Mercs
From Sega Retro
Mercs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Virtual Console | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Sega CS Tiertex M2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Halifax (Italy) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensor: Capcom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original system(s): Capcom CPS-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer(s) of original games: Capcom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sound driver: SMPS Z80 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Shooting[1][2][3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mercs, called Senjou no Ookami II (戦場の狼II) in Japan, is a top-down arcade shoot-'em-up developed by Capcom, which was ported to a variety of home consoles and computers including the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Master System. It is a sequel to the arcade game Commando (Senjou no Ookami in Japan) and was followed by Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 in 2008.
The Mega Drive version of Mercs was banned from sale in Germany[16].
Contents
Story
The unnamed former President of the United States has been kidnapped by revolutionaries from the fictional country of Zutura. For diplomatic reasons, instead of sending the military, the United States government decides to send an elite group of mercenaries to stop the rebels and rescue the President.
In an additional scenario presented in the game's Original Mode, the White House calls upon the Mercs again to prevent the fictional country of Quira from launching its intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Gameplay
Mercs is a top-down run-and-gun game. The player's Merc can move in eight directions around the screen with the D-pad. The screen does not autoscroll but follows the Merc as he moves; however, the screen does not scroll back down, limiting the player's ability to backtrack. The Merc must fight through each stage and face a boss at the end. The Merc shoots his primary weapon with or
. He can also use Mega Crash Bombs with
, which attack everything on the screen at once but are limited in supply.
The player can occasionally enter vehicles, including trucks, boats, and turrets, by moving onto them after defeating their occupants. Vehicles have their own health bars, and the player is ejected from them after they run out of health.
The game has two modes: Arcade Mode, which is faithful to the arcade version, and Original Mode, an extended mode with new levels that adds new mechanics.
Arcade Mode
In the Arcade Mode, the player controls a lone Merc through seven stages to rescue the former President. The Merc is initially equipped with an assault rifle but can switch weapons by finding weapon pick-ups. He also starts with three Mega Crash Bombs but can find more in the stages. The Merc has a life gauge that goes down as he takes damage from enemies and hazards but can find healing items throughout the stages. When the Merc runs out of life, the game ends, but it can be continued as long as the player has credits remaining.
Items
Items are found in crates.
Crate | |
---|---|
Destroy to release an item. | |
Food | |
Restores 3 units of the life gauge. | |
Medal | |
Restores part of the life gauge. | |
First Aid Box | |
Restores 16 units of the life gauge. | |
Life-Up | |
Permanently adds 4 units to capacity of the life gauge. | |
Power | |
Upgrades the weapon power level. | |
Mega Crash Bomb | |
Gives the player another Mega Crash Bomb to use. | |
Assault Rifle | |
Switches the Merc's weapon to the assault rifle, which shoots bullets in the direction that the Merc is facing. This is the starting weapon. | |
Flamethrower | |
Switches the Merc's weapon to the flamethrower, which sprays a long flame that does continuous damage and can hit multiple targets. | |
Shotgun | |
Switches the Merc's weapon to the shotgun, which shoots multiple shots in a conical shape. | |
Grenade Launcher | |
Switches the Merc's weapon to the grenade launcher, which fires high-powered grenades a short distance. |
Missions
Mission 1 | |
---|---|
Mission 2 | |
Mission 3 | |
Mission 4 | |
Mission 5 | |
Mission 6 | |
Mission 7 | |
Original Mode
The Original Mode is significantly longer than the Arcade Mode and adds new mechanics. The player starts the game as Rifle, who is armed with an assault rifle and one Mega Crash Bomb. Starting with the second stage, the player starts finding friendly hideouts and recruiting new Mercs. Friendly hideouts act as item shops where players can exchange medals, which are found throughout the stages, for items such as health kits, Mega Crash Bombs, and upgrades for their Mercs. Friendly hideouts are found in all subsequent stages and usually look like tents or storage sheds.
Each Merc has his own unique weapon (in contrast to the Arcade Mode, where the main Merc can equip multiple weapons), his own life gauge, and his own statistics such as weapon power and movement speed. Mercs can be switched by pausing the game with START . Whenever the player finds a healing or an upgrade item, it is given to the active Merc, and whenever an item is purchased, the player can choose which Merc receives the item, letting the player choose which Mercs to prioritize.
When a Merc runs out of life, he dies but can be revived by purchasing an Elixir item from the hideout. If all of the Mercs die, the game ends. There are no continues in this mode, with the Mercs themselves acting as a sort of life system.
Characters
Rifle | |
---|---|
Rifle is the starting Merc. He is armed with an assault rifle, a versatile weapon that fires bullets forwards. Power upgrades widen the area of his shots. Rifle has the greatest speed potential of all the Mercs, allowing him to run through enemy lines and evade hostile fire. Along with Laser, he has the longest potential life gauge. | |
Burner | |
Burner is armed with a flamethrower, which sprays a long flame that does area damage and can easily incinerate mobs of enemies. However, his life gauge and movement speed potential are less than those of Rifle. He is recruited in Stage 2. | |
Launcher | |
Launcher has a grenade launcher, which shoots powerful grenades a short distance in front of him. He has a high potential life gauge but the lowest movement speed cap of all the Mercs. He can do heavy damage to stationary targets but has difficulty avoiding enemy fire. He is recruited in Stage 3. | |
Laser | |
Laser is equipped with a gun that shoots long lasers long distances. His weapon is very strong but fires slowly, making him ideal for large foes such as bosses but difficult to use against smaller targets. He has the second best movement speed potential, after Rifle, allowing him to deftly dodge enemy fire. He is recruited in Stage 4. | |
Homing | |
Homing shoots homing missiles that do area damage. He is recruited in Stage 8. |
Items
Items are found in crates or sometimes other destructible objects such as trees. Items can also be bought at friendly hideouts with medals; prices vary depending on the hideout.
Crate | |
---|---|
Destroy to release an item. | |
Food | |
Restores part of the life gauge: the Hamburger restores 2 units, the Spinach restores 3 units, the Roast Chicken restores 4 units, and the Leg of Lamb restores 6 units. | |
First Aid Box | |
Restores 16 units of the life gauge. | |
Special First Aid Box | |
Completely restores the life gauge. | |
Life-Up | |
Permanently adds 4 units to capacity of the life gauge. | |
Power | |
Upgrades the weapon power level. | |
Mega Crash Bomb | |
Gives the player another Mega Crash Bomb to use. | |
Medal | |
Gives the player medals that can be traded for items at friendly hideouts. The single medal gives 1 medal, the stacked medals gives 3 medals, and the big medal gives 5 medals. | |
Elixir | |
Revives a fallen Merc. | |
Top Secret Information | |
Gives the player a gameplay hint. | |
Boots | |
Increases the Merc's movement speed. | |
Bulletproof Vest | |
Reduces damage taken by the Merc. | |
Gas Mask | |
Renders the Merc immune to poison gas. | |
Dynamite | |
Explodes and harms the Merc if he is too close. |
Stages
Coast | |
---|---|
Forest | |
Cliff | |
Lakes and Bogs | |
Desert | |
Streets | |
Port | |
Enemy Hideout | |
History
Legacy
The original arcade game was re-released on the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1998 as part of Capcom Generation: Dai 4 Shuu Kokou no Eiyuu.
The Mega Drive version of the game was released as part of the Wii's Virtual Console service, with the official title of Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS to properly tie in with Commando 3.
Versions
The original arcade game uses a vertical aspect ratio, which was adapted to the Mega Drive port by adding a status area to the side of the screen. The arcade version supports three-player simultaneous play. The Mega Drive version is only single-player but adds the Original Mode, which expands the game with new levels and mechanics.
Localised names
Language | Localised Name | English Translation |
---|---|---|
English | Mercs | Mercs |
English (US) | Mercs | Mercs |
Japanese | 戦場の狼II | Senjou no Ookami II |
Production credits
Mega Drive version
Magazine articles
- Main article: Mercs/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Physical scans
Mega Drive version
74 | |
---|---|
Based on 41 reviews |
Master System version
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
77 | |
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Based on 14 reviews |
Technical information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
✔ |
|
1MB | 1991-08 | Cartridge | ||||||||||
? |
|
512kB | Cartridge (EU) |
External links
- Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
- Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU
References
- ↑ File:Mercs MD JP Box.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-20 09:51)
- ↑ File:Mercs SMS EU Box.jpg
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "September 1991" (JP; 1991-08-08), page 7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "December 1991" (US; 1991-1x-xx), page 75
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 MegaTech, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 92
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Computer & Video Games, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-15), page 18
- ↑ Supergame, "Fevereiro 1992" (BR; 1992-02-xx), page 30
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sega Power, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-02), page 12
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/software/08.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-03-06 23:35)
- ↑ http://vc.sega.jp:80/vc_senjo2 (Wayback Machine: 2009-02-03 13:09)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 http://www.nintendolife.com/games/megadrive/wolf_of_the_battlefield_mercs (Wayback Machine: 2017-06-09 03:24)
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Virtual-Console-Wii-/Wolf-of-the-Battlefield-MERCS-280141.html (archive.today)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/xEzg9EmKxrvklt3OVu_Wit0IrKxzncQc (Wayback Machine: 2010-11-22 22:50)
- ↑ http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=catalogue&prodcat_id=41&prod_id=19788&pageID=4 (Wayback Machine: 2012-04-03 02:48)
- ↑ File:MD UK Box Back SonicEASDH Alt.jpg
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 128
- ↑ ACE, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-08), page 104
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "October 1991" (JP; 1991-09-07), page 35
- ↑ Consoles +, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-11-07), page 56
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 132
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 31
- ↑ Computer + Video Giochi, "Gennaio 1992" (IT; 199x-xx-xx), page 82
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 69
- ↑ Famitsu, "1991-10-04" (JP; 1991-09-20), page 39
- ↑ GamePro, "November 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 54
- ↑ Games-X, "31st October-6th November 1991" (UK; 1991-10-31), page 32
- ↑ Game Informer, "November/December 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 33
- ↑ Game Zone, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-22), page 35
- ↑ Hippon Super, "October 1991" (JP; 1991-09-04), page 90
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Hobby Consolas, "Febrero 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 48
- ↑ Joypad, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-10-1x), page 54
- ↑ Joystick, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-1x-xx), page 142
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 93
- ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "December 1991" (JP; 1991-11-08), page 91
- ↑ Mega, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 21
- ↑ Mega Force, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-11-19), page 88
- ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 40
- ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Febrero 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 26
- ↑ Mean Machines, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-28), page 78
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 139
- ↑ Player One, "Février 1992" (FR; 1992-xx-xx), page 87
- ↑ Play Time, "2/92" (DE; 1992-01-08), page 94
- ↑ Power Play, "1/92" (DE; 1991-12-11), page 175
- ↑ Score, "Květen 1994" (CZ; 1994-05-01), page 56
- ↑ Sega Power, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-05), page 39
- ↑ Sega Pro, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-21), page 38
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 66
- ↑ Sega Force, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-12), page 76
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Review, "1" (RU; 1995-04-03), page 94
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
- ↑ Top Secret, "Luty 1995" (PL; 1995-xx-xx), page 57
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 113
- ↑ Video Games, "4/91" (DE; 1991-12-06), page 25
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 142
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 144
- ↑ Games-X, "28th November-4th December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-28), page 28
- ↑ Joypad, "Janvier 1992" (FR; 1991-12-1x), page 58
- ↑ Joystick, "Janvier 1992" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 154
- ↑ Mega Force, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-11-19), page 89
- ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Marzo 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 36
- ↑ Mean Machines, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-27), page 64
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 135
- ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 91
- ↑ Sega Power, "March 1992" (UK; 1992-02-06), page 45
- ↑ Sega Pro, "Christmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-12), page 58
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 71
Mercs | |
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