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Mercenaries 2 - World in Flames
Developer	Pandemic Studios (Playstation 3 Xbox 360 PC versions and Playstation 2) , .
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Released	February 7th, 2008
Genre	Action Adventure, Sandbox
Mode(s)	Single player, Co-operative multiplayer, Multiplayer
Ratings	ESRB:RP (Rating Pending)
Platform(s)	PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3
Media	DVD-DL, Blu-ray Disc
Input methods	Gamepad, Keyboard and mouse

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is the upcoming sequel to 2005's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. It is being developed by Pandemic Studios for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and published by Electronic Arts. The game is set in Venezuela, "which is invaded after a tyrant interferes with the country's oil supply".

An official trailer for the game was released in 2007, showing in-game footage and an introduction to the mercenaries that the player will be able to control.

Features new to Mercenaries 2 include completely destructible environments (powered by the Havok 4.5 physics engine), a state-of-the-art fire engine (the player may use a Zippo lighter to ignite such things as oil or foliage), advanced artificial intelligence for non-player characters (which take cover and use tactics against the player) and the ability to swim. Many new vehicles have been added such as planes, helicopters (the second of which players can hijack using their new grappling hook) and boats. Hijacking now consists of a small minigame, ranking in difficulty relative to the vehicle being hijacked: a successful hijack on a helicopter will involve grappling onto the chopper, pulling up to the door, pulling the pilot into the door and smashing the door onto him, throwing the pilot out of the helicopter (to his death) and getting inside; if a player misses, there is a recovery button to prevent the character falling to his/her death instead. Another new addition to this iteration of Mercenaries is the ability to build a Private Military Company and recruit mercenaries into it. There have been two recruitable mercenaries confirmed: Eva Navarro and Ewan. There has also been a confirmed helicopter pilot recruit, who can pick up valuable objects you may encounter, and can also extract you if necessary. Another innovation is the ability to switch from driver to gunner on demand. There is also co-operative mode available.

The game will feature many new environments ranging from massive, densely-packed urban environments such as Caracas, to the sprawling expanse of the Amazon jungle, including Angel Falls. It will also feature the cities and regions of Maracaibo, Cumaná, Mérida, Ciudad Guayana, Guanare, the Orinoco River, Lake Maracaibo, the Northern Andes, Isla de Margarita, and more.

The game features three confirmed characters, all from the original game: Jennifer Mui, Mattias Nilsson, and Chris Jacobs

The story follows the player's hunt for Ramon Solano, a druglord who contracted the player's mercenary for a job but did not pay, and then attempted to kill them. Following a coup, he is the dictator of Venezuela, seizing control of the country's oil supply, resulting in an international incident. Alongside Solano's Rebel Forces, a large portion of the army of Venezuela fiercely supports the dictator's cause. The rebel forces in opposition to Solano have risen under the name of the PLAV, the People's Liberation Army of Venezuela. A number of other factions will soon join in the fight for control of the oil, including the massive Universal Petroleum corporation and its private military, the Rastafarian Pirates (an equivalent of the Russian Mafia of Mercenaries 1), China, and the AN (Allied Nations-a less controversial mimic of the UN). These six forces will inevitably become the backbone of a war in which there is only one rule for you: Everybody Pays.

The game's theme has been criticized by the Venezuelan government, accusing the U.S. government and Pandemic Studios of trying to drum up support from the American public for a real-life invasion with the purpose of overthrowing Hugo Chávez.^[1] Pandemic Studios had previously developed training aids for the US Army. In response to the criticism, the official Mercenaries 2 website includes the following disclaimer, "Pandemic Studios is in the business of entertainment. It has never been contacted by any U.S. government agency concerning the development of Mercenaries 2. All persons, storylines and events are purely fictional and bear no relation to real events. As with any number of games, movies and books, the decision to choose interesting events and locations is purely designed to tell a compelling story, as well as provide a fun and rich experience for the gamer."

• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Official Site
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Official Forum
• What We Know, A collaboration of information on the Mercenaries 2 forums