![]() ![]() Killzone: Mercenary’s biggest problem is a shocking lack of content. It isn’t a good FPS “by Vita standards,” it’s just a good FPS that happens to be on Vita. Killzone: Mercenary offers a genuine first-person shooter experience on the Vita. The rest of the gameplay is familiar to anyone that plays FPS games – with a few minor hiccups, like the cover system that occasionally won’t let you fire and the enemy AI that frequently attack by charging directly at you, but these are minor and infrequent issues. It decimates enemies, and is unique to touchscreen controls. If you time it right, you can launch several missiles at once by physically touching the enemy on screen. If it is red, you can touch that icon on the screen and launch a missile. Once activated, enemies on screen will all have a target icon on them. These range from personal shields to air strokes to a remote controlled drone, but none highlight the Vita’s potential more than “The porcupine.” By touching the corresponding weapon icon, you can switch weapons, and more importantly, activate your special weapon. The touchscreen incorporates the two buttons missing from a standard controller, and offers a unique gameplay mechanic. Otherwise you’d be constantly sprinting into walls as your fingers graze the back. Thankfully the back touchpad, which is used to initiate sprint, can be turned off and you can use a face button instead. Both the rear touchpad and the touchscreen are integrated well. Killzone: Mercenary uses the Vita’s controls in smart ways without forcing them into use by just mapping things to the system’s unique controls. The idea is that you’ll want to play the same mission repeatedly, using the equipment that complements the playstyle you choose.ĭespite the mercenary title, the game plays out like any military FPS. It’s difficult to stick to a covert style that includes things like avoiding alarms while completing the demolition objectives that tend to be “louder.” You generally have to stick to one style. The three modes are inherently different. ![]() These tend to be in-game goals that supplement the action, and they fall under one of three categories: Precision, Covert, and Demolition. Once you complete a mission, you can go back and replay it to pursue newly unlocked objectives. The game plays out like an arcade shooter with a point value attributed to your actions. Success earns you money that you can then spend on new weapons and equipment. Killzone: Mercenary consists of nine missions, each with a linear path and a clear set of objectives. It’s nothing you haven’t seen a thousand times before. There’s a betrayal you’ll see coming from a mile away, an orphan kid you sort of bond with, and lots of military technology that needs to be destroyed for the greater good. The story is entertaining in the most superficial way, and the few twists and turns the plot throws at you are enough to keep you lightly interested, even if they are hackneyed and generic, and generally just an excuse to blow up different things than before. Even the missions you take on for the Helghast – because you’re a mercenary! – are well within the standard war-based shooter mold. Although he is barely characterized, protagonist Arran Danner is a “good mercenary,” and his missions generally consist of standard “good guy” military objectives like saving hostages or destroying an evil weapon. You could replace the subtitle with “special forces,” or any other soldier-based designation, and change only a handful of lines of dialogue to correct the continuity. But despite the mercenary title, the game plays out like any military FPS. ![]() It offers up all manner of fascinating and original storytelling options. In pop culture, a mercenary is someone that fights for money, who is willing to kill almost indiscriminately if the price is right. ![]() Set during the Vektan/ISA and Helghast war that played out in the first three Killzone games (four if you count the dungeon-crawler Killzone: Liberation – but let’s be honest, no one does), you play silent mercenary Arran Danner, whose sunglasses and baseball cap mask the heart of a poet. Killzone: Mercenary offers a genuine first-person shooter experience on the Vita.Īs the name suggests, you play a mercenary. ![]()
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