Ignition gets a hold on Mercury sequel

The second best-selling PSP puzzle game is spawning a sequel, as Ignition Entertainment is developing Mercury Meltdown for release later this year.

Released two weeks after the debut of Sony's portable, Archer Maclean's Mercury was overshadowed somewhat by the breakthrough success of fellow PSP puzzler Lumines. Even so, it managed to sell more than 100,000 copies in the US, according to the latest numbers from the industry-tracking NPD Group.

Ignition is promising that the new game will have more than 160 levels, party games, downloadable content, a "ghost" mode to compete against past performances, and new physics for the player's protagonist blob of mercury. In addition, the game has been given "a more accessible look and feel designed to appeal to a wider audience," according to a statement from Ignition president Paul Robinson.

Mercury Meltdown is set to release on August 22. For more on the original game, check out GameSpot's review.