Spring Break
'Mercenaries 2: World in Flames' drops the big one
Cody Bozarth
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: The Edge
Imagine you are on a hill of a thick Venezuelan jungle overlooking a military compound that's armed to the teeth with soldiers, tanks, mounted machine guns and antiaircraft missile launchers. Your objective is to suppress and capture an enemy target that is inside.
You could use C4 to blow a hole in the wall and run in, AK-47 blazing. Or you could call in a supply chopper to deliver an enemy tank from your stockpile, drive in undetected and cut loose. Or you could destroy the AA guns then plant a beacon to call in an air strike and blow the place to kingdom come. After all, it's not necessary that your target escapes alive. Decisions, decisions.
This is what it's like to play "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames." Its developer, Pandemic Studios, is well versed in open world destructo-thons a la "Destroy All Humans" and "Star Wars: Battlefront," and this one plays like their finest hour. For any action junkie who likes to take a serene, pastoral landscape and turn it into an explosive inferno: "Mercenaries 2" is calling.
The story itself is nothing worth noting, as it is so sparse it can be summarized in five words: Backstabbed mercenary out for revenge. The missions that progress the story are unique in their own right and allow players to pursue several avenues to achieve victory. But the same applies to the side missions, which are either building demolition or extracting/killing highly valued targets.
While these side missions allow for creative thinking (not to mention reward you with cash, vehicles and heavy ordinance), the temptation to stick with what works can possibly turn these missions in to a repetitive chore. And even when those are out of the way, there are still several challenge missions, such as races and marksman tests, to polish off. A completionist will benefit from a significant bang to buck ratio.
While it is not the most photo-realistic game, it sure is pretty where it counts. Watching buildings, military compounds and oil derricks collapse in a cloud of fire rarely fails to satisfy. The forested areas are picturesque from land or sky and, much to the delight of anyone whose played the "Mercenaries"-inspired game "Just Cause," is less forest and more location covered.
The online co-op experience is one of the better features of the game. Several aspects seem tailored to this option and it may very well be the reason a pair of friends might buy this game. Teamwork makes harder missions more approachable and players who think tactically and communicate effectively will be hard to stop.
The very hugeness of "Mercenaries" causes some understandable glitches. Air strikes fall off target, you might get stuck between rocks or under debris, and your support chopper may sometimes fail to even show up. These are the sorts of glitches that many sandbox gamers see time and time again and I never had to restart my console because of them. These things are forgivable at best.
This game is recommended to gamers who like a fun co-op experience, open worlds with lots to explore, choosing their own way to succeed and making things go boom.
This game is not for gamers who like a structured story and good pacing or demand good enemy AI.
You could use C4 to blow a hole in the wall and run in, AK-47 blazing. Or you could call in a supply chopper to deliver an enemy tank from your stockpile, drive in undetected and cut loose. Or you could destroy the AA guns then plant a beacon to call in an air strike and blow the place to kingdom come. After all, it's not necessary that your target escapes alive. Decisions, decisions.
This is what it's like to play "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames." Its developer, Pandemic Studios, is well versed in open world destructo-thons a la "Destroy All Humans" and "Star Wars: Battlefront," and this one plays like their finest hour. For any action junkie who likes to take a serene, pastoral landscape and turn it into an explosive inferno: "Mercenaries 2" is calling.
The story itself is nothing worth noting, as it is so sparse it can be summarized in five words: Backstabbed mercenary out for revenge. The missions that progress the story are unique in their own right and allow players to pursue several avenues to achieve victory. But the same applies to the side missions, which are either building demolition or extracting/killing highly valued targets.
While these side missions allow for creative thinking (not to mention reward you with cash, vehicles and heavy ordinance), the temptation to stick with what works can possibly turn these missions in to a repetitive chore. And even when those are out of the way, there are still several challenge missions, such as races and marksman tests, to polish off. A completionist will benefit from a significant bang to buck ratio.
While it is not the most photo-realistic game, it sure is pretty where it counts. Watching buildings, military compounds and oil derricks collapse in a cloud of fire rarely fails to satisfy. The forested areas are picturesque from land or sky and, much to the delight of anyone whose played the "Mercenaries"-inspired game "Just Cause," is less forest and more location covered.
The online co-op experience is one of the better features of the game. Several aspects seem tailored to this option and it may very well be the reason a pair of friends might buy this game. Teamwork makes harder missions more approachable and players who think tactically and communicate effectively will be hard to stop.
The very hugeness of "Mercenaries" causes some understandable glitches. Air strikes fall off target, you might get stuck between rocks or under debris, and your support chopper may sometimes fail to even show up. These are the sorts of glitches that many sandbox gamers see time and time again and I never had to restart my console because of them. These things are forgivable at best.
This game is recommended to gamers who like a fun co-op experience, open worlds with lots to explore, choosing their own way to succeed and making things go boom.
This game is not for gamers who like a structured story and good pacing or demand good enemy AI.
Be the first to comment on this story