Taking a Long, Hard Look in the Mirror('s Edge)

[@SkyDogDaddy]

That pre-baked lighting really does still look damn good to this day. It's a shame most developers are going for very compute-heavy dynamic lighting on every damn little things, and foregoing strong art direction.

[@jaysanchez4407]

wtf are you even talking about, pre baked lighting is still used 💀💀

[@SkyDogDaddy]

@jaysanchez4407 I never said it wasn't, but the trend has been towards shoving dynamic where it really isn't needed, over preferring controlled scenes with more pre baked. Takes less dev time to just throw objects and lights in a scene and just let the players PC sweat it out, then blame them for not having a modern rig. It's lazy and makes for worse looking games.

[@jaysanchez4407]

@@SkyDogDaddy because dynamic lighting allows for dynamic scenes, mirrors edge was only good when you ignored the fact that a world exists and objects move

[@SkyDogDaddy]

@jaysanchez4407 true, but why then do people rally behind this looking good, when fully dynamic scenes generally don't get the same praise? Strong art direction, a controlled environment, a set scene. We don't need global illumination for every single object and surface rendered in real time. That's just easy and wasteful, and people don't even pick up on it.

[@jaysanchez4407]

@@SkyDogDaddy they don't rally behind it because they don't realize it, the same with good CGI. Complaints come when it's half assed but ignored when it's great

[@nightcall6386]

I played this a long time ago as well, and while the combat was never a focal point, it seemed like you did the worst combat ive seen in this game. Idk if that was intentional, while rough, there are decent ways to keep the momentum rolling in combat. You used no parkour to gain speed and knockout combatants, which is like the entirety of what mirrors edge combat is supposed to be. I agree with combat being overall lackluster, but it can be infinitely more fun than the way you played it in the clips shown.

[@cup-noodle-love]

It's pretty interesting to see the new generation of gamers trying to assess older games. Mirror's Edge was the first high-mobility FPS game. There was NOTHING quite like that at the time. Saying it doesn't hold up in 2024 is like saying Quake doesn't hold up in 2024. You're not reviewing a game but a major milestone in tech and media, it needs context.

[@Regolith]

The difference is that Quake is still fantastic gameplay-wise. In terms of graphics and features, it is limited, but it is still a very fun and enjoyable game. Almost 15 years of games since Mirror's Edge has only really exposed its gaping flaws, that it's not that good of a game. I think Half-Life 2 would have been a better comparison, because while that game is still highly regarded and was revolutionary for the time, time has revealed its flaws, just like Mirror's Edge.

[@OldKenJablome]

This is the worst take on Mirror's Edge I have ever had the misfortune to experience. You keep smashing your head into a wall and blaming the wall.

[@ThatGuySquippy]

I hate to be brutally honest but I'm just gonna come out and say it. I think the reason you disliked this game is because you're not very good at it. Most of the clips you provided were not at all flattering lol. The goal of the game is to get from point A to point B in the quickest way possible, not the flashiest way possible. I saw you vault over objects unnecessarily or miss other objects which would help you vault to a better position multiple times. Having said that, I'll agree that the combat feels like an afterthought, but trust me when I say the sooner you treat it as such, the sooner you can enjoy the rest of the game. The combat is MEANT to be avoided. Take a guy out, pick up his gun, shoot the other guys quickly, drop the gun, keep running. You don't have to engage with every single enemy you encounter, and it's heavily recommended that you don't. The only part of the game where the combat feels like complete bs is the final mission in the server room, I have to admit. I highly recommend playing this game on PC btw, MnK specifically. It's much easier to aim weapons and look towards where you want to go than the angle-snapping movement you get from using a controller. Your motion sickness can be easily attributed to the FOV. Unfortunately, FOV is locked on both console and PC version, but you can download a mod to widen it (and also unlock the fps, enable ultrawide resolutions, etc.). Yeah, I know modding is technically cheating in this argument, but it is a valid solution to your problem. Give the game another try with an open set of eyes and try not to compare it to modern titles. You might enjoy it.

[@mzg147]

@JunSkye So he will hear it, not need to be a prick about it

[@phillystevesteak6982]

Having played it years ago I had a similar sentiment.The movement was incredible and the world was beautiful but the overall gameplay loop was uninspired and unengaging

[@tales-of-fossegrim]

if you think 5 mins is long i feel sorry for anyone who chooses to sleep with you

[@EvilWeevil22-b5c]

I wanna preface this by saying I’m not trying to be an asshole. but your complete inability to keep a flow going is astounding. Not ONE clip you showed demonstrated the gameplay properly. and while the combat IS bad it can almost entirely be avoided except for a few select points. The game is almost entirely climbing, not 50% fighting? You missed on this one ngl. The sound track is great, the graphics hold up while running around, there really ISNT any competition other than its sequel (Batman, really?) and when compared to the hundreds of standard fps games coming out at the time, I think it deserves more than this.

[@theheavenlyfb4071]

There's many examples of cherry picking in this video that just comes across as him not understanding the game and actively going out of his way to make forced points. Only one I genuinely agree with is the combat being rough but saying it's 50% of the game is overexaggerating.

[@PULI3r]

Pretty much spoke my mind. Wanted to add that Dying Light 2 could be a great comparison.

[@countervolition]

Yeah watching his gameplay is genuinely frustrating, also when you're good at the game the gunfights and melee combat is fun. I played it through again during the pandemic and i was amazed at how good the game aged.

[@LovePotion_]

>Did not get the hang of combat > says it sucks Ok bro

[@MoonpigsART]

Listen, man, you gotta be kidding me with this take! I’m with everyone else on this one-it’s a skill issue, It’s hard as hell to master, sure, you’re gonna screw up a bunch, but that’s the whole point! And for a game this old? It looks amazing, like, you’re gonna tell me this doesn’t hold up against today’s games? Get outta here

[@_bayjor]

skill issue

[@thegeth4293]

>drops ascetically gorgeous game with truely one of a kind gameplay mechanic >only makes the game 4 hours long >moves on and never explores this concept ever again >refuses to elaborate or acknowledge its existence ever again (i know mirrors edge catalyst exists but i never tried it) why are companies like this?

[@DenisLiang]

honestly disagree with the fighting mechanics. I only played this game once or twice back in the day but I had a lot of fun with the gun fights, you could easily disarm opponents, the game purposely doesnt give you a reload so youre forced to run to the next guy with parkour and disarm him. You were using parkour as your advantage and this loop of gun and run was fun. At the time I remember wishing for a shooter with parkour mechanics so bad, something that is in most shooters now.

[@VirtualFunction]

Firstly, welcome to the game essay/discussion sphere! Always nice when KZbin recommends new channels. I respectfully disagree with you though. From looking at your footage there's a fair bit of "git gud" here. The game discourages combat by way of it being bad - you're meant to run, not pick up a gun and start shooting back. Absolutely, it probably exists because of some thumb-sucking, suit-wearing exec but running is the core of the game, not shooting. It's about flow, running from one object to another (hence the red highlights to guide you), not gun-fights. Hopefully you give the game another chance sometime, just run from the enemies, don't engage.

[@_wavey.davey.music_]

I'm not entirely sure you understood the combat. 2:37 You say "You can run or you can fight" but you're supposed to run and fight. In order to be successful in the combat you need to blend parkour and attacks together to keep the momentum going and ensure you're dealing a lot of damage while minimizing the amount you take. 2:16 you say its ludicrous that faith can punch out a swat guy while being physically very small but she actually can't. And you literally show footage of her being unable to overpower a swat guy and getting killed in the process. Faith is only effective in combat when you use your speed and surroundings to your advantage. 3:18 I do however agree with this though some of the late game level design makes certain areas difficult to navigate when you haven't played before.

[@MiniGui98]

Is that a review of Mirror's Edge or skill issue's edge ?

[@andrejzdravkotrajkoski7455]

This is a miss. It's not the game's fault that you cannot play it properly. Git Gud.

[@rkrams1989]

You get better with practice

[@_vlpin]

Play with a keyboard and mouse next time, will be better

[@decibelmax]

Yeah, in hindsight, I probably should've.

[@ok-cx5cy]

Skill issue

[@peterelias6791]

It was controversial when it came out because of all those criticisms. Either you get it or you don't. Top 5 game of all time IMHO.

[@JohnDoe-cg8fr]

Lmao get ratio'd

[@Regolith]

I wholeheartedly agree with this video. I played a couple of bits and pieces of Mirror's Edge on a friend's XBOX 360 growing up, and I thought it was fun at the time. A couple years ago I decided to finally launch the steam version I bought like a decade ago. It does not hold up. The parkour itself is hit or miss, and sometimes Faith just straight up doesn't grab onto the thing you're looking at and jumping towards. The combat is very bad, like it was designed to be something you do in only a last-ditch effort. Also, character models look absolutely horrible. It is a product of its time and I appreciate what it did for movement in singleplayer games, but yes, it is extremely dated.

[@decibelmax]

Yeah, the edge-grabbing is pretty hit or miss. Also, the game is pretty picky about moving and jumping diagonally, for some reason. I get that Mirror's Edge is an older game, where a lot of these mechanics hadn't really been codified yet, but going back to it, after playing newer games, it really feels a bit clunky. And yeah, the character models aren't great either. At first, I was willing to give it some slack, since it's older, but comparing it to games that came out around the same time/console, like Batman Arkham or Assassin's Creed, it really doesn't measure up. I really wish they would have made Faith's hands look better. Weird nitpick I know, but you wind up staring at them a lot through the game, and it bothered me after a while.

[@spencerblois6682]

Mad cause bad fr

[@TheOneAndOnlySame]

Boring game. Slow af

[@CrowBoy-p7f]

Your opinion doesn't hold up. Go away.

[@Meth4]

Skill issue