Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Windows)

To assist in this quest, you'll recruit a support staff to help you hone your shooting skills, drop off supplies, and transport you from dangerous spots. You can also purchase items from the myriad of groups, including an oil firm and a Venezuelan rebel faction. If the action proves too tough alone, you can engage in missions through online cooperative play, a first for the franchise. Not only is the environment open-world, but fully destructible. Let's say you need to take out a sniper perched in a tower. You can pull out an assault rifle and kill your foe, or grab C-4 explosives and blow the tower to bits.

As exhilarating as the action is, the game exhibits some unusual quirks. Enemies don't act aggressive enough when in small groups. They will shoot for a couple seconds, then stop long enough for you to recover and finish them off. Your character seems to have a rough time moving between trees or other foliage, as if you're in quicksand. While lacking a bit of technical polish, Mercenaries 2 compensates by creating an invigorating battle environment.