Mirror's Edge

[Llyranor]

360/PS3 demos are out. The game has always been interesting from a design perspective, but I've been skeptical about the actual execution. The demo is pretty short, but does a good job showcasing the gameplay. The controls are extremely intuitive. I'm pretty impressed.

 

The controls on both systems are fairly similar, but I think I might actually give the PS3 the edge here, given the emphasis the game puts on the shoulder buttons (the triggers and bumpers on the 360 pad are too 'different' from each other).

 

I'll definitely buy the game now - the question is really, when? Full price or bargain bin, hmmm.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

<3 DICE

[Nick_i_am]

Impressed.

[Morgoth]

Ebay/Bargain Bin for me.

[NoKKiE]

This game looks really cool, EA has come out with some good games this year.

[karka]

Eurogamer's review:

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=285845

[Rosbjerg]

That was actually a very good and honest review.. if you look away from the score and just read the thing.

[Slowtrain]

Based on that review, it sounds like you can expect to reload a lot. SOme aspects of the game sound interesting, but more than just an occasional reload tends to really hurt game flow for me. I've never really understood how some people have the patience to reload 20 or thirty times just to get a jump right. And then that just leads to another jump. And then another. I guess for some people that sort of counts as gameplay challenge?

[Amentep]

Yeah I hate games that require precise jumping. Which is probably why I've moved away from platform style games.

 

I remember spending a weekend where the only thing I'd do on a game was try and get one timed jump just right (IIRC I had to jump at just the right point on the platform AND at just the right time in order to not be whacked by something). And it was very frustrating (I'd have to turn the game off and do something else for a couple of hours).

 

So while the idea of this seems intriguing, I imagine I should steer clear of it (which I should have done with the last real shooter I got too; I can't shoot for crap in games).

[Slowtrain]

And it was very frustrating (I'd have to turn the game off and do something else for a couple of hours).

 

lol. I hate it when that happens. I always know it's time to take a break when I'm cussing out the developers because I haven't made any forward progress in a game for thirty minutes.

 

Jumping itself in games doesn't bother me and can be fun. but its the excessive reloading that always gets me, in any form. Games are rarely interesting enough for me to gain any enjoyment out of having to replay an exact sequence over and over and over, until finally through dumb luck I finally succeed and can move forward in the game.

 

Actually, out of all the things I dislike about games, that is probably the thing that I hate most. Endless reptition is NOT fun.

[karka]

Based on that review, it sounds like you can expect to reload a lot. SOme aspects of the game sound interesting, but more than just an occasional reload tends to really hurt game flow for me. I've never really understood how some people have the patience to reload 20 or thirty times just to get a jump right. And then that just leads to another jump. And then another. I guess for some people that sort of counts as gameplay challenge?

 

Yeah, it's just as frustrating as check points and respawning enemies.

[Slowtrain]

Based on that review, it sounds like you can expect to reload a lot. SOme aspects of the game sound interesting, but more than just an occasional reload tends to really hurt game flow for me. I've never really understood how some people have the patience to reload 20 or thirty times just to get a jump right. And then that just leads to another jump. And then another. I guess for some people that sort of counts as gameplay challenge?

 

Yeah, it's just as frustrating as check points and respawning enemies.

 

 

If the checkpoints and respawing enemies lead to countless reloads in order to make progress, then yes, absolutely.

 

Happily, Far Cry 2 didn't suffer from that problem as it checkpoints and resapwns were pretty balanced and reloading was pretty much totoally unneccessary.

[karka]

Respawning enemies kills the whole immersion for me no matter how it's handled. Respwning bosses is even worse.

[Llyranor]

You should try the demo before writing off the game.

 

(is the PC one out yet?)

 

This is the first I've heard of excessive trial-error during the platforming. Could be true, or could just be that the reviewer sucks at platforming. There was none of that in the demo, but it was pretty easy there, so who knows.

 

Hopefully that's not how the game is designed. Rather than being very strict re: jumping, they should be more flexible. Player 'skill' should allow for the player being faster and more efficient in doing a particular run, rather than being a jump or die approach, which would be pretty frustrating if you couldn't make it. That's the appeal of the time trials - going through the same courses in an attempt to improve oneself through the gameplay, finding shortcuts, cutting off seconds from the time. Done right, could be pretty rewarding. I'm expecting it so based on the demo.

[Slowtrain]

Yeah, for people who have played the game, chime in re: the fun factor and stuff.

[Morgoth]

Respawning enemies kills the whole immersion for me no matter how it's handled. Respwning bosses is even worse.

System Shock 2 wouldn't have been so thrilling if there wasn't some respawning.

[Slowtrain]

Respawning enemies kills the whole immersion for me no matter how it's handled. Respwning bosses is even worse.

 

I certainly agree that it can kill immersion if not well done. As Morgoth points out, respawning was OK in SS2, mostly because it was pretty subtle. Far Cry 2 has respawning that is about as subtle as brick to a head.

[Hell Kitty]

I played the demo and found it fun, I agree with the review that said it's like a first person platformer. It's actually the opposite of what I usually like in first person games, taking things slowly and exploring. I like the parkour in Assassin's Creed better because in that when I fail I injure myself and need to find another way, but in this the checkpoint reloads and I try again. I'll probably end up buying it though, whore that I am.

 

I know red is "runners vision" or whatever and is supposed to be the ideal route, but do other colours mean anything? I seemed to be traveling along a lot of yellow.

[Amentep]

Respawning enemies kills the whole immersion for me no matter how it's handled. Respwning bosses is even worse.

 

I certainly agree that it can kill immersion if not well done. As Morgoth points out, respawning was OK in SS2, mostly because it was pretty subtle. Far Cry 2 has respawning that is about as subtle as brick to a head.

 

Yeah the respawning in Far Cry 2 kinda made me unhappy with the game (although the motion sickness from driving a jeep didn't help )

 

But handled well it certainly isn't necessarily a detriment to the game. It really just depends on whether its sensible or not for the situation.

[Llyranor]

Got the game today.

 

Finished chapter 2. Not sure how long it took me, but it wasn't too too long. No trial and error stuff so far. You look around, assess your environment, try to locate your goal, and think up the best way to go there. It's pretty intuitive.

 

I'm really liking the core gameplay. The rush you get as you're being chased by baddies with guns and running at full momentum is pretty stirring.

 

I've been mainly going the obvious conventional paths the game throws at your. The beauty of the game is how it has many shortcuts you can take and be a lot more efficient. I've played the first time trial, and the mode is a lot of fun. This will have a lot of lasting value for me.

 

I think, ultimately, people just wanting to go through the game once will find the game too short or something. For those more interested in learning the levels, finding shortcuts, trying to shave a split-second here and there, it's looking to be a good investment.

 

The demo gives a good idea of how the main game feels, at least the early parts.

[Slowtrain]

Do you fall and die a lot?

[Llyranor]

A few times. But they've all been my fault. It's a platformer. If don't time your jumps right, you WILL die. I haven't felt like the game's being cheap so far.

[Llyranor]

In the final chapter. Great game so far. Story sucks. Gameplay is awesome. Level design has been mostly very well-done.

 

Some of the complains people have against the game could be valid, but it doesn't particularly affect me.

 

Yeah, the game IS short. I'm not sure how long it's taken me, nor does it matter, but reviews seem to mention 6-8 hrs for one playthrough.

 

There is *some* trial-and-error stuff. I haven't really found it frustrating. It's really a matter of analyzing the environment, checking your objectives, and figuring out how to get there - instead of just jumping around randomly, plummeting to your death, then rinse and repeat. There's been *one* platforming puzzle I was stuck on for a while. I couldn't find any solution to how to reach the objective, until it finally clicked and I thought "Wait... why doesn't I try *this*? After a risky daring stunt, the deed was done.

 

The game isn't too forgiving. The controls are very tight. Which is a huge plus for me, but some people may find it too hard because of that. Slightly different command inputs can lead to pretty different actions, depending on how you do them. Sometimes there's more leeway. Doing a jump really badly will lead to your death. Doing it really well will lead to a smooth landing and no loss of momentum. Doing it 'ok' could lead to you grabbing on to the ledge. Not dying, but losing time (with bullets still flying towards you, potentially). It's a very technical game. You essentially learn those elements during your first playthrough. I can imagine improving a lot through future playthroughs and the time trials, speed runs, and so on.

 

Melee combat in and of itself isn't anything to write home about. Some people say it's too hard, but they may possibly be playing it wrong. You're not meant to charge into multiple gun-wielding enemies. The combat is a lot more about exploiting your environment, separating the enemies, and engaging them one by one. Taking one out at a time is easy with the tools you're given. I don't really like the disarming mechanics (timing-based button press), but you can slow down time for those anyway. Despite the combat's flaws, I enjoy it. It's pretty fun when you use the protagonist as a a very agile but fragile character rather than a tank. The one thing I'd say should really be improved is that some combat situations are mandatory. While some of them allow you to outmaneuver the baddies and escape to the objective, some have you beat up everyone before you can proceed. In any case, you can use guns anyway, which then makes the combat ridiculously easy.

 

The main thing I will say is to try out the demo, which does a great job showcasing the core gameplay. Rest of the game has a good variety of level design. Some puzzles, some more linear paths, some more branching. It's not sandbox, in any case. It's very thrilling when you're being chased by enemies. The sense of momentum is portrayed pretty neatly. Having to quickly assess the environment, trying to locate which path is faster or better, the performing some awesome stunts. It's all very satisfying thanks to the controls, since you really feel like you're in control.

 

So yeah, the game would be short IF you play it once. I'm easily seeing myself going through the game multiple times (harder difficulties, no-gun runs which I'm doing right now, speed runs, disabling Runner Vision - which colors some environment pieces as red as a clue you're going in the right direction). And then there's the time trials, which will be the meat of the game for me. Here's where you really exploit the finer details of the controls. Challenging yourself (and other people in the leaderboards if that's your thing) to be more efficient, finding shortcuts to cut off large chunks of time, making small adjustment to shave off a few seconds here and there. The game has 3 set times per time trial (of which there are 23) that you want to try to beat. It also has ghosts of your previous best time so that you can race against yourself. You can also download the ghosts of the leaderboard leaders, but that sounds a bit like cheating!

 

Anyway, I'd recommend the game, but it's not for everyone. If none of the points above scare you, go ahead.

Edited November 15, 2008 by Llyranor

[Hurlshort]

As soon as my 360 gets repaired, I'll download the demo. I'm more concerned with getting nauseous than liking the gameplay. It sounds fantastic, but I've had a few FPS games give me major headaches.

[I want teh kotor 3]

I'm picking it up latter today.