Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, Electronic Arts' bro-tastic co-op shooter, is coming in just a few weeks. While we thought it merely "serviceable," perhaps you'll want to see for yourself with an early-release playable demo. A free taste will be available on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live on March 12th.

Read more: Play through a hostage situation »

Some games bridge gamers together in new, unexpected ways. Others have us wax philosophy, while others make us push us to uncomfortable moral grays.

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is not going to be one of those games. And that's totally okay, producer Greg Rizzer argues. "We still as gamers need to be able to appreciate a Michael Bay-esque type of experience," he said. "And using all this new technology we have, why not?"

Read more: Toning down the 'frat boy' tone »

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a semi-reboot starring two new protagonists. But if you thought that meant that Visceral might tone it down a bit, oh, how wrong you are. A new trailer for the game carries all the series staples: masks, quips, and explosions. Lots of explosions.

Watch: Boom, boom, repeat »

In revealing Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel back in March, Electronic Arts promised a reboot of sorts that would introduce a "more intense, mature, and grittier tone." Well, the setting may be darker than before, but the gameplay certainly isn't. As shooters go, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel has more in common with classic arcade games than whatever EA envisions as mature and intense.

Its demo takes place in the small Mexican town of La Puerta, where it introduces the new player-controlled characters Alpha and Bravo as well as the original protagonists Rios and Salem. Their mission is to rescue a girl from the clutches of a drug cartel. They try to keep it quiet at first, but the scene soon erupts into violence and bloodshed ("Best stealth mission ever," cracks one of the characters in the middle of a firefight).

Read more: An adequate shooter »

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is a reboot with a new studio, new engine, and new story. Clearly EA wants to revitalize the name, so it's taken the next logical step toward that goal: hip-hop.

Read more: Big Boi and B.o.B. »

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel will hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 26, EA announced today. The company also announced that pre-orders will get the game's "Overkill Edition," named after the game's signature feature. Like the usual EA first-run incentives, this version includes a set of goodies to reward you for buying early.

Read more: Costume changes galore »

Electronic Arts kicked off its Gamescom 2012 press conference with Army of Two's Alpha and Bravo, showing off a bit more of The Devil's Cartel sequel and a new Overkill feature that racks up more firepower for good team play.

Watch: No such thing as a routine mission in Mexico »

Electronic Arts' Army of Two franchise is being rebooted. Coming next March is The Devil's Cartel, a game that "resets the series" with a "more intense, mature, and grittier tone." The game is being developed by Visceral Games (the studio behind Dead Space) and will utilize the Frostbite 2 engine (the engine behind Battlefield 3).

The Devil's Cartel has players returning as Alpha and Bravo, two operatives working for Tactical Worldwide Operations (T.W.O., get it?). They will be dropped into Mexico in the middle of a drug war. "Players will need to work together as their objectives unravel, allegiances begin to blur and they face off against a ruthless opposition," EA's press release describes.

Watch: Visceral talks about the new game »