The Elusive Fish Negg

    So, what is Meerca Chase 2? Well, it is simple and fun; all you have to do is move the Meerca around the screen, collecting coloured neggs and trying not to die by hitting the wall, your tail or any red neggs. Easy right? WRONG! Sure, it is fun if you are not after the avatar (do these people exist?) but for those of us who are desperate to obtain that avatar, we must gain 1250+ points!

    Now, there is really only one realistic way to do this: by using Super Extra Hyper Gravity mode! Simply type ‘superextrahypergravitymode’ at the mode selection screen and ta da! Pure evil awaits! This mode gives you WAY more points for each negg you collect, so that each yellow negg (because let’s be honest, that’s basically the only kind of negg you’ll see) is worth 8 points! With colored neggs, the multiplier ends up in a huge reward. But, like with all great things in this world, it comes at a price. In this mode you actually have to move your Meerca forward manually BUT you must stay away from the middle of the screen or you and your tail will be sent flying down the black hole all the way to failure. The force is stronger the closer to the middle you get, so it is best to just avoid it completely. Sadly, that is easier said than done.

    Now you are probably sensing I have something of a bee in my bonnet about this Super Extra Hyper Gravity mode. Well firstly, my high score for Meerca Chase 2 is 990. Yep a measly 990! 13 years of practice and that is all I have to show for it. Okay, so I did not discover the er...wonder of Super Extra Hyper Gravity (can we just call it Gravity mode now? My fingers hurt) mode until embarrassingly recently, but I have spent hours practicing since I did discover it.

    Gravity mode is evil for several reasons.

-WHY do the neggs spawn directly over the hole? That is CERTAIN DEATH. Just forget it, chuck yourself down the hole and start again if this happens.

-When you collect a negg you MUST be moving otherwise you will immediately crash into your tail and you will die.

-If you have a tail and let go of the forward key for any reason you will crash into your tail and you will die.

-If you are not quite used to the way Gravity mode works you might try to spin around quickly to collect a negg that spawns behind you, but you will spiral out of control, crash into your tail and you will die.

-Lastly my biggest bug bear of all, THE FISH NEGG. Really the Fish Negg is the key to gaining that avatar score BUT it is ridiculously rare.

    So more about this Fish Negg: in Gravity mode it is worth a whopping 900 points. Collect one of those and you only need 350 more points for that avatar! Easy! HAHAHAHA. I have only ever seen a Fish Negg four times…

    The first time I was so shocked I panicked! Collected the negg, crashed into the wall and that was that. The second time it spawned directly dead centre over the hole, a freak occurrence surely? NO this is also what happened the third time, and the fourth. WHYYYYYYYYYY?!

    Now you’re probably thinking ‘Well, four Fish Neggs sounds plenty?! Why are you so salty?’ Well. I STILL do not have the avatar of course, no doubt the fifth Fish Negg I see will take me by such surprise I will probably fall off my chair and *altogether now* crash into my tail and I will die!

    Quick tip coming your way from a, let’s say, seasoned player. I’m sure all of you (much like myself) grow impatient at first, when the red neggs are scarce and you’re feeling confident, having to go around and around the circle collecting your boring yellow neggs. Don’t get too comfortable! Does it look like you can just turn around and grab the yellow negg behind you in your path? It’s a trap!! Although it may save you a few precious seconds, it comes with the risk of you running into your own tail or losing your much-needed momentum. Take your time and make a full loop around the circle. Waste of time? Maybe. Much safer option? You bet.

    I have heard of people who attempt to restart the game over and over again, hoping a Fish Negg (or Power Negg - those are nice too!) will appear as the first negg. Can this be effective? I suppose so. But where’s the fun in that?! There’s a reason I get so flustered every time the elusive negg appears - because it is such a surprise! To be fair, for most people, this surprise would probably result in an avatar. But onward I go!

    I’ve quickly learned this game is a mixture of luck and skill. Yes, I need to be able to weave my way through red neggs, but NO I cannot grab a negg in the middle of the black hole abyss and come out alive to tell the tale. Some games are WAY easier than others, with fewer red neggs spawning and being strewn in an easily avoidable pattern. If you have red neggs all over the place, practically impossible to weave around, you can bet your last neopoint that you will not be getting far in that game.

    I will not let this game beat me! The avatar will be mine! In the meantime, please throw some luck my way ;)