Last week I headed out to LA to Pandemic Studios for the Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Community Event. Xboxsolution got invited along with several other community sites. I was a huge fan of Mercenaries when it first showed up on the original Xbox console. I was hoping the sequel would keep the great gameplay that worked in the first one but also add Co-Op play and a larger game with more action and missions. In case you never played the first game, it was the type of game where you could complete a mission several ways. The game became a sleeper hit and a title that had a cult following. So expectations were high. What you are about to read is what I experienced. I specifically waited to write this review until it was cleared that all the information on the game could be communicated. I did not want to write half of what I learned about the game and leave you in the dark about certain things. I wanted to be able to talk about everything. After having time with the game, it left a great impression on me and the group so let me get into the game and what to expect.

Jennifer Mui, Mattias Nilsson, and Chris Jacobs have all returned but this time they not only are hired Mercs, they have revenge on their minds. The story is set in Venezuela and, much like the first game, has clear undertones of what is happening in our headlines today. You will still need to keep things friendly enough to buy weapons from each group and not to piss them off or prices will rise. If you are considered a major threat, the groups will not supply you with weapons, ammo and other things. It has the feel of the first game but is on a much larger scale. In fact this one is huge and has over 165 vehicles, 40+ weapons and 20 or more different airstrikes. The team talked about wanting to keep the feel of the original game in tact while upping the ante and making the game bigger.

While the game is a free-roam style, it’s not a rip-off of GTA. It’s a sandbox game but offers plenty of action. You take a contract and can go about finishing it anyway you want to. While there are no set rules, you will have to pay collateral damages for hurting civilians and since you need money to buy weapons and support, you need to be careful. Pandemic also included the 52 again but this time they are in the game in a little different way. And yes, the hidden packages are back, 100 of them to be exact. You can complete a contract and get another or explore the area and find one of many mini- missions. It’s your call.

Mercenaries 2 Screenshot

 The vehicles do have a GTA-like feel in the way the control and while I would have loved to see each having the standard control scheme. I know it would be almost impossible to pull this off since you will need to leave a vehicle at times fight and then return back to it. While the controls are a little tricky to get used to, after a few minutes anyone will get used to them and they handle very well. Based on questions I had from our community, let me answer a few about the vehicles. Yes, you will fly helicopters, bikes, tanks and some awesome tactical buggies with sidewinder missiles. Sadly, there will not be a chance to fly or hijack airplanes. (Sorry Rough) You will also see an advanced hijack system that plays out like a mini-game. The difficulty is determined by how much of an advantage gaining the vehicle gives you. You will have a few seconds to hit the button that pops on the screen and then have another keep hitting the right buttons and the vehicle will be yours. At first I grimaced at this new style. After the Bourne game and others that used this style, I thought oh man this is not going to work. After playing the game and talking with the team, it works fine and I understand why they went with this style of hijacking a vehicle and it looks very cool.

Mercenaries 2 Screenshot 2

Airstrikes have a new system as well and it’s like a mini-game. Hit the A button in the right order and the blast well be deadly. Miss a few and the blast will not have the full power. Again if you played the first game, then you know how powerful the strikes were. I think they wanted to make you earn things more this time around. Another question was about the destruction in the game. Let me just say if it’s there, it can be destroyed and the team wanted to make it this way. Taking a game and making it 3 times as large is a risk but the team wanted to pull everything out to make Mercenaries 2 a great game.

The weapons are great and you will find some new toys to get the job done. Of course with a bigger bankroll, you can buy the biggest toys. Each weapon has a use and sounds very realistic. There are no flamethrowers in the game and you can’t plant C4 on an enemy. After all, it’s a T rated game so while I wanted to tell the truth, I don’t want to debate this. I think the team wanted to push the game to the next level without leaving out a core of the gamers it appeals to. I have to agree after playing the game.

Mercenares 2 Screenshot

Now on to the biggest question and the only thing we were asked not to reveal until today. Online is Co-Op 2 player-style. The online play is very smooth. You can invite someone and use your save, but they can also choose to load their saved game. I like this. One thing they added was a limit of how far you can be away from your partner. Go too far and you will get a warning. Ignore that warning and you will need to restart the area. Another question I was asked by our community: is it possible to pick the same character? Yes it is but I suggest changing outfits just to make things easier for your teammate. Oh, if you remember the fact you could not swim in the first game and that caused you to become frustrated, you’ll be able to swim this time.

Pandemic did not set out to reinvent the game. They wanted to bring it to a grander scale and they succeeded. I noticed no glitches or issues with the game and graphically it looks fantastic. The game’s eternal clock does not go by day and night although certain areas will look like night. It’s more of a lighting issue and works well. Co-Op adds a lot to the game and the free-roam style allows you to explore and not feel like you’re on a rail or leash like some games out there. I know many of you wanted to know about DLC from the marketplace. While the team answered everything they could, they could not talk about plans for DLC. The reason is that all content needs to be planned and approved. For those who live by cheat codes, I have bad news. There are no cheat codes at all. I may be the only person happy about this fact, but I waited too long for the game to have it ruined by some quick cheats. I respect the fact they did not add any. I walked away from the event impressed and anxious to get my hands on the game. It looks incredible, has a great story and you get destroy everything in the game.

I would like to thank everyone at Pandemic for answering all my questions and showing me everything I wanted to know. Jon Long at EA and Dan for the invite and for the clean audio of the event. I will try and get the audio up from the event. Stay tune for news about a post-event podcast with Unscripted360. Please post any questions or comments in our forums in the official Mercenaries 2: World in Flames thread and I will be more than happy to reply.

Filed under: Previews • Xbox 360

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