Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

"If you thought the first Mercenaries was awesome, wait till you try this..."

Summary: Whoever originally played GTA3 and thought "This could use tactical nuclear strikes" is probably the GREATEST mind of our time. That being said, Mercenaries 2 is a sequel to one of the best games of all time, and unlike a lot of sequels floating around, it doesn't even come close to dropping the ball.


Game play 9/10: The controls are great just like last-time. One thing that removed a point is that they use a "quick-select" for calling in strikes now, and you can't buy strikes on-the-fly like last time. You have to go to a shop and stock up on them (or collect them from all over the place, since Venezuelan Military apparently just leaves 500lb Bombs sitting 50 meters off the road). Anyway, the quick-select became a bit annoying at times since it didn't pause time and you could only have 3 setup at a time for quick-use. While it was a good idea, it caused a bit of confusion in combat. I'd mean to throw an extraction canister to extract my prisoner when I'd bump it to far and call a cluster bomb, or bombing run. This usually resulting in having to run away at top speed and leave my prisoner to die a horrible death that cost me half his value.

One thing that's a HUGE improvement is that there isn't a "deck of 52" this time. It's a list of HVTs or High-Value-Targets. If you remember, in Mercenaries, you had to go through capturing 51 people before you got a chance at the main baddie. This was on top of missions and other randomness. I don't even think I know anyone who beat the whole game since it took so long. This time around, they've gotten smart and it isn't mandatory. It's still a good idea to get them so that you get the money as well as the bonus items and the store unlocks, but you don't have to get them and can still beat the game.

Graphics 8/10: Before you play this, compare it to the First Mercenaries. Graphics have come a long way. The entire game has a "beaten up" look to it, which is pretty much what you'd expect in a war-torn country. One thing that I would have liked would have been blowing parts off of buildings. While most of the buildings can collapse in 3 sections, you can't tear chunks out. Hitting the buildings lowers the health bar. Now, I understand it's probably because you can destroy literally EVERYTHING, but it would have been a nice addition.

The water graphics are good, and the fire effects are around average. The explosions however, are probably the most realistic I've seen. Instead of a giant fireball like you'll see in the movies, the explosions are sometimes only a bit of flame and more dust and smoke. Specifically, with some of the bombs there is a small explosion, but tons of dust and smoke filling the area.

One last thing: If it's in your way, you CAN blow it up.

Sound 5/10: Sadly, the voice acting is HORRID. Also, one thing I had enjoyed in the first mercenaries was that most contacts spoke different languages to their goons, and that each of the different characters understood one of the languages they spoke. In this game, even the Venezuelan revolutionaries speak perfect English.

Another thing is that you seem to hear the same thing over and over and over and over and over. I mean, I would be on missions and be hearing from the lady who runs the corporation with you "If you ever get lost, head back to the PMC and talk to me." I can't even count how many times I heard it thought the game. Along with that, I'm pretty sure that each person working for Universal Petroleum (the in-game version of British Petroleum) has the same opinion of "Screw UP, I'm not in it for the oil, I'm in it for the Paycheck" and "I won't be surprised if the VZ give us an offer soon".
In short, they need more and better voice-acting. Finally, sometimes after completing missions the message you get over the radio is the message you got for completing a different mission...


Storyline 7/10:

Having only payed with Mathis (the Swedish guy), I only know his but it was pretty decent.

Basically, you were back-stabbed and then shot in the ass (literally, and this is referenced VERY often in-game). In response, you create a Private Military Corporation or PMC to basically take down the new Venezuelan government. It's a bit far-fetched and I knew it had to be done, but it was MUCH more fun sneaking into Venezuelan Army bases and stealing tanks or planting explosives on fuel to watch a long daisy-chain of explosions.


Overall 8/10:

Great Sequel to a Great game. It's got a few bugs, but it's a definite contender for Game of the year. I definitely think anyone with a 360 should buy this. It's the perfect game for coming home from work or school and working out your frustrations using cluster-bombs.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/04/08

Game Release: Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (US, 08/31/08)