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We are a gaming news site, after all. Let's move away from all the juicy new info and give you a preview of a game we're still in the air about. Some may dislike it, but the loyal fanbase of the original Mercenaries title are ready for more and we've got some hands-on impressions from IGN to keep you worked up. Let's make a list.

• Everything is destructible, so set those trees on fire and watch the blaze spread. The fire is claimed to be the best-looking thing in the early build of the game. So either it looks really good or the game looks kinda bland.
• Did we mention everything is destructible? Every building, vehicle, other person, whatever -- all can meet their doom thanks to you.
• There are thirty weapons in Mercs 2 and over 200 vehicles. The fun lies in the vehicles, though. You won't necessarily have to pull a Grand Theft Auto and take a 20 minute jog to get the perfect vehicle, though. As you kick ass, you earn cash. This cash can be traded in for special weapons, attacks (air strikes), or vehicles to be delivered on the spot. Want a Wave Runner on that small lake? You got it!
• Stealing a tank from an enemy involves a more God of War inspired button-pressing sequence, whereas other vehicles will only require one press of the action button to oust whoever else happened to be driving it.

There are a lot more impressions about the actual level played in the hands-on treatment, but we'd like to leave that up to you to read. It's pretty entertaining and we're moderately jealous. The game seems to be shaping up nice, but since we haven't heard how their online service will work, we've got our reservations until we see that in action.

Eurogamer recently sat down with Scott Warner, Pandemic's lead designer for Mercenaries 2. We don't get a ton of new info on the game, but it's interesting nonetheless. One nugget that was revealed is that while most areas will respawn after they've been destroyed, there are certain areas that will remain in tatters after you've blown them to smithereens. The game will feature hundreds of new vehicles including boats, a first for the series. There's bad news for multiplayer fans though, as there are no plans for any competitive multiplayer. Mercenaries 2 will, however, feature online co-op. Hit the "read" link for the full interview.

There is no mention of Bono in the interview by the way, though we expect he was -- as always -- lurking in the shadows.

Pandemic could be developing The Dark Knight, a video game based on the forthcoming movie, alleges a rumor posted by IGN. Supposedly, sources close to the project have linked the Mercs 2 developer to the Batman Begins sequel tie-in. Private equity firm Elevation Partners has apparently gained rights to the title through its alliance with Pandemic and BioWare, but "insiders" insist that EA, which handled the lackluster Batman Begins game, will publish The Dark Knight.

Pandemic currently has five secret projects in the works, with 'Project B' having the most obvious relationship to the Batman rumor; though the "B" could simply stand for "Brisbane," the particular Pandemic branch that is heading up the mysterious game. Project Y, which promises to "break new ground in its category" also offers a possible connection to The Dark Knight. With few exceptions, both Batman games and movie-licensed titles are often met with groans -- could Pandemic flip the script?

Pandemic has yet to issue a response to the rumor. When questioned by IGN, an EA representative declined to comment.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

While it's just a rumor at this point, the studio behind the sleeper hits Mercenaries and Destroy All Humans!, Pandemic, is apparently working on the next Batman game, based off of the sequel to the film Batman Begins. While Pandemic is developing it, it seems the rights belong to Elevation Partners and the publishing will likely be done by everybody's favorite software distributor: Electronic Arts.

The rumor stems from the idea that Pandemic has been working on a project known as "Project B" for a long time. With the above list of people coordinating on the project, it seems likely that the B does indeed stand for Batman. Even though the first game, Batman Begins, was welcomed by mediocre reviews and a strange kid-friendly style of stealth. Well, if this turns out to be true or false, we'll keep you posted. Maybe it'll turn out decent? Wishful thinking for a movie-game ...

According to GamesRadar, the March issue of UK Magazine Playstation World spilled some beans on Star Wars: Battlefront III. On page 65, they state that LucasArts is moving the series from Pandemic, who developed the first two in the series, to Free Radical, of TimeSplitters and GoldenEye fame. They go on to say that SWBIII is listed as an Xbox 360 exclusive, but don't think it will stick. Still, Free Radical has a history of making some badass multiplayer games, and hopefully it will translate well in Star Wars: Battlefront III's online skirmishes. Are you looking forward to the new gen iteration of the series? What are your thoughts on the potential exclusivity and Free Radical taking the helm?

Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, that box art is fan made, and not official.

[Via GameStooge]

A group called Venezuelan Solidarity isn't happy about Mercenaries 2 (that sounds awfully familiar). Apparently the group isn't so keen on the game's depiction of Venezuelan locales, not to mention the "extremely realistic" violence Mercenaries 2 encourages in said locales. In an open letter to Bono, Venezuelan Solidarity asks the U2 singer-cum-activist to pull the support of Elevation Partners -- Bono's investment firm -- from Pandemic Studios, developers of Mercenaries 2. The group pulls at Bono's human rights strings, asking that he "reconsider [his] investment in a company that glorifies violence and militarization." Furthermore, Venezuelan Solidarity implores the rock star to prevent the game from being sold "anywhere." That's a mighty tall order, even for Bono.

Whether or not Bono will accept this call to arms remains to be seen. We wait with bated breath.

[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Stynk Monkey]

So, we're aware that Mercenaries 2 has found a publisher in Electronic Arts, moving away from their original publisher, LucasArts. At least they're staying "Arts"-y. Yeah, that one was bad... apologies. Anyway, a recent Q&A was put into action about the new title. Here's what's worth knowing:

• A completely new next-gen engine was built for this sequel. Also, as Pandemic Studios President Josh Resnick gracefully put it: "Aside from dealing with the scale and detail of next generation games, the engine has a fundamentally different architecture to deliver a much bigger open-world experience. The sheer number of things that you can grab, shoot, drive, fly and blow-the-crap-out-of is astonishing."
• The original "deck of 52" device used in the first game has been set aside, opting for a new story and mission progression system.
• Pandemic Studios is remaining mum on online multiplayer! It hurts!
• Pandemic plans to have a more challenging title this go around and will keep actual gameplay time up to snuff with competing "open-world" titles.
• The setting? Venezuela.

That's it for now. This seems like it'll be a pretty fun title, so long as it doesn't become a generic Grand Theft Auto meets Burnout meets Crackdown meets that atrocious Domino movie. Absolutely awful.

There's a pandemic in Australia. Game development is spreading like rabbits through the outback, from Team Bondi's noir-ish pursuits in Sydney to Pandemic Brisbane's just announced expansion. The team responsible for the recently shipped Destroy All Humans 2 will be adding a second team, expanding the Brisbane studio to over 100 employees, tasked with ... not working on another Destroy All Humans game!

After earning their stripes in the lucrative alien-invasion simulation genre, Pandemic's Brisbane team (teams?) will begin working on "the development of brand new titles for next-generation gaming systems." Brand-new: (adj.) "Being in a fresh and unused condition; completely new." If we're reading that correctly, that means no sequels and no licensed games (we think).

[Via FierceGameBiz]

Pandemic Studios has opened up a Mercenaries 2 contest that conveniently doubles as a resumé builder for aspiring tattoo artists. Design the ink that will adorn Mattias Nilsson's arm and if picked, you'll see the work rendered on the character and even receive a shout out in the game's credits. You won't, however, be paid any royalties since you give up ownership rights to the tattoo design upon submitting it to Pandemic.

The contest ends this Friday, June 16. Tribal designs, copyrighted/trademarked content, nudity, and profanity are strictly prohibited -- meaning, we're out of ideas. Good luck.