YRadio

Based on the popular Mercenaries mini game mode in previous incarnations of the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil 3DS gives players the chance to experience this as a stand alone game, with a variety of stars from past titles and a number of locations from RE4 and RE5 - each more graphic and disturbing then the last.

As this is not official Resident Evil cannon (that is, the game has no official premise in the RE Universe and contains no story to speak of) Mercenaries 3D is game play driven, where players aim to gain the highest score by playing as one of 8 characters, surviving against relentless waves of enemies under various different circumstances.

Depending on who your favourite is, from Barry "Jill Sandwich" Burton to "Mr Death" himself - a.k.a. HUNK, there is bound to be someone for everyone to enjoy (although that doesn't include fans of Leon S Kennedy who, despite featuring heavily in Resident Evil 4, does not appear here).

Each character has a variation of missions, and for those who complete every one with each character, there's also a costume change from the fan service (Rebecca's nurse's uniform) to the utterly strange (we won't even mention what they've put Barry in!). Weapons, which are customisable based on skill set and performance, range from the usual pistols to automatic weapons and even some archery for those inclined. Sadly though, the rumours about memory storage are true, and while purchasing this game second hand isn't the worst idea in the world it's also unlikely to give you the full experience as (for some bizarre reason) Capcom have taken steps to make sure all save data is unserviceable and cannot be erased. You'll be happy to know that the company have already released a statement about this and, pending future downloads, its likely this problem will be changed with a download package. But not yet guaranteed.

The most original thing about this game is the camera functionality, with the over the shoulder aiming from Resident Evil 4 now dropped in favour of a first person view format (although more experienced gamers will be glad to know that the original camera method remains as an alternative viewpoint in the options menu). The analogue stick on the 3DS makes control quite fluid, the action is shown on the top screen, while inventory and menu are handled with the touch screen. Graphically, the game looks extremely impressive, with backgrounds and character design being some of the best looking on the platform yet - however the frame rate suffers as a result, with some enemies either disappearing completely or partial in the middle of a battle. It's this kind of thing that makes you feel the game should have been held back, at least for a few months, while this problem was fixed.

Overall, Mercenaries makes for a fun game, with enough pick up and play action to keep you amused for a few hours and maybe more - certainly the replay value exists and this could be a game you find becoming the stable of your portable collection - at least until Metal Gear Solid 3D makes its long awaited appearance next year. With future downloadable content hinted, something that could provide much needed maps, characters and game play to this title it's a solid horror jaunt with a few quirks that's certainly worth a rental.

Pros:

Great to see new Resident Evil material back on a Nintendo system with solid graphics!

Cons:

Far too short and lacks any real depth, the inability to erase save data is also a hindrance!

Overall YRadio Score

68%

Release Date: July 2011

Platform(s): 3DS

Developer: Capcom

Reviewed by: Wayne Madden

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