Maybe that sounds a bit harsher than I meant it to be. I can't really pinpoint anything truly wrong with Mercenaries 2 (see next paragraph for the one exception), and you'd have a tough time finding a gamer, casual or hardcore, that wouldn't get at least a little enjoyment out of the single or multiplayer, depending on the party in question. The controls are solid, the simple point and shoot has been fun for as long as games have been around and there is nothing detrimental to the whole package. But, as a whole package, Mercenaries 2 just doesn't live up to the standards set by most other shooters that have hit consoles in the past half-decade or so.

The first, and arguably most important, thing missing from this game is a sense of personality. The endlessly repeated television commercial has a cute, sing-song rhyme to it and for a game that is self-described as all about destruction; you won't find any of that masochistic glee in the actual gameplay. The characters, both good and bad, are flat and uninteresting action film stereotypes. The story never grabs the player and comes to a ho-hum end rather quickly. As much as I loathe the Grand Theft Auto series, the games have a tongue-in-cheek humor that is self-referential and sometimes truly funny. Mercenaries 2 misses this boat by both taking itself too seriously at times and at others, attempting that "fourth wall break" with little success. When playing a game like this, a sense of humor is almost absolutely necessary, and you won't really find it here, despite that catchy TV commercial's claims.

It might seem a bit misplaced after my homage to the game's explosions, but beyond them, the graphics and sound fail to impress as well. They aren't hideous or even bad enough to distract from the game, but held up against other 2008 games - Ninja Gaiden 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, even the painfully unfun Too Human, Mercenaries 2 looks and sounds dated and unspectacular. Again, not bad… just below average.

Since the game's tone and audiovisual aspects fail to impress, and the gamplay is just blah, it's tough to recommend spending the full $60+ price, especially when you consider what else is new and on the shelves. You want an action game? Download Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Need a shooter? Wait for Gears of War 2 or Resistance 2. Want a game with tons of replay and killer multiplayer? A little game called Rock Band 2 should be your first choice. There probably won't be any reviews claiming the game is awful or unplayable, but Mercenaries 2 has the distinct disadvantage of being too little too late on next-gen systems with far better choices for your gaming dollar.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 70%.

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