E3 2008: Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Updated Hands-On - Nuclear Strike

We've blown up Venezuela in a number of ways since we started playing Mercenaries 2: World in Flames a few months ago. Whether we were using helicopter antitank missiles or running over jeeps with a monster truck, Venezuelan militants foolish enough to stand in our way have felt our wrath. Especially Shaun's wrath, which you can read about here in his in-depth pre-E3 preview. In a brief demo at E3 2008, we unleashed a new form of hell on the oil-rich nation: nuclear.

The nuclear bunker buster is one of about 20 air strikes available in Mercenaries 2, and certainly the most devastating. You call in air strikes in a variety of ways, by using a simple radio message or by dropping a marker at your target area and running like mad to avoid incoming artillery. The nuclear bunker buster is called in with a laser designator tool. In our demo mission, we were charged with destroying three outposts that would then lure an enemy general out of hiding. After taking out the first two buildings with rocket strikes, we decided to spare only the cockroaches in our final attack and laced the building for nuclear strike.

A bomber pilot confirmed target acquisition and released his payload over the target. For a moment there was a quiet calm over the area, and then suddenly a blinding white light lit up the screen, followed by a devastating energy wave. Luckily we were at a relatively safe distance, if there is such a thing, and lost only 98 percent of our health. Finally, a giant mushroom cloud expanded in the sky above us. It's one thing to see a mushroom cloud in the distance, but it's quite a oh-snap moment to be sitting right beneath one as it slowly consumes the sky.

In our final few minutes with Mercs 2, we tried out a few of the 130-plus vehicles that we hadn't yet piloted. First up was the panzer bike, a forbidding motorcycle with armor plating, tank treads, and mounted machine guns. Although not particularly effective against tanks, the panzer bike can get you in close where you can ditch it and begin to jack the tank, initiating a quick minigame where you button-mash in order to toss a grenade into the belly of the tank, clearing it out for you to drive. With plenty of cash after nuking our objectives, we then purchased the scorcher, a dune buggy outfitted for desert combat and armed with four mounted missiles. Those eliminated the need for jacking because they easily blew up any tank in our path.

Rest assured, Pandemic is making it clear that the choice of how to ignite the world in flames will be up to you. Anticipate blowing up Venezuela any way you want later this year.