Free Mercs 2 downloadable this month
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?