This game was pretty good and I had a lot of fun with it. I still keep a copy around for my PS3 because the PC version doesn't work correctly. The 360 version has slightly better graphics and framerate than the PS3, but this is one of the titles where the differences aren't huge. The PS3 is missing depth of field effects in some scenarios but otherwise it's pretty equal on both platforms. Despite being primarily a PC gamer this looks and runs fine for me. Being a console-focused development, the PC version doesn't really have any better textures or effects anyway.
Mercs 2 had hugely upgraded graphics over Mercs 1 and more guns and vehicles and vehicle types than the previous game. The world is a little more GTA-like and alive than the first game and it has a bit more to do. It's not a very densely detailed game but the world is appropriately large and fun to get around in. The world design is better with less frustrating corridors and much more open movement opportunities. No planes but helicopters are easier to get a hold of, as well as boats, motorbikes, etc. The controls are pretty standard third person shooter fare and the gunplay is fine, though nothing special. The story isn't super good but it has the right light-hearted-but-serious tone for the gameplay and characters. Overall this game is a fun open-world action romp with just enough content and originality to make it worth replaying later on.
Despite being much more modern and better looking than Mercenaries 1, this game was relatively weak visually for its generation. Mostly due to the very simple lighting/shadows and distance fog. Some of the gameplay elements were also a downgrade. Weapons support was nerfed heavily. No more laser designators to mark targets from a distance, just throw smoke grenades for everything. This makes the support much more frustrating to use, and really knocks the wind out of the gameplay. To knock a building down you used to be able to mark it from long range and watch the fireworks. Now you can't watch the carnage from a distance, and you are often focused on getting out of the blast area so it's hard to notice the awesome destruction going on around you. This takes away one of the more iconic and cinematic elements of the first game.
Overall this game had slightly cheap build quality all around, but it had heart and some thought put into most of its elements. If you can get it cheap, the 360 version of this is the best way to go. PC has some issues with controls in both mouse aim and with a gamepad. The 360 copy is not Xbox One compatible however, and never will be. I chose the PS3 version for this reason. I want to sell my 360, as all of my current games are Xbox One compatible. I can get PS3 versions for the games that aren't and eliminate a space-using console from my collection very nicely.
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