Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

I suppose it’s fitting that Mercs 2, like most topics bearing the weight of political posturing, is ultimately flaccid. But that doesn’t stop me from expecting more.

If you really wanted to get more out of rampaging around in GTAIV or want to go through an open-world action game with a buddy together over Live, then this one is worth your money. Otherwise, you might want to keep your cash and see what the rest of the holiday season offers us.

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.

Shabby around the edges - but that only adds to the charm of this daft playground. [Dec 2008, p.86]

When there's dirty work to be done and you're looking for a hired gun, looks and originality don't matter much-all that matters is whether they can get the job done. You can approach Mercenaries 2 in the same way, letting it do its thing instead of obsessing about its shortcomings. Sure, it isn't exactly pretty and it doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does pack a nice satisfying punch.

Mercenaries 2 doesn’t quite live up to all the good work done by the original and makes a bunch of new mistakes, but still proves entertaining enough to warrant a look.

All in all, Mercenaries 2 was, despite certain shortcomings, a lot of visceral fun and a great catharsis of destruction.

Mercs is all explosions with little care given to the wrappings. The lack of real story actually keeps the game playable and in the future Pandemic may be better off forgoing the pretense of plot.

Mercenaries 2 is arguably a bigger and more ambitious game than the original, but it feels less polished and less satisfying.

Though the game may feel rushed in places, and very rough around the edges, it does exactly what you’d expect it to – builds on the original game’s idea of a free-roaming gun for hire selling their military expertise to the highest bidder.

Non-stop action and an amazing destruction engine are the key elements in this sequel, even more ambitious than the original. And it’s true that a few flaws, especially in the graphics and AI, spoil the final result, but the mindless fun it’s all there. [Sept 2008]

There probably won't be any reviews claiming the game is awful or unplayable, but Mercenaries 2 has the distinct disadvantage of being too little too late on next-gen systems with far better choices for your gaming dollar.

If you’re a big a fan of blowing things up, then you’ll love this game. Literally everything can be turned into flames, but the longer you play the more you realize that Venezuela is not the real deal when it comes to “virtual paradise”.

Only the unconditional fans of the most frantic and brainless action will find joy in World in Flames. Mercenaries 2 fails in its work to jump into the Next-Gen, and it´s because of repetitive and clumsy gameplay. Abundant Bugs, little difficulty and short term boredom are the main negative points of a game that only shines in the destructive way.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames certainly lives up to its name. It's as if Pandemic made a game just to show of “hey look at the cool explosions we can do!” It's too bad the AI and graphical glitches bring such a promising game to a frustrating halt.

The game delivers entertaining - although sometimes frustrating, sometime hilarious and sometimes jaw dropping gameplay, and with a small bit of patience, it ends up being an amusing and for the most part, an enjoyable experience.

Mercenaries 2 feels like a rush-job sequel to a game that came out years ago, and for every step forward it takes at least two or three back.

Once you get past the terrible opening missions and start blowing things up with massive explosions there's a game here that is worth a look, but it's criminally unpolished and as such will leave many gamers rather unsatisfied.

That Mercenaries 2: World in Flames isn't better seriously bums me out. Even in its current state you can see so much potential for breakneck, anarchic fun, which makes its laundry list of problems that much more frustrating.

Mercenaries 2 won't entice those expecting glitch-free gaming, diverse missions, gritty realism, and cerebral combat. Yet for the run-and-gun crowd, it's escapist entertainment worth seeking out just for the sheer amount of chaos you can create within the colorful jungle setting. It’s not long, it's not deep, but it's never boring, especially with a friend.

A big brash bully of an open world shooter which rarely shines.

Mercs 2 is nothing short of a monumental disappointment.

The only redeeming value of Mercenaries 2 is the online co-op play, but even that has bugs and glitches.

With a little more substance it could have achieved something greater, but as it stands we’ll be looking to Far Cry 2’s release later in the year to satiate out non-linear jungle needs. [Nov 2008, p.108]

With the success of the first game you'd think that Pandemic would easily concoct a winning formula for the sequel to the first Mercenaries. Alas, that's not the case and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames feels surprisingly ancient for a game released on the current generation of consoles. Granted, wreaking havoc with a friend in co-op is a lot of fun, but if you plan to play on your own you're better off playing the PS2/Xbox-original.

Without the distraction that lovable licensed characters provide, I was faced with the inescapable conclusion that Mercenaries 2 was a mediocre title, suitable only for those who fantasize about using attack helicopters to slay entire countries.

Overall Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is disappointing. There are a handful of noticeable bugs and glitches in the game, both in the cinematics and gameplay.

The usually reliable Pandemic has produced a game that not only fails to compete with any current-generation openworld, but somehow takes a backward step from the original. With uninspiring combat contributing to a succession of desperately poor missions, the only remaining question is whether the developer will get a third chance to rectify matters.

Mercenaries 2 is filled with bugs and glitches that are unacceptable in a retail release. Even if it were possible to overlook the broken elements, you're still left with abysmal AI, repetitive mission structure, unsatisfying weapons, and a huge world without much to do.

With its threadbare narrative, unlikable characters, uninspired combat, and myriad technical issues, Mercenaries 2 is a huge disappointment. There’s some fun to be had blowing up buildings with a friend online, but playing through enough of the game to unlock these weapons is more of a chore than it’s worth.

Somehow, against all the odds, the game still manages to be fun. Perhaps it’s the sheer over-the-topness of everything, Mercenaries 2 displays an exuberance missing from so many “realistic” games these days and it is this that will hold interest long after it should have waned.