From the Manufacturer
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Maybe you've heard this one before: as a battle-hardened badass,
it is your job to explore an expansive free roaming environment
by stealing vehicles and using overpowered assault weapons to
clear your path. Of course, the landscape is also peppered with
various characters eager to assign you missions and reward your
efforts. Sound like a tune you've been dancing to for a while?
Though you may not find Mercenaries incredibly original or
compelling, it gets a ton of mileage out of the fact that it is
always fun to watch things explode. Always.
Set in a politically unstable North Korea (with several foreign
powers vying for supremacy), Mercenaries puts you in the shoes of
one of three elite soldiers-for-hire. Though each character
technically has particular strengths, the effect they have on
actual gameplay is negligible any character can use any weapon
and drive any vehicle. Fortunately, there is a ton of each to
experiment with, leading to some truly hilarious carnage. I
especially loved flying around in a helicopter, lowering a winch
to grab a passing civilian car, and then slinging it into enemy
fortifications. Then again, it's hard to beat that warm feeling
you get after brutalizing an international criminal and leaving
him lying handcuffed and prone next to some C4.
Though I certainly enjoyed dinking around like this for a while,
Mercenaries banks on the appeal of wholesale destruction rather
than genuinely engaging gameplay. Though it is to be commended
for trying to expand the standard "cruise around doing missions"
experience, the things it adds don't really contribute much. For
instance, though the concept of warring factions and fluctuating
loyalties is cool, it is painfully weak in execution. If you work
with the Chinese, you cheese off the Russian Mafia. However, if
you bribe them, then everything is fine again. In other words,
who you work for and who you blow up doesn't have any real
repercussions; if you've got cash, you've got friends.
Much like the impressive and abundant explosions the game
contains, whatever spark of interest Mercenaries may ignite
quickly fizzles out due to lackluster mission objectives, flat
story and characters (though Matthias, the Swedish merc, has some
funny moments), and a generally derivative feel. Like the boring
guy the girl always dumps in romantic comedies for the dynamic
and spontaneous "Mr. Right," Mercenaries can temporarily fill a
void in your life, but you won't want to hang on to it forever.
Concept:
Run and while pledging your allegiance to whoever has the
deepest pockets
Graphics:
Apart from some really pretty particle effects, nothing stands
out visually
Sound:
The game's high point. The mayhem is accompanied by a rousing and
majestic score
Playability:
Great job giving each vehicle a unique feel, but none of them are
particularly fast or fun to drive
Entertainment:
Your enjoyment directly depends on how long you can stand the "go
here and kill these people" formula
Replay:
Moderate
Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Joe Juba
Issue: February 2005
2nd Opinion:
If developer Pandemic's Full Spectrum Warrior restricted players
to the confining box of tactics, then Mercenaries takes
the blinders off and lets gamers step out into a wider world.
Full Spectrum Warrior was a game of robotic toy soldiers, and
Mercenaries also lacks a soul as it plays the part of rebel
without a cause. I had fun running and ning with each double
and triple cross, but at the end of the day, the title remained a
flittering butterfly (albeit one packed with anti-tank missiles),
with no one aspect really grabbing my imagination or lifting
Mercenaries above being a collection of generic action missions.
I will say this: Kudos to Pandemic for allowing enough wiggle
room in the title's design to give you the freedom to complete
jobs for all the competing sides without breaking the game. After
all, you are a professional with a job to do, and Mercenaries
makes it a fun day at the office.
Rated: 7.75 out of 10
Editor: Matthew Kato
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- Flexible, action-packed missions as you go after everyone on the Most Wanted list.
- Explosive combat as you draw from a huge arsenal - you have the firepower to destroy anything you face.
- Highly detailed and massive open environments that are completely interactive - If you can see it, you can use it, steal it, drive it, fly it or blow it up.
- Choose which missions you'll accept - You can work for the UN, South Koreans, the Chinese government or the Russian Mafia. Make sure you pick clients carefully - they can go from friend to foe in an instant.
- Use the cash you earn from different contracts to buy more advanced weapons, vehicles, even air strikes -- or sell your vehicles and weapons on the black market.