The phrase "Couldn't hit the side of a barn" comes to mind when I think about Mercenaries 2. I can't see where along the development phase, the testing phase, or the brainstorming sessions how the guys at Pandemic thought to themselves that a 15 meter spread for any gun in the game would benefit the game in any way. I'm amazed by the clear and present danger...The lack of thought put into this, and how it seems as though EAs quality control has corrupted yet another developer.

Let me rewind a moment, and say that I loved the first game on the old Xbox. It came out around the time when the US government released their deck of 52 most wanted in Iraq...So the getting baddies who were ranked in playing card terms was a nice spin added to the game. Moving throughout North Korea there were options on top of options, and even if you weren't a sandbox "blow-the fuck-out-of-it" player, you could appreciate the devastation you could deal.

Now, no game is perfect, but the gameplay in the original Mercs game was solid. A game that had it's entire foundation built on gunplay made sure that gunplay was the tightest aspect of the game. Fast forward to the release of the sequel, and the gunplay is sloppy.

Now, if this were a developer who had a shakey resume, and hadn't released quality games I would say that you wouldn't expect so much. But since Pandemic Studios has put out great games, prior to a certain unscrupulous company taking them over, it makes me wonder. Is it that Pandemic suddenly lost its ability to create tight gameplay, or has the studio been diluted by lesser quality contolled employees, as well as a publisher who sees gamers as money signs with legs?

Now the spread of weapons, and the inaccuracy severely hampers a players choices. No longer can you choose to thin the ranks before taking on a fortified area (unless you just snipe from far away...And as much as I love sniping, I like other guns too) you can only charge headfirst into the throngs of baddies and use a spray-n-pray philosophy. I can bring down buildings, but I can't shoot straight enough to stay alive...Headshots are flukes and I was shocked I got the 25 headshot achievement first....

But then we get to drive...A huge island, lots of vehicles...The driving and destruction should seem to go hand in hand. But you can't just shoot out of a moving vehicle...There are certain trucks that you can both fire the guns as you drive, but they are few, and poorly implemented. Triggers be damned for driving! the A/X-go/stop silliness is here...And when you can actually shoot wile driving, you need to use 3 hands. Unfortunately for us, humans only have 2. You need to hold down the gas, while using the same hand to move the R-Stick, while using the same hand to then pull the trigger. Sound retarded? Because it is.

What bothers me most is that the game has fun packed in there, but it is like an onion....making you cry, layer after layer...It leaves you with a foul smell, and thoughts of what it could have tasted like if it were actually fresh. I blame EA...But I'm not ashamed, EA should be though.