One of the biggest additions to Mercenaries 2's gameplay is the inclusion of co-op play, an option that truly makes any game better. Free downloads and the promise of future updates down the line (with Sarah Palin and Barack Obama included as playable characters) have kept many players satisfied with the title. "We plan on supporting that community with some great DLC. In fact coming later this month will be the first, featuring some new game modes, and new characters," noted Stratton. "In fact, you might have heard the news regarding the latest mercenaries to join the fight!"

While the game obviously had its fans, there were some critics who argued that Mercenaries 2's faction mechanics were too simplified, that the voice clips were repetitive and poorly done, and that the A.I. was thick as concrete. The PS3, PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game averaged roughly 72 percent on GameRankings (the PS2 version averaged closer to 50 percent), which is a notch down from the 85 percent that the first Mercenaries averaged.

"In some respects, Mercenaries 2: World In Flames isn't perfect and it isn't entirely pretty, but when it comes to blowing up stuff alone or with a friend, it gets the job done," reads GameDaily's 8-out-of-10 review. "If you need to relieve stress, spend some time in this fictitious Venezuela."

Until I get my vengeance, I will never end this mayhem!
Mercenaries 2 had a wide variety of promotions, ranging from a gas giveaway to a musical TV spot, putting it on the high end of titles promotion-wise even by EA's standards. On the in-game advertising side, the game had the interesting feature of destructible billboards for all the anti-consumer types. More can be read about Mercenaries 2's destructible in-game advertisements in GameDaily BIZ's Ad Watch.

"By setting the game in Venezuela, we caught the attention of Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez. His protest of the game was a surprise for us and it helped put a spotlight on the game that we couldn't have anticipated," explained Stratton. "Though as far as a planned tactic/promotion, the 'Oh No You Didn't!' song created for our television spot became an anthem, spawning YouTube videos and even becoming part of regular rotations on radio stations. Also, we created a launch event in Los Angeles where the mercenaries took over a gas station and gave away free tanks of gas - essentially until the tanks ran dry. It went over so well here in the states, our U.K. arm ran the same event, sparking the attention from their Prime Minister."

Despite a lukewarm critical reception after a somewhat extended development period, the future looks bright for the Mercenaries franchise. The game has sold very well in comparison to its predecessor and EA isn't likely to waste the opportunity at a profitable sequel some time in the near future. We'd expect Mercenaries 3 to be set in India, yet another controversial hot spot, and to release in the next couple of years.