Co-op, Weapons and More Weapons

Violence aside, the multiplayer cooperative mode is certainly one of the biggest additions to the series, and it is especially fun when you've got some toys with which to play. Players can join up with their friends to play through the campaign, with each contributing to missions and challenges, which typically makes them much easier to complete. The problem is that the design of the actual co-op mode is counter-productive when it comes to inspiring most gamers to play through their game the first time with a friend. It turns out that only the host can save their progress as the game moves forward, with the peer of the game only able to save the cash they've earned. This presents a problem when the friend who joined wants to continue, but hasn't made any actual progress on his or her end of the game.

Essentially, co-op mode dissuades players from hooking up in the early game, unless they're the host. While I was able to play several co-op games, I began noticing a bit of anti-social behavior with people on my friends list. Instead of joining up with other people's games, they wanted to play within their own storyline. That way, they could further their own story. During my two separate play-throughs, I spent maybe a third of my time playing with others and the rest of the time playing entirely by myself. I would have spent more time in co-op if the mechanics were designed differently. Still, the multiplayer engine in co-op is very stable, and I did not notice any lag on Xbox Live. Mercenaries 2 lives up to the developers' claims that the title is a sync system since it ensures that what happens on your end happens regardless, even if there is a hiccup in sync.

While co-op play is a great addition to Mercenaries 2, only one of the two players can save his or her campaign progress.

Another item on the complaint list involves occasional bugs (which are reportedly worse on the PC version), some of which I didn't even begin to see until after I beat the game. Granted, the bugs I encountered were not game breaking in any fashion. I was able to play through each of my missions and challenges without a problem, as well as reap the rewards when they were completed. Overall, the glitches are very minor, such as one that I encountered after beating the game where a vehicle would occasionally disappear after being ordered. Others have seen the glitches I saw as well, which are well documented in numerous forum posts, which makes me think that Mercenaries 2 was not tested as much as it should have been. As a result, I feel that Mercenaries 2 is really a game that could have used another month in quality assurance.

Complaints aside, Mercenaries 2 is really a solid enough game for the action alone, and only falls slightly short in the other areas. I certainly enjoyed getting more play time and entertainment value out of World in Flames than I did out of even Grand Theft Auto 4, which surprised me. I always wanted to go after each and every high-value target, and even destroy all of the faction-specific targeted buildings. By the end of the first play-through, I destroyed all of the buildings each faction requested, and either killed or captured all of the HVTs as well. I brought my standing with each faction to the highest level of trust possible, and then moved on to the next faction as the story took me along.

I became absolutely addicted to finding new ways to complete my objectives, and actually enjoyed all of the missions and challenges from start to finish. While at times I felt the difficulty was a bit too easy, especially as someone with experience playing the original, the game changed as it progressed. Mercenaries 2 became much more about strategy in its later stages than just being a run-and-gun Rambo.

Another plus was the robustness of the number of vehicles, weapons and artillery strikes. Perhaps that's why I had so much fun taking out each of the high-value targets and buildings for each faction, because each unlocked new stuff for my character. Gaining access to laser guided bombs in the shop, where you could buy as many as your wallet supported, opened up a whole new way of taking out land targets. Early helicopters initially felt beefy, but they couldn't hold a candle against what came later in the game. I was overcome with joy the first time I gained access to the powerhouses like the Anaconda and Ambassador Gunship. Even the unarmed vehicles are exciting to play with on the civilian side, which means you can usually travel relatively close to your target disguised as a regular Joe. One of my favorite experiences though, beyond using the nuclear bunker buster for the first time, was gaining access to the fuel air RPG. If that thing had unlimited ammo, I could have played with it all day without getting bored.

After a second pass through the game to wrap up a couple of achievements, I still found new and exciting things to play with, some of which I didn't have as much time to enjoy the first time. Easter eggs are actually out there waiting to be found, like one which involves a soccer field and a functional ball.

Finding parts throughout the map also unlocks unique custom vehicles. You might unlock a car with turbo boosters, or a buggy with a front-mounted fuel air launcher that can take down tanks, buildings and people with ease. There's even a motorcycle with tank treads and a minigun, and nukes to be purchased once the game has been beaten. It is in this way that the gameplay then begins to shine in the open world, especially in co-op play. Races are out there to be had, or players can just do their own thing. With all of the cool gear out there though, the world is really yours to enjoy.

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