In exactly a month today, one of my most hotly anticipated 3DS games since it was announced has finally been released. What game could I possibly be talking about other than the awesome Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D? I mean, you probably already knew that if you didn't miss the title above the text that you're currently reading. I've been looking forward to Mercs 3D ever since it was announced, and more recent footage and screenshots have had me extremely excited about this semi-zombie blast 'em up. Resident Evil: Revelations is all well and good, but we all know that won't be out for another year. It's been many months since my last post on The Mercenaries 3D, and a massive amount of new screenshots, news and trailers have been released since then. With all of this great stuff having me excited about Capcom's latest game in the acclaimed series, let's take a look at what it has to offer.
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| Each of the game's eight characters can be customised to your heart's content! |
For those who don't know, Mercenaries mode is an extremely addictive unlockable extra that was included in both Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. It involves you unlocking and playing as characters from the series in an attempt to chain kills together while battling a time limit that can be extended by finding and smashing up time bonuses. It's a very simple concept, but for those who like it it's oh-so addictive. And now, the addictive factor of Mercenaries mode has been enhanced thanks to The Mercenaries 3D. Capcom have extended the extra mode into a full retail game, which means more characters, more stages and several brand-new features. Quite possibly the most exciting new addition to Mercenaries is the ability to upgrade and customise each of the eight characters you can play as. Each character has a number of upgrade slots in which you can place perks that enhance their abilities. For example, one upgrade could increase the speed of a character, or the range of their melee attacks. Of course, some get a lot more diverse. You can also customise each of the Mercenaries' weapon load-outs. Sticking to the same old weapons like you did in previous Mercenaries modes did get a little repetitive, and this new feature seems to sort that out. The great thing about these upgrades is that you now actually have something to play for, other than unlocking new characters and beating high scores...
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| Barry is your standard bearded man who fights for the fun of it. Watch out for his brutal melee attacks... |
Speaking of characters, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is packed with more than ever before, including some old fan favourites. Since Mercenaries is completely non-canon, Capcom have the ability to include anyone from the Resident Evil franchise. The two most recently announced zombie hunters are Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers, both of which have never appeared in a Resident Evil game since the first installment of the series around 15 years ago. Barry is a brutal fighter who tends to use heavy weaponry and some ridiculous up close and personal melee attacks, one of which involves him brutally head-butting an enemy. Let's just hope he has a long bath after a day of fighting the enemies of Mercenaries 3D, because if he doesn't get blood on his forehead I don't know how he will. Rebecca on the other hand takes a more elemental approach to hunting. This fighter makes use of more gadget-based weapons, such as guns that launch stun grenades and electrified knifes. She's also armed with more heavy machine guns and automatic rifles to use on her stunned enemies. The only downside to Rebecca seems to be her Melee attacks, which involve weak pushes and shoves. Luckily, Jill Valentine is here to save the day when it comes to getting up close and delivering some sweet hand-to-hand attacks. Jill is armed with some brilliant melee moves which involve her delivering some glorious long-range roundhouse kicks and even a move where she jumps on her opponent's head and snaps their neck with her legs. Jill also packs some firepower too, made up of even more machine guns and the like. Wesker is also up for a hunt in Mercs 3D. Quite possibly the most out-there character, this long running Resi antagonist can zoom around the stage and deliver blows that cause ridiculously powerful shock-waves that send his enemies flying.
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| Jill Valentine is easily my favourite character in Mercenaries, thanks to her ridiculously cool melee attacks. |
The four characters we already knew about when the game was first revealed are still in there, and it seems that they're the ones you'll be starting out with before unlocking Barry, Rebecca, Jill and Wesker. Chris Redfield and his sister, Claire are two fighters that make use of classic combat techniques. Armed with pistols and the like, they fight with honour rather than mystical powers and gadgetry. Hunk was always my favourite Mercenary in Resident Evil 4, and while he seems to pale in comparison to the new characters, his knife based melee attacks still look excellent. Finally, Krauser returns from Resident Evil 4. This guy is the most unique of the starters, as he is armed with a deadly bow and piercing arrows. Krauser is also extremely strong thanks to the Plaga virus that is contained in his right arm. Not only can you customise the weapons and abilities of all eight mercenaries, but you can also unlock different costumes for them. All that's been revealed so far is a wedding dress for Rebecca, but we'll find out soon enough whether we'll be able to dress Chris Redfield up in a clown costume (hopefully not). Another new feature of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is that you can fight alongside a fellow player in local or online co-op play. That's right, for the first time in Resident Evil history, you can fight alongside (or compete with in a points contest) another human rather than being a lone wolf in the fight against Ganados and those guys from Resi 5. This mode has me really excited, and it will undoubtedly increase the replay value of the game even more.
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| Rebecca Chambers is a character who focuses more on firepower than physical combat. |
So, The Mercenaries 3D packs in a standard solo mode full of tons of characters that can be customised to your specifications, a ton of unlockable extras and an all-new online multiplayer mode. What else could the game possibly include? I'll tell you what, a demo of the upcoming full-on Resident Evil game for 3DS known only as Revelations. Even though this demonstration is a few minutes long, it'll be a nice extra and something cool to have until the full game is released sometime next year. Until then, I'm happy with The Mercenaries 3D. You can definitely expect a full review soon after I purchase the game. Until then, you lot can look forward to a ton of E3 related posts and more over the next month!
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