GYG Blog

Hola gamers! Uncle Grant’s once again back with you, and this time we’re taking a test drive with Mercenaries 2: World In Flames. Lock and load, gamers… it’s go time.

Every once in awhile a sequel will pop up on something that totally wasn’t on my radar and it makes me go, “Huh… did the first one really do well enough to warrant another?” You know, kind of like when Harold & Kumar are suddenly finding themselves in Guantanamo for no apparent reason. That’s kind of how I felt about Mercenaries. Sure the first one was a fun enough little diversion, but was it really franchise material?

Well, EA obviously thought so, because he we are again. Mercenaries 2 puts you back in the shoes of the three guns for hire in the first title and finds your team neck-deep in another foreign assassination-for-hire plot involving a Venezuelan tyrant and an oil subplot you will quickly forget the minute the first explosion goes off. And believe you me… there will be plenty of explosions in this game. In fact, if you want the short story, how ’bout this — bad guys shoot, you shoot back, stuff blows up, the end. This game isn’t Shakespeare. Hell, it isn’t even Dean Koontz.

I wasn’t expecting a lot when I popped in this game and I pretty much got what I was expecting. M2 is the epitome of the mindless 3rd person shooter, and it has a lot in common with EA’s other soon-to-be-a-franchise Army Of Two. For one, both titles have questionable enemy AI and a wealth of weaponry you have to acquire and buy in return for the hard-earned cash you’re dropping. In addition, both feature vehicle segments that aren’t nearly as much fun as the regular ol’ run-and-gun. Lastly, the online component of both seems to be the primary draw, so if you’re looking for a human opponent you’d better get out there soon before the next flavor of the week comes along.

All told though, I can’t dog on it too much. M2 knows what it is and it never tries to be anything more sophisticated than a dazzling blow-’em-up, so if that’s your flavor then drink away. For the best in video game rentals, check out Get Your Gamez, we’ll treat you like family!