<s>
Mercs	B-Application
,	O
originally	O
released	O
as	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
arcades	O
by	O
Capcom	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
1985	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
Commando	B-Application
(	O
in	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
not	O
as	O
successful	O
as	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Mercs	B-Application
was	O
well-received	O
by	O
critics	O
and	O
was	O
a	O
moderate	O
commercial	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Wolf	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Battlefield	I-Application
:	I-Application
Commando	I-Application
3	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
,	O
a	O
downloadable	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
up	O
to	O
three	O
players	O
available	O
for	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
players	O
are	O
members	O
of	O
a	O
covert	O
mercenary	B-Application
team	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Wolf	O
Force	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
rescue	O
a	O
former	O
President	O
from	O
rebels	B-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
fictional	O
African	O
country	O
of	O
Zutula	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
administered	O
by	O
an	O
apartheid	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Mercs	B-Application
was	O
produced	O
by	O
Sega	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
September	O
27	O
,	O
1991	O
,	O
with	O
subsequent	O
releases	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
features	O
two	O
different	O
game	O
modes	O
:	O
an	O
"	O
Arcade	B-Application
Mode	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
features	O
the	O
same	O
plot	O
and	O
stages	O
as	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
"	O
Original	O
Mode	O
"	O
that	O
introduces	O
a	O
new	O
plot	O
with	O
all	O
new	O
stages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
notable	O
aspect	O
which	O
distinguish	O
the	O
Original	O
Mode	O
from	O
the	O
Arcade	B-Application
Mode	O
is	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
Weapon	O
Shops	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
buy	O
power-ups	O
for	O
their	O
character	O
using	O
currency	O
obtained	O
from	O
defeated	O
enemy	O
soldiers	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
multiple	O
playable	O
characters	O
,	O
each	O
characterized	O
by	O
the	O
weapon	O
they	O
wield	O
(	O
with	O
the	O
starting	O
character	O
using	O
the	O
standard	O
Assault	O
Rifle	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
,	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Mercs	B-Application
only	O
allows	O
for	O
a	O
single	O
player	O
,	O
a	O
point	O
which	O
MegaTech	O
magazine	O
considered	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
only	O
weakness	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Home	O
computer	O
ports	O
of	O
Mercs	B-Application
were	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
in	O
1991	O
by	O
U.S.	O
Gold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
North	O
American	O
debut	O
at	O
Chicago	O
's	O
American	O
Coin	O
Machine	O
Exposition	O
(	O
ACME	O
)	O
in	O
March	O
1990	O
,	O
Mercs	B-Application
was	O
declared	O
"	O
the	O
hit	O
of	O
the	O
show	O
"	O
by	O
RePlay	O
magazine	O
and	O
several	O
major	O
distributors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
hit	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
where	O
weekly	O
coin	O
drop	O
earnings	O
averaged	O
$193.25	O
per	O
arcade	B-Application
unit	O
during	O
November	O
and	O
December	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Mercs	B-Application
on	O
their	O
May	O
1	O
,	O
1990	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
second	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	B-Application
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
,	O
outperforming	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Aliens	B-Application
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
a	O
strong	O
launch	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
top-grossing	O
new	O
arcade	B-Application
release	O
in	O
the	O
May	O
1990	O
issue	O
of	O
the	O
RePlay	O
charts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
successful	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
an	O
arcade	B-Application
blockbuster	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
Commando	B-Application
or	O
its	O
imitators	O
such	O
as	O
Ikari	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
(	O
1986	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Commando	B-Application
designer	O
Tokuro	O
Fujiwara	O
was	O
disappointed	O
that	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
develop	O
a	O
Commando	B-Application
sequel	O
sooner	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
market	O
already	O
had	O
numerous	O
Commando	B-Application
style	O
games	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
Mercs	B-Application
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mercs	B-Application
was	O
generally	O
well-received	O
by	O
critics	O
upon	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	B-Application
game	O
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
,	O
Sinclair	O
User	O
and	O
Your	O
Sinclair	O
magazines	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
Mercs	B-Application
was	O
the	O
top-selling	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
game	O
in	O
October	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
port	O
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
MegaTech	O
and	O
Mega	O
magazines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
of	O
Mercs	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
Commando	B-Application
and	O
Gun.Smoke	B-Application
,	O
are	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
fourth	O
volume	O
of	O
the	O
Capcom	B-Application
Generations	I-Application
compilations	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Capcom	B-Application
Classics	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
Vol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1	O
,	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
in	O
2005	O
,	O
and	O
Capcom	B-Application
Classics	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
:	I-Application
Reloaded	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
in	O
2006	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
February	O
9	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
Capcom	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
February	O
20	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
at	O
a	O
cost	O
of	O
800	O
Wii	B-Application
Points	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
re-release	O
is	O
listed	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
of	O
Mercs	B-Application
:	I-Application
Wolf	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Battlefield	I-Application
,	O
to	O
tie	O
in	O
with	O
the	O
earlier	O
Wolf	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Battlefield	I-Application
:	I-Application
Commando	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
is	O
on	O
the	O
Retrobit	O
Generations	O
Plug	O
and	O
Play	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
