Mercenaries 2: World in Flames | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Pandemic Studios |
Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
Director(s) | Cameron Brown |
Designer(s) | Scott Warner |
Composer(s) | Chris Tilton |
Series | Mercenaries |
Engine | Zero |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 |
Release date(s) | |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Aggregate score | |
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Aggregator | Score |
Metacritic | 72/100 |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
1UP.com | B+ |
Eurogamer | 5/10 |
Game Informer | 7.25/10 |
GameSpot | 5/10 |
GameSpy | 4/5 |
IGN | 7.9/10 |
OXM (US) | 7.5/10 |
Console Monster | 79/100 |
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is an action-adventure video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to 2005's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, and it was released in the United States on August 31, Europe on September 5, 2008 and November 20, 2008 in Japan. The game is a third-person shooter with an open world, set in a fictionalized war-torn Venezuela, following the story of a mercenary getting revenge on the man who betrayed him/her, while causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible.
Following the closure of Pandemic Studios, EA announced on November 24, 2009 that EA Los Angeles were working on a title known as Mercs Inc. The game was subsequently canceled.
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is set in August 2010 in Venezuela. The story begins as the player approaches businessman Ramon Solano's villa. The player is greeted by a man named Blanco, who worked with the player in the past. In the meeting inside the villa, Solano hires the player to rescue a Venezuelan Army General Carmona who is being held prisoner in an old colonial fortress on an island off the coast by the Army after a failed coup attempt. The player uses weapons and air strikes supplied by Solano to assault the fortress and rescue Carmona. But once Carmona is rescued, Solano attempts to murder the player to avoid paying and to make sure there is no one to interfere with his plans. The player escapes despite being "shot in the ass", and begins to plan revenge on Solano.
Following a second successful coup by Carmona, Solano is chosen as the "civilian leader of a military government". Solano attempts to seize control of the country's oil supply, which is held by a company called Universal Petroleum (UP). Fierce fighting ensues between Universal Petroleum's hired mercenaries and the Venezuelan Army (referred to as the VZ in the game) under Solano's control. This results in the collapse of the country, especially in the city of Maracaibo, where the UP's overseas headquarters is located. This chaos drives people from their homes and causes widespread property damage. After taking control over Solano's villa, the player establishes their private military company (PMC) and helps the causes of the factions in exchange for money and information on Solano. This includes capturing VZ outposts, "verifying" High Value Targets (or "HVTs" for short) by either capturing or killing them, destroying key structures, and doing other work that the faction's forces cannot accomplish.