Not to be outdone by another open-world action game making an election-season publicity grab, presidential and vice-presidential candidates Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are to become playable characters in Pandemic's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, 360, PS3, PS2).

G4 got the exclusive story from Pandemic's Tom Stratton, who offered up this explanation:

Mercenaries 2 is a game seemingly ripped straight out of today's headlines and fueled with the same type of over-the-top action found in the best summer blockbuster films. It only makes sense we inject the game with a spin on current affairs. The timing was too good to let pass.

The playable politicos are expected to be included in the explosive-laden game's first paid downloadable content pack, which is due in November.

With Pandemic's dangerously flammable open-world game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames set to receive a patch soon for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, publisher Electronic Arts has sent along a trailer commemorating the occasion.

Entitled "Total Payback," the update adds an undisclosed amount of explosions as well as cheat codes and six new playable characters. It drops on October 13 on Xbox 360 and October 23 on PlayStation 3. Paid DLC will follow in November.

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Pandemic's explosive-filled open-world military action game, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, is set to receive a free update in mid-October for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, followed by paid downloadable content in November.

The October update, dubbed "Total Payback," will add cheat codes to the game. "Unlock the total-payback power of all weapons, vehicles and airstrikes in Mercenaries 2, as well as everyone's favorite: Infinite Ammo and Infinite Health," exclaims the press release.

In addition, six new playable characters will be added while removing region restrictions from co-operative play. The update will hit Xbox Live on October 13 and the PlayStation Network on October 20. The PC version of the game is already being patched, but the PlayStation 2 version of the game will have to go without updates.

Other than a November release window, no details were provided on the paid downloadable content.

The PC demo of Pandemic's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has finally arrived to complement the Xbox 360 and PS3 demos that came out last week.

Offering many, many explosions and a sliver of the game's open world, the demo weighs 1.6 GB and can be downloaded now from FileShack.

The first Mercenaries 2: World in Flames patch has been issued, updating the PC version of Pandemic's recently released action game sequel to version 1.1.

The 12mb download offers the following fixes

• When the user sets the shader level to low in the options menu, the user can set the shaders back to high again.
• The user can now cancel a contract by using a controller.
• The user can set the volume levels to high and low using the mouse properly now.... Read more

The Mercenaries 2 demo, which publisher EA claimed was available last Friday, arrived today for North American Xbox 360 users via the console's online Xbox Live Marketplace.

Currently only available to Gold-level Xbox Live subscribers, the free 1.2 GB download offers up a small portion of Pandemic's explosion-filled action game, which launched on PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late August.

The PlayStation 3 version of the demo is slated to arrive on Thursday.

Pandemic's open-world military action game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will get a playable demo for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, according to an announcement from publisher Electronic Arts.

The demo comes to Xbox Live today and will arrive on the PlayStation Network next Thursday, September 18.

In the demo, players can work through one objective from one of the game's missions and explore a small portion of the game's open world. They can also take several vehicles for a spin and even try out airstrikes.

Should you lose patience whilst waiting for the demo and spring for the full game, it's now on shelves for PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

With Pandemic's explosion-filled open-world shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames due on PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 next week, publisher EA issued a launch trailer that it affectionately refers to as "Money."

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In case you just can't wait until the Sunday release of Pandemic's action game sequel, a new Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS3, X360) trailer is now available.

The video shows about fifty seconds of airstrike destruction.

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Electronic Arts today released a cache of media from the PC version of Pandemic's open-world military shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

The game is set to hit stores on August 31 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2; the PC version will follow on September 4.

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Publisher EA has supplied a new trailer for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS3, 360), Pandemic's explosion-fueled action game due out August 31.

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From publisher Electronic Arts comes another trailer for Pandemic's open world action shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

Mercenaries 2 is due for release on August 31 for PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Publisher EA has passed in a new trailer from Pandemic's open world action sequel Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, offering three different approaches to one of its missions.

In development for PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Mercenaries 2 is slated to hit retail shelves August 31. Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

A new batch of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames screenshots is now available. Among other things, the new grabs from Pandemic's open world action game sequel show explosions, helicopter stunts and grand theft tank. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will be released this August for PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Publisher Electronic Arts has released a new trailer for Pandemic's open-world destruct-a-thon Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS2, X360), confirming the August 31 release date and offering a glimpse at the events that lead up to the sequel.

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Pandemic Studios' open-world shooter Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS3, X360) is now slated for an August 31 release, IGN reports. The development of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has been mired in delays, with the game originally scheduled for a holiday 2007 release window and later bumped to "early 2008". Earlier this year, publisher Electronic Arts announced that the game would be further delayed to its 2009 fiscal year.

Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS3, X360) has been pushed back yet again, with the destruction filled open-world game now set to release in publisher Electronic Arts' next fiscal year.

EA's 2009 fiscal year runs from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009; that broad release time frame was not narrowed down, but the game is likely to ship this year.

At last official word, Pandemic expected the game to appear in "early 2008," though retailer listings recently hinted at another delay. Today's news was contained within financial documents released by EA.

"We wanted to time it more closely to the movie," Pandemic co-founder and president Josh Resnick said when the game was first delayed last year. "But then we realized that we don't have a movie, so we just said, 'Aww hell, let's just make the game better.'"

The release date of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS3, X360) remains in limbo, but here are a couple of new screenshots showing off the open-world action game sequel.

Updated retailer listings for Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS2, PS3, X360) suggest the destruction filled open-world game may have been delayed yet again.

Both GameStop and Amazon.com now list the game as releasing on August 25, a substantial push from the previous target of Q1 2008. While retailers are notorious for using placeholder dates, it is extremely unlikely that two separate retailers would shift to the same date without outside word.

It wouldn't be the first delay for Mercenaries 2, which was originally slated to hit in the fall of 2007. "We wanted to time it more closely to the movie," Pandemic co-founder and president Josh Resnick said at the time. "But then we realized that we don't have a movie, so we just said, 'Aww hell, let's just make the game better.'"

Prior to the initial delay, the Venezuela Solidarity Network had petitioned U2 frontman Bono (pictured above) to cancel the title, as Bono was then a partial... Read more

Update: Pandemic has apparently denied any allegations that it changed aspects of Mercenaries 2 due to pressure from the Bono-obsessed Venezuela Solidarity Network.

"Pandemic Studios never has and never will be intimidated by tyrants," Pandemic president Josh Resnick told Shacknews. "Our invasion is on schedule: Mercenaries 2 will be released in early 2008."

Original Story: Remember the Venezuela Solidarity Network? The group that petitioned U2 frontman Bono (pictured above) to stop the development of Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS3, PS3, X360)? Well, they never heard back from Bono, but with the game delayed until next year and some controversial elements seemingly addressed, they're still considering the campaign a minor success.

"Bono never responded directly," campaign activist Marie Davis admitted to venezuelanalysis, "but apparently our point hit home that financing a violent video game that targets a government already targeted by the Bush administration is counter to the reputation as a humanitarian that he has earned with his work on AIDS in Africa and debt relief. Pandemics[sic] began to change the story line soon after our letter was delivered."

The VSN's main point of contention was the game's apparent mirroring of real-life tensions between the United States and Venezuela. With the title set... Read more