Short-Lived Destructive Fun
As Mercenaries makes its current-gen debut with World in Flames, PS2 owners don’t have to miss out on the destructive fun. Those who liked the mission-based sandbox style of the first Mercenaries installment will also enjoy the havoc of blowing up fully destructible environments in this title, though it’s not without its flaws. Visually, Mercenaries 2 leaves much to be desired. Functionally, this seemingly watered-down PS2 version also has several gameplay issues that may annoy some players.
When playing Mercenaries 2, you have the option to choose between the three returning characters from the first title: Chris Jacobs, Mattais Nillson, or Jennifer Mui. The character models are the same comic book style as before, now wearing different uniforms, and their unrealistic look is somewhat complementary to the over-the-top action of this game (Mattais is cool!). After choosing, you are quickly thrust into the first mission, where you’ll have to destroy enemy barracks and recover a hostage from Venezuelan forces. After completing the mission, you find that you have been betrayed by contractor Ramon Solano, who attempts to kill you before you narrowly escape. This is when the opening credits roll and the storyline sets up much like a film, as Solano becomes the dictator of Venezuela in an attempt to take control over the country’s oil supply. Amongst the civil and political unrests, many different factions are formed throughout the country. Your job is essentially to become allies with as many factions as possible, while you seek to take out Solano and complete side-missions found throughout the large Venezuelan map.
The plotline is simple enough and everything from the cutscenes to the introduction are extremely well done. The main problem with Mercenaries 2 is apparent before you even choose your protagonist. As the start menu pans along a Venezuelan city street to give the player a sense of the environments and graphics in the game, it is initially unimpressive. Trees look poorly rendered and motionless, and streets look pixelated and jagged along curbs and sidewalks. Venezuela makes for a unique backdrop, especially while free-roaming and driving through both city streets and the countryside – it’s a shame the graphics don’t help accentuate the exotic location. There is a hazy hue that seems to saturate everything in sight, limiting the distance of your view and making the environments appear somewhat dull. The game lacks vibrancy in color and, graphically, it simply feels outdated. Without question, the biggest disappointment about Mercenaries 2 for PS2 owners will be the unappealing graphics that seem to have been simplified for the console.
On the plus side, almost everything on the map is completely destructible, which is what made the first Mercenaries so appealing. Buildings can be leveled to their foundation in a large cloud of smoke and debris. Walls and barracks can be destroyed the same way. Concrete becomes cracked after being struck with a mighty blast, and the over-the-top physics of cars flying into the air when being blown up make for humorous visuals. Taking a tank out on a terror spree is one of the most fun aspects of the game as you bring Venezuela completely to its knees. Buildings stay smoldering for several minutes, as do cars, before they disappear, so you can admire your work from the cockpit. When on foot, your C4 bombs do a good job of leveling large structures, as does a rocket launcher. Taking a helicopter on a tirade is a whole other element that makes the game worthwhile. My biggest complaint about the environments is that for some reason trees and shrubbery are among the only things that are completely indestructible, which makes absolutely no sense. While roaming on foot or behind the wheel, sometimes you will find a shrub that completely blocks your path, making it impossible to get through. You can lace a tree with C4 and hit the detonator as many times as you want, but it won’t topple. I’m not exactly sure why the developers seem to think a shrub is mightier than a brick wall, but it is a very noticeable flaw.
Another issue with this game is its flimsy vehicle handling. Right analog steers your vehicle, X is forward, and Square is reverse and brake. That’s pretty much it. You can’t check your rear-view, you can’t toggle your gun out to either side, and, quite simply, the braking and steering mechanics are horrible.
There is also a serious lack of vehicles found throughout the map. Sure, there are some cool ones such as dune buggies, tanks, boats, and helicopters, but, while roaming, you’ll often find the same taxi cabs and police cars lining the streets. I understand that this is not Liberty City, but there should definitely be a variety of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more, even in war-torn Venezuela. For a game that has borrowed so many ideas from GTA, it is easy to find what Mercenaries 2 is lacking in comparison.
In the midst of battle or while simply running amuck in the streets, ambience of gunfire and bomb blasts are captured nicely in the sound of the game. Eerie music plays to capture the mood of warfare and actually picks up as the action starts, relevant to what is actually occurring in the game. Sounds of ally factions, enemy soldiers, and pedestrians shouting in the streets add a level of realism to the chaos. Comments made by NPC’s while free-roaming and in battle are reminiscent of GTA, sometimes adding some comic relief to the situation, though there is far less variety.
As my GTA comparisons come to a close, in no way is Mercenaries 2 a bad game. While in no way does it offer the same amount of replay value, comparable graphics, or variety throughout the map, the fully destructible environments are definitely its biggest saving grace. I had more fun cruising around and leveling pretty much everything in sight than I did completing missions. It’s a shame that developers didn’t work harder to accentuate what’s fun about this game with better graphics, more vehicles, and other gameplay elements. But, for what it is, Mercenaries 2 is a decent title for short-lived amounts of fun.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 1.8 Graphics
Disappointing graphics are among the game’s biggest flaws in everything from water to vegetation and a foggy hue that saturates your view. 2.7 Control
Vehicle controls are unrealistic, especially when steering and braking. Also, more variety of functions such as toggling your gun from a vehicle would be nice. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Great, disturbing soundtrack and sound effects capture the ambience of warfare pretty well. Voiceovers for NPC’s could have had more variety. 3.0 Play Value
The fully destructible environments may be this game’s only saving grace, as poor graphics and frustrating controls ruin an otherwise fun game. 2.9 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
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