Zero Punctuation: Mirror's Edge

[Firia]

I'll admit, the game was pretty short, but I'm quite endeared to it. Now I know what it's like to *totally* disagree with Yahtzee about a game. I mean, at 8 hours, you think he might have gotten the story aspect. What was in the packages or who the contacts were wasn't the problem. It was unmonitored information/matterials transfering. Basicly, what could happen in (just an example) a world twisted by fear from terrorist attacks like 9/11. Think Patriot Act taken to the next level.

The government wasn't nessessarily evil. Some of the politicians sure as hell were though. They did a good job at keeping everyone safe, and their intentions are decent enough. The cost however is sacraficing freedom. The real evil bastards are the one politician guy (no, not the dead one), the body guard, and what'shisface runner guy.

But hey, the concepts of this game focus on Freedom (life, movement, enviroment, etc etc), and then the world being robbed of it. It's on the verge of Cyberpunk without the fancy cyborg implants and dystopian world. It's not for everyone, obviously, but Yahtzee's opinion of it does not do it justice to me.

 

[Firia]

So how about some improvements for the game, I can think of a couple:

- Introduce some stealth elements.
- Mission based gameplay (certainly lengthen it up a bit at least)
- Some combat tools, grappling hooks, Tazers, umbrella maybe.
- Free the world up a little, perhaps some sandbox elements.

I'm not so sure about the grappling hook thing. I mean, the style that Faith uses is Parkour, which utilises momentum and requires you to be light on your feet. Bad enough she's gotta lug a bag around. Still, sprucing up the enviroment a little with those awning (I forget what their called) door cover dealies. Make them absorb fall imapct or something-- I can see that enhancing the freedom of movement that the game promotes.
A small Taser wouldn't be a bad idea. Then again, it's more satisfying to preform a running jumpkick that launches a guard off of a 30 story building.

 

[Bart Wux]

Folks, I think this was one his funniest reviews yet, even though I disagree with his conclusion very much, I think ME is a striking success. So please, do not ever take his reviews as an indicator on wether or not you should try the full game! Enjoy his hate speeches like I do, but don't believe he's right on the money everytime or because he is right on the money on something (very little information about the government in ME indeed), that doesn't mean the actual game isn't any good. ME is good, not without its flaws and certainly not for everyone, but give it a chance.

 

[defcon 1]

Odd, I thought he'd use a Faith stick figure.

 

[Fugue]

So how about some improvements for the game, I can think of a couple:

- Introduce some stealth elements.
- Mission based gameplay (certainly lengthen it up a bit at least)
- Some combat tools, grappling hooks, Tazers, umbrella maybe.
- Free the world up a little, perhaps some sandbox elements.

[/quote]

Actually, they should have simply ditched the shallow storyline based in a completely unexplored game world and just made the game about beating your best time on a level. Think about it. Just about every review that's mentioned the time trials has said it's the best part of the game and a lot of people will get a lot more run for their money from the game from that, but if you're playing it just for the story you might as well not.

It's maddening. Everybody hates having to replay the same checkpoint over and over because there's a stupid jumping puzzle in the way while a bunch of guards perforate you. Yet everybody loves replaying the same level over and over because they're trying to beat their best time.

I do love the game, but it's been a while since I've seen a game shoot itself so comprehensively in the foot as this. They pinned everything on the story mode experience when that was the most poorly executed representation of what was fun about the game, and they didn't even put a huge amount of effort into making the story interesting.

 

[Kekon3]

I can't help but notice, you don't sound like you've played the game. I've played it,beat it, unlocked achievements, and defended it. It's actually not that bad, and the reason your chased is explained on the first chapter and from then on, about how your a suspect for a mayors death. In fact his billboards are everywhere, and I have a good bet that yahtzee got the game on the 360 cause I did not have a single problem he listed. There is even a button that lets your head spin in a 180 degree angle. Well this is also true for fallout3 but there really wasn't much a review here and no story mechanics, he even left a major part of the story out about how you have a sister and she is a cop put in jail cause she is a suspect also. If yahtzee had played the main story in fallout3 he would have found out Liam Neeson comes back due to the fact he is the entire plot of the freaking game!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[James Cassidy]

This is actually not the first game to do this idea of "everything in first person shooting. Even cutscenes."

I can actually think of a game where it was all in First Person that even Yahtzee may have liked if he played it. Does anyone remember the game Breakdown? (Sometimes called Project Breakdown.)

Refresher:
Derrick Cole is a US marine who is subject to an experiment in which he is fused with t'langen DNA. He gains superpowers like the ability to deflect bullets, throwing energy balls, jumping higher, slowing down time, and much more. It was a game where you actually got to vomit in First Person, which was disgusting, but sort of fun.

Mirror's Edge reminds me of that, but the story is not as in-depth, the controls are tighter, the movement is more...precise. Derrick was a bit sluggish in movement. Yeah you don't get super powers, but Faith still kicks ass in FP.

I agree that the story in ME could have been better, but this might be part 1 of the story and they might make a sequel.

 

[Sayvara]

*giggles*

Oh I love how everyone is blaming EA for this even though they havn't got a line of code in this... and the reason I love that is because actual programmers are swedi....

...oh crap, I just blew the secret, didn't I?
/S

Perhaps you two brainiacs should at least take the few seconds off you need to check Wikipedia before failing epically being condescending smartasses. Or at least take the time and explain how a game which is made by a 100% subsidiary of EA (called EA DICE) actually ISN'T made by EA.

If Saab's sell like watery ejaculate between two slices of cardboard because the cars are overpriced in comparison to their attractiveness you can't blame GM for that until you can prove that GM required everyone at Saab's Trollhättan factory to wank all over the cars before shipping them and then trying to use this as the main selling argument.

If DICE made a bad game, the only thing you can blame EA for is funding it, but that still doesn't take away the fact that all the creative decision makers are DICE and not the mother-company.

/S

 

[cralos]

To be fair this game isn't for everyone and I can understand the criticims, its by no means the best game i've ever played but the gameplay was original if flawed and found it a promising start, hopefully a sequal will improve things. The platforming was highly entertaining, story was shite, though suprisingly I found the combat extremly enjoyable, the fights were like a puzzle on how best to seperate and take down your enemy. all in all a very enjoyable weekend was had playing this. on a side note: why souldn't some games be shorter? I generally find a sub 10 hour game the optimal time for a title. When they are this length you don't get the padding phenomenon

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Still think it's a great game, but it feels like a lot has been lost. Oh well. That's just EA's fault I suppose.

 

[Kekon3]

Suprised to see such a negative review for a game whose play style I thought would be somewhat similar to a series that Yahtzee liked so much(relativly speaking of course). Namely the Prince of Persia Series. Ok not that suprised.

Still it was an experiment and glad to see somethign new for a change.

So how about some improvements for the game, I can think of a couple:

- Introduce some stealth elements.
- Mission based gameplay (certainly lengthen it up a bit at least)
- Some combat tools, grappling hooks, Tazers, umbrella maybe.
- Free the world up a little, perhaps some sandbox elements.
- Turn the protagonist into a thief, give some reason to be carting around that backback at least.

In fact add all these things together and you have!!!

TRILBY: THE ART OF THEFT 3D

(p.s Yes, I am a horrid fanboy twat)

im quoting you on the sandbox elements you want well its actually quite simple... go through the tutorial and at the end of it say "stay here" and Voila your now a sandbox happy emotionless twat, actually im describing myself right there. TEH point is im meating you half-way fanboy.

 

[fanrock51]

Good review. I notice every flaw that Yahtzee point out and I still love the game

 

[SAccharing10]

I fail to see why this didn't "work" ;if you're too stupid to not know where to go next when everything is bright red you might aswell be playing with no eyes.

 

[DonPauliani]

There's still hope with the PC version coming next year.

Mass Effect PC fixed the issues Yahtz had with the 360 version. Yeah, DICE is no Bioware, but still.

One could only hope, right?

 

[zelda1899]

Yahtzee Croshaw, you, sir, never cease to entertain. I love your reviews, even if I usually disagree with them. This review has given me a good hour to get away from my boring job (55 minutes of page refreshing, and 5 of watching the video).

I do have one concern, though. If you live in Australia, why are you releasing your videos at 2 to 4 o'clock in the morning?

 

[Nazulu]

Another great review. I could tell this game would be short when I saw the amazing graphics on the trailer, but I guess some people can just play it over and over trying to beat their previous time. I actually got vertigo on some of my falls!

 

[1deano1]

loved the new one! very funny as always! keep it up yahtzee!!!

 

[Shadow-Knight]

Anyone else notice the typo at the end, 'Pubic Enemy Number One'?

maybe its not a typo.

 

[acebrainbuster]

thats understandable the game sucked but there is a possiblity of some other duche bag macking a simmilar game and it kick ass and takeing names

 

[Worm4Life]

You're a courier, you carry messages because the government is surveying everything. This is explained in the fucking intro or the demo text or something. It's your job.