[img2 left]Mercenaries are the bad boys of the military world. They don't belong to any one particular side, but instead act like specialized hit men, delivery boys and saboteurs working for the highest bid, balancing their bank accounts with their personal morals and allegiances. Mercs tend to be free agents and lone warriors and there aren't a whole lotta gamers who can say they haven't wanted to be one. At least virtually.

LucasArts, in partnership with Pandemic Studios, has stepped away from the lightsabres and the stormtroopers to make way for sniper rifles and North Koreans. The appropriately titled Mercenaries pits players as an army of one, more or less, taking contracts and completing money making missions to gain access to more weapons, badder vehicles and the funds to make the occasional bribe. Explosions are monstrous and easily the most satisfying of other games of this type.[img18 right] Mercenaries is a Grand Theft Auto of sorts, with a new environment, new weapons and a more focused storyline. GTA: Vice City and the more recent San Andreas are easily larger games, sporting more map to cover, but lacks a sense of consequence for your actions. Mercenaries does this by immediately hitting your cash for collateral damage, such as taking out a civilian. In addition, each of the 5 factions have an approval rating of your work and killing too many of their soldiers will result in turning them wholly against you, making it difficult to take contracts or even driving through their territory.

[img1 left]You begin by choosing one of three special operatives, part of a larger merc organization called ExOps. Each of the three have a slightly different skillset which helps to tweak the difficulty. For example, Jennifer Mui has stealth skills, making her less likely to be detected by enemy soldiers. Play commences as you take contracts to earn money and information leading to members of the Deck of 52, a selection of war criminals loyal to North Korea and the deadly General Song. Taking down each of the deck will be rewarded with respect, cash, and information vital to stepping up the ladder to the next in the deck.[img20 right]

You'll be working with Allied Forces, the Chinese government, South Korean forces and the Russian Mafia on a regular basis, accepting contracts and "borrowing" weapons and vehicles in order to complete their tasks. Be warned though, some contracts will take you into another factions territory and require hostilities that will lower your favoring with them. North Korean forces will always be hostile, so feel free to take them out whenever you like. Utilizing air strikes, heavy artillery, C-4 and a myriad of weapons, you'll be charged with eliminating everything from conspirators to entire buildings in a fiery blast of rubble and bodies. Sound like fun? It is.

[img4 left]Graphically, the game serves up a war torn jungle, with scattered cities and military outposts. Textures are a little too often reused though, especially noticeable after you've hijacked a helicopter and are flying well above the cities. One of the more impressive nuances visually is the use of smoke and fire, generously provided in every mission. Firefights break out between the factions as they encounter each other and vehicles tend to explode in bright fireballs. Sparks fly, as does debris from each new wreckage and fire spews from it's remains. Calling in for a supply drop requires tossing a smoke grenade that spray red plumes to attract the attention of the chopper pilots doing the drop off. As the helicopters get closer the smoke blows away from where the bird is coming in and swirls around the ground as he lands, creating a real world feel.

Sound is just as impressive, immersing you in a world of 5.1 surround. Enemy alarms and soldiers battle cries envelope the player with a decent home theatre setup. Got Bass? Mercenaries does, effectively reproducing the subtle lows of a gunshot hitting flesh to the intimidating blasts of Bunker Buster Bombs that distort the picture as they rattle the windows. There is some minor voice acting from faction leaders, including Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed from Rocky) and Bruce McGill (Animal House, MacGyver), but nothing specifically award winning. Besides, this game is about the explosions. An orchestral soundtrack provides background, sounding oddly similar to what normally accompanies Lucas' titles, but this time void of John Williams' actual hand.

[img3 right]A few minor blemishes dot the otherwise porcelain face of the game though. The commercials promise that anything and everything can be destroyed. It was a might disappointing to find that although my RPG can reduce an enemy supply truck to smoldering parts, that wooden crate on the ground only gets relocated a bit. That tank that I just jacked can flatten fences and anything on four wheels, but that sapling on the side of the road just won't budge. I was also promised the freedom to hijack any vehicle, which is mostly true, but the big Allied Forces helicopters cant be jacked, even if they've come down to ground level to provide support fire. Additionally, expect a lot of driving. Many of your contracts will have you driving or worse, walking, for several minutes before reaching your target. We'd also like to have seen a co-op mode, even in split screen play, to pair up and take on the North Koreans while dodging each other's rockets.

Despite a few picky bits, the game is greatly satisfying and should quench any thirst for warfare, from ordering a stealth strike on a hidden bunker to using a helicopter's winch to grab a car, flail it around for momentum and letting it fly into a stockpile of enemy soldiers and trucks.[img7 left] Plenty of exploring options are here too, searching hill and dale to find stolen blueprints and national treaures to unlock new player skins such as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, or cheats for unlimited health and extra cash when you need it. There is a lot of game here, and though not particularly story driven or otherwise new to gamers, Mercenaries gets back to a primal fun that a lot of games lack.