Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

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Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Developer(s)	Pandemic Studios
Publisher(s)	LucasArts
Engine	Havok Physics
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date(s)	JP April 28, 2005 NA January 11, 2005 EU February 18, 2005 AUS 2006
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	CERO: 15 ESRB: Teen PEGI: 16+
Media	DVD-DL

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is a third-person shooter video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published on January 11, 2005 by LucasArts for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game features a open world environment set in North Korea in the near future. The player takes control of a mercenary and complete contracts in the war-torn country for profit and to prevent a nuclear war. Critics gave favorable reviews to the game, in particular praising its focus on explosive mayhem.

The Xbox version is currently compatible with the Xbox 360 as of the update dated April 18, 2007; however, many have experienced issues such as frequent freezing with its emulation.^{[citation needed]}

The sequel, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, was released on August 31, 2008 in North America and on September 5, 2008 in Europe for the Microsoft Windows, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 formats. Following Pandemic's closure in November 2009, Electronic Arts announced EA Los Angeles would be developing the next title in the series, a game called Mercs Inc.^[1]

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Factions 3.1 North Korea 3.2 Allied Nations 3.3 South Korea 3.4 China 3.5 Russian Mafia 4 Characters 4.1 Playable characters 4.2 Non-playable characters 4.3 Deck of 52 5 Development 6 Reception 6.1 Awards 6.2 South Korean Ban 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Gameplay

The player is deposited in a vast "sandbox" environment, free to pick up missions, perform side tasks, collect items, or employ game mechanics in exhibition. As the world is a sandbox, the player can choose to do any of these activities at any time. In fact, one can level all of the buildings in the game world, including the faction HQs. Buildings are usually restored after an extended time away from the area, the player's death, or re-loading the game. Also, the player can cause wanton destruction in many small outposts and strongholds occupied by and restricted to faction members only. However, excessive rampaging is discouraged by the reduction of the attacked faction's disposition towards the player, and the murders of civilians and Allied Nations personnel result in cash fines as well. Since the North Korean faction is always hostile towards the player and all the other factions, the player is free to attack NK forces without fear of penalty.

In order to get back in the favor of an offended faction, the mercenary must complete contracts for the faction. If the faction is so hostile that it refuses to give out contracts, the player must bribe the HQ guard first. There are other methods of increasing favor with a particular faction, even though they are less effective than the above two methods. For example, one can collect or destroy hidden items, such as National Treasures or Song's monuments, that are of interest to the faction. Also, when two factions are engaged in a skirmish, one can help a group of soldiers fight off the other group. Upon being witnessed, the player's actions will be favored by the faction receiving the help; however, the other faction will dislike the player more. A mercenary may disguise himself by driving in a faction's vehicle, as long as he is not seen getting in the vehicle by anyone in the vicinity. Inappropriate behavior, such as running over troops, results in the disguise being lost. With a hostile faction's vehicle, the player can infiltrate enemy outposts. However, faction officers can see through disguises, as well as sway their faction's disposition more strongly.

The player can perform various missions for different factions, but it is not required to complete every mission available. A mission involves one or multiple objectives that include stealing, delivery, retrieval, or destruction of certain items or vehicles, assassinating targets, and destruction of an enemy camp or stronghold. It is notable that a mission may upset another faction, such as when a Mafia mission requires the murder of a Chinese officer. The completion of a mission rewards the mercenary with cash, increase in the faction's disposition, and tips regarding the Deck of 52, and it occasionally unlocks items, vehicles, or airstrikes.

At any point in the game, the player is tasked with hunting down and "verifying" 13 targets of a "suit." "Verification" involves killing the target and taking a picture of the corpse, or subduing the target and summoning an AN helicopter to transport the prisoner. After every verification the player is awarded with "Intelligence" and cash, which is usually doubled if the target is captured alive. In a suit, the number cards (from 2 to 10) are located throughout the in-game region, and they can be found by exploration or by receiving tips from friendly factions. Each of the three face cards (Jack, Queen, King) is only made available by one of Chinese, South Korean, and Russian factions. A "face card mission" often involves specific objectives for the faction in addition to verifying the target. However, it is not necessary to verify all members of a suit to progress through the game. The player must gain enough Intelligence by verifying targets before the AN gives the player the Ace contract. The Ace, the most important figure in a suit, is located in an isolated, often heavily-fortified, area where the player is dropped off. The Ace contract usually consists of a variety of required and optional objectives that can be accessed in multiple routes, before the ace is available for verification. After the ace is verified, the player is transported back to the main region to hunt down another suit of targets.

If the player attempts to leave the game world (leaving N. Korea), they will effectively enter a restricted area where either the AN Task Force or the North Koreans have supreme air power in those areas and entering these areas immediately prompts you with a warning message (either by an unnamed Allied radio operator or by your support operative, respectively) telling you to get out now. If you choose to ignore this warning, another message is transmitted telling you that enemy planes are inbound. This is followed by three fighters appearing to shoot you down with a large salvo of explosives that are impossible to completely dodge and tough to survive. These are areas that usually surround the province (with the exception of the Black Gate until after the Ace of Clubs is verified) and are marked in red.

[edit] Plot

After over 50 years of military tension, the aging President Choi Kim of North Korea began to embrace the "Sunshine Policy" of South Korea, reviving hopes of peaceful reunification. However, the North Korean military became disgruntled with the turn of events, fearing a dramatic loss of their power. Their leader, the brilliant and ruthless Choi Song, believed that his father, President Kim, was losing sight of "North Korea's true destiny." Song led an army of insurgents into a ceremony celebrating a road map to the reunification of Korea. Both North and South Korean political leaders were shot and killed, and Song himself shot his father dead without hesitation.

After the successful coup, General Song then severed all contact with the outside world. The whole country went "dark" for many weeks, until a North Korean freighter, by accident, was discovered to contain a small but potent nuclear weapon bound for an Indonesian terrorist front. Various intelligence agencies in the world subsequently found North Korea's missile capability to be far more advanced than previously expected. Song's possession of nuclear weapons and ICBMs as well as his deal with terrorist groups prompted the formation of an Allied Nation Task Force. The multinational troops toppled Song's government and captured the launch sites, only to discover that North Korea was building more nuclear warheads at another unknown launch site. The missiles were to be completed in three weeks, and only the elusive General Song had the launch codes. With millions of lives at risk, the AN had no choice but occupy the region and search for Song.

The remnants of the North Korean army fiercely fought back the foreign invaders, and the AN began to be pushed back. The Russian Mafia infiltrated the country, hoping to exploit the chaos and establish a black market. In addition, Chinese and South Korean troops moved into North Korea, each intent on establishing a government under Beijing's or Seoul's agenda. Unable to maintain control or find Song, the AN distributed a "most wanted" list in the form of a "Deck of 52," consisting of key figures of the North Korean criminal underground, businessmen, weapon scientists, and military leaders under Song's leadership. At the top of the list was General Song himself, the Ace of Spades, with an open bounty of $100,000,000. "Executive Operations", a private military company, responded immediately by sending an ExOps mercenary aboard a C-17 cargo plane, en route to a drop zone in the DMZ.

As soon as the merc hits the ground in the middle of the chaos, the player assumes control. Thumbing through the "Deck of 52", the mercenary begins his manhunt. The mercenary becomes acquainted with the leaders of the Chinese, South Korean, Russian Mafia, and Allied Nations factions. However, he can accept contracts of any factions to gain intelligence, cash, air support options, and the faction's favor. With the gathered intelligence, or by exploration of the region, the mercenary comes across numerous "number cards" and "face cards" to "verify" (kill or capture), claiming the bounties. When enough intelligence is gathered, he accepts an Ace contract from the AN, and breaks through to an enemy stronghold to verify the "Ace." After two Ace contracts, the theater of war shifts to the Northern Province, and the mercenary moves to the new region.

Through various contracts, the mercenary proceeds up the "Deck of 52," and finally is given the Ace of Spades contract. After a long battle against defending North Korean forces at the missile launch site, the mercenary manages to acquire the launch codes and disable the missiles. After rescuing the imprisoned President Kim (who was in fact alive) and completely leveling Song's fortress, the mercenary manages to verify General Song. Depending on whether the player is able to upload the abort codes in time or if the computer is left intact long enough, the game ends with a GSRN reporter stating that the missiles exploded in flight or that Seoul, among other major cities, were destroyed. If Song is killed rather than captured, the 100 million dollar bounty is halved, leaving the player with only 50 million dollars.

[edit] Factions

Immediately after Song's coup, the Allied Nations invade North Korea in an attempt to stop the launch of several nuclear missiles intended for cities such as Tokyo and Seoul. Other factions soon arrive in the area all with their own goals and ambitions. This creates a five way tug-of-war resulting in numerous conflicts and battles between forces.

[edit] North Korea

The main enemy of the game. The North Korean army is always hostile towards the player during the course of the game, and will attack the player on sight. Led by General Choi Song, he and his army want dominance over most of Asia, and will stop at nothing to ensure victory. When the Allied Nations invaded North Korea, Song's men split up and created various outposts and bases around the landscape. They are the most abundant army in the game.

The North Korean army is divided into four ranks. The common soldier, the most abundant in the game, wears a brown uniform and usually carries an assault rifle (AK-47) or a rocket-propelled grenade. A grenade or a burst of rifle fire is sufficient to kill them.Then there are "field officers" who use LMG's as a primary weapon. Next is the Elite Forces in black outfits are armed with light machine guns or occasionally an anti-tank or anti-air missile launchers. The elite soldiers are only encountered in the Northern Province and in the Ace contracts. Officers usually carry submachine guns and drop money, ammo, or grenades when subdued or killed. The top rank is the "Deck of 52." The player will receive the bounty money for either killing or subduing a member of this rank (though less money is paid for a dead target). The North Koreans have access to some very powerful but least technologically-advanced vehicles including APCs, tanks, and helicopter gunships.

[edit] Allied Nations

The game's equivalent of the United Nations, this global army is represented by Colonel Samuel Garrett. The Allied Nations are in North Korea for one reason only: to stop General Song at all costs. Given the lack of time and resources, they have collected a group of "most wanted," named "the Deck of 52," and have opened up contracts for mercenaries. After the capture or death of Song and his men, the AN wishes to bring humanitarian aid to the people of North Korea. Although concerned about the other factions spreading their influences, they remain neutral to all factions other than the North Korean army. The presence of embedded GSRN field reporters limits AN activity, as the more covert and underhanded measures, such as employing mercenaries, will gather increased media attention to the battle zone.

The AN have a formidable technologically-advanced army that consists of APCs, the strongest tanks in the game, helicopter gunships, and Humvees. The AN soldiers are generally equipped basic M4A1 carbines, anti-tank/anti-air rocket launcher, and grenades. They are in camouflage uniforms and blue helmets that greatly resemble real-life UN Peacekeeping Forces. The AN controls the airspace over North Korea and provide most of the air strikes available in the game.

[edit] South Korea

The South Koreans are striving for the reunification of Korea, and have moved aggressively to establish a strategic foothold. While the regular South Korean Army is officially under Seoul's command, the troops in North Korea are funded, fostered, and backed by the CIA, in the person of Special Agent Mitchell Buford. Agent Buford typically tasks the player with rescue/recovery missions or jobs that he does not want traced back to the South Koreans. The SK forces are not happy about China's designs on their northern neighbors, and the SK and Chinese forces are engaged in open warfare late in the game.

Most SK weapons and vehicles are identical to their Allied Nation counterparts, although their vehicles have a different camouflage pattern. SK soldiers, in uniforms closely resembling those worn by South Korean military police in the Joint Security Area of the DMZ, are equipped in a similar manner to the AN forces. A few soldiers carry the G36 and SVD, and some officers and commandos use the silenced MP5. The SK forces also have female soldiers from the 707th Special Mission Unit (mostly seen in the north sector, but a small squad can be found near the Black Gate). These troops can easily take down the less-equipped Chinese forces. The SK mechanized forces feature TOW-armed variants of the Allied Humvees, light APCs, and powerful attack helicopters. The vehicles have a different camouflage color scheme than the AN vehicles. Being a covert unit, speed and mobility are the South Korean forces' primary assets; they do not have the heavy armor or manpower for sustained combat. The South Koreans provide access to stealth fighter and bomber support, courtesy of the CIA.

Collecting Weapons of Mass Destruction blueprints and destroying North Korean monuments such as giant statues of General Song will increase South Korean favor toward the player and gives a cash reward.

[edit] China

The People's Liberation Army, commanded by Colonel Zhou Peng, wants to set up a pro-China regime in North Korea and make the country a province of the People's Republic of China. This naturally puts them at odds with the Koreans, both South and North. Although officially part of the Allied coalition, the Chinese forces operate independently. Colonel Peng repeatedly sends the player on missions that his forces are too slow or unable to complete with sufficient precision, such as assassinations and other covert operations usually against SK or NK factions.

Chinese soldiers wear winter/urban camouflage gear and use similar weaponry as the AN forces and North Korean troops, such as Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades, and some officers carrying submachine guns. Being the largest single military force in the world, the PLA has access to some exceptionally powerful vehicles including a wide range of heavily-armed APC, tanks, and heavy-lift helicopters. The PLA also features vast artillery coverage and supplies the fuel air bomb airstrike.

Destroying SK listening posts and recovering Korean national treasures will increase Chinese favor toward the player.

[edit] Russian Mafia

Although ruthless and powerful, the Russian Mafia is a criminal organization and therefore has no major military presence in North Korea. Led by Sergei Voronov, a comical eccentric who is later replaced by his aid Josef. The organization seeks to profit by a variety of illegal activities, as well as by dealing with various factions. Although they are unhesitant in upsetting the military factions if necessary, they mostly operate small-scale and evade outright confrontation. There is a hint in the game that they are getting orders from Moscow which means that they could be a front for the Russian Federation's Military. The factions including the AN are fairly annoyed of Mafia presence, and some missions involve damaging Mafia operations.

The Mafia have the lightest ground presence out of all the factions,(they usually aren't very far from the Mafia HQ) with few men, some customized light vehicles, and very few helicopters. Most Mafia thugs carry SMGs while officers carry shotguns. The Mafia enforcers are equipped also with light machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and RPGs. The vehicles consist of Mafia technicals and SUVs (especially abundant in the Northern Province), but no Mafia tanks or APCs exist.

Supply drops, airstrikes, and most vehicles (except for ones too big to carried by helicopters) can be ordered over the Mafia's website, Merchant of Menace, accessible via the player's PDA. Outside the missions, the player must rely on the Mafia for air support, and a low standing with the Mafias results in being denied access to the website. Also, any land vehicle can be sold to the Mafia's chop shop for cash and increase of Mafia's disposition. High-end vehicles such as tanks are worth the most money; also, less damaged vehicles can be sold at greater prices.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Playable characters

There are three playable characters in Mercenaries: Christopher Jacobs, Jennifer Mui, and Mattias Nilsson. All of them are mercenaries employed by ExOps during the North Korean conflict, but only one character of player's choice is dispatched to the war-zone in the beginning of the game. They follow the same plot and handle similarly in terms of gameplay, but each of them has a different personality, as well as specific strengths that may alter the player’s strategy. Also, each mercenary can speak a unique language in addition to English, so the player can understand conversations of a particular faction by reading the subtitles shown.

• Chris Jacobs: (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is a former Delta Force from the United States. He appears to be a confident and reliable personality with often humorous remarks. He can endure more damage in health than others, and speaks Korean.
• Jennifer Mui: (voiced by Jennifer Hale) was an MI6 agent before joining ExOps. She is highly efficient in stealthy maneuvers as she does not alert enemies as easily as other mercenaries. Born a Chinese-British in Hong Kong, she can understand conversations in Chinese.
• Mattias Nilsson: (voiced by Peter Stormare) has been a Swedish Navy artillery officer until he became a mercenary. Extremely reckless, violent, and obsessed with explosives, Nilsson uses his faster movement on foot to overwhelm his enemies quickly. He speaks Russian and is able to understand private Mafia conversations.

Mercenaries contains unlockable skins as rewards for completing certain in-game tasks. For instance, picking up a certain number of National Treasures will allow playing as an NK Elite. Some cheat codes unlock the numerous hidden characters such as the leaders of each faction. This being a LucasArts game, it is also possible to unlock both Indiana Jones and Han Solo as playable characters. However, the differences between skins are only cosmetic and will have no effect on gameplay or the main character's attributes.

[edit] Non-playable characters

• Fiona Taylor: The ExOps technical officer assigned to the Mercenary, and the point of contact for tactical, strategic, and geopolitical data. She uses her access to satellites, newsfeeds, and "secured" channels to advise the Mercenary during missions. She is voiced by Amy Lee.
• Colonel Samuel Garrett: The colonel in charge of the AN forces in the country. He is a bit grumpy with the Mercenary at first (mostly because being able to work through red tape), but after the Mercenary saves the AN HQ and captures or kills the Two of Clubs, he begins to show a grudging respect. Major Steven Howard is Garrett's personal assistant, who briefs the Mercenary on every AN contract. Garrett is voiced by Carl Weathers.
• Agent Mitchell Buford: A CIA agent covertly and unofficially in charge of the Republic of Korea (South Korean) forces. As such, he's fluent in Korean. His enemies are the Russian Mafia, Chinese, and the North Koreans. His archenemy is Colonel Peng. He is very calm and cool-headed, and is glad to have the mercenaries work for him, even though he does not like the mercenaries themselves. Major Park, the commander of South Korean forces, is in practice Buford's assistant, briefing the mercenary on South Korean contracts. Buford is voiced by Bruce McGill.
• Colonel Zhou Peng: Head of the PLA (Chinese) forces and Buford's archrival. He opposes the North Koreans, South Koreans and Russian Mafia, and seems to have little interest in AN affairs. At first, he shows little interest in the skills of the mercenaries, but gradually begins to respect them. Captain Kai Liu is Peng's second-in-command, and briefs the Mercenary on Chinese contracts. Peng is voiced by James Hong. Peng also appears in Mercenaries 2: World In Flames.
• Sergei Voronov: The head of the Russian Mafia. He opposes every other faction. As his right-hand man Josef says, "he may act like an idiot but he is a ruthless killer." His behavior is highly erratic and Fiona doesn't seem to trust him at all. He operates a black market website that the Mercenary can use to order supplies, vehicles, and air strikes. He is voiced by Chris Cox.
• Josef Yurinov: Rumored to be a cold-blooded Ex-KGB killer, Josef is Sergei's second in command in controlling the Mafia organization. Much calmer than his paranoid boss, it is hinted that Josef is the key to maintaining order inside the Mafia. He briefs the Mercenary on every Mafia contract. In the emails sent by him about number cards, Fiona reveals that he is very professional, too professional for man of the Russian mafia. In one of the last Mafia missions, Sergei attempts to have Josef and the player's character killed, but they both escape. Josef takes over the Russian Mafia and has the mercenary kill Sergei. Mattias can translate what Josef and Sergei say in Russian. It is also revealed that he and Mattias worked together on a case in Kosovo. He is voiced by Charles Dennis. Josef is briefly mentioned by Fiona Taylor in Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.
• Adrianna Livingston: The head GSRN reporter of the North Korean conflict. She reports the news after every successful Ace mission. She is voiced by Moira Quirk.

[edit] Deck of 52

Each card in the Deck of 52 represents a person targeted by the AN. The player proceeds through one suit at a time, "verifying" its members by either taking a picture of the corpse after killing the target or extracting the target in an AN helicopter after subduing him. The suit of a card delineates their relationship with Song. The value of each card represents the importance of a target to Song; for example, the King of Hearts represents a high-ranking commander while the Three of Clubs is an unknown businessman.

• Clubs are financiers and businessmen (Division 39 members); Dung Hwangbo, the Ace of Clubs, is the leader of a secret state-sponsored mafia.
• Diamonds are important figures in the DPRK army; General Chin Chang, the Ace of Diamonds, devises many types of missiles and artillery, such as the Supergun seen in the Ace contract.
• Hearts are biological, nuclear, and chemical scientists; General Chul Kang, the Ace of Hearts, is a nuclear scientist in charge of building ICBM with nuclear warheads for Song.
• Spades are tacticians and Song's personal bodyguards (All of the Spades are female excluding the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack); General Song, the Ace of Spades, is the North Korean dictator in hiding, and reportedly the most dangerous man in the world.

[edit] Development

The game's orchestral soundtrack was composed by Michael Giacchino with Chris Tilton. It was performed by the Northwest Sinfonia and released on a 21-track CD.

[edit] Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	Xbox: 86%[2] PS2: 84%[3]
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A[4]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	8.67/10
GameSpot	8.8/10[5]
GameSpy	Xbox [6] PS2 [7]
IGN	9.1/10[8]
Official Xbox Magazine	9/10
PSM	8/10

The game received generally favorable reviews from critics. On the video game review aggregator GameRankings, the Xbox version of the game has an average score of 86%, based on 70 reviews,^[2] and the PlayStation 2 version has an average of 84%, based on 41 reviews.^[3]

Ryan Davis, former editor of GameSpot, gave the game a rating of 8.8 out of 10, saying the action is greatly varied and "fundamentally satisfying", the world is immersive, and the game has "gorgeous graphics." Davis also said the exaggerated physics in the game is sometimes too much and the quality of the sound effects is uneven. Davis said the game is "a much better game overall" than Full Spectrum Warrior, a game that Pandemic Studios previously developed. Davis said that at first the game looks like a Grand Theft Auto knockoff due to similar elements such as a third-person perspective, the ability to get in any vehicle you see and "an irrepressible enthusiasm for explosive chaos", but that Mercenaries is more linear and mission-based. Davis said "most of the ground-based vehicles feel a little too floaty." Davis wrote "It's amazing how close the game scrapes to reality without actually breaking through, and its use of a slightly fictionalized North Korea as a setting can be a little unsettling at times. But despite the game's commitment to a quasirealistic scenario, the action is fast and loose." Davis noted the voiceover performances of Peter Stormare and Carl Weathers as particularly well done.^[5]

[edit] Awards

The game was included on Game Informer's list of "Top 50 Games of 2005".

[edit] South Korean Ban

Mercenaries was banned from shelves in South Korea for depicting war in its still-hostile theater, as was Ghost Recon 2. The delicate situation between North and South Korea means that the government is under severe pressure to ban media that depicts war between the two nations, for fear that it could further strain an already tense diplomatic situation. However, almost 2 years later, the Game Rating Board of Korea announced that the ban on these games would be lifted by 2007.^[9]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction at the Internet Movie Database
• Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction at MobyGames

v • d • e Mercenaries series Games Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction · Mercenaries 2: World in Flames · Mercs Inc. Characters Chris Jacobs · Jennifer Mui · Mattias Nilsson