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Joystiq impressions: Mercenaries 2
Pandemic 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, 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 of 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-1961%
Venezuela enlists Bono to stop Mercs 2
A group called Venezuelan Solidarity isn't happy about Mercenaries 2 (that sounds awfully familiar). Apparently the group isn't so keen on the game's depiction of Venezuelan locales, not to mention the "extremely realistic" violence Mercenaries 2 encourages in said locales. In an open letter to Bono, Venezuelan Solidarity asks the U2 singer-cum-activist to pull the support of Elevation Partners -- Bono's investment firm -- from Pandemic Studios, developers of Mercenaries 2. The group pulls at Bono's human rights strings, asking that he "reconsider [his] investment in a company that glorifies violence and militarization." Furthermore, Venezuelan Solidarity implores the rock star to prevent the game from being sold "anywhere." That's a mighty tall order, even for Bono.Whether or not Bono will accept this call to arms remains to be seen. We wait with bated breath.[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Stynk Monkey]
Mercenaries 2 on Xbox 360 ... PC & PS2 (this time it's official)
Why was it such a big secret? That's about the only question Pandemic senior producer Jonathan Zamkoff wasn't asked in a lengthy Mercenaries 2 tell-all hosted by IGN. Rumblings, reports, and recordings were the evidence leading up to today's confession: Mercs 2 is on Xbox 360 -- and oh, by the way, PC and PlayStation 2. "So here's the scoop. We are shooting for true feature parity on the PS3, 360, and PC. There will be small visual differences on those consoles due to platform specific texture compression algorithms and other platform-specific graphics implementation, but to the end-user the game experience will be nearly identical," explained Zamkoff. "For the PS2 we are taking a different tact. We're working extremely closely with Pi studios ... They are using the Mercs 1 core engine and toolchain, coupled with modified Mercs 2 assets to create the Mercs 2 PS2 version."The big addition to Mercs 2 is online co-op, which will be nixed from the PS2 version, but intact on PS3. "We have no intention to provide one feature for one system that the other one doesn't have. So, yes, both [Xbox 360 & PS3] will have cooperative multiplayer -- online cooperative multiplayer," confirmed Zamkoff, adding, "We started from scratch to program for the multiprocessors on both machines. They were both in mind when we were writing the text, so we didn't want to create a PS3 engine, which was and has been, and is, our lead SKU, but we didn't want to ignore the Xbox 360. Even though we're just now announcing the 360 version, we have been working on it for quite some time ... In terms of timing, both games are within a week of each other in development." Pandemic is tentatively set on a fall 2007 release.
Mercenaries 2 for 360 is official
Looks like we need a new "worst kept secret" in the game industry, as Mercenaries 2 has finally been officially announced for the Xbox 360. Following months of speculation, the news breaks from IGN during an interview with Pandemic. The game is set to feature a large, streaming world. To put it in perspective, the world of Mercenaries 2 is the size of all the maps in Mercenaries 1 put together. The game will also feature oh-so-trendy online co-op (system link is still being considered). The game is set to include plenty of vehicles, including jets and watercraft. Finally, Mercenaries 2 is expected to release this fall. Hit the "read" link for screens and more details on gameplay.[Thanks, Machiavelli 420 # 2]
Mercenaries 2 on Xbox 360? IGN thought so, but changed mind
Pandemic won't come out and say it -- but the tape displayed it. And now IGN has inflated it. "It" being the rumor that Mercenaries 2 is also being developed for Xbox 360 (the game's already confirmed for PlayStation 3). Are we still calling this a rumor?At the end of its roundtable discussion with Pandemic, IGN posted the obligatory plug for the developer's forthcoming game, originally writing (as captured by Xbox 360 Fanboy), "Keep an eye out for their next release, Mercenaries 2, coming to Xbox 360 and PS3, as well as some cool announcements in the coming months." IGN has since revised that sentence to read: "Keep an eye out for their next release, Mercenaries 2, as well as some cool announcements in the coming months." So was the original posting a typo? Or had IGN accidentally blown the lid off one of those "cool announcements"?
Mercenaries 2 devs spotted with 360 gear
Back in July, there was a rumor going around that Mercenaries 2 (only announced for PS3) would be heading to the Xbox 360. Via our friends at Xboxygen, we have uncovered more fuel for that particular fire. In Pandemic's latest Mercenaries 2 developer blog video, there are clear shots of both an Xbox 360 dev kit -- look for the 360 with a huge hard drive in the background -- and a developer holding a 360 controller. Of course, it's possible that the developers are working on some other secret project for the 360. However, given their previous open minded statements, we think it's fairly safe to assume Mercenaries 2 is going multiplatform. Hit the "read" link to watch the video, and remember to keep your eyes peeled.[Via Xboxygen]
Mercenaries 2 on Xbox 360: a tale of the tape
Either the developers of Mercenaries 2 play a lot of Xbox 360 in their downtime, or Pandemic is bringing its sandbox sequel to Microsoft's console. The chances are strong, even by admission, but Mercs 2 remains exclusively tied to PlayStation 3 -- for now. So guys, care to explain all the 360 equipment cluttering the office in your latest video blog? Perhaps it's time for the official announcement...[Via GamersReports]
