Despite some glithches and wierd design choices, the sheer fun of this game wins out.
Let's start with the good. This game is fun. From driving across the expansive local of Venezuela to blasting your way through a military base, this game is all about letting the player do things in the most fun way possible (blowing up every thing in sight). The gameplay is rock solid, your character and all the vehicles control very well and are a blast to use. The graphics are also very solid. The local of Venezuela provides a beautiful setting, from dense jungles to populated cities everything looks great. Explosions and fire effects are all beautiful and satisfying as ever thanks to destructible environments.
Unfortunately there are still many flaws to this game. One major problem with this game is the many glitches. For example, I have seen myself fall through the game world, pick ups disappear in front of my eyes, enemies all of a sudden ignore me (even when I am standing in front of them) and cars that get stuck in buildings all in one play through. Another major flaw is the terrible AI. Civilians constantly run out in front of you car (costing you money), enemies will not chase you and allies will fail to capture objectives. Also for a game about destruction why am I penalized for hurting civilians? This makes it very difficult to enjoy the destruction when you always have to look out for collateral damage. Finally, the story is just plain awful and boils down to guy screws you over, you get revenge, and is told through lame cut scenes.
Mercenaries 2 is a game that could have been amazing but is held back by some stupid design choices and brain dead AI. In the end though, the sheer fun of causing mayhem and destruction along with solid gameplay and graphics make this game worth checking out.