The game
The game Mercs was released by
Capcom in the year 1990. It was origionally released on an
arcade machine and, due to popular demand, was released on a series of other platforms such as
Commodore 64,
Master System and
Genesis. The game is played using a 16-bit machine, although it seems like it has been produced in
8-bit. This game doesn't bring us any new features or
graphical eye candy, but overall serves as a
game to be enjoyed while your
mind switches off.
If you're looking for a copy of this game but dont want to go out and buy a
JAMMA compatible arcade cabinet or an old games
console, it was re-released for the
next generation console
Playstation. The game was mixed in with other Capcom oldies in a product named
Capcom Generation 3
Gameplay
The gameplay in this game isn't really anything of the spectacular. The
camera angle gives you an overhead view of your
battlefield, and only moves in a forward direction. The playable characters, however, are able to move in an
omnidirectional fashion allowing the player to return to health or
weaponary that they have passed, so long as said items have not left the screen.
Firing weaponary in this game isn't the most taxing thing, in the sense that the player never has to worry about running out of
ammunition. There is one element of limited actions in the game, and that would be the
hand grenages which wipe out any enemy on the screen and cause a substantial amount of damage to end of level bosses. These grenades, however, can only be used a certain amount of times, but are dropped by
enemies. The played character can also enter
armored vehicles and if played in two player mode, one player will drive and the other will fire whatever weapon is attatched.
The game can be played in two different modes,
arcade and
original. In the arcade mode the player will have a health meter and will be able to continue playing with a new life bar after the character has lost all energy. In original mode the
player has no health meter, meaning if not played carfully your character will be killed with one hit instantly (just like real life). The player also has no continues to speak of.
Weapons
Weaponary in this game is mainly collected from supply
boxes that are randomly left in the environment.
Assault rifle - The
assault rifle is your standard issue weapon with which you begin the game. This weapon is only really useful for
anti-personnel purposes and poses little threat to vehicles and end of level bosses.
Assault shotgun - The assault shotgun is definitely the worst weapon in the game, and that requires no second thought. The range is incredibly limited and ammunition fired spreads into 3 different streams, one firing forward and two firing in diagonal lines outwards.
Flamethrower - The
flamethrower has a large range of fire in a straight flame and causes great amounts of damage to those who oppose you. The thing that makes this weapon the most suitable to play with is the fact that its incredibly
rapid. You literally dont have to let go of the button making the game a lot simpler.
Grenade Launcher - The
grenade launcher has its advantages and disadvantages, for example the
bazooka grenades it fires are incredibly powerful and take down whole groups of men. However, the range is severely limited, making it difficult not to get close to the
enemy.