Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Review for PlayStation 3

System: X360, PS3, PC, PS2	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Pandemic Studios	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Electronic Arts	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Aug. 31, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

The hoops M2 makes you jump through including the painful traveling, menus, and tricks required to actually call in any kind of vehicle or airstrike detracts from what are easily the best parts of this game. The explosions caused by airstrikes are graphically impressive and incredibly satisfying to watch. Having a tank fall from the sky with its weapons full and ready to roll over your enemies will undoubtedly make anyone grin. Unfortunately, it just isn't worth the trouble most of the time to utilize these options.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames screenshot

While it isn't an incredibly fun alternative, there is a work around for many of this game's weapon problems, don't use them. Since M2 wants you to feel virtually indestructible, it is actually fairly difficult for you to die. No matter how big an explosion is or how much damage something should do to you, the game will put you at two health. While at two health, it seems to still take quite a bit of damage to actually finish you off, especially considering you continue to regenerate health when not taking damage. At one point, just to test a theory I had, I took a helicopter to the height limit for the world directly above my current objective. I bailed out of my helicopter, fell hundreds of feet, taking fifteen to twenty seconds, and then hit the ground with two health. I then proceeded to take out six enemies without being killed.

This ridiculous exploit was made possible partly due to what I found to be the best offensive option in M2, your melee attack. Considering the difficulties found in performing any other sort of attacks, the fact that your melee attack is a one hit killer for almost every enemy in the game, and the speed at which you can run and regenerate health, it was much easier to play through this game by running up to every enemy and cracking them with the butt of my gun. Besides needing to occasionally steal a tank to level buildings or momentarily protect yourself from fire, the game can be played completely by using this run and melee formula. While this may have worked, it was also incredibly sad and made playing through the game feel remarkably shallow and uneventful.

While the concept behind M2 is a good one, too many issues keep the game from being as enjoyable as it should be. Having to muddle through numerous menus to use the game's impressive airstrikes, travel all over the map to find work and shops, your inability to find a gun that fires straight, and a serious lack of challenge hamper what would otherwise be a fun and destruction-filled romp. If you can look past all the game's problems, you will still find a good game that is entertaining to play. Unfortunately, these abundant flaws are persistent and make sure that everybody pays, including the player.

By Adam Brown
CCC Staff Contributor

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.4

Graphics
Visually, several aspects of this game look dated. If only the whole game could be as beautiful as the explosions!

3.6

Control
The game's combat and vehicles control well, but, unfortunately, calling in vehicles and airstrikes is needlessly clumsy.

4.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Constant gunfire, twisting metal, crumbling buildings, and massive explosions create a fantastic orchestra of destruction for your ears.

2.9

Play Value
Even with a ton of missions/objectives and the ability to play with a buddy, Mercenaries 2 is just too easy and full of issues that detract from your experience to make this a game you'll want to spend a ton of time with.

3.6

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Massive open-ended game world: Larger than all previous Mercenaries combined, the world of Mercenaries 2 is jam-packed with colorful characters and environments.

Enhanced destruction: Bring buildings teeming with enemy soldiers down section by section, topple an overpass with C4 to stop an oncoming enemy vehicular assault, fire off an RPG at a balcony and watch as it crashes on unsuspecting enemies below. This destruction isn't just cool, be sure to use it to your advantage!

A mercenary's paradise: Recruit other mercenaries to build your own private military company. Each faction has plenty of work for you, from small pick-up jobs to elaborate, multi-objective missions. The world offers over one hundred unique tasks you can take on-if you're interested.

Cool new toys: Dozens of weapons, land-based vehicles and watercraft are available for you to use and blow the stuffing out of everything! Use the new grappling hook to latch on to flying vehicles and commandeer them in the sky.

Cooperative multiplayer: Play the main campaign with the help of your friends. Jump in and out of a game at any time.

Screen Resolution: Up to 720p (Standard HDTV, Widescreen).