7,62 High Calibre

You'll tear your hair out while playing this game. I also want to apologize to Man of Prey for calling it bad—it’s a godsend compared to 7.62. Screw this game to hell and back, and then some. It’s an absolute nightmare. It takes a long time just to get used to it, and in the end, it’s not worth it.

But let’s start from the beginning. If you’ve played the previous game, Brigade E5, you’ll know that you’re one of the mercenaries who previously fought in a fictional country called Palinero. In 7.62, the action takes place in Algeiro, a country to the north of Palinero. Same concept, different location. You gather a group of mercenaries—or not, since you can finish the game solo—grab a couple of guns, stock up on ammo, and either make a change or keep the current dictator in power.

Now, about the gameplay: it’s a real-time tactical RPG with a “smart pause” feature. What’s smart pause? It allows you to pause all action to assign orders to your fighters. The game is extremely unforgiving, so during combat, you need to be fully prepared. That means constantly scanning the field and keeping your weapon ready to fire. However, holding your weapon ready drains endurance, so when you’re not fighting, you’ll need to put it away. When you spot an enemy, you’ll have to choose the ideal distance for your weapon to avoid missing your shots. Then you select where to aim and wait for your orders to execute in real time—all while your enemies are doing the same thing without being burdened by endless clicks and mouse drags like you are.

Beware: enemies are highly unfair and often appear in large numbers. They almost always hit first—from 150 meters away—with a broken Makarov that somehow critically wounds you in the head. And if that wasn’t bad enough, getting killed almost always causes the game to crash. Yes, I’m serious—dying frequently leads to crashes. There are no permanent party members; all hires are temporary. You can either pay them for a specific amount of time or set them up with a monthly salary.

I’ve never had a session longer than an hour without the game crashing. Towns are huge but empty, with almost nothing to do. Quest descriptions are vague and often lack important details. Random encounters happen constantly, and they’re incredibly unfair—it’s hard to escape from them too. An average encounter can last anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes. Maps are large and empty, so if you decide to run away, prepare yourself for a long trek because finding an exit zone takes forever.

The funniest part? The game can actually be completed without your involvement at all! If you ever decide to torture yourself with 7.62, I recommend playing the Hard Life mod instead—it’s an improved version from the developers themselves. Even then, though, expect plenty of crashes and bugs that can completely break your progress. This version improves readability while preserving the original tone and intent!