Mercs (Full Game) - Arcade Gameplay - (2K 60fps)
0Commando, a Capcom run and gun, was a great success in second half of the '80s both in its domestic and recreational versions, so it greatly influenced competing titles that followed, such as Bloody Wolf (Konami), Heavy Barrel (Data East), Ikari Warriors or Guerrilla War (SNK).
Capcom responded with MERCS, a Commando sequel for its CPS recreational board that incorporated new features such as the ability to play up to 3 simultaneous players, the use of vehicles such as jeeps, tanks or launches, new weapons such as cutouts, grenade launchers or flamethrowers, or added of a health bar so that players do not lose a life with each shot.
MERCS stood out for pectacularity of its graphics, which had huge objects as final enemies and detailed scenarios that now, in addition to moving vertically, could be done horizontally.
Shortly after its launch U.S. Gold published conversions developed by Tiertex for western computers, such as Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga or Spectrum, and Sega programmed versions for Master System or Mega Drive. This latest version, in addition to original story, had a new extra game mode that included a different story with new levels.
Several generations later, MERCS appears alongside other arcade classics from company in compilations Capcom Generations (PlayStation, Saturn), Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 (PlayStation 2, Xbox) and Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded (PSP). The conversion for Mega Drive, which Sega developed, was included in the Wii virtual console.
Developed by Californian studio Backbone Entertainment, in 2008 its sequel Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which completed the trilogy of this saga.
In this game, the (presumably American) ex-president has been kidnapped by revolutionaries, so the mercenary squad Wolf Force is sent in to save him. In the English language version, this country is the fictional African nation of Zutula (since it’s indicated as having an apartheid government, this is undoubtedly a stand-in for South Africa), while the Japanese version takes place in the more vague “R-Country”. The first level begins on a beach with a jungle, before moving to European-style cities, advancing through shipyards, through the mountains, then to the final enemy base. There are six full levels, plus a final boss encounter that’s counted as a seventh one.
Five years had come and gone between Commando and Mercs, which saw not only significant technical enhancements but also improved design. The game runs on CPS-1 hardware, and allows up to three players to play at once. One of these is Joseph Gibson – believed to be Super Joe from the first game but not confirmed until Bionic Commando (2009) – as well as Howard Powell and Thomas Clarke, each looking basically identical during gameplay outside of palette changes. The stages are more advanced – while you’re still compelled to move upwards, the screen scrolls left and right, allowing for wider levels. The stages are also more thoughtfully designed, with setpieces of enemies along with the constant influx of foes that will keep you on your toes. There aren’t as many things to hide behind, so you need to keep moving, but there are more things to blow up. There are also actual boss fights this time around, with the first being a dramatic encounter with a harrier jet with a mountain in the background.
The main machine gun works pretty much the same way as in Commando – rapid fire but short range. There are three additional weapons to pick up too – the flamethrower, the bazooka, and the multi-directional shot. These have unlimited ammo and can be held until you grab something else. The typical Capcom “Pow” icon makes an appearance here, which rather than killing everything on the screen, will instead increase your weapon’s strength. Instead, the grenades have been upgraded to “mega crush” explosives, which will explode and damage everything on the screen, complete with an animation that looks a lot like your hero doing an air guitar strum. These are obviously limited in number, though they’re replenished after continuing. Some stages also have vehicles you can enter, including jeeps, waterskis and even tanks. They each have their own health meter so you need to deal as much damage to enemy forces as possible until it blows up.