Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, known as Biohazard: The Mercenaries 3D in Japan, is a video game announced by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS at the 2010 Nintendo conference in Japan and released in June 2011. The game is a combination of the Mercenaries Modes featured in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 in which players must defeat as many enemies as possible within a set time limit in order to achieve the highest score. Capcom also confirmed WiFi connectivity for co-op play from players around the world, as well as new modes and characters from across the series. Players will be competing in maps from Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil 5. The official release date is June 2, 2011.

A Co-op mode has also been confirmed. It can be played local or via Wi-Fi.

A demo of Resident Evil Revelations is included within the game. If pre-ordered through Capcom's official site, they offered a free 3DS case as a pre-order bonus.

Characters
The game features eight playable characters:

There is also one alternate costume for each character:
 * 1) Chris Redfield
 * 2) Jill Valentine
 * 3) Rebecca Chambers
 * 4) Claire Redfield
 * 5) HUNK
 * 6) Barry Burton
 * 7) Jack Krauser
 * 8) Albert Wesker
 * 1) Chris Redfield (Pilot)
 * 2) Jill Valentine (Casual)
 * 3) Rebecca Chambers (Nurse)
 * 4) Claire Redfield (Suit)
 * 5) Hunk (Mr. Death)
 * 6) Barry Burton (Patriotic)
 * 7) Jack Krauser (Exo-skeleton)
 * 8) Albert Wesker (Uroboros)

Missions
The game contains 30 missions across 8 stages. The stages are:
 * 1) Public Assembly (RE 5)
 * 2) Village (RE 4)
 * 3) Castle (RE 4)
 * 4) The Mines (RE 5)
 * 5) Missile Area (RE 5)
 * 6) Ship Deck (RE 5)
 * 7) Prison (RE 5)
 * 8) Deserted Island

Mission modes vary from being the standard "kill as many enemies in the time limit" to a wave mode and missions where a boss has to be defeated. Some missions have varying Majini and Zealots, and mini bosses such as the Executioner, Chainsaw Majini, and Garrador etc. Stages can also be set during the day or night and the time bonuses can be placed in different positions in different missions.

Each mission has its own theme music, each an entirely new piece composed especially for the game. Once completing the main mission mode with any character, a new "EX" mission set is unlocked, which includes remixed versions of previous maps. Each map uses a Mercenaries theme from Resident Evil 4 and 5 (I.E., the remixed Castle uses Wesker's mercenaries theme from RE4, and so forth.)

Customization
The game allows the player to switch weapon loadouts with other characters once certain requirements are met, these requirements usually being getting a certain rank on a set amount of missions. . There are 9 loadouts, with one being a bonus loadout that no character has as her/his default loadout. There is a skill / talent tree in the game which allows the player to choose skills or perks to enhance the player. There are 30 skills, and each can be upgraded three levels. An example of these skills is adding electricity to the character's melee moves. Up to three skills can be used at once. The skills featured in the game are the following:

Medic (Complete mission 1-3 with a B rank or higher) Toughness (Get the Like a Phoenix Medal) Luck (Complete mission 5-3 with a B rank or higher) Handgun Technique (Complete mission 4-1 with a B rank or higher) Handgun Custom (Complete mission EX-1 with a B rank or higher) Shotgun Technique (Complete mission 5-1 with an S rank) Shotgun Custom (Complete mission EX-5 with a B rank or higher) Machine Gun Technique (Complete mission 4-3 with a B rank or higher) Machine Gun Custom (Complete mission EX-2 with a B rank or higher) Rifle Technique (Complete mission 5-1 with a B rank or higher) Magnum Technique Bomber Combat Smart Reload Technician Full Burst Weapon Master Reversal Revenge Giant Killing Adrenaline Extension Lucky 7 Close Range Old School Landing Breeder Friendship Thunderbolt Infinity 7
 * Easier to regain health
 * Gain a little health with a critical
 * Reduces damage taken
 * Increases combo time when you defeat an enemy.
 * More difficult to be one-shot killed.
 * Extends effect to partner.
 * Improves the use of Hand-guns.
 * Makes it easier to land a critical hit.
 * Increases performance of handguns.
 * Increases power of all weapons.
 * Use of shotguns improves.
 * Reduces damage taken.
 * Increases performance of shotguns.
 * Makes it easier to regain health.
 * Use of machine guns improves.
 * Strengthens melee.
 * Increases performance of machine guns.
 * Increases range of explosions.
 * Use of rifles improves
 * Strengthens melee.
 * Use of magnums improves.
 * More difficult to be one-shot killed.
 * Use of explosives improves.
 * Reduces damage taken.
 * Strengthens melee.
 * Faster reloading for all weapons.
 * Faster reloading for all weapons.
 * Can reload while in other animations.
 * Use of all weapons improves.
 * Easier to regain health.
 * Strengthens all weapons.
 * Extends effect to partner.
 * Strengthens all skills that affect weapons, but makes it hard to heal.
 * More difficult to be one-shot killed.
 * Can do a strong melee when health is low.
 * Increases ammo capacity for all weapons.
 * Increase critical percentage when health is low.
 * Can reload while in other animations.
 * Increased damage on powerful enemies.
 * Faster reload for all weapons.
 * When you are taking damage, timer expires slowly.
 * Taunting increases strength for limited time.
 * Extends the time it takes for the combo to expire when the timer is close to zero.
 * When remaining time is low health auto-regenerates.
 * Defeating enemies when a 7 in the timer gives you a time bonus.
 * Faster repeat fire for all weapons.
 * Defeating an enemy in close quarter slows down the combo timer.
 * Increases after taunting.
 * Invincibility frames when picking up items.
 * Can reload during other animations.
 * Easier to stomp on enemies when you jump off something.
 * Increased ammo capacity for all weapons.
 * Easier to develop skills.
 * Strengthens skills that affect weapons.
 * Health auto-regenerates when partner is close by.
 * Increase power for all weapons.
 * Adds lightning property to melee.
 * Effects a wider area.
 * Use an infinite rocket launcher. Score will be 0.
 * No level 3 bonus.

Gameplay details


Like Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the camera system for Mercenaries 3D is set behind the player and seen through real time, fully 3D environments. While using the same time-limit-score system as its previous incarnations, additional features are present, such as the ability to customize character loadouts beforehand, as opposed to being limited with fixed character weapon selections. Additionally, the game has international drop-in-drop-out co-op, allowing partner cooperation similar to in Resident Evil 5 albeit on a much larger scale.

Unlike most other games in the series, players have the option of aiming from a first-person viewpoint, although the over-the-shoulder aiming popularized by RE4 and RE5 is also available. Another non-traditional feature is the ability to move while firing weapons (as well as reloading them), but you are unable to aim. This feature was previously only seen in Resident Evil Outbreak File 2 and the other upcoming entry in the series, Resident Evil: Revelations. Gameplay is shown on the 3DS' top screen, while inventory management is handled by the touch screen. An optional setting to modify the aiming speed of any weapon is also avaliable. Another new feature is the ability to customize the playing character's abilities and weapons, and allowing them to gain new abilities over time; the characters also have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can get more skills (more ammo, fast reload, melee moves).

Weapons

 * Handguns: M92F, PX4, H&K USP, Samurai Edge, Matilda, Red9.


 * Shotguns: Ithaca 37, Benelli M3, Striker, Hydra


 * Rifles: Sako 35, Dragunov SVD, PSG-1.


 * Automatics: vz61, MP5, AK-74, SIG 556.


 * Grenade Launchers: MGL.
 * Rocket Launchers: RPG-7.

Reception
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D received mixed reviews from critics. IGN said the game seriously lacked content, while Game Informer praised the game for its graphics. Capcom said the game sold around the amount of units it was projected to sell.

Trivia

 * Chris, Jill, Rebecca, and Barry all return from the Mercenaries of the fifth game. Krauser and Hunk return from the fourth game and Wesker was featured in "The Mercenaries" of both Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, though is taken from RE5 in terms of his play style. Claire is the only character who had never previously appeared in a Mercenaries mini-game.
 * This is also the first over-the-shoulder game in which Claire appears.


 * It features a demo of Resident Evil: Revelations.
 * Was announced after Resident Evil: Revelations, but released before it.
 * Claire's alternate outfit, suit, is the same alternate outfit Sheva can wear in Resident Evil 5 (albeit Claire's features pants, whereas Sheva's has a skirt.)  and looks similar to Ingrid Hunnigan's appearance.
 * Also, Krauser's Exo-skeleton and Barry's patriotic suits are recolored versions of Chris's heavy metal and warrior costumes while Rebecca's nurse outfit is a heavily altered version of Sheva's Fairy Tale costume.
 * Characters not returning from the Mercenaries of Resident Evil 4 are Leon and Ada and from the fifth game Sheva, Excella and Josh.
 * In the character trailer for the game it shows characters in parts of maps that are not accessible in the final product. (For example, Claire does her neck kick move on a zealot in a part of the castle map that the player can't access.