itlog's Full Review: Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for Xbox 360
1. Graphics. The graphics, in a word, works. It's simple, blocky, non flashy. You won't see normal mapping or amazing lighting or pimples on the character's faces. This reminds me strongly of 'Xbox One' games. The explosions are, well, explosive, and is enough to convince you that the carpet bomb you just dropped is powerful enough to level buildings. Framerate is smooth, around 50-60 fps. The different vehicles look somewhat the same, though you won't be looking at one vehicle for a long period of time anyway. Character models are functional. There are 3 costumes for 3 different characters. I read that there's a new downloadable content for the xbox 360 which gives some new characters. 7/10 for graphics.
2. Sound. Boom! Ideally you should have some deep bass subwoofers to appreciate the sounds of this game. Other than explosion sounds, though, nothing special. An annoying aspect of this game are the random bits of dialogue that the player character and the NPC's, especially your enemies, says. You're walking and somebody will say 'Hey, it's the merc!' While this was probably put in to immerse the player, it ends up being distracting. You will probably hear the same lines repeated 100-200 times over the course of the game. 6/10 for sounds.
3. Gameplay This, to me, is where the game shines. It's just fun. I usually like to play more somber, strategic and realistic games, but for some reason I like this game. There's a certain element of openness to this world that even GTA IV didn't have... for example, say that I have to blow this oil rig up. There are many ways to do so. Strap C4 on the support columns. Blast it to hell with a helicopter. Call in an airstrike and then jump heroically into the water, while enemies shoot at you from behind. Or how about hijacking a boat and raining missiles down on it? It's this openness and whatever-works gameplay that can hook someone to this game. Getting annoyed with your 'employers'? Buy one of their tanks and blow them all up. Want to be friends with them again? Blow their enemies up. And there are many ways to blow everyone up. The main thing for this would be the various airstrikes. While they are a good fun to watch, they are just not different enough. The carpet bomb is not too different from the rocket strike. The rocket strike is not too different from the artillery strike. The main difference is in the method of delivery. Some airstrikes need thrown beacons, some satellites, some flares. One has to wonder why they didn't include 'button' type airstrikes, like you do with the C4. Oh, and the nuke is not that fun to use in the game. The guns are hardly worth mentioning. They're all the same. The RPGs are good, though. The characters themselves are not too different from each other, aside from some bonuses. One has more health, or has more speed, or more ammo. Hint: Pick the guy with the health. One more thing: The only vehicle useful in this game is the helicopter. Driving a tank or jeep will guarantee YOU getting blown up within, say, five seconds of an enemy seeing you. But the thing is, whatever negatives I've said above, when you take this game as a whole, it just works. It's just fun, and isn't that what matters in a game?
8.5/10 for gameplay.
4. Multiplayer. Sorry, I didn't get to play co-op when I had this game. I heard it's 2 player co-op, playing the main story. I think it could get a little too easy with two players, though.
Overall: I would say this is a good game. Not the best game ever, or the best game this year. But still pretty good. I'd say this is an 8/10, but that's not proper math with the scores I've given so far. But hey, it's the fun-ness of the gameplay that matters.
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is an explosive open-world action game set in a massive, highly reactive, war-torn world. A power-hungry tyrant messes ...More at Circuit City
SynopsisYou're a mercenary caught in the middle of a nation under invasion. After a power-hungry tyrant interfered with its oil supply, all of Venezue...More at Best Buy®
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