Tired of always trying to decide which is the right side to choose in political disputes? Well, that’s easy—whoever has the most money.

Pandemic Studios helps players do just this with Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. You play as one of three different mercenaries in the dense jungles of Venezuela. You’re in the middle of a war-torn area full of factions and political groups at battle over oil, but you’re not interested in anybody’s opinion. Your goal is simply to make the most money by accepting the missions from the groups with the biggest buckets of cash.

But be careful about what or who you destroy. You never know if you are getting on the wrong side of a faction that might have more money to offer you in the future.

Mercenaries 2 includes some great features that aid in players’ ability to cause damage. For one, you eventually get some “sidekicks” who help you complete your tasks, which include a mechanic who will build you vehicles and a drunken pilot who will execute an air strike wherever you choose (or at least close to where you direct him). Mercenaries 2 also includes a new online cooperative play that allows players to jump in and out to give you a hand whenever you need it. It’s nice to have the ability to call on a helping hand to tag-team an operation and then drop him before payday comes.

The coolest thing about Mercenaries 2 is the ability to obliterate almost anything. If you’re having trouble getting to a guy that you need to rub out, then you can just blow up the whole building. You will find yourself wandering around the Venezuela stage blasting mansions, vehicles and even the landscape before you realize you have a mission to complete.

So don’t get too caught up in wandering around the game trying to blow up the biggest structure you can find. That is unless, of course, somebody is paying you to do it.

By Joe Legato

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