Shadow Ops: Red Mercury
Score: 70% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Atari Developer: Zombie Software Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 32 Genre: First Person Shooter
Graphics & Sound: Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is a title loaded with potential that never really seems to go anywhere. While it does show a few flashes of greatness, these moments are too few and far between, and are bridged by a game that is largely mediocre. Shadow Ops was originally released as an Xbox title, and its roots clearly show. The game plays at a higher resolution, but this just makes the low res textures and environments stick out a little better. Levels are very linear and don’t leave much room for exploration. Some of the levels, namely the Middle East levels, look great; others don’t fare as well and come off as pretty generic. Characters look a little better and feature rag-doll physics, allowing for some really interesting deaths. Audio is where the game really shines. Featuring 5.1 Surround Sound support and a nice shiny THX logo, Red Mercury really makes the most out of these features. Firefights are intense and the sounds of battle ring out all around, drawing you into the experience. The accompanying score adds the perfect touch to put the audio over the top.
Gameplay: You star as Frank Hayden, an operative responsible for reclaiming nuclear weapons from the wrong hands. Although it does present a rather cinematic presentation, with the story starting in the middle and slowly working its way back towards the beginning, the storyline isn’t all that compelling. The story may benefit from a cinematic, Hollywood-style presentation, but it also brings with it several movie clichés, so expect some back stabbing, betrayal, and a plot twist or two. Shadow Ops: Red Mercury follows a stiff, linear plot structure, which is a bit of a turn off considering the current trend towards more open-ended, free-flowing experiences. The game’s overall feel is pretty standard for the FPS genre. You start in an area, fight off hordes of enemies, complete an objective or two and continue on. In some missions, you will be aided by a group of A.I. controlled teammates. What seems like a cool thing at first ends up being little more than window dressing since the squad can’t be ordered around and aren’t the brightest of recruits. There were times where they would stand nose-to-nose with hostiles and not even move to pull the trigger, and during the times they would decide to shoot, it took about a clip or two before they could actually hit the target. The seemingly now requisite Multiplayer options are also available and don’t offer anything gamers haven’t already seen in numerous other games. Online modes include Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, as well as Capture the Flag and Escort missions. The latter was my favorite of the types and provided some fun. However, the feeling was fleeting.
Difficulty: If only combating real global terrorism was as easy as Shadow Ops: Red Mercury. Enemy A.I. is about as smart as the squad member A.I. Sometimes enemies will drop behind cover or use remedial tactics in battle, but enemies usually go down very easily. During my playtime, the only times I really had a difficult time occurred when I was overwhelmed by large groups of enemies.
Game Mechanics: Controls definitely show Shadow Ops: Red Mercury’s console roots. The system is standard fare for FPSs, whether on the PC or console. Where things differ is that the controls lack that subtle preciseness that PC games are known for. The controls are certainly playable, but feel a little loose at times. The most useful control, and one that shows off some of the game’s untouched potential, is the “lean” function which allows you lean from behind cover. Get used to this because you’ll use it a lot. Unfortunately, even this feature has its flaws since you can’t use if effectively enough while crouching. Even with its flaws, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury does provide a few fun moments. As I said before, these moments are few and far between. When the action picks up, the game is cooking. But during the down times, when little is going on, the game’s flaws become more and more apparent, dragging the entire game down with it.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP; Pentium III; 256 MB RAM; 64 MB Video Card; 4x DVD Drive   Test System: Windows XP; Pentium 4 1.7 GHz; Radeon 9100 128 MB; 40 Gig HD; 640 MB RAM; Direct X 9.0
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