For more on Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, check out our full Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D review. Or, for more of the best Nintendo 3DS games for a 10 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a score attack game which pits the player against an endless horde of zombies, with just one goal - to earn as many points as possible before the timer runs out. Or you die. Whichever comes first.
With thirty levels to choose from, the game's played from a third person perspective, and forces you to choose between surviving, and earning points. You'll earn points for killing zombies, and chaining together combos in quick succession, while physical attacks, which you can perform on stunned zombies, will earn you extra time.
The problem here, is really one of difficulty. With an awkward control scheme which sees you moving by using the Circle Pad, and aiming by holding the right button, and then using the Circle pad to control your aim, it can take some getting used to - but easily the worst, and most annoying part, is the one hit kill enemies, who are faster than you, appear out of nowhere, and can kill you in a single hit. Get killed, and you'll earn no points for that level, meaning it's back to square one.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is definitely one for the older player. It's gory, it's violent, and it can certainly make you jump from time to time. Headshots are common, and practically encouraged in the game, as it's the only real way to quickly stop a zombie that's coming for you. A lot of effort's gone into making the headshots look as gory as possible, with heads that explode in a shower of blood and flesh when hit in the right way. When enemies are knocked down, you can finish them off in equally gruesome ways - if you run up to them, and press Y in a certain place, you'll stamp on their head, which causes it to disappear with a sick squelch. Sometimes even destroying a zombie's head isn't enough. Take the head off a zombie infested with a parasite, and all you'll be greeted with is the zombie's head being replaced by a giant, disgusting looking tentacle that lashes around trying to kill you. Other zombies instead start to vibrate when you've "killed" them, and then explode in a shower of puss. Both male and female zombies are featured in the game, too.
Annoyingly, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D comes with full support for co-operative play - but it then renders itself almost useless by requiring that both players own a copy of the game. No single-card download play here. Sigh.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
