To answer your question: Yes, Mercenaries is fabulous and awesome. It has a few minor drawbacks (mostly related to control), but it doesn't take away from the utter awesomeness of the game. It really is similar to the newer GTA games, but in a war setting - still; it does a fabulous job. It is really interactive and it's always a thrill to hijack a low-flying helicopter or order a bunker buster missile strike to destroy a building. I suggest finding a way to get your hands on a copy as soon as possible.