactical Worldwide Operations and began hiring more operatives. Among them are a promising pair who earn the codenames Alpha and Bravo. The Devil’s Cartel opens with a force of T.W.O. mercenaries riding alongside of the mayor of La Puerta on the eve of a political rally, just as the La Guadaña cartel makes its move...

Names, Masks, and Faces

Alpha

The defacto leader of his pair, codename Alpha is in many ways a successor to Rios. Like the T.W.O. founder, Alpha has strong moral convictions that guide his actions on and off the field. These sometimes cause trouble when his normally smooth flow of thought into action becomes interrupted by his desire to do the right thing. Interestingly, Alpha seems to be a stickler for protocol, adressing his superiors at T.W.O. as ‘sir’, and requesting permission to engage hostiles before opening fire at the start of a mission. A goal-driven individual, Alpha is at his best when there are tasks to accomplish and people to lead.

Alpha is the default character played during the campaign in Single Player mode.

Bravo

Where Alpha is deliberate and focused, Bravo is impulsive and emotional. He’s the first to draw blood the moment it becomes necessary. Since Alpha has accepted the yoke of leadership, and therefore the responsibility for their successes and failure, Bravo simply enjoys being the one who gets something done when he’s told to do it. He speaks his mind and is willing to challenge Alpha’s orders whenever he feels he must. Bravo is highly perceptive, often acting as the team’s alarm bell when danger comes calling. His aggressive nature often causes just as much trouble as Alpha’s moral compass does—possibly even moreso.

Tyson Rios

Having been a merc since he left the military in 1993, Rios went on to found Trans World Operations in 2009 along with his partner Elliot Salem. Over the years, Rios has grown into his administrative role as commander, navigating the complex politics that allow T.W.O. to remain a prominent mercenary force. His desire to run a “PMC with a conscience” while also staying as well-equipped as possible has caused T.W.O. and its investors some trouble, but Rios would rather the company suffer some financial losses than compromise his moral compass. His efforts have resulted in an impressive fighting force that attracts top flight talent from around the world.

Elliot Salem

Rios’ longtime partner in the mercenary world, Salem is one of the deadliest warriors at T.W.O.’s disposal. He is still known for his recklessness under fire, his rebellious streak undampened by age, but he is also the first to find the quickest and best way out of any bad situation. His loyalty to Rios is tempered by the fact that he does not quite agree with the direction T.W.O. has been headed. Salem has always put the safety of himself and his fellow contractors above the lives of others, even when innocents are caught in the crossfire. This attitude causes friction between the two partners.

T.W.O. Operatives

Trans World Operations has expanded significantly since the events in Shanghai. Consisting of multiple two-man teams, each pair is considered more than enough for the average contract. Operators are often selected for their skills in specialized fields, allowing T.W.O. to conduct missions that may require a wide variety of skillsets by deploying multiple teams to the field. The distinct ballistics mask worn by all T.W.O. contractors has become the defining trait used to identify the company worldwide.

The defense of Mayor Juan Angelo Cordova is a mission that requires many hands on deck. Alpha and Bravo are joined by ten other T.W.O. contractors who are all part of the mayor’s defensive convoy.

Esteban Bautista

Charismatic, sociopathic, and ambitious. Three words that describe Esteban Bautista extremely well. Four years ago, using his considerable influence within the La Guadaña’s personnel, and money stashed off to the side, Bautista managed to execute a bloody and successful coup against the prior leadership. A member of the cartel since the age of 17, Bautista has transformed the organization into a fearsome paramilitary force. Now, he sets his eyes on the world stage, and his people stand ready and willing to face off against any other criminal organization or government that would dare stand in their way. Against Bautista and his top enforcer, a mysterious mercenary known only as El Diablo, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before La Puerta is firmly under his thumb.

El Diablo

Nobody knows where this mysterious masked man came from, but his reputation is both widely known and well-deserved. Having risen to prominence within La Guadaña at the same time as Esteban Bautista, El Diablo’s name has come to represent death and destruction to the people of La Puerta. He leads the more militaristic arm of the cartel—which, for all intents and purposes, should be considered a fully equipped standing army rather than just a gang of thugs. He has shown a flare for the dramatic, but the people who see that side of him are typically his victims.

It is unknown how a man with such considerable influence within La Guadaña has remained so loyal to its leadership.

El Carcinero

Juventud Aguilar began life in the cartel at a young age as another thug. When his family was killed by a rival cartel, Aguilar pushed himself to become more active in drug wars. Called El Carcinero (The Butcher) by those around him, he has become a symbol of the terror La Guadaña creates. Arguably an even more frightening presence than El Diablo himself, El Carcinero is not afraid to lead his loyal thugs into combat with little more than a butcher knife. Pain seems inconsequential to him, although he relishes inflicting it upon others.

Fiona Montero

First encountered by T.W.O. operatives during an abortive mission to rescue hostages held by La Guadaña, Fiona is the daughter of a Dallas oil magnate who had ties to the Mexican underworld—ties he tried to sever. As a result, Fiona’s family was slaughtered to set an example, and she was kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. When Rios and his T.W.O. team rescued her, she came to rely on his resources. She received a scholarship and would later be trained as a mercenary by Rios himself.

Fiona has spent the five years since her rescue preparing to avenge her family by killing Bautista. She is driven; all of her actions are meant to take her closer to that goal, and she has yet to be dissuaded from her path.

Mayor Juan Angelo Cordova

Standing as the first politician to successfully resist corruption from La Guadaña while still keeping himself alive, Cordova has little reason to fear their retribution at this point. He lost his wife and children to the cartel’s brutal attempts at intimidation, but has not let the losses deter him. As the mayor of the city he was born in, Cordova has become a favorite of La Puerta’s local law enforcement and the terrified civilian population, both of whom see him as a man who can stand up against corruption. Knowing that the cartel is eager to take his life, Cordova has hired T.W.O. to bolster his defenses as he begins his re-election efforts.