Fall Videogame Preview: 13 We Can't Wait to Play

MERCENARIES 2: WORLD IN FLAMES
(Developer/Publisher: Pandemic/EA; Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS2)
The last few GTA games may have given you entire cities in which to play, but Merc 2 — the sequel to the 2005’s hit action-adventure title — gives you a whole freakin' country. Pandemic’s combat romp drops a three-person team of pay-for-play soldiers into a war-torn Venezuela (with its oil reserves up for grabs). Online co-op play means that you and a buddy can take advantage of the chaos and sell your services to any faction you like. Still, in between the massive destructible environments and the amoral greed of your characters, there may not be much of a country left intact when the smoke clears.
Official site: www.pandemicstudios.com
In stores: August 31