I had anticipated Mercenaries not holding up like many open world games that were its contemporaries, however I was pleasantly surprised at how excellent it was. Mercenaries may seem limited in its scope compared to modern open world games, but the restraints of the technology created a really tight and fun open world playground. The game never tried to punish you for outsmarting it, and it was always satisfying to use a helicopter to glide right over a gauntlet of machine gun nests, or to drop an APC right in the middle of a firefight when making a frantic escape out of a stronghold. The faction system was implemented well and even if you had to swing a faction from hostile to friend it never felt like a chore. In general, the game economy was excellently implemented. There's so many other cool ideas in this game that were held back to technological limitations. It's a shame that this franchise is dead and that there hasn't been a proper re-imagining.

One of the most underrated unique, fun and original open world sandbox games that is unfortunately completely forgotten due being exclusive to PS2 and Xbox OG.

This game has it all:

- Faction mechanics
- Companion mechanics/recruitable npcs
- Disguise/stealth mechanics
- Completely destroyable cities and structures
- Huge variety in vehicles, cars, tanks, helicopters every single one unique and with a different purpose or utility
- Vast arsenal of guns (and yours favorite glitched silenced shotgun from the devs forgetting to use the sfx)
- Many different airstrikes to make it rain from the sky, with artillery or jet bomb strikes
- Black market system, a very useful way to order the vehicles, guns and airstrikes mentioned, at any time
- Missions that can be completed in multiple unique set of ways, with extra rewards from optional objectives
- Amazing soundtrack composed by Michael Giacchino doing some of his best most unique work

If you haven't yet, please, DO PLAY IT! Also always remember to pour one out to my homies from the defunct Pandemic studios.