Rather underrated, this 2005 game took the logical idea of an open-world motif and applied it to a war setting. You could play as one of three mercenaries, each with their own unique skills, in a North Korea threatening war on the South. The game play was a good mix of driving and shooting with a variety of weapons but what made it stand out was how you could work for the various factions about the country, from North Korean troops to Allied Nations and Russian Mafia. That leads to the fun of playing sides against each other, taking on multiple missions for more cash and enhancing your reputation€ which can sometimes be a bad thing as your actions define your standing with each faction. The combat was great as you could go from stealth play to openly blowing up entire towns in tanks, calling for air strikes and private assassination missions. The game truly did up the ante over GTA with the idea of a nation literally at war and the ability to play factions against each other better than the more streamlined storylines GTA would give you. And perhaps the franchise would have expanded on that potential if the sequel wasn't marred by production issues and the death of its studio. Were it not for that, there could well have been more Merc games and a more legitimate threat to GTA's crown.
A freelance writer with love of comic books, sci-fi/fantasy, action films, pro wrestling and more. An inventive mind and history major who hopes to bring some of that to readers.
