Shadow Ops: Red Mercury

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Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is a 2004 first-person shooter developed by Zombie Studios and published by Atari. It released on Xbox in the United States on June 15, 2004 (June 18 in PAL regions) and on Windows in the United States on September 21, 2004 (October 1 in PAL regions). Tommo later digitally published it through its Retroism brand in 2015.

Gameplay is action-focused and not a strict military sim. Health does not regenerate; you find health pickups. Each mission starts with three weapons (usually a sidearm, an assault rifle, and a special weapon) and you can’t switch weapons during the mission. You can aim down sights for better accuracy, though the zoom is stylized and you can’t move while zooming (you can lean to shoot around corners). Grenades can roll along the floor, and you can melee with the butt of your gun. There are no manual saves; you must complete each level from start to finish, though you can replay completed levels from a level-select menu.

The story follows Captain Frank Hayden, a Delta Force operative, as he and his team race to recover a briefcase nuclear bomb code-named “Red Mercury.” Their mission takes them from a Syrian coast to Congo, Kazakhstan, Chechnya, Lebanon, and back to Syria, with twists involving a former ally, Russian spies, and a plot to assassinate world leaders at a Paris summit. In the climactic Paris sequence, Hayden battles Vlady the Vicious and his allies on the Eiffel Tower. Kate Daniels dies, a second Red Mercury bomb is neutralized, but a larger conspiracy is revealed. Hayden and Galena escape as the tower explodes, and Parisians cheer. The game ends with Hayden and Galena sharing a kiss as they reflect on the danger still looming.

Shadow Ops: Red Mercury received mixed or average reviews.