Therein lies one of the key strengths of this game. Even if you fail a mission, you really don’t mind playing it again. Mercenaries 2 has a sandbox feel to it and it’s so endearing. I know there are other titles which provide a similar quality, but for some reason it feels more fun here. Perhaps it’s just because I’m an old fashioned gamer who’s a kid at heart, but it just hits the right buttons. There are loads of really cool things in it, from the Kudos-inducing skid-along-the-knees action moves, Ghost Recon style to a fair few of the achievements being named after famous Rock songs (some of them you may have to ask your dad about, unless you’re an AC/DC or Metallica fan).

The vehicles in this game are pretty easy to drive, fly and sail, with the bikes deserving particular credit for being usable without the need to throw something at the TV after falling off yet again. Helicopters can also be loads of fun, especially using the grappling hook to get to them, almost feeling like a super hero making a daring escape, such is the coolness of it all.

Online play consists of the main game as a 2 player co-op and this just enhances the fun. The full game is available to play with a friend and you can join whenever you wish to, with no need to wait until mission “X” is finished. This is something players of this type of game have been crying out for for a long time and it’s a pretty good first stab.