Poor example of tactical action
If you're looking for a squad-based tactical strategy game like Laser Squad, or X-Com, then this is probably not the game you're looking for. While it sounds good enough on paper, unfortunately its poor execution means that it is best overlooked. The game is a sci-fi take on the genre and sees a collection of hired guns, under the command of General Tegel, carrying out a series of suicide missions against a race of evil insectoid aliens. As the player, you hire a set of tough soldiers, each of whom have their own unique abilities and weapons, and then proceed to unleash them in a series of tactically challenging missions, each of which have distinct objectives. During combat itself, orders such as move, attack and search can be issued, with battles playing out in real-time. Completion of objectives rewards you with cash which can be used to purchase new mercs, but soldiers cannot be customised and are stuck with their original weapons. However, there is a custom mission editor which allows you to design your own games for some added replay value. Tegel's Mercenaries suffers from a number of problems which make it hard to recommend. The visuals are pretty poor, with crude in-game graphics that are lacking in detail and personality, while sound is restricted to music alone. There are several balancing issues which mean the game lacks any real challenge, with enemy AI that is easy to overcome and with many of the available weapons being distinctly overpowered. There are others, but it would be a long list, so it's best just to say that this is something of a wasted opportunity and is only really for die hard genre fans. The follow-up, Strike Squad, is somewhat better but you're better off sticking with Syndicate.
