GENRE: Third-person shooter
PLATFORM: PC

Game for a lethal mix of politics, profit and pleasure, with an overdose of explosions? Mercenaries 2: World In Flames is all that and more. Set in chaotic Venezuela amid five warring factions, you play a mercenary, earning your keep by serving the various factions and stealing. You also have a personal vendetta to fulfill - hunt down Romano Solana, the dictator who double-crossed you. Apart from firearms such as automatic and sniper rifles, anti-aircraft rockets and grenade launchers, you can also use C4 charges to level buildings and even call for air strikes to flatten an entire camp. With over-the-top explosions, a la Jerry Bruckheimer, blowing things up in Mercenaries 2: World In Flames makes for a satisfying experience. More than just a shooter, Mercenaries 2: World In Flames lets you recruit a motley crew of specialists. They include a mechanic who conjures up customized vehicles, a helicopter pilot armed with a winch that pinches huge quantities of loot and a fighter pilot whose air strikes can lay waste your opponent's stronghold. With their help, dealing destruction and stealing ammunition is a breeze. The title's freestyle gameplay and sprawling map means vehicles are essential. You can carjack vehicles from innocent civilians, fly around in a helicopter and island-hop using jet skis or boats.





Besides completing story-related missions, you can comb the map for money, fuel or ammunitions that are lying around. You will also need to flex your politicking muscle and maintain a balance - being friendly to factions while profiting from them. For instance, stealing money from a faction will anger them but you can appease them by helping them kidnap a high-value target from their enemy. A friendly faction offers you many privileges, such as safe passage into their territories and shops that provide upgrades, weapon stockpiles and vehicles. Hostile factions, though, will shoot you on sight.





Most missions involve capturing outposts, kidnapping or killing targets and escorting VIPs. For variety, there are mini games in the form of wagers. One poor excuse of a mission, however, is the totally irrelevant monster truck test-drive mission. The game has its fair share of bugs and quirky AI (artificial intelligence) - enemies can eerily spawn on an open road right before your eyes and allies prefer to stand around stupidly rather than help you fight attackers. Mercenaries 2: World In Flames offers co-op play online where you can play with a friend or a stranger to complete missions and keep the stolen loot and money to fund your single-player campaign. It's a highly recommended for those with an insatiable appetite for destruction.

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