Mercenaries 2: Fun publicity stunt, awesome game

Usually there's not a correlation between over-the-top publicity stunts and really awesome games, but "Mercenaries 2" has pulled off both really nicely.

Before I get to why it's such a great game, a little on the publicity stunt. Friday morning, EA "took over" a gas station in the middle of L.A. and gave out free gas, pumped by real mercenaries (played by real actors). With gas around $4 per gallon, it's no surprise there was a line literally around the block. Some people at least knew it was a publicity stunt for a new game, some had no idea. But either way there were a few hundred people who got a schpiel for the game while their free gas was pumped, not to mention a good amount of media attention.

And while it was a ridiculous media stunt, at least it made sense for the game, which is about mercenaries in the oil-rich nation of Venezuela. And besides the random actors dressed up in military fatigues, there were even three decked out like the three main characters of the game. The one decked out like Chris Jacobs (right) was the most in character, barking out orders between puffing on his cigar and even having his crew of mercs do jumping jacks and push ups. Highly amusing.

So they've got the publicity thing down pretty good. But how is the game? "Wildly entertaining," says Variety reviewer Leigh Alexander.

In one of the best reviews Variety has given all year, certainly our best since "Boom Blox," Leigh says "Mercenaries 2" expertly captures the cinematic vibe of a Michael Bay-style action blockbuster, balances its open world so players have lots of choices but never feel lost, is very accessible, and offers tons of kick-ass options for blowing sh*t up. As she writes:

As players gun down enemy factions, collect cash and attempt to recruit mercenaries from other factions, they’ll find the fun is in collecting weapons like machine guns and rocket launchers and jumping in any car, truck, tank or helicopter they find. Developer Pandemic Studios has created a completely destructible environment where almost everything can be crashed, burned or blown to pieces via nuclear air strike. It’s a highly polished, glee-inducing toy-box experience

Check out the entire review right here.