Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.

I've been a fan of the Resident Evil series for a very long time. Even though the latest installments aren't as scary as the previous games. You could call them action games. Especially RE5, which.. wasn't scary at all.

Anyways, this isn't about the main series, but about -what some would call- a mini-game. Ever since RE3 there has been a mode called The Mercenaries, back then it was sort of a "Race to the goal as fast as you can" while avoiding enemies and killing them for time bonus. If you get a good score, you can unlock various weapons in the Main game(RE3). In RE4 it turned into this "Survive for as long as you can and try to kill every enemy". Yet again, the rank system takes place, and if you get a good score. You unlock cool stuff. And since then it really hasn't had much of a change until the recent game.

Now, some argue that this is one of the foulest 3ds games out there. I disagree with them, since this game is one of the most fun action-survival games out there. It's a stressful game, not in a bad way or anything. But because it's a race against time to kill as much enemies as you can, search for time extenders and combo bonus stuff scattered throughout the map, and sometimes a tough guy spawns. Then he'll usually follow you until you manage to kill it or it kills you. Especially in EX-mode, then they can OHKO you (OHKO = One Hit Knock Out). You really feel the dread when this guy is chasing you, since you have to watch out where this guy comes from, making you paranoid.. and when you least expect it, you hear a horrible laugh behind you.. and then you're already dead.

A lot of people seem to complain about the price, since they probably are used to the fact that this used to be a mini-game. Now though, not so much. I feel that this game is strong as it is. Sure, it has no story and it doesn't really need one either. There are some minor flaws here and there, like the flickering-enemies when you zoom in on them in the distance. But other than that, the game plays well, the controls are really good once you get used to them, the graphics are really good as well, especially with 3d turned on(unless you're a graphics whore). New to this installment is the Perk system, which allows you to have up to 3 perks at once and switch perks whenever you want, you can also level up the perks. It's a nice addition, since there are some really useful perks in this game. Like fast reloading, which can really save your ass at times. Capcom has finally added the ability to move while shooting and reloading(not a perk), this is a great thing, since it keeps you going. Thus making the action more exciting. There are 8 playable characters, each with their own weapons loadout and with 1 additional costume. It's a nice feature, but they could've added more costumes and/or characters. But then again, this isn't really a dress-them-up game either. So I can live with that. The weapon loadouts are stuck to one character, but you can unlock loadouts by either buying them with Play coins or completing missions. I'll give you an example: if you were to unlock Chris' loadout, that means for example that Jill(and every other character) can use Chris' loadout.

Multiplayer has a lot of focus in these types of games, and I don't think I could've played this game without the multiplayer. And it is by far the best/most fun multiplayer experience I've had with the 3DS yet. There barely is any lag at all. And playing with a friend is always fun, since they tend to scream when running away from Super Salvador. Though I really wish there was an in-game voice chat.

And that's about it.
This is a "Love it or Hate it-game"
And I felt it was strong enough to "capture" me with its survival-type gameplay. In other words, I don't regret getting this game.

If you like to kill zombie-like-people and survive to get the highest score and unlock stuff, then by all means, go buy it. If not, well.. the choice should be easy. And if you happen to be the sceptic that never has tried The mercenaries, then the closest game I can comapare this to is the Nazi Zombie mode in Call of duty, with time added and pre-made weapon loadouts.

Closing thoughts:

What I really hope is that they release DLC and a Leaderboard, since that could add even more replay value. All in all, this is a solid game with minor flaws and some sound issues(sounds very mono-ish). And the lack of in-game voice chat is a bit of a draw, but that really isn't an issue since there's always skype and other voice chat programs. Multiplayer is always a huge bonus, even though the singleplayer is fun as it is.

And that my friends/lovers/trolls is my review of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.

Have a great day!