Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

About

"Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction" is a single-player action game with an interesting plot and pretty visuals. As a lethal mercenary, your mission is to topple a military regime using any means necessary, from hijacking vehicles to using explosives. With no limits, barriers, or mercy, you are free to explore and destroy anything in this playground of destruction.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 100 reviews

story8 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

The game offers a highly satisfying open-world sandbox experience with extensive destructible environments, allowing players to blow up buildings and vehicles at will.
Players can choose from multiple mercenaries, each with unique abilities, and interact with various factions, adding depth to the gameplay and mission variety.
Despite its age, the game still boasts impressive graphics for a PS2 title, with detailed explosions and large-scale battles that enhance the overall experience.

The missions can become repetitive, often requiring players to complete similar objectives multiple times, which may lead to boredom over extended play sessions.
The AI can be frustrating, with enemies respawning and sometimes acting in ways that can hinder mission success, leading to unfair challenges.
Some players have reported glitches and issues with game stability, including freezing and problems with mission objectives not being clear.

story
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
84%
4%
The game's story is often described as lacking depth, with a linear plot centered around capturing high-value targets from a "deck of 52," reminiscent of real-life military operations. While the missions are varied and allow for creative approaches, many players find the narrative uninspired and repetitive, overshadowed by the game's focus on sandbox-style gameplay and destruction. Despite this, the freedom to roam and engage in side missions adds to the overall enjoyment, making the experience more about action than storytelling.
- “Has the best storyline I have ever seen in a game for any system (and I have had a GameFly account for about 3 years, so I know what I am talking about).”
- “In this game, you play as one of three mercenaries who have been chosen for a special mission: a United Nations-like group has to stop a madman in North Korea named Song who has control of a very powerful nuclear arsenal targeting the world.”
- “The main mission storyline revolves around a 'deck of 52', shamelessly patterned after the real-life deck of 52 which the Bush administration used in Iraq for various wanted people.”
- “Still, all in all, it's a fun and addicting game, but unfortunately, even as you capture more and more of the deck of 52, the storyline remains pretty unchanged.”
- “The only downfall is the storyline is a little bland.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting that while they may not meet modern PS4 standards, they were impressive for their time, particularly for a PS2 title. Many appreciate the detailed environments and character designs, describing them as good or even awesome, while others feel they fall short compared to contemporary games. Overall, the graphics are considered decent and contribute positively to the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms.
- “The graphics in Mercenaries are awesome and seem a bit like Freedom Fighters mixed with Star Wars Battlefront, as others have mentioned.”
- “Great graphics, highly detailed gameplay, and good characters.”
- “Overall, it's a fun game with nice graphics and a colorful background of blood and fire.”
- “Graphics are poor by today's PS4 standards, but they were pretty cutting edge for their day.”
- “I mean, come on... KOTOR's graphics?”
- “The graphics are a six and a half out of ten, so pretty fair.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
Gameplay is a mixed bag, with some users praising its fun, GTA-style mechanics and standout features, while others criticize low framerates, sluggish controls, and robotic character movement. Although the fighting mechanics are well-received, the overall experience is marred by technical issues and a lack of originality, leading to a range of ratings from 4 to 8 out of 10.
- “Mercenaries' standout feature is its gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is very fun, and it has a GTA-style feel to it.”
- “This game introduces a lot of new things to the proven GTA gameplay.”
- “Unlike the Metal Gear series or Splinter Cell series, your character's movement profile is robotic and mechanical.”
- “Here are just a couple of examples of the issues that happened during gameplay: when I called in a chopper to deliver an allied APC, sure the APC came, but as the object entered my range, it simply dropped from the sky like a lead balloon and smashed my platoon.”
- “But the gameplay is not original, so the overall rating is just 4 stars.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The music in the game has been praised for its energetic and engaging quality, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Reviewers note that it complements the intense narrative involving a military dictator and a high-stakes mission, making it a standout feature.
- “In this game, you play as one of 3 mercenaries who have been chosen for a special mission: a united nations-like group has to stop a madman in North Korea named Song who has control of a very powerful nuclear arsenal targeting the world.”
- “An unprecedented $100 million bounty has been placed on Song's head and the heads of 51 other compatriots known as the 'deck of 52' (see how this relates to real world situations?) you are dropped into the country and your search for Song begins.”
- “Not only this, but the music rocks.”
- “These are some other games that I recommend: (Resident Evil 4, Star Wars Battlefront, GTA SA), these are some games that I don't recommend: (Blues Clues: Blues Big Musical).”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
88%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report a lack of glitches after cleaning the system, others experience frequent freezes and numerous glitches, including bizarre gameplay issues like driving a tank underwater. Overall, stability appears to be a significant concern for many users.
- “I cleaned it and so far, no glitches, but I don't know how long that will last.”
- “Other than the occasional freezes where you have to reset the game, this game is very addictive and just plain fun.”
- “There are just so many glitches in this game.”
- “There are a plethora of glitches, more abundant than Mercs 1, including being able to drive a tank underwater.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its clever use of historical political humor, which adds a unique and enjoyable layer to the overall experience. Players appreciate how this humor enhances the narrative and engages them in a lighthearted manner.
- “Another little thing that I liked about the game was its humor.”
- “As Jennifer Mui, a lot of historical political humor was used.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game offers significant replayability, making it a worthwhile rental option. Players appreciate its good graphics and sound, which enhance the overall experience.
- “This is a good rental game, but it does have a lot of replay value.”
- “Good graphics, pretty good sound, and a good replay value.”
- “This is a good rental game, but it does not have much replay value.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied content makes replaying feel tedious and uninteresting.”