We could have had the chance to test out the new Quick-Time Event minigame required to hijack a nearby tank were it not for the fact that our poorly aimed airstrike took out the gate in addition to the tank. Once we got past this gate, it was time to hijack a jeep. It's a good thing explosions look so nice, because there are a lot of them.
Once you've unlocked everything there is to get, you'll be able to call in airstrikes using the likes of daisy cutters, manually laser-guided bombs, tactical nuclear bombs, and even a little number called the Mother of All Bombs-or MOAB for short. Even in this first mission, we were given the opportunity to call in an airstrike when met with a tall, stone gate. And while that may be pie-in-the-sky thinking, you can really get a sense of Pandemic's dedication to ramping up the chaos that made the first Mercenaries so appealing. Still, in our time with the game, we felt like we could really use it.īut one thing Pandemic has decided to work toward is-to quote creative director Cameron Brown-the "world's biggest explosion." A lofty goal, to be sure. With heavily destructible environments operating under the Havok physics engine, Pandemic decided it wouldn't make much sense to give you the opportunity to hide behind objects that would just get blown up anyways. But unfortunately, a cover system is not one of the features Pandemic has added to Mercenaries 2. Those who've spent much time with this year's other big sandbox game, Grand Theft Auto IV, may find themselves instinctively reaching for the cover button. From here, it's the familiar Mercenaries style of run-and-gun combat. But it's not isolated from soldiers armed to the teeth with assault rifles, so just as you step off the boat, you'll immediately need to engage in some heavy warfare. When not running through condensed versions of such major Venezuelan cities as Maracaibo, Caracas, and Valencia, you'll be bouncing through the waves in between the game's several islands.Īfter navigating your way through a narrow passageway of seaside cliffs, you'll wind up in a calm bay isolated from the dangers of the high sea. The world map, which is said to be 8x8 kilometers in size with a 2.5 kilometer draw distance, is covered by a hefty amount of open sea. Pandemic has decided to introduce you to your newfound ability to hit the sea from the get-go because, perhaps, these new maritime vehicles will become a common sight in the game. You start out the mission in style: cruising through the open seas on a speedboat. He's asked you to rescue a military officer who's recently been taken captive by some of the renegade troops running around this fictionalized Venezuela. The first mission in Mercenaries 2 finds you working for a mysterious but undeniably charming man named Ramon Solano. Welcome to Venezuela, where oil and political corruption dominate the new storyline. While brief, it was enough time to see that the formula that made the first game so appealing has been preserved nicely despite the 14,000 kilometer move from North Korea to Venezuela.
We were recently able to play our way through a handful of Mercenaries 2's introductory missions. So begins Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, the sequel to a game that earned critical acclaim for its unabashed focus on sandbox mayhem and real-world political themes. That's when things turn sour and business partners become enemies.
With a career that involves negotiating with warlords and avoiding a near-constant hailstorm of bullets, mercenaries live by a simple but reassuring motto: "Everybody pays." But occasionally, a client will fail to abide by this creed.