Mercenaries 2

[DraconianOne]

Anyone played it yet (on PC preferably)?  Any thoughts or opinions?

I liked the first one on PS2 a lot but have some reservations about this for some reason I can't put my finger on.

[kildorn]

Fuck QTEs.

Also, I've heard if you play the PC version, the QTEs are DUMBER. As in, little icons that mean actions and you may have mapped to random keys.  But it never says what any of the icons mean

But seriously, buggy, horrible piece of shit that should never have been released. Falling through worlds, added QTEs in places that just break the flow (jacking anything bigger than a jeep = QTE. Sat based airstrikes = QTE.) some of which require you to put down the controller and MASH a button to complete (any heavy tank..)

Add in that the gameplay doesn't add much to Mercs 1, which was FUN... it seems like they forgot what the game was about, non stop explosions and action, and just added some netcode to it and put irritating pauses into the action.

You can enjoy this game, but it's in spite of the game, not because of it.

[MisterNoisy]

Playing it on PS3.  It's pretty fun, but it takes a good goddamned time to get to the stuff you saw in the trailers and what-not.  For the first hour or so, I was confined to a relatively small chunk of the available land, without access to the big bombs that you're really wanting to use, and a limited number of events to do.

Story seems forgettable at best and the voice work would be okay if it weren't for the terribly limited amount that was actually recorded and then played every damned time you do anything at all.  Every time I hear that  Fiona bitch tell me that I can come back to PMC HQ for help, I want to shoot the devs.  Also, QTEs suck, especially when you have to do them each and every time you want a helo or a tank.

I've run into a few more bugs than I'm used to seeing in a full-dollar retail title, too - mostly physics weirdness like cars that randomly take flight (usually when entering/exiting, but occasionally while I'm still in them driving  ) and some of the strangest AI behavior I've seen in a while (tho the latter provides more entertainment than annoyance).

It really needed just a bit more time in the oven, but the first time you drop a bunker buster or MOAB into the oil refinery and the whole place disappears into a huge series of explosions, it's all (mostly) forgiven (for me anyway).  It's still good open-ended fun that mostly rewards varying approaches to missions/tasks, and it's gobs of fun in co-op.

If I were writing a BiiF, I'd say rent.

[DraconianOne]

Sounds passable then. A shame because Mercenaries was a lot of fun.

[Azazel]

I might wait till the patch/bargain bin/both then.

[Jade Falcon]

Other then the bugs and what not already mentioned my biggest annoyance with it is the change from the first game in regards to calling some of your air strikes,having to use to smoke or becons on things like tank busters is plain annoying,if I want to get that close to the damn thing I'll just jack it.Haven't found it nearly as enjoyable as the first this is the 360 version.

[Moaner]

The first one was perhaps my favorite game last gen that wasn't a Disgaea.  So, I picked this one up day 1.

It has its faults, its buggy as fuck in co-op and the graphics are almost ps2 era in some areas, but like the first the game it is more fun than it should be.  Unless you loved the first one, I'd say give it a rent as well to see if its something you are going to like.

I love the capture the outpost missions.  I know they are simplistic and repetitive, but I love them.  Raining death has never been more fun.

[Ragnoros]

Was going to buy it day one. But then I found out no split screen Co-Op. COMBO BREAKER!

I wanted to play this shit with my brother IN THE SAME FUCKING ROOM.

Anyway rented it. Really it feels like Mercs2: Open Beta. And for every step forward they took one back.

1. Air strikes. Nine out of Ten use beacons or smoke to trigger them. WTF? If I'm about to drop a MOAB or fucking Heavy Artillery barrage on someone I don't want to fucking set it off three fucking feet from where I am standing!
2. Vehicles. When you order a vehicle if you leave it sitting around Nine out of Ten times either it will despawn, or a fucking FRIENDLY NPC will jack it. THAT'S MY CHOPPER FUCKERS! LEAVE IT ALONE!
3. When you call in a supply drop for say a Fuel-Air RPG when you open the box half the time you will pick up the ammo before the actual weapon, but sence you didn't have the weapon when you picked up the ammo, you get a gun with one clip.
4. QTE events DIAF! When you are pulling gameplay mechanics from Shenmue it's time to reevaluate.

Thankfully they DID fix my main gripe with the first Mercenaries. WAY TO MUCH FUCKING DRIVING. Also driving over a fucking pebble would completely flip your car out half the time, failing you the mission usually.

Anyway if you liked the first one, or GTA, or just blowing things up. Rent It.

[MisterNoisy]

2. Vehicles. When you order a vehicle if you leave it sitting around Nine out of Ten times either it will despawn, or a fucking FRIENDLY NPC will jack it. THAT'S MY CHOPPER FUCKERS! LEAVE IT ALONE!

This is great when they do it on the Outpost Captures. 

I rolled through one in a tank, leveling everything but the object building before calling in the troops (because babysitting AI sucks), get out to pop smoke for their landing and get back in my comfy tank.  One of the guys got in the MG seat of the tank with me which isn't going to help me finish the mission.  When I get out to force him out of the gunner's seat, he gets out, gets in the driver's seat instead and then drives the hell off, shooting at enemies that were well out of aggro range.

It'd have been frustrating if it wasn't so hilarious.

[Jade Falcon]

Can't believe I forgot my biggest gripe in the new version.In mercs one you equipped the beacon or smoke like a weapon and could at least run in toss and bolt in a nice easy move,now (at least on the 360 version) I have to run in press the up on the d pad find the damn option I want then throw it with a or right trigger and if I accidently hit the right stick causing me to move it closes the fucking menu to start over not to mention this is all happening without pausing meaning every fucking thing in the area i was trying to clear out with that strike is shooting my ass.

[MisterNoisy]

Just completed this, and would you believe they made the final battle/showdown a damned QTE?

[Azazel]

Sounds like this formerly-eagerly-awaited game is full of fail!

[LK]

I'm enjoying it, but I'm not ecstatic.

[NiX]

Co-op asshattery makes this game so much better. There's nothing like having your buddy pilot a boat, pick it up with a winch and try to shoot people with the boat. You can always take him up to insane altitudes and let him plummet to his death too.

The greatest moment was doing the race challenge co-op and after the ramp my friends car blew up leaving him standing around. When I came over the wall going off the ramp I plowed through him and killed him. I lost the race because we were laughing so hard. GO TEAM MINORITY!

[MisterNoisy]

This is one of the few games I don't mind co-op with randoms, since the game lends itself to crazy shit pretty well.

[kildorn]

Just completed this, and would you believe they made the final battle/showdown a damned QTE?

Yes, I would. And 15 minutes after finding that out for myself, gamestop was nice enough to be helping me trade it in for a GOOD game.

Fuck you, pandemic. Way to fuck up what was a good game.

[LK]

Plot moments in that game are so fast-forwarded it's driving me crazy. I like to savor my cutscenes. I like Fiona and Jennifer. But also, it's epic fail that they have in-game cutscenes that are FMV.  SUPER EPIC FAIL.

[Azazel]

Fans of the EA shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will be rather pleased to hear that the game will be receiving two slices of downloadable content over the next few months.

Arriving this month will be Total Payback, which will include cross-region co-operative play. This will allow players to join forces with people in any region of Xbox Live to tackle the game. Six new characters will be up for grabs, including Eva, Fiona, Ewan and, uh, Blanco. Not the most intimidating of mercenaries, then. Oh, and there's a cheat somewhere in the content that will unlock all sorts of stuff, if you don't want the game to have any, you know, challenge.

Total Payback will arrive on Xbox live on the 13th, and hit the PlayStation Network on the 20th. And you won't have to pay anything for it, either. Handy.

There will also be another update arriving in November, but EA weren't forthcoming with anymore details. We're expecting this one might cost more money, but we will have to keep our eyes on the official website to find out more.

Let us know if this DLC includes a de-bugification patch in it as well, and if it unfucks the game. I'd be interested. Two of my students have it, but neither has their PS3 hooked up to the internets, and I'd hope F13ers can note bug removal better than them anyway...

[NiX]

That November update includes Sarah Palin and Barack Obama as playable characters

[LK]

Ho-lee shit.