Reviewed by CL on 2/11/2006
This is a game which is described very well by its title, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In this game, you play as one of three mercenaries charged with the task of capturing General Song, a rogue North Korean general who has staged a military coup in order to gain control of the country’s nuclear missiles. Besides General Song, there are 51 other persons of interest. These individuals make up the “deck of 52" most wanted people in North Korea that can be captured or killed for a bounty.
There are various forces that are interested in stopping a possible Armageddon and/or seizing power in this political vacuum. These include the Allied Nations, the South Koreans, the Chinese, and the Russian mafia. The game revolves around undertaking various missions from these factions. By completing missions for one of these factions, you increase your popularity with them, get paid, and also are given intelligence regarding the location of one member from the deck of 52. It is in your best interest to keep on a faction’s good side. If they like you, their troops will help you in fighting the always hostile North Korean forces whereas if they are mad at you, their forces will shoot at you on sight. Of course, you can’t keep everyone happy since some of the missions have conflicting goals. For example, let’s say you’re in good standing with the South Koreans, but one of the Chinese missions requires you to help a Chinese force wipe out a South Korean base. Its your choice of whether to accept this mission or not; knowing that the South Koreans will probably be mad at you if you do, and the Chinese will be mad at you if you don’t. This interplay between the factions keeps the game refreshing and interesting.
Many people have called this game a Grand Theft Auto rip-off. It has some similar features such as a large free roaming world and the ability to hijack any vehicle that you see, but in my opinion, this is 10 times better than any Grand Theft Auto I’ve played. There seems to be so much more to do and it the combat engine is so much more satisfying. Instead of hijacking boring sedans and trucks, you get to commandeer tanks, APCs, Humvees, anti-air batteries, attack helicopters, and much more. Each vehicle handles differently and comes with different weapons. And with over 50 different vehicles, it’s unlikely that you’ll get to drive everything on just one play through the game. Many of these heavy weapons are required for missions where you’d be cut down in seconds on foot. Enemies are smart in this game and will keep you pinned down with machine guns, RPGs, and other vehicles. In the event that you just can’t seem to break through enemy lines with your current weaponry, you can even call in air support to help. For example, suppose you’re trying to capture a card inside a base. The only problem is that he’s protected by 4 tanks and numerous troops. One solution would be to slowly whittle away the forces using guerilla tactics and small arms. The other would be to call in an Allied A-10 to fly over and take out all the tanks, then call in an Allied gunship to come in and take out the troops. Yet another option would be to call in a bomber and just carpet bomb the entire area. Of course, this all costs a considerable sum of money, so the choice isn’t always an easy one. This type of nonlinear gameplay gives the game incredible depth and replayability.
If you’re short on cash for airstrikes or just want to waste time, you can undertake one of the dozens of challenges which are located throughout the world or search for hidden treasure. The sound is amazing with great sound effects and a moving orchestral score for background music and didn’t grow monotonous during the 25 hours of play it took me to finish the game.
All these elements and the fact that this is game is just plain fun to play makes it one of the most highly recommended games out there. You definitely owe it to yourself to give Mercenaries a try; I guarantee that you’ll have a blast.
