Mercenaries (XBOX) was a rare jewel. I'm not quite sure how it managed to sneak up almost unannounced but it did. It's a game that kept me entertained for countless hours and I still load up on occasion to mindless carnage.
The game is set in the De-militarized zone of the Korean Peninsula. In a fictional storyline which some factual basis an Australian Naval vessel discovers that North Korea is trying to smuggle nuclear weapons and an Allied Force moves in to sort things out.
Your role is to complete tasks for a number of opposing factions (Allied Nations, South Korea, China, Mafia). Different missions will require you to double cross those who you formerly wokred for, a moral crisis for those unable to complete Fable and KOTOR as the baddie.
Although you can't really use it when you start the game, the coolest feature for me was the support options. As you progress you unlock differing support options: from sports cars to tanks to the unbelievably destructive Bunker Buster bomb. As the ad says: Find yourself pinned down by a batallion of troops, divert an Allied bomber to lay down a carpet bomb. The only negative feature about this in the game is that at times the game can degenerate into you hunting radar jammers to call in precious air strikes and supplies.
Graphically it is very impressive. Lighting and environmental effects are well worked and portray the idea of a war zone very well. A good example is when you move into one of the battlefield zones where continuous conflict is happening. Artillery and mortar fire has created a constant haze.
It plays like a GTA game. Shooting, weapon changing and hijacking. See a tank you like? One click and you'll be dropping a grenade down the hatch. Thanks for the tank. And on the subject of tanks, they are practically indestructible...unless your opponents manage to get their hands on an RPG...
It is a well detailed game. To 100% it would take a significant amount of time. In addition to the Deck of 52 cards you need complete there are the following: South Korean listening posts to destroy, NBC weapon schematics to find, Historical treasures to find and you can earn thousands by grabbing vehicles and delivering them to the Mafia. There are also a number of times sub-missions to complete for cash.
All in all a fantastic game that will keep you entertained for a long time!
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