World in Flames Says it All

Published September 3, 2008

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ for Xbox 360® plays like someone jammed a truckload of adrenaline needles right into the disc. Sporting wall to wall, high-explosive action in a gorgeous war-filled Venezuela, World in Flames never eases off the accelerator.

And you thought jacking a Brute Chopper was fun.

You play as one of three different mercenaries: Mattias, the chaos-loving, authority-hating wild man with a penchant for swift health recovery; Chris, a burly merc always ready with a quip and capable of toting massive amounts of ammo; or the nimble money-hungry Jennifer whose raw speed outpaces allies and enemies alike.

Setup
Mercenaries 2 begins with treachery no matter which mercenary you choose as a once promising deal with upstart rebel Ramon Solano turns sour, ending ingloriously for you and swell for him, as he takes the reins of the oil-rich Venezuela.

Put simply, there's not an ounce of boredom in Mercenaries 2.

With the revenge story established, it's up to you to set up shop with your own PMC (Private Military Corporation), and begin tracking down the treacherous Solano and his right-hand henchman and former colleague of yours, General Carmona.

This can be accomplished by making nice with various factions across the enormous game world, and taking on available contracts to both make money and uncover intel on the location of your nemeses.

Making Money
It's here, right after establishing your first base of operations, that Mercenaries 2 demonstrates its jam-packed content. Just the core contracts and side missions/objectives are intensely plentiful, to say nothing of the resources (fuel, cash, airstrikes) littered liberally throughout the world. Even just snagging a fuel tank involves battling it out with a squad of enemies less than willing to acknowledge your right to pilfer their goods. Here's how it all works:

• Core contracts: These primary, story-based missions offer the game's most elaborate and carefully planned challenges. Whether it's tracking down Bunker Buster bombs to penetrate an underground island base, or escorting and protecting a VIP through war-ravaged streets while he destroys highly confidential paperwork, the Contracts represent the game's highest production values.
• Side missions: Once you've established a relationship with a faction, you'll be granted access to High Value Target (HVT) and Destruction missions. The HVT missions require you to track down and capture targets, offering you a full bounty if you deliver them alive, and just half should they die in the process. Destruction missions are slightly more straightforward affairs, requiring you to destroy by any means possible the highlighted buildings of an opposing faction.
• Resources: Highlighted on your mini-map and found in just about every conceivable corner of the world are enormous crates of cash, fuel tanks, and munitions. Provided you can fight your way through to reach these resources, you can tag them for airlift back to headquarters courtesy of Ewan, your slightly crazy chopper pilot.

This is going to be good.

Your Stockpile
If the vast quantity and variety of content World in Flames brings to bear is impressive, the Stockpile feature is downright astounding. Much like the first game, you can radio in for supply and vehicle drops, gaining access to all manner of weapons, ammo, health, and explosives as well as a few dozen different cars, trucks, helicopters, boats, and even tanks, provided you've got the money to purchase them and the fuel to deliver them.

These aren't items you order and pick up, either. They're dropped right on top of your location by chopper, so you never have to leave the field of battle.

Of much more explosive importance are the wonderfully devastating Airstrikes. When rocket launchers, C4 and machine guns aren't enough, it's time to call on Artillery Strikes, Tank Busters, Cluster Bombs, Bombing Runs, and yes, the much anticipated and glorious tactical nuclear strike. These items (particularly the nuke) can literally lay waste to entire compounds and city blocks, drenching them in fire and smoke, destruction and debris.

World in Flames
The Airstrikes work beautifully when used correctly to best a mission, but they exist also to bring home another Mercenaries 2 feature. Namely, if you can see it, you can destroy it. With enough cash, fuel, and dedication, you can level entire cities. Crates and flimsy barriers shatter under gunfire, cars, trucks, and even tanks explode in vast plumes of flame thanks to C4 and rocket launchers, and, of course, buildings crumble to the ground when caught in an Airstrike's radius.

Half the fun of Mercenaries 2 is found in your own skill and tactics, but the other half is in watching the world burn around you.

The subtle approach.

Co-Op Anytime
Wreaking havoc with one player is already easy, so imagine the destruction and joy to be had if you added a partner. Luckily, in Mercenaries 2, any game you play is already a co-op game. Invite a friend at any time and they'll pop right into the world, ready to add their own brand of mayhem to the mix. When joining a friend's game, you'll get to bring any cash and fuel you earn back to your own game.

Mercenaries 2 is built with a single purpose, to infuse fun in every square inch of the game. You're never unduly punished at any point, nor are you made to endure any unnecessary frustration.

For example, is it fun to get killed by an enemy's single lucky RPG missile? Not really, and so you'll always find yourself with a few health points remaining after an explosion. Likewise, you're not going to want to drive all the way across the map every time, so quick travel between bases is a matter of a few seconds, and so too is receiving supplies, or setting a waypoint for directions.

In addition, each square inch of the game world is teeming with nearby enemies, so traveling in any direction offers ample opportunity for impromptu combat. Put simply, there's not an ounce of boredom in Mercenaries 2.

Article by Ryan Treit