Mercs and Me

For me, Mercenaries™ has been the biggest and bestest surprise of the year thus far. Part third-person shooter, part open-ended "sandbox" game, this capitalist jaunt through a fictionalized North Korea features plenty of high-octane action and the latest in explosive military ordinance.

There are literally hundreds of story-based missions and free-form challenges to keep you busy—but only three different playable characters. In terms of gameplay, Chris Jacobs, Mattias Nilsson, and Jennifer Mui have a lot in common, but there are some distinct (if subtle) differences that can change the way you play the game.

I've spent some time with each of the mercs, cataloguing their differences and measuring their metrics. While it appears that there is no "bad" choice, your character selection can affect the kind of money- and mayhem-making opportunities that you'll want to pursue.

Wade right in. Jacobs can take it.

Run and Gun (Accent on "Gun")
The rulebook points out that American Chris Jacobs can take more punishment than anyone else … and they ain't lyin'. Small arms fire and shrapnel do less damage to Jacobs than to the other two mercs. He's got a heartier constitution, so he simply doesn't lose as much health when he gets shot.

Big explosions still put him in the red, just like anyone else, but he's a lot more likely to survive at 20 health points or less. When you're at death's door in the middle of a firefight, Jacobs is the best at staying alive long enough to complete your objectives.

Plus, he also speaks Korean, so you can finally understand what Agent Buford and his cronies at the South Korean Union headquarters are saying to each other.

I'm a big fan of the run-and-gun approach to shooters, but I prefer the clandestine, low-profile stuff when playingMercenaries. It feels more appropriate to the game world because you're not trying to win the war or free the enslaved or any other high-minded heroic purpose. Jacobs is best for the Playground of Destruction mode that opens up after you've completed the main game's story, when you can simply tool around and start as much trouble as you care to.

If you're the type who likes a real meat grinder of a battle and enjoys shooting it out with large numbers of enemies, Jacobs is your man.

Nilsson gets in (and out) of trouble fast.

Swedish Streak
Mattias Nilsson's defining characteristic is his speed. (For the moment, we'll ignore his creepy half-whispered voice and the terrible things he says as well as his funky albino Mohawk.) Nilsson's speed makes up for the fact that he suffers more damage than Jacobs—if they can't shoot him, they can't inflict damage. He can avoid incoming RPGs and tank cannon blasts because he runs faster than they fly (or, at least, faster than they can track him).

And, he's the absolute best at hijacking moving vehicles. Cars, tanks, and especially choppers are easy pickings to Nilsson. There's many a mission that can be turned around by hijacking an enemy's gunship and turning it back on them.

Nilsson's speed also makes sudden and surprise lightning raids a snap. Just stay under the cover of your vehicle disguise and roll up until you're in position. From there, hop out and storm your objective with guns blazing, overwhelming the enemy with the speed and savagery of your offense. If you can aim and fire accurately at these running speeds, it will seem like Nilsson is everywhere at once, even if you're alone against many.

If you like to get the drop on your enemies and start shooting before they even know they're under attack, Nilsson's the merc for you.

For me, Nilsson is so close to being my first pick. I do love to suddenly appear among the enemy, mowing them down and moving on until they're all dead, and playing as Nilsson lets you hear all the dialogue in the Russian Mafia headquarters, which is some of the funniest stuff in the game. His only weakness is a lack of another character's strength—specifically, his aiming ability.

Jacobs and especially Mui both seem to have a slight edge when using a sniper scope, and there are some missions where long-range accuracy is everything. Anyone who's tried to terminate the Allied officer in the "Omerta" mission knows how painful it can be to line up a head shot and then simply miss it because your aim isn't up to snuff. Nilsson isn't bad at sniping … he's just worse than Mui, so my supreme love of the sniper rifle excludes Mattias as my first choice.

Meet Mui, "the professional."

Move Softly and Carry a Big Sniper Rifle
For the most appropriate, most efficient, and most funMercenaries experience, Jennifer Mui has what it takes. She's the weakest of the three, but that really doesn't matter when you play her right. Besides, if I were a real-life merc, I would want to take the course of action that offers the lowest possible number of bullets hitting me—and this is where Mui's stealth comes in. It's easy to miss, but Mui can get closer to enemies before they recognize that she's not one of their own, and she can sneak up behind an enemy almost undetected.

Let's face it: It's just easier for an Asian woman to keep a low profile in North Korea than it is for a big African-American or a dead-eyed Swede.

She also has the best aim of the three, so when you center your cross-hairs on the target's forehead, you can be sure he'll drop if you get the shot. The Mui strategy is less direct than Jacobs' method and a good deal slower than Nilsson's, but it's the most effective. Simply scope out the area from the safety of your vehicle disguise, withdraw, break out your sniper rifle, take up a covered position, and start whittling down the opposition.

You don't need Jacobs's durability or Nilsson's speed if you can methodically killed most of the guys who would be shooting at you. This is especially strong when collecting cards from the Deck of 52, who won't flee the area, even if all of their bodyguards are dead. Collecting the bounty head alive is so much easier when he's all by his lonesome.

Along the way, Mui has her share of large-scale firefights, but these can be dealt with through strategic retreats (that is, running away) or superior strategy. Visit the Merchant of Menace and stock up on the air strikes and supplies that give you the biggest bang for your buck. Who needs damage resistance when you can call in a carpet bombing that kills all the enemies for you?

Mercenaries isn't limited by the differences in its playable characters; it's improved by them. In a game with such staggering replay value and multiple ways to accomplish everything, the fine distinctions between Jacobs, Nilsson, and Mui add yet another layer of complexity to your strategy.

If you know how to use them, then the sky's the limit for how much mayhem you can create … and how much green you take home for creating it …

By Scott McGough