Mercury Meltdown Revolution

Rejoice, gamers, your long wait is over. We’ve seen a few ports of Mercury Meltdown since it premiered on the PSP last year, but of all those only the Wii version seems perfectly suited to its choice of console. Yes, rather than buttons that lead to frantic turning of the controller or portable console (go on, admit it, everyone did it), this time you get to move that annoying blob of mercury using the infamous motion sensors that come a standard in the Wii Remote.

The game is a clear port, but for once this works in Revolution’s favour. Each level sees you having to manoeuvre said mercury from A to B, avoiding traps and making use of various nifty gizmos including a teleporter and airbrushes. You can even heat or cool your blob, adding another dimension to levels. The Wii incarnation also adds a couple of new levels and shuffles the others around a bit, just to chase any hint of monotony out the window. This kind of care and attention is sure to win even more fans.

The best thing about this game is the intuitive nature of the controls. Yes, if only one game were meant to be on the Wii, this is it. It’s an odd but satisfying feeling to rotate the remote and watch the mercury begin to shift in the same direction. Because of this, it takes mere seconds to figure out how to play. The graphics are identical to previous versions, with the realistic metal surrounded by an almost cartoonish HUD and environments which lack the realism of the original. On the other hand, the game itself is not as hard as the original either, so that can only be a good sign.

Given the number of Wii titles currently assaulting gamers, Revolution could easily be missed, but it’s actually one of the best titles to be released and could seemingly have been designed exclusively for the Wii if not for its prior appearances on the PSP and PS2. Even if you’ve played it before and have nailed the levels, there’s still plenty here. It’s the kind of game with high replay value. Every serious Wii owner who wants to see what their beloved console is really capable should definitely give this a go.

Last Chance to Win Halo 3

October is almost out the (spooky) door, and that means that we’re about to draw a winner for our Halo 3 Legendary Edition.  If you’ve not signed up for our free email digest, you still have a few hours to get in on this most excellent prize. Read more

Armageddon Empires [Indiescene]

Some games require a huge buy-in. You need to invest a lot of time learning the system, understanding the interface and reading the documentation over and over. The problem with this, of course, is that the payoff may not be worth it. Beyond the learning curve could be great indie gems like Dwarf Fortress or Dominions 3, but you need to either find a walkthrough or commit to the self-education. Who wants to do that?

This is the dilemma facing Armageddon Empires, a new post-apocalyptic wargame from Cryptic Comet. It’s an old-fashioned game in many ways, most significantly in how you will need to read the freaking manual to get started. There’s not a lot of in-game help for you. There’s not a lot of clarity on when you need to right click and when you need to left click. The drag and drop tool is fussy, too.

But you’ll forget all of this once you master the system. Armageddon Empires is a game of exploration and area control. You explore hexes to uncover enemies and resources. As expected, you spend resources on bringing new units to field, but there’s an original twist here. You can also spend these resources on dice before each turn, high rolls determine who gets to go first. The person who goes first gets more action points. So do you save those green resources to move your hero from your hand or spend them on the chance of points you can use to buy more cards?

This either/or decision making is everywhere in the game, potentially turning the tide of battles by spending “fate points,” making an intimidating game quite intuitive once you get the basics in hand. It helps that the setting is familiar enough to not throw up too many barriers to understanding. Air, artillery, infantry, zombies, cyborgs, etc. Nothing that your standard geek can’t manage.

Armageddon Empires rises above the crowd, though, because it is a surprisingly sophisticated wargame. Your armies will start with a couple of units at most, but eventually you will need to manage their composition carefully. Air strikes will need to be timed to even the odds, all the while costing you precious resources which are rarely in high supply. Like the best strategy titles, Armageddon Empires expects you to balance the needs of the moment with the promises of the future, but it never makes you feel like everything is riding on an early turn or a single fateful decision.

Of course, a large number of you will just give up early in the demo. Those of you that stick around will be treated to one of the best new old strategy games in a while.

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