Reception
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 72/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | B+ |
| Eurogamer | 5/10 |
| Game Informer | 7.25/10 |
| GameSpot | 5/10 |
| GameSpy | 4/5 |
| IGN | 7.9/10 |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 7.5/10 |
Reception of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows versions of the game has been fair, with an average critic score of 72/100 at Game Rankings and 72 out of 100 at Metacritic.
Though praised for its colorful and destructive environments, many reviews have complained of "nagging annoyances" throughout the game that occasionally feel rushed and unfinished. One of the major problems was the unintelligent AI of both friendly and enemy NPCs, and the issue was aggravated by voice acting and repetitive lines. Some reviewers found several gameplay mechanisms questionable, such as the air supports and airstrikes being of limited value, over-powerful melee attacks, and simplistic faction dynamics. The reactions from the new co-op mode were divided; while another player added to the fun, there were limitations, such as the tether between players and limited role of the passenger when in a vehicle.
The PlayStation 2 version was heavily criticized, with an average score of 49% at Game Rankings. Some even called the PlayStation 2 version inferior to the original Mercenaries on PlayStation 2, criticizing its underwhelming visuals, foggy environments caused by short draw distances, and one of the "worst pop-in rates ever seen."
There have also been many complaints about rampant bugs and glitches (especially for the PC and PlayStation 2 versions) such as falling through the map, underground swimming and calling air strikes with no response, these could even stop the player from continuing normal gameplay and advancing the storyline. Most of the serious bugs were fixed in a patch for Windows.
Mercenaries 2 was nominated for "Dubious Honors: Worst Game Everyone Played" by GameSpot in their 2008 video game awards, which was a category for games with large sales that had been panned by the critics. In addition, it won "Dubious Honors: Most Disappointing Game" by GameSpot.
Read more about this topic: Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
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