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Fun and addictive, but incredibly frustrating.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 78 / 89
Date: February 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'll be the first to admit, modern games tend to be far too frustrating for me. My reflexes probably aren't up to younger players of today, and I have far less patience for replaying a mission 20 times -- I tend to drop the ball.

To be perfectly fair to Mercenaries, I haven't been as glued to a single game since Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, and Syphon Filter had a natural edge anyway because I'm a veteran of the first games in the series for the PlayStation. Mercenaries was impressive to me because it seduced me enough to make me learn a whole new control scheme, get acquainted with the background and routines, and get past that initial awkward stage when you're just feeling things out. This one definitely did the trick. There are times, though, when I still feel like the game is unnecessarily hard. Again, how many times are we supposed to play one mission until we get it? I always feel like designers create these enormously difficult missions just to make us into game zombies, and Mercenaries definitely gives me that feeling.

Good points:

- Great comedic detail. The sense of humour in this game, as well as the one-man-army setup, reminds me of the first Medal of Honor game (the orchestral score by Michael Giacchino, Medal of Honor's resident composer, doesn't hurt), which was a favourite of mine.
- Very smooth driving engine. I hate driving games, but this one was instantly accessible.
- The game's background immerses you. Driving through cities, with civilians and fighting personnel around you, it's a great simulation of what this kind of guerilla warfare is like. Almost makes me feel like I'm living the John Woo film Bullet in the Head.
- This game has the single most responsive camera control of any I've ever played. This is how you do it -- give the player complete control, and don't blast the angles around in response to onscreen action, because that simply disorients us. Somebody at Pandemic knows his game controls.
- By and large good voice work. Amy Lee (*not* Evanescence's singer, I presume) as your main communications person Fiona Taylor is the only dud, far too cutesy to be running a merc operation, but the underrated Bruce McGill (a regular of Michael Mann's) as CIA agent Buford is great, and the character Jennifer Mui is voiced by -- who else? -- Jennifer Hale, who has one of the sexiest English female voices in the biz and seems to have appeared in every single video game ever made. And who plays Allied Colonel Garrett but Apollo Creed himself, Carl Weathers?
- I'm very impressed by the diversity of the missions. There's the usual number of blow-'em-up missions, but some of them are not only creative, but true to the background. My favourite is the one where you have to deliver a journalist to certain key fighting areas just so he can get media footage of the war.
- Fighting mechanics are good. I had a hugely difficult time aiming with the right analog stick and moving with the left in Medal of Honor: Frontline, but Mercenaries felt instantly comfortable.
- For once, you have a game where your allies aren't complete idiots. I was pleased with the amount of control you have -- board a vehicle with a top-mounted weapon, and you can honk your horn and make an ally mount the gun to give you covering fire. You can also choose when an ally leaves your vehicle. Ahhh, control.
- Innovative system for shopping. You call in a chopper to do a supply drop for you, and you can order different packages (for example, the Chinese supply drop gives you a rocket launcher and an AK-model assault rifle, but the Russians give you an SMG and a shotgun). Feels very realistic and accessible.

Bad points:

- Limited number of weapons, only two or three of which are genuinely useful. Enemy infantry take about 10 hits from a light machine gun before they die, and even more if you're using an M4 carbine. What are they, Terminators?
- The Russian "faction" controls the store, the only reliable source of weapons and health, which means you're practically stuck with being unable to take jobs that can offend the Russians. The shop shouldn't be affected by what mission you take if you're really interested in giving players freedom to choose their allegiance.
- Exaggerated collision. Cars sometimes feel like tumbling dice. Hit a tiny little rock at the wrong angle and the whole vehicle rolls over. A mutha of a drag in what is otherwise a great driving engine.
- I have nothing but contempt for games that obsessively track how many times you've saved your game and retried missions, as if to penalize you. Game saves are an essential feature of any video game, and if you're going to punish the player for saving, you're just insulting the player populace. Ever heard of power outages? Game freezes? Glitches? And I can understand why you can't save your game during a major contract, but why is "Load Game" disabled as well? Why give the player so much crap about saving and loading data?
- There's a major imbalance in the game when it comes to explosive weapons. RPG-wielding enemies can score a direct hit on you -- not just catch you in the rocket's explosion, but hit your body -- from 200 feet away, while you're running at full speed! Each direct hit takes 80 per cent of your health, and if you're fighting multiple rocket-launching infantry, you can lose your entire health bar in a matter of three seconds. Whereas if you use the exact same weapon, get a lock on a static target like an artillery battery, your rocket could go flying off into space rather than hit your intended target. Not only is this unrealistic, it makes certain missions maddeningly infuriating. These are the only points where I throw down the controller and give up. I'm not about to jump through just any hoop the designers throw at me, if it's not reasonable. Nearly every mission beyond the first five or six can include up to a dozen RPG troops you have to fight, and at a certain point, it's just unfair.
- This game is extremely stingy with ammo. A helicopter you pay $100,000 for comes only with two missiles, and many vehicles and enemy artillery take two shots before they die. Same for an RPG if you find one -- you can only hold four shots, and tanks take at least two shots from you before dying. This essentially leaves you defenseless while the enemies pump you full of lead and rockets without ever having to replenish.
- The AI is sometimes so cheap that it messes up your mission through no fault of your own. In certain locations with heavily concentrated enemies, they will try to run you over with their cars. If you're caught by enough cars, you won't even get a chance to recover your control of your character before your health runs out. You're supposed to capture these enemy officers -- "Deck of 52" -- alive, but the enemy vehicles, tanks and RPG soldiers will gleefully kill these officers themselves when you try to approach, often forcing you to replay the mission, through no fault of your own. And one time, I called in a support chopper which then crashed itself -- costing me $25,000. The worst kinds of game features are the ones that force the player to replay a mission because of computer mistakes; at a certain point, I just spat at the game screen and used cheat codes to make up for whenever the computer costs me money for things I can't control.
- The game makes the whole screen red and puts you in slow-motion when you're near death, making aiming your weapon and dodging even more difficult. That's just moronic. So you're in trouble, and the game makes it even harder for you to survive? Who cares if it "looks cool"?

I'm frustrated by this game, but I also can't say I don't enjoy it. Too bad they had to make it so freakin' hard.

A Blast!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 33 / 35
Date: February 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Every so often a game will come along that will take you completely by surprise. Last year it was Freedom Fighters. This year the honor goes to the game Mercenaries. It may only be January but this is probably going to be one of the top games of 2005.

Mercenaries takes place in North Korea. War has broken out and the Allied Command has enlisted the help of a freelance military contractor named ExOps. As one of three operatives, you are enlisted to help out the different factions in the combat zone. All for, of course, a price.

Mercenarie's standout features is it's gameplay. It combines shooting, driving and lots of what you'd call "free roaming". Players choose one of three characters, each with a speciality ranging from stealth to heavy weapons. In the game there is a "Deck of 52".Each card is a target with a bounty. When a bounty is collected it unlocks different features, such as air strikes and support options. You can also take contracts from different factions (Allies, South Koreans, Chinese, and the Russian Mafia) and time attack challenges. Each contract will affect your standing with a different faction. Anger a faction by killing it's troops and your standing will fall from "friendly" to "hostile". Even though this may seem very complicated, Mercenaries is a VERY easy game to pick up and play. There is little fumbling for the right controls for different actions. Hijacking vehicles is extremely simple. There is quite literally no learning curve.

The graphics on this game are very good. Using what looks like the Star Wars: Battlefront engine, the game does a great job at depicting a war zone. As you drive down the roads you will come across different factions duking it out. One of the great features in the game is that just about EVERYTHING in the game environment is destructable. Every target of opprotunity yields a cash bonus. The sound on this game is also exceptional. This is a very well put together game visually and sound wise as well.

Usually this is the part where I tell you that I do not own the Network Adaptor and haven't played this game online. However, this game has no online mode. Perhaps the sequel will have one, but right now the single player game is well worth the price of admission.

Alot of people are comparing this game to SOCOM. Well there really is no comparison (if anything it more resembles Star Wars: Battlefront with some shades of Freedom Fighters). This game is very unique in design and in concept. Don't let the lack of online play disuade you either from trying this game. This game is well worth the price even with no online modes or multiplayer modes. If you're looking for a great change of pace then this game is for you. I HIGHLY recomend this game.

The Most Addicting Game Ever

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 21 / 22
Date: January 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

From the moment i started this game, i've had trouble putting it down. This is as close to a perfect third person shooter as you're going to get. Of course the biggest plus in the game is the freedom, you choose what contracts (missions) you go on, who you ally yourself with, and so on. The more contracts you complete, the more money you have, and you'll want to spend it on anything from supply drops to vehicle shipments to awsome air strikes and artillary attacks. The only thing missing from the game is the ability to command your freindy troops like in Freedom Fighters, because there is a lot of running around by yourself, but that's the biggest down part, and that's not too bad. I'd recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed GTA, Hitman, or even games like shellshock nam because the game has a strong war feeling to it as well.

One excellent first-person shooting game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 27
Date: January 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Mercenaries takes place during the North Korean and Allied Nations war. North Korea is controlling nuclear missiles in hopes of being the most dominant country. Allied Nations, including South Korea, China, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Russian Mafia, are focused on destroying the leader of the North Koreans, General Choi Song. Trying to help the fight, ExOps, a professional mercenary service, sends one mercenary to take out Song and any nuclear weapons.

You get the choice to play as either Chris Jacobs, Jennifer Mui, or Mattias Nilsson. Each mercenary has a unique talent. Fiona Taylor provides you with information, sending many e-mails. The Allied Nations have set up the Deck of 52. This includes the 52 most dangerous North Koreans. Fiona tells you the possible location of them. Capture them and get tons of money. Use money to purchase vehicles, air strikes, and supplies. Drive to more then 10 provinces, each controlled by different factions and in some cases, civilians.

In Mercenaries, you get to work for the Allies, the Chinese, the South Koreans, and the Russian Mafia. Accept contracts from them to try to improve your relationship with their faction. Control over 30 different vehicles, including cargos, tanks, scouts, anti-air, and artillery. Have your allies join you in the vehicle. Fly in 14 helicopters. Or just hijack civilian vehicles. Control turrets, artillery, and much more. But cross a restricted zone and you're toast.

Use stealth to complete missions given to you from the factions. Stun enemies, knock them out, or just go on a rampage. It's your choice as you hunt down the evil Song, in an attempt to save the lives of millions. This game is definitly worth buying. One of the best first-person shooting games ever made.

AWESOME GAME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: March 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a very fun game. It is like a combo of a strategy war game and a Grand Theft Auto game.

Basically, the plot is to catch (dead or alive) the deck of 52 and complete missions for The Allies (The AN, like the UN in real life), South Korea, The Russian Mafia (has their own website to order supplies so they're good to work for), and China. You can switch who you want to work with time to time but make sure to not become enemies with other countries.

A really fun part of this game is you get paid for completing objectives like stealing a North Korean missile truck, blowing up North Korean tanks, eliminate the Russian Mafia captains, blowing up pretty much anything (except civilians or AN troops), and more.

While not on a mission, you can do side missions to earn extra cash and drive around to find a person from the deck of 52. You can kill a member of the deck of 52 but you only get half the cash so bringing them alive is a lot better.

Every car is "steal-able" and certain cars give you a certain disguise like a civilian, a North Korean, and as any of the other countries.

You choose from three characters to play as through the whole game. One has more armor, one is more stealthier, and one a the fastest. This game is a lot of fun.

It's just like Grand Theft Auto but with an international plot. I give this game five out of five stars without a doubt.

The BEST of its type so far!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: June 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you get frustrated with action games like this not challeneging you and being too easy, I have great news for you. They've finally done it! This game is not perfect, but it is difficult and long enough to challenege even the most avid gamer!

When you begin a game, you can choose from one of three different characters. You can read a little about each one, and your choice will affect your game play. Each character has something special about them that will affect their abilities during combat.

This game has been compared to GTA or even advertised as GTA in a war zone. There are a few similarities, but this is really as original as it gets. The only similarites I can think of are the ability to hijack and drive anything in the game and some of the side missions. Aside from that, they are completely different.

This game starts you in the middle of the war-torn Korea area with many countries fighting to acquire new land. You will receive contacts that represent their country, and you can receive contracts from them. The main part of the game, however, is capturing the Deck of 52. These are high-value targets who are categorized on playing cards. (Similar to the Iraqi 52 Most Wanted back in 2002.)

Some of your missions (contracts) for your contacts will lead you to the capture of one of these HVT's, but you will also receive intel via your PDA about other cards in the area. This game is totally open, so you can roam about the map searching for these HVT's in between contracts. You will begin with the suit of Clubs and work your way through the Diamonds, Hearts, and finally Spades.

The number cards will be much easier to capture than the face cards, and the Ace of each suit is extremely difficult.

Okay, I suppose I should highlight some of the major good and bad points of the game to help your decision to buy, so here it is...

Good:
-Freedom to roam: You can roam about and explore any parts of the map while on a contract or not. You are not restricted except in areas that will be opened later in the game.

-Vehicles: If you can see it being driven or flown, you can drive it and fly it! This makes the game very fun and realistic since you can drive and be disquised in many ground vehicles including scout jeeps, hummers, and tanks from each country, and also many helicopters from each country.

-Support: A mercenary may be courageous, but they're not too proud to get support. You can get deliveries of ammo, different guns, med kits, and vehicles by dropping smoke beacons for a helicopter to see. You can also order airstrikes or bombings with laser or satellite designation. Also, after you capture a HVT, you must call for an extraction if you take him alive. All this adds to the realism!

-Degree of challenge: This game is truly challenging if played without cheat codes, even some with them! There are 52 HVT's to capture, and that doesn't include all the contracts and side missions available. You may think you'll be able to fly right through the HVT's since you've played games like this before, but you're wrong. I decided to rent this before I bought it, and I got through the first suit (Clubs). That's it. The Diamonds and the contracts there are much more difficult. This is not a game that will be beaten quickly if played without cheat codes.

-Realism: This game takes place in real geographic locations with every detail included.

-Cool weapons: This game has a wide variety of great weapons to choose from. Your character can carry two guns which can be swapped for others when needed. There are several types of rifles (including sniper and armor-piercing sniper) to assault rifles, machine guns, RPG, anti tank and air rockets, and other cool toys. Also, the weapons from the support option (airstrikes) are very cool. It's great to be able to unleash a satellite designated Cruise Missile on an unsuspecting enemy compound! The Bunker Buster offers 4,000 pounds of absolute destruction to take care of those pesky hardened structures.

Okay, enough about the good. Let me list the bad.

-Kills: Although much better than some games (like Black) the enemies in Mercenaries tend to take a few shots before they die. I suppose this adds to the realism, because different guns affect how quickly they die.

-AI Spawning: Enemy areas sometimes include fortified bunkers. HVT's are often found around these bunkers. Somehow, the enemy AI spawns out of these bunkers. I expected a certain ammount of this, but I didn't expect a tank that I blew up to respawn three seconds later only to shoot down my extraction helicopter. Oh well, it makes it more challening. (You CAN destroy the bunkers)

That's it for the bad. I've played this game for over 100 hours so far, and that's all I can list for negatives. All in all, this is an excellent game and a must have for any action gamer!

Not as fun as expected, but still good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: January 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Opening Comment: This game relates to GTA (Grand Theft Auto) in many ways. First, you can hijack ANY vehicle in the game. Second, you go on missions to earn money. And third, the map is HUGE.

Pros:

- Three different characters
- Many vehicles
- Tons of contracts
- Four different groups
- Many destructible items
- The map is HUGE

Cons:

- Not too many guns (No pistols)
- AI isn't very smart (They can't even shoot straight)
- Its got good graphics, but they could be better (Their like Freedom Fighters)
- Not as fun as expected (Needs more action)

Ending Comment: Overall, a good rental. It should be worth $20 - $40.

Mercenaries --- Just one word "AWSOME"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: January 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Go anywhere and blow up anything!! This one will be hours and hours of fun. The explosions are fantastic. You get to choose from one of the three characters but it does not mater too much since all three are the same. They do not have any thing special. The game has a GTA feel in the roam around enviroment.No multi-player action but maybe in the next one.

What do you get when you take GTA to North Korea? This...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: February 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Many gamers (and reviewers on this site) have said that the GTA series couldn't be matched for its innovative style and free-roaming play. So what happens when you take a GTA-style scenario and virtually cross it with the real-world situation of Operation Enduring Freedom? You get the new game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.

In this game, you play as one of 3 mercenaries who have been chosen for a special mission: A United Nations-like group has to stop a madman in North Korea named Song who has control of a very powerful nuclear arsenal targeting the world. An unprecedented $100 million dollar bounty has been placed on Song's head and the heads of 51 other compatriots known as the "Deck of 52" (see how this relates to real world situations?) You are dropped into the country and your search for Song begins.

Your job is to make contact with the factions in the area and try to gather the intelligence information needed to take down the Deck. The first 12 "cards" in each suit are pretty much open season, meaning as you travel around the map to complete your missions if you see anyone of them in the area, you can take them down to collect their bounties and use the money for supplies, but keeping in mind that killing them gives you only half the bounty.
But for the 4 "Aces" you need to collect enough intel to gain special clearance to go after them, and trust me it won't be as easy as you would think.

Graphics are not really all that bad for this game but be honest, would you really care about the graphics when this game gives you virtually free reign to shoot any weapon, take any vehicle that is near you and destroy anything and EVERYTHING that is in your path? COME ON!

All in all, this is one Playground that you definitely will want to play in...

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: January 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I played the demo for this game and I have never seen more freedom in a game before. If you like to "blow stuff up", this is the game for you. It is simply perfection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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