MERCS isn't anything fancy, but it doesn't have any need to be. This is simply pure fun run-and-gun action delivered at the highest caliber, and should be checked out by action game fans looking for a bit of enjoyable mindless ultra-violence on the Virtual Console.

The game is split into two modes, the first being a translation of Capcom's followup to the popular game Commando. It's a straight-forward blast-fest that is a bit short and easy, but is still enjoyable enough. Sadly, though, the Genesis version lost the multi-player component of the arcade version, which ends up hurting matters a bit.

The real meat and potatoes of MERCS comes via the "original" mode, which adds in selectable characters and a shop system that allows you to customize your virtual warrior. It's quite a bit tougher than the arcade mode, but it will reward you with thumb-blistering gameplay if you're man enough to stick it out.

Note: MERCS has been given the Wolf of the Battlefield moniker for this release, probably to tie in with the recent release of Commando 3, but nothing about the game has been changed at all.