“Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D” is a lot like “Resident Evil 5,” or, say, the latest Justin Bieber hit — the number of things it does wrong approaches the realm of tragedy, but you gotta admit it gets the blood flowing. This “Resident Evil” is not part of the main story, but an expansion of a minigame introduced in “Resident Evil 4.” Upon completion of that superb game, players gained access to a training mode called “The Mercenaries,” in which they were dropped into a closed-off area full of zombies and had to kill as many as possible within the time limit, and without dying. The mode returned in the grand miscalculation “Resident Evil 5,” which itself tilted the balance so far toward action and away from horror that “The Mercenaries” was hardly distinguishable from the main game.
Now, “The Mercenaries” is the main game, and includes stages from “RE4” and “RE5,” beefed-up missions, and customizable weapons. It’s cool that you can unlock fan-favorite characters like Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers and Jack Krauser, but “The Mercenaries” omits Leon Kennedy, the protagonist of “Resident Evil 4” and the first character ever playable in “The Mercenaries.” Capcom has done this before, omitting many high-profile characters from “Marvel vs. Capcom 3” in hopes gamers would pay to download them. Now, just a few months later, the company sets a new standard in money-grubbing cynicism.
But the real problem is that the game is just so thin. The graphics suggest the 3DS could pull off a workable version of “RE4,” but for $40 all we get is a minigame made slightly less mini. Where are the stages from earlier “Resident Evil” games? Why doesn’t the game take advantage of the 3DS’ motion sensors and let you aim just by moving the system, which “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D” proved is infinitely more natural than using a joystick?
| ‘Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D’ |
| » System: 3DS |
| » Price: $39.99 |
| » Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |
Still, the claustrophobic panic inherent in “The Mercenaries” is, outside of puzzle games, perhaps the most exhilarating experience offered on a hand-held system. That’s even truer if you connect via Wi-Fi to a friend’s 3DS and navigate the frenzy together.
But $40 sounds more like the price for two copies than one. And if you’re patient, it will be.
