Killzone: Mercenary

 PlayStation Vita
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Sep 10, 2013
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 632 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 553 out of 632
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 632
  3. Negative: 31 out of 632
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  1. DemKin
    Jun 8, 2016
    5
    Don't understand people's overexcited critics for this game. It's just a generic shooter, as bland as it gets, on Vita... Everything extremely cliché and just... yeah, bland. The multiplayer runs smooth though, kudos. But still, bland. By all means avoidable.
  2. samael21walter
    Oct 9, 2013
    7
    Killzone Mercenary is a game I want to give a glowing review, but i just can't. Let's just start off by saying this is the closest to an AAA game as you can get on a handheld. It only takes one glance to see that the game looks phenomenal. It only takes one listen to see that the sound design is fantastic. It only takes a few moments of playing to feel the precise aiming the second analogKillzone Mercenary is a game I want to give a glowing review, but i just can't. Let's just start off by saying this is the closest to an AAA game as you can get on a handheld. It only takes one glance to see that the game looks phenomenal. It only takes one listen to see that the sound design is fantastic. It only takes a few moments of playing to feel the precise aiming the second analog nub adds to the portable First-Person Shooter experience. It has all the technical things in place, but something is still holding it back from true greatness, some problem that could have been remedied with a more focused development. That, of course, is the length of the game.

    Killzone Mercenary is short. Short short. I'm talking 3 hours (with dying a few times here and there). It's only 9 missions long, each one feeling largely the same as the last except for a change in scenery. It doesn't help that each mission consists of the same type of gameplay, over and over. It's mostly going to a point, placing a bomb, then holding out, then walking foward, then holding out. It starts and stops every few moments, making progress feel like a slow crawl, and ultimately, the missions to feel like little was actually accomplished. It's lazy mission design, clearly thrown together with storyline and setting as an afterthought. The storyline is acceptable, but with so little plot advancement, it goes too fast for you to even care. It could have been great, but since there are no real cutscenes outside of briefing screens, you don't particularly care for what is going on. Instead, the ending will only leave you staring at the screen wondering why it got so cheesy all of a sudden. Don't get me wrong, I love cheesy dialogue and epic last boss fights, but in this game it was just too rushed.

    The controls are a huge step above Killzone 1, 2, and 3. The aiming is no longer stiff, instead smooth like Killzone HD. All of the actions are easy to perform, and the number of buttons the vita has keeps them from mapping a lot of actions to one button (though, sprinting and crouching are both the O button, which isn't a problem at all). My only problem is the touch screen. Most of the time it works like a charm. Some of the time it doesn't. Nothing is more frustrating than failing a melee because the touchscreen won't register you swiping your finger on it. It doesn't kill the gameplay by any means, it's just an annoyance. If they could have just mapped the executions to the face buttons or directional pad, it would have been much better.

    The multiplayer in Mercenary is pretty good for a handheld. It supports 8 players across 3 game modes. Underwhelming? You bet. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Warzone are your only match types, with only a handful of maps. The maps could have been expanded a little and player count upped to 16, and it would have been a much more satisfying experience. Medal of Honor Heroes 2 supported 32 players, I believe, and that was on the PSP. The action itself, though, is where the game shines. The multiplayer is really fun once you get into a game, due to the excellent controls. The main problem with the gameplay itself is the spawn points, which seem to throw you in a select few random locations, sometimes right in front of an enemy, or right behind one. Then again, what shooter is perfect with spawn points? I really like the fact that each individual weapon has a purpose for the most part, as one isn't really super overpowered. It plays more like a rock/paper/scissors system, where you have the usual snipers, heavy weapons, assault rifles setup. The sidearms are no joke as well, with an awesome shotgun pistol among other things.

    The unlocks system itself is a joke. Money comes too fast, and you'll have everything unlocked in no time. If you're a player that plays until you unlock everything, don't expect to stick with this game for long. By the time I finished the campaign, almost all of the primary weapons were unlocked, and a few sidearms were unlocked as well. Give it around 10 or so hours in multiplayer, and you'll have everything you could ever need to win in a fight. The only things that are expensive in the store are the Vanguard systems, which act as this game's killstreaks. They are pretty unbalanced, leaving someone with a lot more kills than they should have from one pickup, but they don't break the game like the first Modern Warfare or anything.

    So, to bring this to a close, Mercenary is a pretty good shooter for a handheld, held back by its short length, lazy level design, and limited multiplayer. However, if you're looking for a game with high production values that will wow you, get it. It surpasses Golden Abyss in its production values, and that's saying something.    … Expand
  3. solFur
    Sep 12, 2013
    7
    Let me start by saying that this game is awesome BUT I also would like to stress out the importance of a couple of reviews claiming otherwise.

    This is an owesome game but I know why some feel that this does not deserve what most expect it to be. UNDERSTAND: Notice that when you are looking at a review of an owesome game, you would rather read those that gave less than or greater than    Let me start by saying that this game is awesome BUT I also would like to stress out the importance of a couple of reviews claiming otherwise.

    This is an owesome game but I know why some feel that this does not deserve what most expect it to be. UNDERSTAND: Notice that when you are looking at a review of an owesome game, you would rather read those that gave less than or greater than you expect others to rate. For example: one believes that this game deserves 10/10, you would look up for something less or way too less and wonder why it came to be. It then got your attention. NOW YOU SEE: this reviews are what most developers read mainly because most of these reviews contain critical statements that would help them see another critical point of view. I, for one, notice that this game is holding back something, it's not what developers would want it to be. Something is missing in the game. Don't get me wrong I freakin love this game but somehow i was lead to think that the developers where holding off because going further in development would cost more than the original budget they earlier stipulated. Some constraints were made because they cannot expect huge buying public because vita is not selling too well and the nextgen will soon be released. For the game, I'll give it a 10/10 but because they were holding back for the above reasons, I'll give it a 7/10. I know the developers were holding back as if the game development were forced to end prematurely. There's more to add to this game, It lacks the needed polishing at most.    … Expand
  4. Schnippshly
    Sep 12, 2013
    6
    Yawn, 8 player multiplayer, seriously, who came up with that? It's such boring garbage even when I am beating people down. The levels are big and sparsely populated. This game has a ton of potential, great graphics and gameplay, controls great with lots of weapon variety and such. The campaign is still just a brief, linear foray. What good is that in a portable game? When I'm away from theYawn, 8 player multiplayer, seriously, who came up with that? It's such boring garbage even when I am beating people down. The levels are big and sparsely populated. This game has a ton of potential, great graphics and gameplay, controls great with lots of weapon variety and such. The campaign is still just a brief, linear foray. What good is that in a portable game? When I'm away from the Internet, I want to have a replayable experience, not an 8 hour campaign with zero replay value. And then when I'm near the Internet, which is almost only ever at my house, why would I want to play 8 player Killzone on the Vita when I could play 32 player Killzone on the PS3? If a portable game is going to have multiplayer, then it should be fun enough that it would be suitable for a console game. Otherwise, why would I sit in my house and play it? This is worth a rental for the brief campaign, nothing more.… Expand
  5. Jacer200
    Sep 29, 2013
    7
    Are you ready to make some money MERC? Well if you are don't look any further. The games graphics are really well done for a Vita game. But this really doesn't make up for the horrible writing and so so story. The action is fast paced and just be prepared for the one to two waved based action sequences in each mission. What really sticks out is the great sound, but you need to wear someAre you ready to make some money MERC? Well if you are don't look any further. The games graphics are really well done for a Vita game. But this really doesn't make up for the horrible writing and so so story. The action is fast paced and just be prepared for the one to two waved based action sequences in each mission. What really sticks out is the great sound, but you need to wear some earbuds for full effect.… Expand
  6. Mucki
    Mar 26, 2014
    6
    It's Call of Duty in the future. That's about it. It does have some cool little innovations, but overall it's a pretty generic game. It's still fun for a playthrough, but don't expect much replayability. The game is also pretty easy and the story is just okay. The gun variety is pretty good but lacks an LMG. Stealth is fun and rewarding, as is all-out gunfights. The boss battles are awful,It's Call of Duty in the future. That's about it. It does have some cool little innovations, but overall it's a pretty generic game. It's still fun for a playthrough, but don't expect much replayability. The game is also pretty easy and the story is just okay. The gun variety is pretty good but lacks an LMG. Stealth is fun and rewarding, as is all-out gunfights. The boss battles are awful, boiling down to shoot the thing with zero strategy. If you will be playing multiplayer, then raise my score a bit, I am judging the single player by its self. All-in-all, a decent FPS that just feels a bit too familiar.… Expand
  7. Tommm
    Jan 2, 2015
    6
    The people giving this game a 10 are crazy. That is not to imply this is a bad game, but that it is unpolished at best. If you are looking for a handheld FPS, look no further. However, it suffers from horrible writing, lazy UI, forced touch controls and *terrible stealth gameplay*. Though the shooting is solid, if a little clumsy due to the Vita's size and control sticks, stealth is whereThe people giving this game a 10 are crazy. That is not to imply this is a bad game, but that it is unpolished at best. If you are looking for a handheld FPS, look no further. However, it suffers from horrible writing, lazy UI, forced touch controls and *terrible stealth gameplay*. Though the shooting is solid, if a little clumsy due to the Vita's size and control sticks, stealth is where the game fails horribly. The FOV is too small to take in an environment easily, meaning one must survey an area before proceeding. The game also tries to motivate the player to use stealth. The point where the game fails is often the player is immediately detected while crouchwalking into an area by a faraway enemy that they could not possibly have seen, and thus is bound to die (the suppressed weapons are poor in full-on firefights). Furthermore, the game actively punishes the player with a fine for dying. Solid game, but could've profited off a little more time in testing and development.… Expand
  8. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    6
    The narrative is extremely bland and forgettable, along with the different locations. But, the game-play is impressive for a handheld. Even though it is a bland game, the game is great handheld fun for the most part.
  9. Lewis-Angelo
    Oct 26, 2020
    7
    buen juego, con bastantes toques made in Killzone

    una pena no poder jugarlo en una buena pantalla y con unos controles en condiciones
    es bastante permisivo con el apuntado porque se sabe el lastre del sistema en el que se juega

    ojalá fuese también más largo, se nota demasiado que es un juego corto para portátil

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PS Vita Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
  1. GameCritics
    Feb 21, 2014
    85
    As far as handheld shooters go, Killzone: Mercenary is undoubtedly the new gold standard and, quite frankly, makes a mockery out of its handheld peers.
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  2. Armchair Empire
    Nov 19, 2013
    80
    Overall, Killzone is indeed the best the Vita has to offer in regards to those itching for a good shooter, but there is still room for improvement overall, and I hope that Guerilla’s next effort eclipses this one.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    Oct 31, 2013
    77
    It’s a genuine handheld blockbuster, complete with cool scripted sequences, loud explosions, and surprisingly nice graphics for Vita’s not-so-top-notch hardware.
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