RipTen Review: Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS)
The much-anticipated Mercenaries 3D has arrived on the 3DS. The game has caught some serious flak for its lack of a save reset feature, to the point where retailers such as GameStop refuse to even purchase the game back as used. Yet, despite this battle of public opinion, how does the game stand on it’s own? Read on…
The graphics in Mercenaries 3D are reasonably impressive overall. Character models and environments are detailed, effects such as explosions and blood hits are rendered well, and overall the game just looks pretty. There are a few jagged edges, but the resolution stays high throughout the game; however, while the visuals are impressive, they aren’t without flaws. The colors in the game are all fairly muted and drab, meaning enemies have a tendency to blend into the background. Another issue is that the enemies animation framerates are reduced significantly in the background, to around 5 frames per second or less. This gives the enemies in the background a stuttering look that can be jolting when you’re playing the game. It’s understandable that the developers had to make some sacrifices to get the graphics to look as good as they do, but the lowered framerate really hurts the visuals overall. The enemies that are right in front of you, however, move smoothly, and often those are the enemies you’re looking at anyway.
As for the gameplay, Mercenaries does a great job. The game maintains a very different pace from classic Resident Evil games, focusing much more on action than even the most recent entries into the series. The idea is to get as many kills as you can within the time limit and without dying. You can extend the time limit by picking up time extensions that are scattered across the map, as well as performing specialty or melee kills. The game rewards you for style,and there’s something oddly addictive about racing against the clock to kill zombies. While the formula is very different from traditional Resident Evil, it still feels like an RE title.
One issue with the gameplay, however, is its overall length. You can finish all the levels in the game in a single afternoon play session. Combine that with a complete lack of story, and the game sounds a little weak; however, the game makes up for it with a high replay value. Each level can be replayed at any time, either solo or with a friend. There’s no way you’ll get all the unlockables in a single play through, which will keep you coming back for more. Unlockables include new characters, new costumes, and skills. Each character can equip up to 3 skills which give them special abilities, such as better accuracy, more health, or resistance to insta-kills. These skills help you to really customize the characters and make them your own.
The 3DS controls work great for Mercenaries. Movement is handled with the analog stick, and weapon switching is done with either the dpad or the touch screen. Firing your weapon and actions are handled with a combination of face buttons and shoulder buttons. The controls are tight, and definitely help to keep the action at a high pace. Mercenaries also introduces the ability to move and fire simultaneously, by holding the L button down. While this sounds like a great addition, it also locks your aiming reticule in place, making it very hard to aim while moving. It’s a feature that I barely used at all, and one that’s not at all necessary to the game.
As for the overall package, Mercenaries feels a bit unfinished. The game is really just a mini-game that’s been included for free for the last few console releases of the series, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that there is really not that much new in this package. You’ll be playing and replaying the same few levels over and over again, and besides the new skills system, there’s really nothing else added to the game. There’s also no way to set up a custom mission. For instance, it would have been nice to be able to specify what kinds of zombies, what difficulty, and what level to play on for a little extra replay value.
In the end, Mercenaries is a decent action title on a platform that is sorely lacking in the genre. While the game is far from perfect, the action is addictive, and you’ll find yourself continuing to come back for more for quite some time. There are surprisingly few features for something that is being marketed as a full game release and not a mini-game; however, what is there is a lot of fun to play. As for the inability to delete the save file, it does not really reduce the enjoyment of the title, and even if you were able to pick it up used, you could still enjoy the title. It seems more like an oversight than any actual attempt to sabotage used sales. The overall lack of content makes this a game that’s tough to justify $40 for. At a lower price point, maybe it is worth playing. If you’re looking for a good action experience on the 3DS, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries is quite possibly your game. It’s not for everyone, and if you’re looking for a classic RE experience, then you’re surely better off waiting for Revelations later this year.
Here’s The Rundown:
+ Fun and addictive action
+ Great use of 3DS controls
- Surprisingly small feature set
- Lack of resale value
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3d was developed and published by Capcom. It was released on June 28th, 2011 for $39.99 USD on the Nintendo 3ds. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purposes of review.
