244: Stumbling Through Mirror's Edge
- Thread starter Michael Cook
- Start date
I beat Mirror's Edge using only 2 disarms (on the mandatory boss disarm section) and 1 weapon (the sniper rifle provided against a truck). At no point did I disarm anyone else, or use a single firearm against a human.
I did, however, kick about a hundred men in the balls.
And I enjoyed it a lot!
The server room was ridiculously hard, though.
I did, however, kick about a hundred men in the balls.
And I enjoyed it a lot!
The server room was ridiculously hard, though.
All the parkour stuff was really fun, and I liked the storyline too (although it went by far too fast -- you barely get introduced to people before they get their twist revelation). The combat was the major downer.
I made the choice beforehand to try to avoid using weapons at all (despite playing on PC so not having an achievement to earn for it). For the most part this was pretty straightforward and felt good and in tune with the game's theme. But in some areas (especially the opening area of the ship, where you arrive in the back of a truck) it got just a little too tedious (wipe out three guys, run for the fourth but just a little too slow and you're dead. Rinse and repeat.) Oddly enough I don't remember having nearly as much trouble in the server room.
I'm glad there's going to be a sequel, though.
I made the choice beforehand to try to avoid using weapons at all (despite playing on PC so not having an achievement to earn for it). For the most part this was pretty straightforward and felt good and in tune with the game's theme. But in some areas (especially the opening area of the ship, where you arrive in the back of a truck) it got just a little too tedious (wipe out three guys, run for the fourth but just a little too slow and you're dead. Rinse and repeat.) Oddly enough I don't remember having nearly as much trouble in the server room.
I'm glad there's going to be a sequel, though.
I really think Mirrors edge was a victim of its own hype/PR machine, and not anything inherently wrong with the game. Having not heard about it till it was released, and salivating once I saw the trailer I really didn't have alot of expectations going in except running and awesome would ensue. In comparison though if you went in expecting certain things from the game (no combat as an example), you probably got run down some.
I mean, I still can't beleive this didn't sell great?! It was literally my favorite game I played since portal and just as good of a deal (payed a discounted price on steam 1-2 months after it came out). It was just totally different from any other game, and thankfully instead of creeping into it they mostly wholeheartedly jumped into how/why it was different. From the amazing visual style (reflective pristine simplicity of outside to the varied interiors), to the slick tricks, to a good sense of urgency it screamed different yet cool immediately. I'll get to the gameplay later, but I didn't have a single problem with it. Once I realized the whole thing was working off of a consistent physics model and the games emphasis was on speed it became a smooth masterpeice of a 6hour chase scene. Not only that for a single player game, you could literally just WATCH someone play it and enjoy it if they were flowing well.
The gameplay was very tight, although I freely admit I sucked horribly at first. I'm one of those people that refuse to get a gamepad for a PC, so it was mouse/keyboard from the get go [although I did bind some stuff to the thumb buttons on the mouse etc]. I really think that made the difference. Not that the game was designed soley for the PC, but the margin for error WAS larger with the increased precision of a mouse. In fact, knowing how everything was when it worked right, I was able to play it on my brother's PS3 without any of the constant dying he had [and once he saw how it was supposed to be played, neither did he]. The big trick was realizing even though you were disoriented and didn't know your way, the game just worked better if you focused on FLOW instead of direction. Sure occasionally your had to stop to look around, but usually it all worked out if you just ran flat out and always went for the high ground. In that sense the red path guides were cruical on a first playthrough (although replays are much better without them). You could be a total noob, partially lost running full tilt and still know where to go at the last second, allowing the proper trick if you were fast enough.
Alot of people also hated the combat but it really fit the mood & story. The combat wasn't an add on, it reinforced the sense of pace (actively with chases at times) to keep you flowing and not slowing down. Your character was not James Bond, nor Bruce Lee; her whole collection of skills involved movement and running. So of course she sucked with a gun mostly, and based on all the tricks you do, of course you had to ditch them fast. Most of the "non-optional" fight parts (where the enemies were outlined in red) were actually skippable if you just moved fast enough or found the right path because you could get shot a few times... Its here that the reality of the game really came up short, but didn't detract from the immersion (and infact the comic style cutscenes helped) because the game infact had a movie/comic feel. At points it really felt like a chase out of the matrix except with more realism in respect to physics. When you did in fact REALLY have to fight, the most effective moves came still relied on speed. A wall-run flying kick was an instant KO, and a sliding balls kick stunned a guard long enough to usually get out of sight. When there were more guards it became a ballet of quick disable [I gave up on timing take downs because it was too slow] --> grab a gun, run up/around to the next and quickly shoot them when you were close ---> drop gun, then flee or pick up next one. Except for 1-2 areas, taking out two key guards was enough for resuming your getaway. MOST importantly, the chase's and combat made the areas without them later in the game really shine. The favorite sequences were: the sewer catwalk climb area & the under construction building climb. They were a bit slower paced, had some puzzle elements, and look absolutely cinematic if run without slowing down or messing up. I came back again and again to time trial these sections, and also to clear some firefight areas without ever touching a guard or slowing.
It just depressed me when I didn't know if this would have a sequal, and I really hope we see more than an iPhone game out of the IP... I remain amazed how different Mirrors Edge and Assassin's Creed were using similar ideas on movement, and I know which one I liked better. Given a longer game, and maybe a proper tutorial and I'm conviced you would have dinamite of a sequal.
I mean, I still can't beleive this didn't sell great?! It was literally my favorite game I played since portal and just as good of a deal (payed a discounted price on steam 1-2 months after it came out). It was just totally different from any other game, and thankfully instead of creeping into it they mostly wholeheartedly jumped into how/why it was different. From the amazing visual style (reflective pristine simplicity of outside to the varied interiors), to the slick tricks, to a good sense of urgency it screamed different yet cool immediately. I'll get to the gameplay later, but I didn't have a single problem with it. Once I realized the whole thing was working off of a consistent physics model and the games emphasis was on speed it became a smooth masterpeice of a 6hour chase scene. Not only that for a single player game, you could literally just WATCH someone play it and enjoy it if they were flowing well.
The gameplay was very tight, although I freely admit I sucked horribly at first. I'm one of those people that refuse to get a gamepad for a PC, so it was mouse/keyboard from the get go [although I did bind some stuff to the thumb buttons on the mouse etc]. I really think that made the difference. Not that the game was designed soley for the PC, but the margin for error WAS larger with the increased precision of a mouse. In fact, knowing how everything was when it worked right, I was able to play it on my brother's PS3 without any of the constant dying he had [and once he saw how it was supposed to be played, neither did he]. The big trick was realizing even though you were disoriented and didn't know your way, the game just worked better if you focused on FLOW instead of direction. Sure occasionally your had to stop to look around, but usually it all worked out if you just ran flat out and always went for the high ground. In that sense the red path guides were cruical on a first playthrough (although replays are much better without them). You could be a total noob, partially lost running full tilt and still know where to go at the last second, allowing the proper trick if you were fast enough.
Alot of people also hated the combat but it really fit the mood & story. The combat wasn't an add on, it reinforced the sense of pace (actively with chases at times) to keep you flowing and not slowing down. Your character was not James Bond, nor Bruce Lee; her whole collection of skills involved movement and running. So of course she sucked with a gun mostly, and based on all the tricks you do, of course you had to ditch them fast. Most of the "non-optional" fight parts (where the enemies were outlined in red) were actually skippable if you just moved fast enough or found the right path because you could get shot a few times... Its here that the reality of the game really came up short, but didn't detract from the immersion (and infact the comic style cutscenes helped) because the game infact had a movie/comic feel. At points it really felt like a chase out of the matrix except with more realism in respect to physics. When you did in fact REALLY have to fight, the most effective moves came still relied on speed. A wall-run flying kick was an instant KO, and a sliding balls kick stunned a guard long enough to usually get out of sight. When there were more guards it became a ballet of quick disable [I gave up on timing take downs because it was too slow] --> grab a gun, run up/around to the next and quickly shoot them when you were close ---> drop gun, then flee or pick up next one. Except for 1-2 areas, taking out two key guards was enough for resuming your getaway. MOST importantly, the chase's and combat made the areas without them later in the game really shine. The favorite sequences were: the sewer catwalk climb area & the under construction building climb. They were a bit slower paced, had some puzzle elements, and look absolutely cinematic if run without slowing down or messing up. I came back again and again to time trial these sections, and also to clear some firefight areas without ever touching a guard or slowing.
It just depressed me when I didn't know if this would have a sequal, and I really hope we see more than an iPhone game out of the IP... I remain amazed how different Mirrors Edge and Assassin's Creed were using similar ideas on movement, and I know which one I liked better. Given a longer game, and maybe a proper tutorial and I'm conviced you would have dinamite of a sequal.
I ended up stuck with Mirror's Edge for a week longer than I had wanted, so I can say it's the most enjoyable when it says 'here, run in this direction, don't fall'. Although frankly it had less 'now what?' moments than the average game for me. I'd say it shouldn't even have a plot, but that's asking for a much greater revolution than its developers were probably willing to commit to. They would never take that kind of leap of faith (har har).
But it shouldn't have gunplay, that I agree. It's obvious that gunplay was tacked to ME after some meddling executives (which are also shortened to ME) decided that people expected it, and if you didn't put it in people would be asking why Faith couldn't pick up the guns that the enemies dropped. And it killed the gameplay, simply because incapacitating a man wielding a machine gun you often find bolted to the top of a Humvee and wearing more padding than an elderly fencer by kicking his gun, grabbing it, hitting him in the chin, and then throwing the gun over your shoulder is a powerful statement, one that ME refused to say to fit the norm more. Which is very bad when your entire game's selling point is that it's not just another game.
But it shouldn't have gunplay, that I agree. It's obvious that gunplay was tacked to ME after some meddling executives (which are also shortened to ME) decided that people expected it, and if you didn't put it in people would be asking why Faith couldn't pick up the guns that the enemies dropped. And it killed the gameplay, simply because incapacitating a man wielding a machine gun you often find bolted to the top of a Humvee and wearing more padding than an elderly fencer by kicking his gun, grabbing it, hitting him in the chin, and then throwing the gun over your shoulder is a powerful statement, one that ME refused to say to fit the norm more. Which is very bad when your entire game's selling point is that it's not just another game.
I beat Mirror's Edge the first time through without firing a single shot at a human being. It was not easy, but when I finally finished the game, there was a nice feeling of accomplishment to it, sort of a "I took the high road and one" deal.
Sadly, Mirror's Edge held too few of those moments and far too many moments where it felt like the game wanted to be a chore. A lot of it, to me, had to do with inconsistency- inexplicable shifts in style, in mood, in gameplay. "Wow, you're moving along, flowing like the wind, but now here's a closed-off building indoors and armed police! Hey, here's a jarring cartoon cutscene that doesn't give you much insight into your character! Here's combat that's beautiful one-on-one, but that completely falls apart in any sort of crowd situation! And oh, here's lots of crowd situations!"
I know that Faith probably weighs ninety pounds soaking wet and holding an anvil, but when she's running along at full speed and she does a full-on double-footed leap into a cop's chest, I expect him to go flying, or at the very least to fall down. Instead, Faith bounces off like a rubber ball and the cop barely staggers. For all the feel of momentum the game has during running, trying to be a speedster in combat makes her seem more like a sandbag than a human being.
Also, the level construction felt kind of haphazard as well. Not in the visuals- I was constantly wowed by the graphics when over-bloomed white concrete wasn't turning my retinas to ash- but by, again, the flow. There were times that it felt like I was just really starting to move when the game corralled me in what was, for all intents and purposes, a wonderfully scenic alley. Or worse, going indoors and and either traipsing through uninteresting corridors, sprinting past anything interesting in your rush to escape gunfire, or struggling through a momentum-destroying obstacle course.
That being said, it's amazing what the game got right when it was finally hitting on all cylinders. Even in the sound department, which so many other games neglect; during the part where Faith is trapped in a very slow elevator with police peppering with bullets, I actually cringed, because it didn't sound like there were interns with sticks tapping at the elevator- it really sounded like some high-velocity slugs were striking a thin sheet of metal that was all that stood between me and forcible ventilation. It was those moments where it all fell into place that made it so much more disappointing when it all fell apart.
Sadly, Mirror's Edge held too few of those moments and far too many moments where it felt like the game wanted to be a chore. A lot of it, to me, had to do with inconsistency- inexplicable shifts in style, in mood, in gameplay. "Wow, you're moving along, flowing like the wind, but now here's a closed-off building indoors and armed police! Hey, here's a jarring cartoon cutscene that doesn't give you much insight into your character! Here's combat that's beautiful one-on-one, but that completely falls apart in any sort of crowd situation! And oh, here's lots of crowd situations!"
I know that Faith probably weighs ninety pounds soaking wet and holding an anvil, but when she's running along at full speed and she does a full-on double-footed leap into a cop's chest, I expect him to go flying, or at the very least to fall down. Instead, Faith bounces off like a rubber ball and the cop barely staggers. For all the feel of momentum the game has during running, trying to be a speedster in combat makes her seem more like a sandbag than a human being.
Also, the level construction felt kind of haphazard as well. Not in the visuals- I was constantly wowed by the graphics when over-bloomed white concrete wasn't turning my retinas to ash- but by, again, the flow. There were times that it felt like I was just really starting to move when the game corralled me in what was, for all intents and purposes, a wonderfully scenic alley. Or worse, going indoors and and either traipsing through uninteresting corridors, sprinting past anything interesting in your rush to escape gunfire, or struggling through a momentum-destroying obstacle course.
That being said, it's amazing what the game got right when it was finally hitting on all cylinders. Even in the sound department, which so many other games neglect; during the part where Faith is trapped in a very slow elevator with police peppering with bullets, I actually cringed, because it didn't sound like there were interns with sticks tapping at the elevator- it really sounded like some high-velocity slugs were striking a thin sheet of metal that was all that stood between me and forcible ventilation. It was those moments where it all fell into place that made it so much more disappointing when it all fell apart.
Good man, glad to know I'm in company. That forced sniper rifle section kinda stings though, as do the two forced disarms on the "sniper".The Rogue Wolf said:
I had fun with Mirror's Edge, but I do see the points made in this article as fair. The conclusion, however, doesn't sit well with me. While it's true that indie games can often find more room for innovation, I don't think big companies should be told to shy away from it in favour of the tried and true. I think the bean counters give them that lecture often enough, and what do we get? Stale knock-off sequels. I'm willing to forgive a lot if a game does something to feel "fresh."
That was you? I really enjoyed reading The Runner, especially the post on the use of colour in Mirror's Edge. I loved ME when I played it (although I recognised its flaws), but The Runner gave me a whole new appreciation for some of the elements.Michael Cook said:
What a weird day... 2 of the games you point out as deeply flawed Mirror's Edge and Bloodlines are on my top 5 of all times... I didn't really notice any shortcomings in Edge, but I'm no expert so i guess It's forgiven.
Edit: Oh, and also... it doesn't force you to use guns... i have completed it on all difficulties with only shooting the servers and not one person. Only the atrium where they shoot you as u make a hard jump is nerve wrecking on the last difficulty, but still passable...
Edit: Oh, and also... it doesn't force you to use guns... i have completed it on all difficulties with only shooting the servers and not one person. Only the atrium where they shoot you as u make a hard jump is nerve wrecking on the last difficulty, but still passable...
Yes and no. Whilst it is possible to avoid firing a single shot, most gamers won't approach it like that, and there are some moments that most gamers will interpret as a sign they need to engage people.harhol said:
Good examples here - when you leave the drainage duct system in 'Jacknife', you're told to get out as quickly as possible. But the exit to the area isn't easy to determine while you're under heavy fire, and a lot of people in that situation will switch back to combat mode. That happens more than once.
Once you're in combat, of course there's no need to shoot. You can pick people off, move around - but again, it's frustrating for gamers to get shot down after being surrounded. It's only going to take someone a few retries before they give up.
Now I'm not excusing that - I've become attached to Mirror's Edge so closely, I'd rather say "Screw those guys!" and move on. But you have to accept that for some people, it was just too much of a shift. There was an intense frustration with the combat, for people that were used to being superhuman. It's not that a gunless run-through is impossible, it's just how it's presented to the player. Guiding a player through a game world with its own rules and methods of play is an art as much as a science.
Hey, that's okay. I'd rank Mirror's Edge in my top 5 too, even though I think there's plenty wrong with it. I think it's easier to love a game despite its flaws than it is to love a movie or a book. Which is one of the great things about gaming.
EmeraldGreen - Hurrah! A reader! Thanks for keeping up with me, matey.
I absolutely loved Mirror's Edge. I don't even know why; the flaws in the game were apparent to me and I lost count of the amount of times I threw down my controller in frustration, but I keep going back to it for the sheer thrill of running full pelt across rooftops and through buildings. I agree that the mandatory combat sections were a bit of a downer, but there were sequences that more than made up for it. My favourite section in the whole game is the puzzle building in Kate (before the sniper point). The music changes to a light, airy ambiance and it's just you and 5 half-constructed stories. I hope that the sequel has some sort of ascension mode similar to this, because it would fit the game perfectly.
I liked Mirrors edge, but unfortunately the brightly dazzling environments burned my retinas. It was like the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark were his face melts.
Very interested article. I love this game, but I get lost SO easily. I mean, it's not free roaming or anything, but in the scaffolding part before the crane, it took me a good half hour to navigate it. But when it's clear, and you know what you're doing, this game is a masterpiece.