By Eugene Huang

The current development of Pandemic Studio's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has generated controversy ever since Venezuelan politicians publicly denounced the game last May, citing the title as a "justification for imperialist aggression." But a new wrinkle has now entered the fray, mostly in part to the recent involvement of U2 frontman Bono.

The latest development comes from news generated by the Venezuela Solidarity Network, a political activist group opposed to U.S. intervention in Venezuela. The group has been publicly fighting the development of Mercenaries 2 since July of last year, due to their concerns that the game violently depicts an invasion of Venezuela, including a government coup, the mass destruction of cities and rural areas, and a military takeover of the country's lucrative oil industry. But recently, the group has attempted to enlist the services of Bono, thanks to the discovery that the worldwide megastar has loose ties with Pandemic Studios.

According to a recent report from the Boston Globe, it was revealed that Bono is a co-founder and chief investor in a media/communications company known as Elevation Partners, which has had a $300 million stake in Pandemic since 2005. Since the discovery of this connection, Venezuela Solidarity has requested that Bono halt development of the game, although an initial letter sent to the rock star last June remains unanswered. Now, the group has begun to appeal to Bono's spiritual side, and has organized a collection of signatures from various religious organizations to append to their second letter.

This second letter not only highlights the theory that the playing of violent video games "increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior", but also contends that the game "will provoke increased tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela." The letter also points out Pandemic's previous involvement in the militaristic training game Full Spectrum Warrior, and asks that Bono reconsider his investment in a "company that glorifies violence and militarization."

Bono has yet to make a public statement on the issue.

Meanwhile, Pandemic President Josh Resnick is still puzzled as to why their game is garnering so much attention. In a prepared statement, he writes:

"While we're flattered that people think Mercenaries 2 is a commentary on the real world, it is just a video game. Even though our setting provides gamers with the overall look and feel of Venezuela, it is not an accurate street-by-street depiction, and the characters as well as the story line are completely made up."

Various members of Venezuela Solidarity, however, believe that there is more than enough evidence to support the assertion that Pandemic's game is deeply rooted to the real world. Buildings in the game are based on authentic photos taken in Venezuela, and Pandemic has also hired the services of a real-life mercenary to provide a base for the game's title characters.

Gunnar Gunderson, co-founder of the VSN, also wishes for American gamers to examine the flip-side:

"Can you imagine if a wealthy Venezuelan game-designing company with links to the military and funding from a famous Latin American entertainer invented a game where you invade the US to assassinate the president and take over the economy?"