Lately, handheld systems have received a heavy dose of "mentally challenging" games, such as Planet Puzzle League for the Nintendo DS, Sega's incredible Crush for the PSP and most recently, Midway's Hot Brain for the PSP. Not to be outdone, D3 Publisher has PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2, the follow-up to last year's intellectual equalizer.
Like the first game, PQ2 forces players to move a virtual being around a series of stages, similar in concept to the old Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions game. Obstacles must be moved, "virtual police" must be avoided and supplementary items such as conveyor belts and lasers come into play. The player moves these objects and attempts to make it to the other end of the level in the shortest time possible. It sounds straightforward, but the game is anything but.
PQ2 uses an outstanding difficulty progression system, with each level slightly harder than the last. Players must go through and retry these levels if they make a mistake, but the game keeps track of all restarts. They equate into the final score for each stage, in the form of a letter grade. Fortunately, the game doesn't scorn low grades and motivates the player to keep trying, even with stages that seem impossible to finish.
D3 included a number of skillful modes. Players craving a real mental challenge can go for the 100 Puzzle Test, completing 100 mind-bending challenges in five hours, or the ten minute long (five puzzles) Quick Test. In addition, the game offers some entertaining Theme Tests, along with two modes that take excellent advantage of the Infrastructure system. Weekly Test lets players download new challenges directly from developer Now Production on a weekly basis (free of charge), while User Puzzles lets them submit -- and try their hand at user-created stages.
One slight note though, the presentation probably won't wow that many people. Being a "virtual simulator", the levels don't differ that much from one another. The "virtual being" and level items animate efficiently enough and the camera system handles easily, but the game doesn't make good use of the PSP's graphical capabilities Furthermore, the game's audio fails to thrill. The techno soundtrack sounds decent, but it gets old quick.
Even with the minimal presentation, however, PQ2 shouldn't be passed over – especially by those needing another brain-plowing exercise. Its kinetic gameplay, energetic online interactivity and various modes shouldn't be missed by anyone -- not even by the "less-than-smart".
Final Score: 8 (out of 10)
Related Links
Reader Comments (0)