I'm lead designer for Mercenaries. Our design staff consists of nine people; a mix between talented novices and industry veterans who've worked on games like Fallout, Planescape, Icewind Dale, Full Spectrum Warrior, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Diablo, Warcraft II, and Starcraft. I can easily say that this is one of the best design teams I've ever worked with.
I'll tell you what the best part of Mercenaries is right now: the factions. The factions in the game don't want to get their hands dirty and they have you do all sorts of odd jobs for them. You are a mercenary, a one-man army, special forces squad, intelligence division, and demolitions team. The factions want you, the mercenary, to do all sorts of things for them. They pay you well and they keep you equipped in style.
The Allies
The Allies are the central faction in the game. Their mandate is to find General Song (Ace of Spades), clean up, and get the hell out of the country. The problem is, they're a multinational task force tied up by miles / kilometers of red tape. All the links to Song are out there, but they can't get to them because of procedure. Every time the mercenary finds someone in the Deck of 52, the Allies get closer to being done.
Colonel Samuel Garret is the Allied leader. He's one hard SOB who's been a professional soldier for a long time. If he had free reign he could clean up the North Korean situation pronto, but then there's that red tape. He's voiced by Carl Weathers.
The Allies have the best airstrikes in the game and some of the best troops. You need an A-10 Warthog loaded with missiles to take out those tanks? Done. Bunker busters to crack open a North Korean tunnel entrance? Done. A B-52 to carpet bomb an army out of existence? Done.
The Chinese
The Chinese are looking to turn North Korea into a client state. This puts them at odds against the South Koreans who want to unify Korea under one banner.
Colonel Zhou Peng is cold and stern. He thinks like a chess player, several moves ahead. He hates Western civilization and hates the idea of using mercenaries, but doesn't see a better option for his current situation. He's voiced by James Hong.
