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This thread has been linked to the game 'Mercenaries 2: World in Flames'.
The original Mercenaries game, Playground of Destruction, seemed to mix elements of Grand Theft Auto with a number of classic war games. Combining these together created a truly beautiful monster. With such extreme explosions and dramatic handbrake turns, set in a war torn North Korea, the game seemed to have come directly from Hollywood itself. It’s hard to find a game that can be compared with Playground of Destruction as it almost created its own genre. That’s not to say Mercenaries was perfect, but hey that’s where sequels come in and learn from previous mistakes. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames should be most welcome then.
First things first, the storyline. The original game’s wasn’t the deepest, most unique or most complicated and World in Flames doesn’t exactly publish a novel either. Set in a time where money is power, Venezuela being an oil-rich country has the potential of being a very wealthy country, after all oil is money. Unfortunately a power hungry tyrant has his own plan to get hold of the money and launches a political coup, quickly turning the country into a war zone. Different factions, from the UN to a (not exactly officially recognised) group of Rastafarian pirates arrive on the scene, each wanting their own slice of the country and its valuable natural resources. However, in public they can’t show it and so they want you to do their dirty work.
Creating epic storylines was never the aim of Mercenaries though. If we’re honest the game isn’t about sitting quietly enjoying a nice gentle read. Oh no, this game is about the basics. There are bad guys running loose, you, being the good guy, have the duty of capturing them, do so and you get paid well by the various different factions. However, being a mercenary, there are no rules, there is no code of conduct. You’re allowed to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Luckily for you there is a huge arsenal of weapons, vehicles and various air strikes to help you along the way. This after all is what gave Mercenaries its reputation.
All the weapons from the original game are brought back, some with little tweaks of improvement, others with the same raw power that they’ve always had. The classic collection of combat rifles, rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank and air weaponry are all available for you to get your eager hands on. Also now waiting for you is a grenade launcher and a couple of pistols. There’s nothing complicated about using the weapons either, which keeps it still nice, easy and enjoyable to send your first RPG spiralling into an unsuspecting enemy jeep.
The Mercenaries’ garage has also been expanded vastly; the original game was unfortunately full of the same civilian cars and trucks driving around the streets. Now, to drive at your pleasure, there are various vans, garbage trucks (they might not sound that exciting but strap a block of C4 on it and you’re sure to have a blast in it!), bikes and, mercenary must-haves, sports and rally cars. Obviously being a warzone there are also a large number of tanks and armoured cars. Off the road and into the water you’ll notice ships and boats each available to be commandeered, and in the air are our old friends the helicopters. But don’t be fooled into thinking these are merely the old vehicles from North Korea in the first game with new make-up slapped on, no, these are all newly designed vehicles. And, I have to say, despite the vast majority of them being killing machines, they look beautiful.
World of Flames really delivers on the promise: if you can see it, it can be destroyed, and not just in one particular way, in any way you want. You can take some C4 in your hand and have some fun, whether it is building, bridge or bunker. For more solid structures, or in the vast majority of cases, you will just want a more powerful and impressive explosion (one which for example wouldn’t be misplaced in a Die Hard film), there are a large number of air strikes to choose from, including the classic ‘Bunker Buster’. Strangely the original game seemed to hold the belief that trees were indestructible, which could be quite frustrating when you see a tree not even shed a leaf whilst the building next to it is reduced to rubble. Thankfully that’s no longer the case, which helps hugely with the feel of realism in the game.
Also greatly improving the realism are the graphics and sounds (explosions and gunfire sound brilliantly sharp, whilst being typically over the top). It creates a stunning atmosphere. Although the second game has only one map to explore, it’s larger than the previous game’s maps combined. Each of the 79 missions available in the game will take you through various locations, including vast brawling urban cities, littered with skyscrapers, unorganised shanty towns and rivers, lakes and seas. A great improvement is the fact that the tough mercenaries can actually swim now instead of helplessly drowning. Stranded out at sea are smoking oil platforms and exotic islands home to leaders of the factions. The Amazon jungle is also incorporated into the game, the lush environment of trees, which rivers snake through, conceal enemies and their traps.
Mercenaries: World in Flames, really takes the definition of mercenary to heart, no longer are you employed by the Ex-Ops agency, you’re now your own boss (and even the boss of others as you can now set up your own PMC or Private Military Company, hiring the talents of other mercenaries). Luckily Fiona Taylor still assists you with all the vital information you need, Mercenaries wouldn’t be the same without her as the voice in your ear after all.
This isn’t a game to miss. It’s a successful sequel with some desperately needed improvements with all the glamour and over-the-top scenes of a Hollywood action movie still contained with in. Sometimes needless destruction it may be, but fun? Oh yes, always.
First things first, the storyline. The original game’s wasn’t the deepest, most unique or most complicated and World in Flames doesn’t exactly publish a novel either. Set in a time where money is power, Venezuela being an oil-rich country has the potential of being a very wealthy country, after all oil is money. Unfortunately a power hungry tyrant has his own plan to get hold of the money and launches a political coup, quickly turning the country into a war zone. Different factions, from the UN to a (not exactly officially recognised) group of Rastafarian pirates arrive on the scene, each wanting their own slice of the country and its valuable natural resources. However, in public they can’t show it and so they want you to do their dirty work.
Creating epic storylines was never the aim of Mercenaries though. If we’re honest the game isn’t about sitting quietly enjoying a nice gentle read. Oh no, this game is about the basics. There are bad guys running loose, you, being the good guy, have the duty of capturing them, do so and you get paid well by the various different factions. However, being a mercenary, there are no rules, there is no code of conduct. You’re allowed to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Luckily for you there is a huge arsenal of weapons, vehicles and various air strikes to help you along the way. This after all is what gave Mercenaries its reputation.
All the weapons from the original game are brought back, some with little tweaks of improvement, others with the same raw power that they’ve always had. The classic collection of combat rifles, rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank and air weaponry are all available for you to get your eager hands on. Also now waiting for you is a grenade launcher and a couple of pistols. There’s nothing complicated about using the weapons either, which keeps it still nice, easy and enjoyable to send your first RPG spiralling into an unsuspecting enemy jeep.
The Mercenaries’ garage has also been expanded vastly; the original game was unfortunately full of the same civilian cars and trucks driving around the streets. Now, to drive at your pleasure, there are various vans, garbage trucks (they might not sound that exciting but strap a block of C4 on it and you’re sure to have a blast in it!), bikes and, mercenary must-haves, sports and rally cars. Obviously being a warzone there are also a large number of tanks and armoured cars. Off the road and into the water you’ll notice ships and boats each available to be commandeered, and in the air are our old friends the helicopters. But don’t be fooled into thinking these are merely the old vehicles from North Korea in the first game with new make-up slapped on, no, these are all newly designed vehicles. And, I have to say, despite the vast majority of them being killing machines, they look beautiful.
World of Flames really delivers on the promise: if you can see it, it can be destroyed, and not just in one particular way, in any way you want. You can take some C4 in your hand and have some fun, whether it is building, bridge or bunker. For more solid structures, or in the vast majority of cases, you will just want a more powerful and impressive explosion (one which for example wouldn’t be misplaced in a Die Hard film), there are a large number of air strikes to choose from, including the classic ‘Bunker Buster’. Strangely the original game seemed to hold the belief that trees were indestructible, which could be quite frustrating when you see a tree not even shed a leaf whilst the building next to it is reduced to rubble. Thankfully that’s no longer the case, which helps hugely with the feel of realism in the game.
Also greatly improving the realism are the graphics and sounds (explosions and gunfire sound brilliantly sharp, whilst being typically over the top). It creates a stunning atmosphere. Although the second game has only one map to explore, it’s larger than the previous game’s maps combined. Each of the 79 missions available in the game will take you through various locations, including vast brawling urban cities, littered with skyscrapers, unorganised shanty towns and rivers, lakes and seas. A great improvement is the fact that the tough mercenaries can actually swim now instead of helplessly drowning. Stranded out at sea are smoking oil platforms and exotic islands home to leaders of the factions. The Amazon jungle is also incorporated into the game, the lush environment of trees, which rivers snake through, conceal enemies and their traps.
Mercenaries: World in Flames, really takes the definition of mercenary to heart, no longer are you employed by the Ex-Ops agency, you’re now your own boss (and even the boss of others as you can now set up your own PMC or Private Military Company, hiring the talents of other mercenaries). Luckily Fiona Taylor still assists you with all the vital information you need, Mercenaries wouldn’t be the same without her as the voice in your ear after all.
This isn’t a game to miss. It’s a successful sequel with some desperately needed improvements with all the glamour and over-the-top scenes of a Hollywood action movie still contained with in. Sometimes needless destruction it may be, but fun? Oh yes, always.
pb wrote:
> I luckily picked this up for £10 outside GAME when someone
> walked in asking how much they'd give for cash and I offered them
> a quid more!
Ha, very very nice!
>
> It's quite fun in a semi-brainless sort of way
Definitely one of those games where you can just put it in and play, tactics don't really come into that much, other than choosing which bomb you want to use. Still it has some challenging moments when collecting a bounty.
>
> Nice review, enjoyed reading that BTW.
Thanks! :)
> I luckily picked this up for £10 outside GAME when someone
> walked in asking how much they'd give for cash and I offered them
> a quid more!
Ha, very very nice!
>
> It's quite fun in a semi-brainless sort of way
Definitely one of those games where you can just put it in and play, tactics don't really come into that much, other than choosing which bomb you want to use. Still it has some challenging moments when collecting a bounty.
>
> Nice review, enjoyed reading that BTW.
Thanks! :)
I luckily picked this up for £10 outside GAME when someone walked in asking how much they'd give for cash and I offered them a quid more!
It's quite fun in a semi-brainless sort of way, but I haven't really played enough of it to write a full review yet.
Nice review, enjoyed reading that BTW.
It's quite fun in a semi-brainless sort of way, but I haven't really played enough of it to write a full review yet.
Nice review, enjoyed reading that BTW.
Played the demo, died in about 1 minute, realised I suck at those kind of games.
Still, it looks very impressive.
Still, it looks very impressive.
The original Mercenaries game, Playground of Destruction, seemed to mix elements of Grand Theft Auto with a number of classic war games. Combining these together created a truly beautiful monster. With such extreme explosions and dramatic handbrake turns, set in a war torn North Korea, the game seemed to have come directly from Hollywood itself. It’s hard to find a game that can be compared with Playground of Destruction as it almost created its own genre. That’s not to say Mercenaries was perfect, but hey that’s where sequels come in and learn from previous mistakes. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames should be most welcome then.
First things first, the storyline. The original game’s wasn’t the deepest, most unique or most complicated and World in Flames doesn’t exactly publish a novel either. Set in a time where money is power, Venezuela being an oil-rich country has the potential of being a very wealthy country, after all oil is money. Unfortunately a power hungry tyrant has his own plan to get hold of the money and launches a political coup, quickly turning the country into a war zone. Different factions, from the UN to a (not exactly officially recognised) group of Rastafarian pirates arrive on the scene, each wanting their own slice of the country and its valuable natural resources. However, in public they can’t show it and so they want you to do their dirty work.
Creating epic storylines was never the aim of Mercenaries though. If we’re honest the game isn’t about sitting quietly enjoying a nice gentle read. Oh no, this game is about the basics. There are bad guys running loose, you, being the good guy, have the duty of capturing them, do so and you get paid well by the various different factions. However, being a mercenary, there are no rules, there is no code of conduct. You’re allowed to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Luckily for you there is a huge arsenal of weapons, vehicles and various air strikes to help you along the way. This after all is what gave Mercenaries its reputation.
All the weapons from the original game are brought back, some with little tweaks of improvement, others with the same raw power that they’ve always had. The classic collection of combat rifles, rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank and air weaponry are all available for you to get your eager hands on. Also now waiting for you is a grenade launcher and a couple of pistols. There’s nothing complicated about using the weapons either, which keeps it still nice, easy and enjoyable to send your first RPG spiralling into an unsuspecting enemy jeep.
The Mercenaries’ garage has also been expanded vastly; the original game was unfortunately full of the same civilian cars and trucks driving around the streets. Now, to drive at your pleasure, there are various vans, garbage trucks (they might not sound that exciting but strap a block of C4 on it and you’re sure to have a blast in it!), bikes and, mercenary must-haves, sports and rally cars. Obviously being a warzone there are also a large number of tanks and armoured cars. Off the road and into the water you’ll notice ships and boats each available to be commandeered, and in the air are our old friends the helicopters. But don’t be fooled into thinking these are merely the old vehicles from North Korea in the first game with new make-up slapped on, no, these are all newly designed vehicles. And, I have to say, despite the vast majority of them being killing machines, they look beautiful.
World of Flames really delivers on the promise: if you can see it, it can be destroyed, and not just in one particular way, in any way you want. You can take some C4 in your hand and have some fun, whether it is building, bridge or bunker. For more solid structures, or in the vast majority of cases, you will just want a more powerful and impressive explosion (one which for example wouldn’t be misplaced in a Die Hard film), there are a large number of air strikes to choose from, including the classic ‘Bunker Buster’. Strangely the original game seemed to hold the belief that trees were indestructible, which could be quite frustrating when you see a tree not even shed a leaf whilst the building next to it is reduced to rubble. Thankfully that’s no longer the case, which helps hugely with the feel of realism in the game.
Also greatly improving the realism are the graphics and sounds (explosions and gunfire sound brilliantly sharp, whilst being typically over the top). It creates a stunning atmosphere. Although the second game has only one map to explore, it’s larger than the previous game’s maps combined. Each of the 79 missions available in the game will take you through various locations, including vast brawling urban cities, littered with skyscrapers, unorganised shanty towns and rivers, lakes and seas. A great improvement is the fact that the tough mercenaries can actually swim now instead of helplessly drowning. Stranded out at sea are smoking oil platforms and exotic islands home to leaders of the factions. The Amazon jungle is also incorporated into the game, the lush environment of trees, which rivers snake through, conceal enemies and their traps.
Mercenaries: World in Flames, really takes the definition of mercenary to heart, no longer are you employed by the Ex-Ops agency, you’re now your own boss (and even the boss of others as you can now set up your own PMC or Private Military Company, hiring the talents of other mercenaries). Luckily Fiona Taylor still assists you with all the vital information you need, Mercenaries wouldn’t be the same without her as the voice in your ear after all.
This isn’t a game to miss. It’s a successful sequel with some desperately needed improvements with all the glamour and over-the-top scenes of a Hollywood action movie still contained with in. Sometimes needless destruction it may be, but fun? Oh yes, always.
First things first, the storyline. The original game’s wasn’t the deepest, most unique or most complicated and World in Flames doesn’t exactly publish a novel either. Set in a time where money is power, Venezuela being an oil-rich country has the potential of being a very wealthy country, after all oil is money. Unfortunately a power hungry tyrant has his own plan to get hold of the money and launches a political coup, quickly turning the country into a war zone. Different factions, from the UN to a (not exactly officially recognised) group of Rastafarian pirates arrive on the scene, each wanting their own slice of the country and its valuable natural resources. However, in public they can’t show it and so they want you to do their dirty work.
Creating epic storylines was never the aim of Mercenaries though. If we’re honest the game isn’t about sitting quietly enjoying a nice gentle read. Oh no, this game is about the basics. There are bad guys running loose, you, being the good guy, have the duty of capturing them, do so and you get paid well by the various different factions. However, being a mercenary, there are no rules, there is no code of conduct. You’re allowed to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Luckily for you there is a huge arsenal of weapons, vehicles and various air strikes to help you along the way. This after all is what gave Mercenaries its reputation.
All the weapons from the original game are brought back, some with little tweaks of improvement, others with the same raw power that they’ve always had. The classic collection of combat rifles, rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank and air weaponry are all available for you to get your eager hands on. Also now waiting for you is a grenade launcher and a couple of pistols. There’s nothing complicated about using the weapons either, which keeps it still nice, easy and enjoyable to send your first RPG spiralling into an unsuspecting enemy jeep.
The Mercenaries’ garage has also been expanded vastly; the original game was unfortunately full of the same civilian cars and trucks driving around the streets. Now, to drive at your pleasure, there are various vans, garbage trucks (they might not sound that exciting but strap a block of C4 on it and you’re sure to have a blast in it!), bikes and, mercenary must-haves, sports and rally cars. Obviously being a warzone there are also a large number of tanks and armoured cars. Off the road and into the water you’ll notice ships and boats each available to be commandeered, and in the air are our old friends the helicopters. But don’t be fooled into thinking these are merely the old vehicles from North Korea in the first game with new make-up slapped on, no, these are all newly designed vehicles. And, I have to say, despite the vast majority of them being killing machines, they look beautiful.
World of Flames really delivers on the promise: if you can see it, it can be destroyed, and not just in one particular way, in any way you want. You can take some C4 in your hand and have some fun, whether it is building, bridge or bunker. For more solid structures, or in the vast majority of cases, you will just want a more powerful and impressive explosion (one which for example wouldn’t be misplaced in a Die Hard film), there are a large number of air strikes to choose from, including the classic ‘Bunker Buster’. Strangely the original game seemed to hold the belief that trees were indestructible, which could be quite frustrating when you see a tree not even shed a leaf whilst the building next to it is reduced to rubble. Thankfully that’s no longer the case, which helps hugely with the feel of realism in the game.
Also greatly improving the realism are the graphics and sounds (explosions and gunfire sound brilliantly sharp, whilst being typically over the top). It creates a stunning atmosphere. Although the second game has only one map to explore, it’s larger than the previous game’s maps combined. Each of the 79 missions available in the game will take you through various locations, including vast brawling urban cities, littered with skyscrapers, unorganised shanty towns and rivers, lakes and seas. A great improvement is the fact that the tough mercenaries can actually swim now instead of helplessly drowning. Stranded out at sea are smoking oil platforms and exotic islands home to leaders of the factions. The Amazon jungle is also incorporated into the game, the lush environment of trees, which rivers snake through, conceal enemies and their traps.
Mercenaries: World in Flames, really takes the definition of mercenary to heart, no longer are you employed by the Ex-Ops agency, you’re now your own boss (and even the boss of others as you can now set up your own PMC or Private Military Company, hiring the talents of other mercenaries). Luckily Fiona Taylor still assists you with all the vital information you need, Mercenaries wouldn’t be the same without her as the voice in your ear after all.
This isn’t a game to miss. It’s a successful sequel with some desperately needed improvements with all the glamour and over-the-top scenes of a Hollywood action movie still contained with in. Sometimes needless destruction it may be, but fun? Oh yes, always.