Because we are dedicated to honest customer opinions Archer Maclean's Mercury (PSP) (Video Game), we have also included Amazon's customer reviews for this item (of which 5 are displayed below). Amazon customers have given Archer Maclean's Mercury (PSP) an average rating of 4.0/5.
Top Amazon Review
Another Archer Maclean Masterpiece. I purchased my first Archer Maclean game around the mid-80s, Dropzone for the Atari 8-bit computers. It was an arcade quality video game on a home computer.
Well here is another Maclean classic over 20 years later. It is original, highly addictive and makes excellent use of the PSPs capabilities. I would happily pay £35 for this game.
Customer Review 1
A surprise gem for the skill-based puzzle fan. When I first heard about Mercury back before the PSP came out, I thought it sounded boring. However, I am a huge fan of Super Monkey Ball on the Gamecube and many of my friends told me that they thought I'd like Mercury because it has that same element of highly refined skill that Super Monkey Ball has. So I picked Mercury up cheap and was indeed pleasantly surprised by the depth and elegance of the title.
Each level is a maze with a blob of mercury in it which you move by effectively "tilting" the maze with the analogue nub. The other buttons provide detailed camera control so that you can position the view to show exactly where the mercury is going. Some levels involve pressing switches, some guiding the mercury through a tricky maze in as short a time as possible, and some demand that you lose as little mercury as possible (it is easy to split the mercury so some falls off the maze). A lot of the later and secret bonus levels are a combination of these objectives.
What I like so much about Mercury is the way that the levels require you to work out a strategy (it is not usually obvious exactly how best to get through a level) and then develop the skills, over many attempts, to carry out that strategy. In the same way that Monkey Ball was challenging and offered extra specially difficult levels for those willing to put the time in to master it, so too does Mercury offer steep challenge in the form of competitive in-game score boards which encourage players to work out the best possible way through a level. By getting to number 1 in the rankings, extra levels are unlocked with more exciting gimmicks and more elaborate designs.
Mercury belongs to that school of video games like Marble Madness and Super Monkey Ball and board games such as Labyrinth and Screwball Scramble: it's a test of strategy and skill that is immensely satisfying to master.
If you like games of high skill then you'll love it. If not, then try first and see if the Mercury buzz hooks you.
Some have criticised the game for being too short, but I don't agree with this criticism because there are lots of levels to be unlocked, they just require mastery of the basic set - Mercury isn't about rushing through doing the levels to a mediocre standard, it's about putting in the time to be perfect. In this way, the game offers great value for money.
Customer Review 2
Shiny but SHORT..... Come on - a game like this is meant to have a bit of life to it.
While it was very enjoyable, the stark fact is it is too short. Do not even think to compare this to the likes of Tetris or some other puzzle clones.
Nice idea, very well presented but at the end of the day it is an expensive game with a very very short lifespan. Don't even think that you will enjoy replaying this one.
Once completed that is it. Shaving a second off your last best time might work in a racing game but in floating a glob of mercury around a small (yes small) map, well - I think I prefer to go out for some fresh air.
As to all those magazines that rated this so highly - shame on you. Continuing to hype a game that in the end detracts from the quality we gamers deserve will only result in more short or poorly made junk.
Have I said this is SHORT!!!
Customer Review 3
One of the best psp games currently available. I bought Mercury as soon as it was released. Its an excellent game. Its based on the old marbles game but instead you are a ball of mercury which you need to guide around various platforms and complete certain tasks. There are 72 levels and each level is unique and different. The graphics are superb. Each level has its own unique style of music and there are also bonus levels to complete for highs scorers. Some of the later levels do get particularly tough and this is one game you wont complete in a couple of hours, which adds to its appeal. If you're a serious puzzle fan, I'd definately recommend this game.
Customer Review 4
Sorry.... Wow, look at all of those 5* reviews. Sorry, I just didn't like it at all. It seems far far too simplistic (and I know that simple can be good, IF it's an original idea) but this is just marble madness but without the ingenuity. I just couldn't get into this game, try as I might. It was an effort to wait for the next level to load without switching off. Maybe I was just rubbish at it but it just didn't engage me. I say again: sorry, but I was left very unenthused.
