Free Mercs 2 downloadable this month

By Tom Bramwell Published 1 October, 2008

Cheats, global co-op and new chars.

EA plans to reinforce Mercenaries 2 with free downloadable content this month (pinch, punch, etc.) and a bigger update in November.

The first round of content is called "Total Payback" and includes a cheat that unlocks all the weapons, vehicles and airstrikes, and another one for infinite health and ammo.

The Total Payback pack also includes cross-region co-op, allowing you to play the game with people from all over the world, and six new playable characters. There's one called Blanco, and one called Fiona, and Ewan and Eva. The other two names are secret, for some reason. Perhaps they're rude.

Anyway, Total Payback can be yours for free from 13th October on Xbox Live and 20th October on PlayStation Network, with no mention of the PC.

Once all that's out of the way, Mercs 2 fans will be able to prepare for November's added content. EA's press release describes this as "the first Mercenaries 2: World in Flames downloadable content", which to us suggests that this free Total Payback thing is seen as more of a patch.

EA's description may also mean that the November update will cost you money, but to be fair the wording doesn't specify - it just tells you to keep an eye on www.mercs2.com.

In the meantime, you can always read our Mercenaries 2: World in Flames review to see why we felt Pandemic's latest fell a bit short of the mark, and if you're still up for it and need help deciding between the PS3 and 360 versions, why not check out our Mercenaries 2 face-off video?

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • hello_fi #1 3 years ago

    i would consider downloading this if the game wasn't shite

  • buggrit #2 3 years ago

    God-mode might be what tips me over the edge into buying this. Never really got into the first game, but the demo for this made me think it would be cool in a Crackdown-stylee.
    If I can pick it up cheap enough :)

  • the_dudefather #3 3 years ago

    i will consider downloading this as I find the game to be enjoyable but with some issues

  • mkreku #4 3 years ago

    I'm still waiting for this to drop in price before buying it. There's just no way it's worth full price, but I am still interested in the co-op bits.

  • jaxon58 #5 3 years ago

    Co-op doesn't work for me, hope they fix it in this 'patch'.

  • oliath #6 3 years ago

    Region free co-op would have made a difference but its a bit too late for stuff like that now.
    I got fed up and traded it for Force Unleashed..... whch is not quite as shite.

    They should have done the region free co-op on Army of Two also.... cos locking that up clearly killed the game faster than neccesary. Stupid EA... when will they learn.

  • cyacomini #7 3 years ago

    Highly flawed but huge amounts of fun to be had!

  • danteire #8 3 years ago

    This is a ridiculously fun game, all tounge in cheek dialouge and huge explosions, its the Arnold-action movie of gaming: big, dumb and fun.

    Nice to see DLC coming out quickly, high hopes for new maps in the paid DLC (in the multiplayer search screen, the "map" selector is grayed out, possibility for more) plus new vehicles and weapons/ airstrikes.

  • groovychainsaw #9 3 years ago

    This is obviously EA's strategy they are moving towards - release free, continuous updates every 2-3 months for big titles, thereby preventing people trading it in and making more money on 1st time sales. Not a bad strategy to be honest. Everybody wins (apart from the retailers...)

  • asphaltcowboy #10 3 years ago

    Good to hear - is there a bugfix list that goes into this update as well? Loving the game, despite its horrifically shonky nature. Still unsure of how the hell you're meant to earn $1billion without doing the winch challenge 200 times...

  • SEVQA #11 3 years ago

    "EA's description may also mean that the November update will cost you money"

    Go on EA I dare you to charge for it! (will be the day gamers turn into terrorists).

  • coomber #12 3 years ago

    Good point, groovychainsaw. I wasn't that impressed by the demo but I *want* to buy the game 'cos I loved the first one so much. If the patch improves the game I may yet buy it, but I can't see it justifying full price for me. I think waiting for Saints Row 2 is the better option.

  • cyacomini #13 3 years ago

    Some good SR2 vids here..

    [link url=http://n4g.co m/xbox360/News-207175.aspx
    ]http://n4g.co m/xbox360/News-207175.aspx
    [/link]

  • OmagnusPrime #14 3 years ago

    @buggrit: Save yourself the pain and the money, don't bother, it's nowhere near close to being as good as Crackdown. There is some fun to be had, but it's few and far between the multitude of bugs this game is riddled with.

  • estoo #15 3 years ago

    One of the games of the year for me, I can see past the bugs and just have fun. Shit, it certainly is not.

  • penhalion #16 3 years ago

    It's got some truly shite missions currently. One where you deliver some rum for some pirates can actually be failed before you even get into the truck. It's parked on a lot where the guards consider anyone who enters an enemy regardless of your faction standing. If they shoot the truck with machine guns or a rocket detonates near the truck, the cargo falls out the back and you fail the mission. If you manage to get out with the truck, outposts with rocket launching goons syuddenly spring up and if any one of them hits you or spins the truck, you loose the cargo and fail the mission.

    Even god mode isn't going to save a game with shite like that in it.

  • Daymare #17 3 years ago

    Game developers/publishers should advertise up-coming DLC *in game* (somehow) and as soon as possible to make this "hold on to your copy because extra content is on its way" philosophy really effective.

  • agparrot #18 3 years ago

    I'm personally still having great fun with it, but a patch of fixes would be far, far more welcome than DLC.

  • crashVoodoo #19 3 years ago

    It's got some truly shite missions currently. One where you deliver some rum for some pirates can actually be failed before you even get into the truck. It's parked on a lot where the guards consider anyone who enters an enemy regardless of your faction standing. If they shoot the truck with machine guns or a rocket detonates near the truck, the cargo falls out the back and you fail the mission. If you manage to get out with the truck, outposts with rocket launching goons syuddenly spring up and if any one of them hits you or spins the truck, you loose the cargo and fail the mission.

    Even god mode isn't going to save a game with shite like that in it.

    Alternatively, get the anaconda attack chopper. murder everyone in sight so they can't call for help and winch that truck right out of there.

    i did this and plonked it right whre i needed to go, got in and drove it 2 feet. job done.

    /the end

  • penhalion #20 3 years ago

    @crashVoodoo

    Yea that's what I did but, You really shouldn't have to, and even then I lost the mission once due to one of my own rockets landing too close to the truck!

  • brommers #21 3 years ago

    @estoo

    +1

  • GamerAddict #22 3 years ago

    Screw the DLC, get the FRIGGIN online co-op working and remove this region lockout bullsh*t that the vast majority of people seem to be experiencing!!!!!!!!!