When the PlayStation
Portable was unveiled, one game caught my attention by its unique idea and how
it was portrayed in the game. That game is entitled Mercury and even though many
people didn’t like it and had things to be improved upon, I still thoroughly
enjoyed playing it. It only took a little over a year for a version of this game
to be released upon the PlayStation 2 entitled Mercury Meltdown Remix. Read on
to find out more about this game and if it should be on your must have list this
holiday season.
Incase you don’t know what
this game is about, you will be guiding a blob of liquid metal throughout
various levels trying to avoid malicious traps and other devices that will make
you lose some of your precious mercury. There are various ways to beat each
level. Some levels have more then one finishing point where you must get a
certain amount of mercury to the end to win. Other levels have more then one
color mercury so you will have to get each type to the correct finishing point.
That sums up the entire game, trying to get a blob of liquid from one point to
another, but the game goes much deeper then this.
The developers took to
heart many of the criticisms of the first game and have addressed most of the
issues and corrected them. First off the game is much more forgiving then the
first game which helps balance the game out by not making it as frustrating as
before. The level design and progression is better and the difficulty ramps up
at a more even pace then previously. Also the bonuses that this game offers are
worth the frustration and pain that they will cause you trying to unlock them.
For instance in the first game you had to complete each level in a certain
amount of time with a certain amount of mercury. This time you can go at a more
leisurely pace and each level really builds from the previous one.
If you do really well in
the main game and collect enough bonus items you will be able to unlock various
party games to play. These games are a great distraction and really fun to play
but the sad thing is that they are not multiplayer, which is a shame because
they would have been fun to play with your friends. The first game is Rodeo
which your goal is to stay on the platform as long as you can. There is a fan
that blows the board which is trying to knock you away. Next game is Pain which
in order to win is to color more of the level before your computer opponents do.
Shove is where you move your mercury to the center of the target for the most
points, it is kind of like shuffle board. The Race mode is pretty self
explanatory. The last mode is entitled Metrix and this mode is a puzzle
challenge where you must collect three or more blobs and you try to get as much
as you can before the time runs out.
The first thing that I
noticed about this game is the entire presentation has been changed. The first
game gave a very industrial look and feel to it, where this game is very
cartoony in approach with its bright colors and heavily outlined mercury blob.
This change in format really helps the game as it makes it catchier to look at
and easier to spot where you are in a level. The soundtrack to the game is
really similar to the first game and has a very techno feel. Some will like it
and some wont, but that is all that you will get here.
Mercury Meltdown Remix is
rated E for everyone. It will take 81KB on your memory card for game saves.
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Review Scoring Details for Mercury Meltdown Remix |
Gameplay: 7.7
This game plays much better then the first one did on the PlayStation
Portable, and that is mostly due to the fact of the full camera control. Also
the stages are better designed which equates better puzzles that are more
challenge and more satisfying to complete.
Graphics: 7.7
The graphics are completely different from the first game, where it was
more “industrial.” This time gamers are presented with a more colorful cartoony
world that works really well with this game.
Sound: 7.1
The sound in this game is decent but very easily forgettable.
Difficulty: Medium
This game will frustrate you, especially when you lose some previous
mercury over the cliff, but it never gets to the point where it is too
challenging.
Concept: 5.0
I still enjoy this game for its simplicity and its depth all at once.
It is a good puzzle game that will keep you on your toes and frustrate you, but
still remains satisfying once you beat it.
Overall: 7.7
Even though Mercury Meltdown Remix has the feeling that it is made for
a portable gaming machine it is still really fun to play on the PlayStation 2,
even though it lacks some of the depth of other home based console puzzle games.
The gameplay is really improved upon just by using the second analog stick for
camera control. The party games are fun, but would have been better if they were
multiplayer. Regardless this game will remain fun to play and give you various
challenges for quite some time.
