Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is every bit a sandbox game. You have a choice between playing as Mattias Nilsson, Chris Jacobs, or Jennifer Mui. These 3 are all characters from the original game. Whoever you choose doesn't really matter because the story will be the same. You are really just choosing which character model that you want to use, with each one having a different bonus ability.

The story starts off as you getting hired by a man named Solano to go rescue his buddy General Carmona who is being held prisoner because of his failed coup attempt. Once rescued Carmona attempts to kill you, but you get away after getting shot in the ass. This sets up the whole beginning of the story where you work with different factions in Venezuela to get information for your revenge. What is great about the story though, without hitting on spoilers, is right when you think that the game is over a whole new section of gameplay and story is opened up to you.

The controls in Mercenaries 2 are very similar to the original game.  Whether you are fighting it out with assault rifles and RPGs or attacking a position with a tank or helicopter, everything is very fluid. Switching weapons and vehicles has never really been any easier. I do have a problem with having to hit the X button to pick up ammo for a gun I already have but that is just a minor annoyance.

Where the game really shines is the graphics and overall game environment that Pandemic Studios has created. You really feel like you are in Venezuela and can destroy just about everything you come across.  Weapons fire is beautifully displayed and seeing bunker busters and other air support dropped is simply breathtaking.  The one item that just really sets itself apart from the others is the nuclear bomb that is used in the game. The shear size of the environment and the attention to detail is just amazing.

From a gameplay standpoint not too much has really changed. It differs from the original that had structured bounties in the Deck of 52, where this one has separate bounties either through HVTs or Destruction targets for each of the factions you work with. You have to carefully plan out what you are doing though because work for one faction will more than likely piss off another. It's best to spread the mayhem around so they all stay on equal terms. If for some reason you have angered a faction to where you can't work for them anymore, you can just go to your command post and bribe the faction. It is expensive to do but can make things easier when it comes to gaining back some missions.

Co-op across Xbox Live is a great feature in this game and allows someone to join a game no matter what the other person is doing in game. All missions can be done either as a single-player or multi-player setup. There is a set amount from each other that you can get before you can't move but is rarely an issue in game. The lack of local multiplayer is a bit disappointing but not an issue with being able to do it across Xbox Live.

One real downfall I seen in the gameplay though is the small amount of things you can hear from your fellow Mercenaries in the game or from other NPCs. Once you have played the game for about an hour or two, you will have heard everything they have to say that isn't related to the story. It gets irritating to be prompted every 15-20 minutes "If you aren't sure where to go next, come to the PMC for some help." I just want to drive around and blow things up, leave me alone already.

One of the developers for this game stated in an interview that their goal was to have the largest explosion in a video game.  They achieved their goal in the game and really produced a first rate title along the way. I give this an 8 out 10, with some points knocked off for the extremely repetitive nature of some of the characters' dialogue and while it may have a story, it just doesn't drive the progress of the game along like you would expect.