SO:RM looks and sounds very good, but grows tiresome over time...
My answer came in the very next moment, as my hand crept toward the F6 button for that wonder of all gaming conventions, the QuickSave. You see, the folks at Zombie were somehow afflicted with the notion that I would be thrilled to play an entire level over from the very beginning if I was cut down just as the exit came into view – which actually happened on one of the jungle levels, as I recall; which one is gone from my memory, but the frustration and subsequent shut-down it prompted is still quite clear. If you want to challenge me, Zombie, the limited ammo refills and relatively feckless combat model for firing from cover certainly fit the bill. Both impediments to Captain Hayden’s success were somewhat punishing: the former in a good way, but the latter – comprised mainly of a lean function that only works while the player is sighting down the barrel of his gun – prompted me to simply walk out into the open and hope for the best more often than not.
SO:RM’s sound is its most commendable aspect; I actually jumped in my seat, fumbling to reposition my hand on the keyboard, following a few sudden nearby explosions. The graphics, too, look fantastic, particularly for an Xbox port; as I’ve said before, it may appear as though I’m easily entertained almost to the point of retardation, but the sight of dappled sunlight beaming photo-realistically through a lush jungle canopy, while the surrounding acreage stretches far off into the hazy distance, really does make up for a lot of redundant clashes and inelegant tactics. The view from the Eiffel Tower was also spectacular despite the fact that I was well-and-truly tired, by that point in the game, of worrying over my supply of health packs in lieu of starting the entire doggone level over following another preternaturally accurate barrage of enemy fire.
Generally speaking, there are two types of budget games. The first are amateurish projects made with bare-bones financing that, while often novel in concept, never really had a chance at greatness. Red Mercury seems to me like it falls into the other column of the no-frills gaming category: it starts off with a lot of promise, and then just runs out of steam. No, I don’t think that the ability to QuickSave will make or break a game, but that feature is solidly within the Venn circle of my own opinion of what makes a title worthy of my time. Despite having the proper amount of you-are-there sound quality and frenetic action for a major release, SO:RM’s relegation to the ranks of less prestigious creations is, after all, not that surprising. If you really like shooters and are either amazingly good, supernaturally tolerant, or have no reservations about activating God mode once your health rating takes its inevitable dip, Red Mercury is worth a quick weekend junket.