Mercenaries

"Extremely fn game with a handful of faults."

Let's call a spade a spade, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction an extremely fun game unlike anything previously available on the market. The ability to destroy literally anything and everything countless different ways is simple in nature but challenging as the game progresses. The GTA comparisons and similarities are obvious, but it should be noted that this is a game that stands on its own in style, game play and value. However, the game does have a handful of faults concerning glitches, physics, and controls.

The basis of the game is that you are a contractor hired by a coalition of South Korea, China, and the Allied Nations (comparable to the United Nations). Along the way you can also complete jobs for the Russian Mafia which isn't essential to the overall motive of the game, but is important to unlock valuable vehicles and equipment. A balance exists between these factions in that doing work for one faction will affect the overall "mood" of another. If the mood of a given faction reaches a certain point, you will be considered an enemy and attacked on the spot. However, you can change this balance through bribery and other methods.

Completing "contracts" for factions is the meat and potatoes of the games as you are given missions which lead to the capture (or kill, which leads to collection of only half of a bounty) of members of the "Deck of 52"--comparable to card decks given to soldiers upon the Invasion of Iraq. As you complete contracts, intel becomes available about lower members of each suit. As you capture members of the suit, they provide intel about the face cards of each suit eventually leading to the Ace of Spades. Its a very refreshing concept as it allows the player to progress through the game as quickly or as thoroughly as possible because you aren't required to capture each card in a given order, nor are you required to complete the suit to capture the ace; it's completely up to the players discretion.

The game play itself is intense and smooth. The game seemed to have been designed for GTA players more concerned about death and destruction than completing the actual missions. The jobs are simple: "blow this up, capture this person, rescue these people"...so on and so fourth. Very little details are given besides objective and location, but how the player decides to complete the contract is wide open. It's how the player chooses to complete each mission that brings depth and replay value to this game.

The graphics in this game are superb and among the best available on XBOX. That's all there is to it. Textures, smoke, explosions, models and on-screen action push the XBOX to it limits and its something you just need to see for yourself. What makes this game stand out from many other games are the use of light and fog to develop mood. As a player enters a hostile zone, there's a noticeable change in the light , visibility and overall atmosphere of the given area. Again, something that has to been seen to comprehend.

Overall sound was well throughout as the creators took steps to ensure accuracy with each weapon and its real-life counterpart. The sum of explosions, roaring jets, screaming enemies (and allies) does everything possible to throw the player into battle. Turn it up.

Although this game is addicting and a blast to play, it should be noted that it does have it's fault that can make it a frustrating experience. The vehicle controls are sloppy, especially while controlling tanks. The left thumb stick determines direction of movement, the right thumb stick determines the direction of the turret and has no effect on the general movement of the tank whatsoever. On paper, that sounds fine, but they really should have taken a cue from the tank controls in Halo. In Mercenaries, it's pretty difficult to keep straight, let alone turn on a dime which is near impossible. As I said, the left thumb stick controls ALL movement including, throttle and brake, so if you have the thumb stick slightly left or right of center, then you'll be veering off , which becomes frustrating in a hurry as the vehicles will quickly drive over anything in it's path. In short, don't take the tanks on bridges, you'll be asking for trouble....

My second complaint are the vehicle physics. The reactions to a small collision appear as if you hit something going 60+mph. Yeah, it looks neat, but becomes a real pain when you're in hurry. The vehicles are quick to roll over which is VERY frustrating. For example, one mission I had an APC packed full of VIPs that needed to be rescued and taken back to base. Due to the intuitive tank controls, I hit a rock, rolled the vehicle, and left my VIPs trapped with no way to roll it over short of ramming it with a Humvee to turn it back over, which caused considerable damage. Expect situations such as this one while playing, I assure you there will be at least one.

My final complaint is the lack of story. The objectives are clear, and there is a motive to every action, however there is no character development or evolution of a story which I believe is the main reason this game is short of being superb. As the title states, the player is truly thrown into a playground. The mission is clear: capture/kill the bad guys and create as much havoc as possible, but as a player you ask "BUT WHAT'S MY MOTIVATION?!"--the only reason you fight with who you do is because the game says so, which I find to be a real letdown. The game would feel much more intense and exciting if there were a motive behind the mayhem.?

If you are the kind of gamer looking for thrills and challenging game play in a combat environment, this game is yours. However, if you're looking to experience a game with the depth and a storyline, then you might want to rent this one first.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/05