Mercenaries E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

Though LucasArts' E3 lineup this year is dominated by titles based on the Star Wars franchise, one very notable exception is Mercenaries, a third-person-perspective shooter in development at Pandemic Studios. Set in the near future, the game will feature dozens of real-world weapons, more than 30 drivable (or flyable, as the case may be) vehicles, several playable characters, realistic physics, and more.

Mercenaries takes place in North Korea, where a coup has thrown the country into complete disarray and consequently has put the free world in peril. An elite organization known only as Executive Operations is ordered to sweep in and clean up, and that's where you come in, in the role of either an American ex-soldier, a British agent, or a Swedish bounty hunter, each of whom presumably possesses unique strengths and weaknesses. The realistic physics (brought to you by the Havok physics engine--what else?) and dynamically generated content will facilitate the open-ended, highly replayable action that Mercenaries seeks to offer.

The game seems to be steeped in political tension. Among the warring factions in Mercenaries will be the Russian Mafia, the North Koreans, and the Chinese--and, apparently, you'll be able to pick and choose which of these will be your allies in the struggle, and, consequently, which will be your foes.

Mercenaries sounds like it's going to be an impressive production, with original sound design from Skywalker Sound and a musical score from Michael Giacchino, whose compositions will be featured in Pixar's upcoming The Incredibles. The game is slated for release on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox early next year. We're looking forward to getting our hands on the game on the E3 show floor, and we'll be bringing you updated impressions as soon as possible.