Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is the sequel to the original Mercenaries game created by Pandemic for the last-gen consoles a few years ago. The team has come back fighting and has given us a bigger, badder and flashier version of their original vision. The game does many things right and many things wrong, but does this add up to a great game? The answer is yes.
In Mercenaries 2, you have the choice between three varied, yet identical characters (more on that later). Mattias Nilsson spits out horribly accented one-liners right out of a Schwarzenegger movie, but he also regenerates health faster than the others. Jennifer Mui is the smoking hot female character; she is the smart ass of the bunch and has a much faster land speed then the boys. Last, but not least, is Chris Jacobs, the weapons guy. Chris can hold more ammo than the others and carries himself in a more mature manner then the other two.
While it is nice to have three choices, these characters are my first issue with the game. No matter which you choose, the story remains exactly the same. While this is not a deal breaker, it certainly hurts the replay value of the game. Without three separate story arcs, there is no compelling reason to replay the campaign.
Speaking of the story, or what little there is of it, the paper thin plot revolves around your Merc (whomever you choose) doing a job for a big baddie called Roman Solano. Once the job is complete, Solano and his sidekick try to eliminate you, but all they succeed in doing is shooting you in the rear end while you escape. This is ultimately your reasoning for taking him down, as not only did he not pay you (a big no-no for mercenaries), but he shot you in the ass. With this motivation, you start on a storm of destruction across Venezuela.
It definitely ticked me off that there was no unique storyline for the three diverse personalities, but hey, this game is all about blowing things up and the scenario delivers that in spades. You see, Venezuela is in the midst of a rebellion centered on oil rights; the Venezuelan army is trying to hold things together, but many factions are in the mix trying to get a slice.
You have Universal Petroleum, the Chinese Army, the Allied Nations, the Rastafarian Pirates and the People's Liberation Army of Venezuela. Each faction has its own goals and missions to back those up. Completing these missions inevitably gets you closer and closer to Solano and your end goal.
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