Thursday 21 June 2007 What's the first thing any career woman does when she makes it big? She gets a super-sexy makeover, of course - or, at least, that's what Jennifer Mui appears to have done since co-starring in Pandemic's excellent Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, back in early 2005. The reet proper British sexpot, with sultry Korean looks and a winning line in clipped one-liners, has greeted the next-gen revolution in style, as you can see below. On the left, the original Mercs' ... » Read More

Issue 3 of P3Zine has an exclusive Colin McRae DiRT preview and developer interview feature, including the full interview in audio format. The magazine also includes previews of The Darkness, Stuntman Ignition and Dark Sector. It's available for free download.
» Read More 

Activists call on religious leaders to join petition asking U2 frontman to stop release of Pandemic's sandbox shooter set in Venezuela.

In response to the protest, Pandemic sent GameSpot the following statement from cofounder Josh Resnick:

"While we're flattered that people think Mercenaries 2 is a commentary on the real world, it is just a video game--and as they say in the movies, all characters and events are purely fiction. Our setting provides gamers with the overall look and feel of Venezuela, although it is not an accurate street by street depiction and the characters as well as the storyline are completely made up. More to the point, the characters are categorically not based on any real political figures in Venezuela or elsewhere."

The statement continues: "It's common practice in the entertainment business, both movies and video games, to set fictional storylines in real places. This isn't any different than setting a movie like Goodfellas in New York. And while we certainly hope Mercenaries raises the adrenaline flow, anyone wanting to experience or learn more about the real world, we recommend a good history book."

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is scheduled for release later this year on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and PC.
» Read More 

Venezuelan Solidarity Campaign launches new appeal

Political activisits are calling on U2 singer Bono, as an investor in Pandemic Studios, to halt the development of forthcoming shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

The game is set in Venezuela and sees players taking on a political tyrant who has taken control of the oil industry. It's already attracted criticism from the country's president, Hugo Chavez, who labelled it as an example of "psychological warfare".

Now the Venezuelan Solidarity Campaign has written an open letter to religious leaders asking for their help in stopping productoin on the game.

The VSC claims that Pandemic has previously been subcontracted by the US army to make training games, and observes, "The aim of [Mercenaries 2] is full devastation, so any 'person' who moves should be 'shot,' and all the buildings, such as the headquarters of PDVSA, the Venezuelan public oil company, can be 'destroyed.'
» Read More 

The Venezuelan Solidarity Network has taken issue with developer Pandemic's Mercenaries 2 and they want production stopped, targeting Bono as the one who could ultimately do the deed. The organization is collecting signatures of religious leaders for a letter that it plans to send to U2's lead singer in early April, "to ask him to use his considerable influence to stop the sale of the game." Bono is on the board of Elevation Partners, which has strong ties with the partnership established ... » Read More

Point your peepers at this fresh action footage from Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, which reveals an exciting treat for anyone who snatches up the game when it hits PC, PS3, PS2 and Xbox 360 later this year. Alongside tanks, Mercs and clapped out saloons, you'll be able to jump aboard a van that's the spitting image of the A-Team's legendary ride from the classic 80s show. The in-game clips come from developer Pandemic's latest blog episode, in which the team reveal their plans for platform ... » Read More

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will be released on PlayStation 2 as well as PlayStation 3 when the game launches later this year, developer Pandemic has revealed, and will also be joined by Xbox 360 and PC versions. A 360 version was all but inevitable, given the original Mercenaries' huge success on PS2 in 2005, but Pandemic has surprised by announcing the PS2 edition of the high-powered, next-genified sequel. Unsurprisingly, the old-gen version will be stripped of much of the visual flair ... » Read More

Electronic Arts and Pandemic Studios have confirmed that the previously-PS3 exclusive sequel Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will now also be coming to Xbox 360, PS2 and PC. An Xbox 360 version of the game has been heavily rumoured over the past year, but the PS2 and PC versions have come as a surprise.
» Read More 

Just to clear up present and future tips. You know when you hear something long enough, you begin to think it's true? Well, that's what apparently happened to everyone in the chain of command at Game Informer when it came to the ongoing rumors that Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was no longer a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Heck, they believed it so much they just went ahead and made it an Xbox 360 exclusive in their March issue(as seen in the photo above). GI has since corrected themselves and, honestly, the error is totally understandable.
» Read More 

A Mercenaries 2 info spill has revealed that Pandemic's war zone sequel will feature online co-op multiplayer, a Just Cause -esque grappling hook for flooring enemies, scaling buildings and hijacking vehicles, and the ability to field your own army of fellow mercenaries recruited from the Venezuelan-set battleground. Point your eyes at this batch of new screens by hitting the Images tab above. Multiplayer will work in a similar way to that of Gears of War - with one player inviting another ... » Read More

Worst Kept Secret or Rumor that Wont Die?

It seems this rumor just wont die. First there are magazines listing the game for both the PS3 and Xbox 360, the developer diary which was hosted on the Mercs 2 website, showing developers working on Xbox 360 dev units and now this.
It seems the next issue of Game Informer have secured a preview of the following titles: .....

hit the jump for more
» Read More 

Electronic Arts and Pandemic Studios today announced a worldwide co-publishing deal for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, the sequel to the best-selling new intellectual property of 2005, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
» Read More 

OXM seems to thinks so, or at least hope so.

"Developed by Pandemic Studios, the title has now found a publisher in EA, stepping into breach with a release date scheduled for later this year.

This is great news on two counts; one, the game is going to receive a huge marketing and advertising campaign - refreshing the gaming masses collective memory that Mercenaries 2 will offer fun filled carnage as you fulfil the role of a mercenary for hire, working for the highest bidder in a world on the brink of World War III. Secondly and more importantly; EA has a tendency to publish their games on multiple formats. And EA loves Xbox 360!

Currently, Mercenaries 2 is only confirmed for the PS3 but as we have witnessed before on the next-gen, exclusive titles are hard to come by. The likes of Assassin's Creed, GTAIV and Virtua Fighter 5 have already made the leap from PS3 to Xbox 360, so it's not exactly rocket science to believe that Mercenaries 2 could do the same."
» Read More 

Electronic Arts will co-publish the free-form warzone blast Mercenaries 2: World in Flames with developer Pandemic, with the Venezuelan-set sequel heading for an exclusive PS3 launch, perhaps around Christmas time this year. As with Half-Life 2, which EA co-publishes with Valve, the agreement will see Electronic Arts bring the game to store shelves, while Pandemic retains ownership of the Mercenaries name and development tech. Despite the announced PS3 exclusivity, it's more than possible ... » Read More

Today Pandemic announced that Mercenaries 2 will be published by Electronic Arts (EA) and will remain a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

According to EA's Financial Report, EA will distribute, sell, and market Mercenaries 2 worldwide through its EA Partners program.

"We're thrilled to partner with Pandemic Studios and to be working together to make Mercenaries 2: World in Flames a global blockbuster," said EA Partners vice president and general manager, David DeMartini. "EA Partners is committed to providing the world's best development studios with access to EA's unrivaled global publishing resources, helping gamemakers reach the widest possible audience."

"Pandemic Studios is excited to join forces with EA Partners to give Mercenaries 2: World in Flames a spectacular global launch," said Pandemic Studios CEO Andrew Goldman. "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will set the bar for explosive, open world action games in the next generation, and everyone at Pandemic is excited that fans will be able to get their hands on it later this year."

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is currently in development by Pandemic Studios and is slated for release in 2007 on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. For more information on Mercenaries 2: World in Flames visit http://www.mercs2.com
» Read More 

When Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was first unveiled at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, one big question was left unanswered. Though it was announced for the PlayStation 3, the sequel to the 2005 cult hit apparently did not have a publisher.

Today, though, BioWare/Pandemic revealed it has struck a deal with one of the most traditional publishers of all, Electronic Arts. The agreement will see EA distribute Mercenaries 2 through its EA Partners program much like it does Valve Software's hit shooter Half-Life 2. According to a press release from the publisher, the game is set for a holiday 2007 release, and is still exclusive to the PS3.
» Read More 

Today Pandemic studios released a screenshot for a new vehicle in the game. It's not sure yet whether you'll be able to literally take out the trash but it's sure going to be fun the to drive. The vehicle in question is a garbage truck.
» Read More 

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is said to be released exclusively for Playstation 3, but will it really? Because today's rumour says the game might also be coming to Xbox 360.

Source is a video on the Pandemic videoblog. Pandemic is the developer of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. During the video some different employees tell about their christmas wishes, but that's not the interesting part.

They also take the viewer to their workspace and that place is really crawled with Xbox 360 consoles and controllers. Are they up to something or are the developers of this PS3-game just huge Xbox-fans?
» Read More 

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, the hotly-anticipated PS3 sequel to developer Pandemic's explosive PS2 actioner, will give tons of new devastating options for your merc, while demanding that you hoard vital fuel supplies to keep your battlefield support in action. Vehicles won't need to be pumped up but calling in an air strike will take a cut from your fuel reserves - which will likely see you battling for control of fuel depots and outposts during missions. Fortunately, Mercs 2 introduces ... » Read More

With its nonstop explosions and free-roaming, destroy-anything gameplay, last year's Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction was an awesome - if often overlooked - riff on Grand Theft Auto. Today, developer Pandemic announced that it's expanding the Mercenaries world with Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, which will be officially unveiled next week at E3. Pandemic's keeping a tight lid on details so far, but we do know that the sequel -planned for next-gen systems - will be set in "a new and ... » Read More