The game's most distinctive feature looks to be the relationship between hero Luke and sidekick/love interest Ruby. In single-player, you take control of Luke with Ruby as the second member of your squad, while in co-op (online or off -- jump in/out at any time) the second player controls Ruby directly. You have light squad control features in the single-player mode along the lines of a Gears of War, but the game does a few things you might not expect if you think of it as a "squad" game.
For one, the two characters will show their affection for each other as you play. We witnessed one scene where Luke had Ruby provide cover fire for him as he ran around to the side to flank an enemy. Once the area was clear, Ruby walked up to Luke and gave him a kiss as a reward for a job well done. This has gameplay ramifications as well -- if you "die" and Ruby stays alive, she will run over to you on the ground and give you a "kiss of life," which brings you back to your feet.
The two characters will also be able to work together to pull off coordinated maneuvers more complex than laying down cover fire and running around to the side. In a separate scene we saw, Luke grabbed a can of gasoline and alley-ooped it into the air, while Ruby pulled out her rifle and detonated it above a group of enemies as a convenient way to clear out an area. Lundgaard promises multiple cooperative moves along these lines, and points out that they were designed with the goal of making the game feel cinematic. For example, when you toss Ruby a sniper rifle and she connects a shot, the camera follows the bullet and zooms in to show the impact, á la the precision aiming feature in Stranglehold.
I've actually seen the real car that they died in, when I was visiting Mississippi back in 1992. It had the famous "Suicide" ganster doors too, that go back, inside of foward.
