Portable gaming used to be the Wild West. You'd have these massive, blockbuster console hits that tried—sometimes desperately—to squeeze their way onto the PlayStation Portable. Some were disasters. Others, like Army of Two: The 40th Day on PSP, were these strange, fascinating experiments that changed the entire genre of the game to make it work. Honestly, if you played the Xbox 360 or PS3 version, you basically haven't played the PSP version. It’s a completely different beast.
While the "big" versions were over-the-top third-person shooters centered on "aggro" and fist-bumping, the PSP port shifted the camera. It became an isometric, top-down shooter. It felt more like Killzone: Liberation than a traditional Army of Two game. It’s gritty. It’s difficult. And frankly, it’s one of the most interesting "demakes" from that era of gaming.
Why Army of Two: The 40th Day on PSP Felt So Different
Most developers at the time, like the team at Buzz Monkey Software who handled this port, knew the PSP’s single analog stick was a nightmare for traditional shooters. You couldn't just port the third-person camera and call it a day. It wouldn't work. So, they leaned into a fixed perspective. This changed everything about how Rios and Salem—the series' iconic, mask-wearing mercenaries—interacted with the world of Shanghai.
The story remains the same: a private military company called 40th Day Initiative tears Shanghai apart, and you’re caught in the middle. But the vibe on the handheld is much tighter. You feel more claustrophobic. Instead of wide-open urban warfare, you’re navigating these tightly packed, isometric corridors. It’s less about being a "bro" and more about tactical positioning.
The game still keeps the "Aggro" system, which was the bread and butter of the franchise. One player (or AI) draws fire while the other moves in for the flank. On the PSP, this actually feels more strategic because you can see the entire battlefield from above. You aren't fighting the camera; you’re fighting the enemies.
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The Myth of the Missing Co-op
People often forget that the PSP version actually had co-op. It was ad-hoc, meaning you needed a buddy in the same room with their own PSP and a copy of the game. Today, that makes it a relic. If you’re playing this on a Vita or an emulator now, that co-op experience is mostly a ghost of the past unless you jump through some serious technical hoops.
Playing solo with the AI is... fine. It's okay. The AI Salem or Rios isn't a genius, but they follow commands well enough. They’ll take cover. They’ll draw fire. But the soul of any Army of Two title is having a human partner to yell at when things go south. Without that, the PSP version becomes a very solid, very moody arcade shooter.
The Customization Rabbit Hole
One thing EA Montreal and Buzz Monkey didn't skimp on was the weapon customization. This was the era where "Pimp My Gun" was a legitimate gameplay mechanic. You could still put gold plating on a desert eagle or add a screwdriver as a bayonet.
In Army of Two: The 40th Day on PSP, the menu system for this is surprisingly deep. You spend your cash on parts, and those parts actually matter for your stats. Since the game is isometric, you don't always see the tiny details of your gun during gameplay, but you definitely feel the difference in accuracy and damage. It kept the "mercenary for hire" fantasy alive.
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It wasn't just about guns, though. The morality system—a weirdly heavy inclusion for an action game—made the jump to the handheld. You’re constantly forced to make choices: do you save the civilians, or do you take the money and run? These were presented through stylized comic-book panels. They felt meaningful. They gave the game a weight that most portable shooters lacked.
Technical Hurdles and Handheld Limits
Let’s be real for a second. The PSP was a powerhouse for 2005, but by 2010, it was showing its age. The 40th Day pushed it. The frame rate could chug when too many explosions hit the screen at once. Some of the environments looked a bit "muddy" or brown.
- The controls: Using the face buttons (Triangle, Square, Circle, X) to aim while the analog nub moved your character was the standard "PSP FPS" layout. It takes about 20 minutes to get used to, but once it clicks, it’s remarkably precise for an isometric game.
- The sound: The banter between Rios and Salem is still there. The voice acting wasn't stripped out, which is a huge plus for immersion.
- The length: It’s a short game. You can probably blast through it in four or five hours. But for a handheld title meant for bus rides or plane trips, that was the sweet spot.
Is It Still Worth Playing Today?
If you're a fan of the "middle-shelf" games—the ones that aren't quite AAA masterpieces but have a ton of heart—then yes. Army of Two: The 40th Day on PSP is a fascinating look at how developers used to solve hardware limitations with creative design.
We don't see games like this anymore. Now, we just have "Cloud Versions" on Switch or mobile ports that are identical to the console versions but with worse graphics. There was a certain magic in a studio saying, "We can't make the console game work, so let's make a completely different genre that fits the hardware."
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It’s a piece of history. It represents the end of the PSP's life cycle and the peak of the "B-game" action era. It’s gritty, it’s a bit janky, and it’s unashamedly a product of the late 2000s.
Actionable Steps for Retrogamers
If you’re looking to revisit this title or experience it for the first time, here is how you should approach it to get the most out of the experience:
- Check your hardware: While it plays great on an original PSP-3000, the PlayStation Vita is actually the best way to play it. You can map the face-button aiming to the Vita's right analog stick using the system's built-in PSP emulator settings. It makes the game feel like a modern twin-stick shooter.
- Focus on the Aggro: Don't play it like a standard Rambo shooter. Use the "D-Pad" commands to send your partner forward. If you don't use the Aggro system, the enemies will shred you in seconds.
- Invest in the Shield: In the isometric view, the riot shield is incredibly overpowered. Buy it early. It allows you to move through bottlenecks that would otherwise be death traps.
- Explore the Morality Paths: Since the game is short, it's worth playing twice. The "bad" choices often give you more immediate cash for better guns, while the "good" choices change the ending and some of the environmental context.
- Look for the "Big Weapon" Parts: Shanghai is full of hidden crates. Don't just rush to the next objective marker. Some of the best weapon components are tucked away in corners of the map that the camera doesn't immediately show you.
The legacy of Army of Two: The 40th Day on PSP isn't that it was a perfect game. It was that it was a brave game. It took a loud, bombastic console franchise and turned it into a tight, tactical handheld experience that still holds up as a fun afternoon diversion. It’s a reminder of a time when portable gaming had its own unique identity.