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Shadow Ops: Red Mercury

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
replayability, monetization
75% User Score Based on 228 reviews

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PCWindows
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Shadow Ops: Red Mercury Game Cover

About

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is a single player and multiplayer action game. It was developed by Zombie Studios and was released on July 2, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Race against time and terrorism as a member of the elite counter terrorist team in this all-out first person shooter. From the hostile streets of the middle-east, where danger can come from any direction, to the landmarks of a major European city. Your duty is to hunt down a terrorist overlord carrying a nuclear device before untold disaster is unleashed. Mix all-out assault with stealth infiltrat…

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Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury screenshot
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75%
Audience ScoreBased on 228 reviews
story30 positive mentions
monetization2 negative mentions
  • The game features unique mechanics for its time, such as the ability to lean while aiming, which adds a tactical element to gameplay.
  • Despite its age, the sound design and music are impressive, enhancing the overall experience and immersion.
  • The game offers a decent challenge, especially on higher difficulty levels, requiring players to be strategic and careful in their approach.
  • The lack of a checkpoint or save system is frustrating, as dying means restarting the entire level, which can lead to repetitive gameplay.
  • Enemy AI is often criticized for being overly aggressive and unrealistic, with enemies spawning in cheap locations and having aimbot-like accuracy.
  • The graphics and overall presentation feel dated, and the story is considered generic and clichéd, lacking depth and originality.
  • story
    172 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is often described as nonsensical and reminiscent of a cheesy action movie, featuring a predictable plot involving a stolen nuclear weapon and special forces missions. While some players find humor in its absurdity and appreciate the high production value of cutscenes, many criticize the writing as poor and the overall narrative as forgettable. Despite its flaws, the story provides a backdrop for solid gameplay, with missions that encourage aggressive tactics and replayability.

    • “The story is a classic action movie script.”
    • “The story is mainly that the theft of 'red mercury' around the nuclear weapon has caused panic in the world and that we will join the special forces of the United States as 'the Delta Force' to recover the stolen nuclear weapon as mission objectives.”
    • “Good gunplay, the ability to lean while aimed down the sights, good difficulty, cool story about nukes... it all plays like a really intense episode of 24.”
    • “The story is nonsensical but the gameplay is solid and the production value in its cutscenes and music is unbelievable.”
    • “A minor issue with the levels is that there's no real context for them besides a few lines of dialogue and the occasional cutscene, so you have little reference for exactly where you are, who you are shooting at, and how this all ties to the villains and the plot (almost like the levels were developed before both the script and the cutscenes were fully completed).”
    • “This game suffers from poor voice acting, bad graphics, and just abysmal writing in the story...”
  • gameplay
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its solid shooting mechanics and tactical elements, while others criticize its linearity and dated graphics. Many players appreciate the unique lean mechanic and the overall fun factor, despite acknowledging that the game may not appeal to casual players due to its old-school design and lack of modern features. Overall, while the gameplay is not groundbreaking, it remains enjoyable and engaging for those who appreciate classic first-person shooters.

    • “The story is nonsensical but the gameplay is solid and the production value in its cutscenes and music is unbelievable.”
    • “Finding cover and using the lean function is essential to gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay wise, the shooting mechanics are tight and the controls are responsive.”
    • “Really dated gameplay, the story is terrible, weapons feel like they were found in a scrapyard, and there are no checkpoints or saving. Don't waste your time, just buy the original Half-Life instead or another better retro FPS.”
    • “Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is one of those shooters that many modern shooters trace their lineage from, but it relies on mechanics that are just too old and unrealistic enemies to provide a challenge, resulting in a game that just doesn't accommodate casual players at all.”
    • “It's a COD ripoff (100% linear game) combined with the most generic visuals and gameplay of all time.”
  • graphics
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many reviewers noting that they were already lacking at the time of release in 2004. While some appreciate the visuals as decent for their era, particularly in certain cutscenes and environments, others criticize them as bland and low-quality, especially the character models. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics do not hold up well, the gameplay remains solid enough to compensate for this shortcoming.

    • “A very good game with impressive graphics for 2004. I would recommend this for anyone with a low-end computer or super powerful computer. It also has a good story; I give the game a 10/10.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful for its year (that is 2004), the scenery in Paris arouses the memory of Splinter Cell.”
    • “It has some grand set pieces and stylistic cut scenes with not bad graphics for the time; it feels like an action movie.”
    • “This game suffers from poor voice acting, bad graphics, and just abysmal writing in the story.”
    • “It has low quality textures and bad graphics even considering its age.”
    • “Yes, the graphics are dated, and were dated at the time.”
  • music
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise for its sweeping orchestral compositions, which enhance the gameplay experience and fit well with each stage. Composed by Inon Zur, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to evoke adrenaline during combat, drawing comparisons to the works of Hans Zimmer. While some players found the music to be a standout feature, others felt it was less engaging in certain environments.

    • “I really wish the soundtrack was on YouTube or something because it is great, mostly being sweeping orchestral pieces that fit each stage so well.”
    • “Audio is great, with an amazing soundtrack and great sound effects.”
    • “Music composed by the famous Inon Zur is essential to gameplay, provoking additional adrenaline to fight the enemies.”
    • “The environments are dull, the music is boring, but the voice acting is okay.”
    • “The soundtrack, sounding like it was heavily influenced by Hans Zimmer, accents moments like these perfectly.”
    • “Music composed by famous Inon Zur is essential to gameplay, provoking additional adrenaline to fight the enemies.”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is characterized by its intentionally absurd and corny elements, with a forgettable plot that becomes amusing through clichéd dialogue and ridiculous scenarios. Players find enjoyment in the contrast between engaging levels and the unintentional hilarity of ragdoll physics and exaggerated enemy reactions, creating a lighthearted experience despite the overall simplicity of the story.

    • “The story is so dumb, hilarious dumb fun.”
    • “Story-wise, the plot is pretty forgettable but ironically, is saved by corny clichés that make otherwise crap dialogue unintentionally humorous in hindsight.”
    • “This, coupled with the ridiculous ragdolls and giggle-inducing death squeals of fallen enemies, gives the game an unintentional humorous edge.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is generally considered low, though some players appreciate its enduring appeal even after many years since its release.

    • “It makes me feel old, but it's nice to see the replayability even after 13 years (in my case).”
    • “Replay value: low”
    • “Replay value: low”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing frustration over ads, while others have found a way to appreciate their presence, particularly in relation to gameplay mechanics. Overall, the monetization strategy seems to impact the user experience, leading to varied opinions on its effectiveness.

  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is negatively impacted by excessive recoil, which some players found overwhelming to the point of feeling physically ill.

  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game has been criticized for its poorly executed comic book-inspired designs, which detract from the overall experience and fail to resonate with players.

    • “They tried to go for a slight comic book vibe with the character designs, but it translates really painfully bad in-game.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game performs well with smooth gameplay; however, there are significant issues with sound bugs that detract from the experience.

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78h Median play time
55h Average play time
10-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is a action game.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 55 hours playing Shadow Ops: Red Mercury.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury was released on July 2, 2014.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury was developed by Zombie Studios.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, Chaser, Medal of Honor: Tier 1 Edition, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas, Medal Of Honor and others.