Mercenaries 2: World In Flames

All three playable mercenaries from the original Playground of Destruction are present in this new iteration, and whilst each has their own special benefit (faster health regeneration, faster running speed, etc.), none play particularly differently from each other.

The ability to make your own private military company makes its debut, with the ever-chirpy Aussie communications officer Fiona heading things up. While she’s informative and helpful most of the time, she can blabber occasionally, which can get a bit annoying.

It’s not the only irritating thing in the game, either. Vehicles jacking, tank control and ammo collection are also particularly irksome, alongside some badly implemented code causing some major bugs that will impede your progress or, even worse, cause you to fail a mission.

However, all these annoyances are rendered moot by the pure satisfaction that this game delivers. You’ll have a massive grin plastered across your face for the majority of the time you spend in this game, with its massive explosions, functional, well-developed arcade driving and shooting mechanics, and moments of bizarre, unintentionally surreal comedy.

Whilst it has its flaws, none are massive enough to detract from your enjoyment of this game. Ridiculously fun at times, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames gives you plenty of bang for your buck. Best of all, unlike the best mercs in the business, you don’t have to pay top dollar to experience it.