Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction Critic Reviews

The replay value of this game is huge, with hundreds of things to find, do and complete. Since all the contracts can be beaten in dozens of different ways, the fun factor in replaying the game just goes up and up, plus there are more than three different characters to do it with.

I can't remember the last time I played a game in which I wondered whether something could be done, and nine times out of ten it actually could be, whether it's calling in an airstrike on a lone soldier or jacking a helicopter from the sky. Blowing stuff has never been this fun, or this satisfying.

This gritty third-person shooter and driving game is the most explosive game I've seen so far in 2005 and a great diversion from everyday life.

Combining hardcore action gaming with a grand environment and an intense feeling throughout... A crucial title that needs to be experienced to be truly believed.

Nothing short of awe-inspiring. It's filled with an incredible 52 missions, and dozens of side missions which culminate in 40+ hours or more of game time, which is almost unheard of in this genre.

The game world is hugely immersive, the danger is constant and mirrors the very real situation brewing right now, the ammunition and firepower are virtually unlimited, you can call in air strikes and bombardments from afar, and the missions are frequently inventive and require imagination to succeed at.

An immaculate production, with the combination of heavy firepower and loosely structured gameplay. If you like Doom, Halo, Serious Sam or any other game that's designed around mass mayhem and flaming wreckage, you'll be perfectly at home.

What is impressive about the game is the massive amount of replayability available to you With each contract can be completed in anyway you want to, plus YOU have three different characters you can complete the game with.

While the story might be a bit light, there is so much to do that just finding those missions that advance the story becomes a mere afterthought as you lose yourself in the dozens of challenges and cash-op mini-games.

Let me just conclude by defending this game against those that would say it is a Grand Theft Auto clone. While the free-form functionality and mission hierarchy are similar (as well as the ability to steal any vehicle or man any weapon or turret in the game), Mercenaries is its own, unique title and offers quite a few things that Grand Theft Auto doesn't – like the ability to devastate your surroundings.

By giving the player access to almost everything in the game world, LucasArts and Pandemic have created one hell of a fun game.

If the game world wasn't so big and the developer wasn't trying to push the limits of the machine then Mercenaries wouldn't be anywhere near as playable. As it is the sense of immersion in this huge war is inspiring.

Just one of those brilliant action games ripe with all the things that make this one an addictive joy to play. With a giant battlefield as your playground, plenty of guns and enough vehicles to use it doesn't get any better than this.

Very addicting and just plain FUN and at the end of the day, that's what it's all about. The whole package just shines.

A wild ride of pure action and destruction. It's a long, deep game that continues to deliver on its promise (it's marketed with the tagline "playground of destruction") with an unending amount of military might, muscle, and variation.

The intriguing plot, open-ended gameplay and fantastic visuals makes Mercenaries the entire package and the first must-have Xbox title of 2005.

An excellent offering that takes the sandbox gameplay and makes it work without taking Grand Theft Auto's formula and repackage it's theme.

The sandbox nature and tight, polished gameplay make this one of the first games in 2005 you should play.

This is the perfect game for deep-thinking military strategists and an awesome ride for those who just like to blow stuff up.

The first game to truly capitalize on GTA's design paradigm, Mercenaries deserves its war-worn props.