Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction [PS2]

What a video game advertises and what it actually delivers are often two very different things. We're happy to report that LucasArts's Mercenaries is about as close to truth in advertising as any self-respecting American wants to get. The ads promise absorbing, freeform mayhem -- and that's exactly what it delivers in spades (actually, in North Korea).

An action-intensive game, Mercenaries also offers a surprisingly solid setup -- "story" might not be the precise word -- with more than a few eerie parallels to contemporary events. North Korea, never at a loss for producing megalomaniacal nut-jobs, undergoes a military coup that threatens the world with nuclear conflict. An allied international force responds, invading on a $100 million manhunt for the North Korean general in question, along with his advisory circle (conveniently tagged in the form of a most-wanted playing-card deck).

Call Mercenaries a Grand Theft Military hybrid, a "sandbox" shooter, or anything else you like. The three multicultural characters parse out like some kind of military-funded Benetton ad -- there's the Hong Kong-born female Brit, the Russian-schooled Swede, and the badass Korean-speaking Afro-American.

As one of these three leads, players alternately take on assignments from one (and all) of the game's various factions -- South Korea, China, Allied Nations, and even the Russian Mafia -- which are introduced in the first mission. Each faction provides money and unique information as the player takes their contracts. The money, obviously, buys new weapons, air-support, vehicles, etc.

The implied, smirking threat is that taking a mission from one faction guarantees you'll be rubbing another the wrong way. A running PDA-style menu lets players track their current standings with each faction, and one overarching goal is naturally to play them against each other evenly, staying as close to their good sides and wallets as best you can (given the backstabbing circumstances).

Tick a particular side off too much, and you'll find their forces more than happy to engage the moment you show up. Don't worry too much, though -- even if you manage to really screw the political pooch, there's always the option of bribing factions to get back into their good graces.

The sprawling North Korean world is constantly changing, and brim-full of extras, secrets, and sub-quests. There's a larger reward for capturing "face cards" alive rather than simply wasting them -- of course, providing a corpse is always acceptable, but you'll lose half the bounty.

The game rewards combat creativity and the level of brute force or sneakiness is up to you... but snagging one of your targets intact can be a real challenge. They're nearly always supported by scads of lesser-lings who keep the suppressing fire on you.

The biggest, pervasive plus of Mercenaries is the raw, gleeful destruction options open to you. This is exactly the kind of stuff your parents don't like about video games, if they're wired that way. Dozens of military vehicles, wheeled, winged, and otherwise, are at your disposal. The environment is your oyster, so eat it -- if it falls into your sights, you can take it, shoot it, commandeer it, or blow it straight to hell (often in creative combinations). If you can't take an enemy out in a stand-up fight, find a sneaky way to snipe it from a distance.

If it still seems to be standing, the devastating strategic bombing option is always a breathtaking sight to behold. (Just make sure you reach minimum safe distance before it starts, or you won't be beholding much of anything for long.)

We do have some minor complaints. Frankly, the AI is not all that hot. This may be subtle commentary on contemporary North Korean military competency, but it ultimately comes down to the AI being more aggressive than "smart." Once you've actively engaged the enemy, they will make your death priority one (they're also not shy about running you down in vehicles). On the other hand, it's possible to occasionally sit unmolested right in their midst, as long as you aren't, you know, doing anything.

And even though the game makes no claims in this area, it must be said: It's a shame this isn't a multiplayer game. It would rock even more. We'd have to break out the perfect '10' for that puppy.

No matter: Mercenaries is what we play video games for -- it's that simple. It's action-packed, outlandish, violent, often humorous, and makes nicey-nice to the creatively thinking player. If you're not bothered by the lack of multiplayer, Mercenaries is more fun, mindless sandbox mayhem than you ever had with your trusty green, molded-plastic soldiers.