Joystiq impressions: Mercenaries 2 [Joystiq]

[DP ServBot]

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http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/07/mercs2-xbox-art.jpgPandemic describes Mercenaries 2 as "Bruckheimer meets Tarantino," drawing a distinction between its sequel and the narratively drab original. Mercs 2 is "sexy" and campy, and wildly destructive. "I'm just hooked on the destruction!" shouted a developer into a Canadian cameraman's lens. Bridges and building burst into flames and debris (and then respawn later), only to be demolished again.

Much like Burnout Paradise, Mercs 2 is played in a virtual sandbox that feels lonesome, even boring without the company of a human co-player. Luckily, Pandemic will include full co-op support (though unlike the E3 Burnout preview (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/joystiq-impressions-burnout-paradise/), this feature was not on display). Without the promised structure of a hearty narrative and "three-dimensional" characters, our demo felt like long stretches of the first Mercenaries game, as we leveled structures and mowed down unsophisticated AI combatants with little purpose.

The danger of many open-world titles is the possibility of wondering off onto redundant tangents that don't offer much to discover, just more to destroy. Ironically, as much ballooned, generic action as Mercs 2 provides, it feels like a niche game. A fun buddy romp for sure, but Mercs has now slid out to the peripheral our radar, no longer a must-look-for during this year's rich holiday season.

Note: Xbox 360 box art is used above to reflect that Pandemic and EA are currently previewing Mercenaries 2 on Xbox 360 only.

Gallery: Mercenaries 2 (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mercenaries-2/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/03/gdcmercs2wif1_800x450_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mercenaries-2/177235/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/03/gdcmercs2wif2_800x450_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mercenaries-2/177236/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/03/gdcmercs2wif3_800x600_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mercenaries-2/177237/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/03/gdcmercs2wif4_800x600_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mercenaries-2/177238/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/03/gdcmercs2wif5_800x600_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/mercenaries-2/177239/)


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[Nesmaster]

This is definitely in my top 5 most wanted games of the year. I can't wait until we see more on it :)

Assuming it sticks to it's release, that's gonna be one hectic week between this and GTAIV.

[heybtbm]

This is my "most anticipated" game of this year. Mercenaries was the best sandbox-style game of last generation IMO. When this game was initially announced as a PS3 exclusive, I was ready to plop down the $600 just for this game. I can't fricken wait.