Backseat Gamer

Uberbot

This place really doesn’t get enough credit or press down here, so this is a shameless plug.

Hadouken ‘08 - The Uberbot Video Game Community Art Show Gallery

All in all, a night well spent. A full gallery can be seen HERE.

The store itself really needs more support, though. It’s one of perhaps a few dozen of its kind scattered about the country and is much in the vein of Kidrobot. I consider it to be a safe haven for those seeking a pocket of artistic urban subculture and modern styles of art with no pretense. And with that stated; down to business.

Mirror’s Edge arrives in stores today. Reviews have hit and, my, how hard they’ve struck. The tone some of these opinions convey shows me that they’re viewing this experiment as nothing more than a game. Understandable, but I’ve insight to offer.

Digital Illusions CE, or DICE as most people call them, have created a game that, for once, I feel is more than just an innovation or a heavy twist placed on an already established convention of some other video game experiences. It speaks to me as the recognition of a cultural movement and an attempt to embrace that culture. Ripped from the pages of Orwell and coated with a light sugar glaze, originality may not be the its strong suit, but the concept driving it home is a natural human instinct : To rebel unto freedom.

Personally, I identify with the Parkour movement as the sport of freedom. I’m fairly sure that even those who may not realize it more than likely feel the same way. Last year’s Assassin’s Creed made extensive use of Free-Running, but it lacked something. Yes, there was that sense of urgency, but it was sooner abated than expected due to the controls working themselves for you. It lacked a certain sense of empowerment that only proper timing and experience can garner. And oddly enough, Faith’s tale has landed in almost the very same span of time as Altair’s. And what they represent is very stark when poised against one another.

Altair’s deadly efficiency was brought to the subject by ease of use. To make the player feel as though they were the epitome of accuracy, the scheme was tailored to be as simple as possible without removing one from feeling they were the character. This year, the tables have turned.

I’m a much bigger fan of this approach.

With, perhaps, the same amount of inputs utilized as its cousin, Mirror’s Edge manages to be a completely different experience altogether. The sense of liberation one can achieve with the slightest nudge of an input or a well timed pull of a trigger is immense. And it feels far more natural.

To be dropped into the shoes of an escaping traceur is an exhilarating feeling, and the control scheme does nothing but augment the experience. You feel the tension rising as your perception of environment shifts from objects that aid your cause to obstacles that stand between you, the mission, and your freedom. And this leads us to the true heart of the matter.

Why are we running?

The portrayed story may feel hackneyed, if not too familiar when compared to other stories of its type, but the medium is young and not everyone is going to elevate themselves to Valve’s projects or even a Bioshock when traversing new grounds of storytelling. Being the creators of Battlefield after Battlefield, I can not fault them for stumbling here and there on the path to something fresh. The will to innovate must be rewarded, and those who support others who try must let their thoughts be heard.

The problem with this game is not its story. It is how the story is told.

Mirror’s Edge feels like its narrative would benefit greatly from using a hybrid of the original Half-Life’s total immersion, ‘make your own narrative’ approach coupled with its sequel’s real-time, albeit heavy-handed, exposition banter. The animated cutscenes hold this game’s presentation back far more than they should, but it’s no fault of their own. The issue at hand is one of unrealized potential. What DICE has created could run far deeper than any disconnected, force-fed expository sequence could ever allow. Which leads to what the true problem with the game is: The oppression is not apparent. Never are we shown a totalitatian government in action. Only in retrospect.

Looking again at Half Life, 2 in particular, there is a certain sense of weight attached to your arrival in the town square where a falsely benevolent dictator stating his every mandate in the calmest of fashions. The world of Mirror’s Edge is painted with a vivid yet tightly regimented brush that captures the coldest depths of warm and friendly tones, but based on what I’ve heard, seen, and will more than likely find this afternoon when I pick up my copy, misses what makes the situation most believable. People.

In this world, I hear a cold dictator’s words echo through the streets while there is minimal traffic amidst the streets. I see pedestrians walking single file on the sidewalks with guards at every corner, waiting for the slightest sign of a civillian stepping out of line. I see dead-silent, white collar office workers moving for only that which pertains to their work until disturbed by the detour of a runner sprinting for their freedom. All of these are things that could be rectified in a sequel. If such a thing is to be made.

It’s currently 2:30, and I’m going out to pick up my copy (and bag if gamestop didn’t screw me over). Hopefully, I’ll have some more thoughts on the subject as I begin playing through this evening (SD screen tearing be damned!).

I just busted my blogging cherry.

Out.