66
The long awaited prequel/reboot thing to the original hidden gem of 2008, Mirror's Edge Catalyst is finally here! With it's release being only a few days ago, I decided now would be a good time to make a review. Today ladies and gentlemen, I will brush aside the need to say the "I'm not dead" cliché and get on with explaining just what this game is and if it's good or not. This is a game I have been waiting a very long time for. I even pre-ordered it so I could be one of the first to play it.
Oh, and this review is SPOILER FREE!!!
What Is Mirror's Edge?
The original Mirror's Edge was an innovative masterpiece for the slowly dulling first person genre. Instead of being a generic FPS where you're a man running around with a machine gun killing alien commies or something, Mirror's Edge focused on something largely unexplored in games, parkour. The game would have you traverse through the rooftops of a seemingly endless city using parkour to get to the destination. The game did this exceptionally well but it wasn't it's only strong point. Combat had very refined martial arts to take down tough opponents (and the optional not so refined gun). It looked nice and sunny. Really sunny!
Unfortunately, it's release in 2008 was shadowed by the releases of other bigger titles such as Halo 3 or... one of the Call of Duty games. Overtime, it did get a bit of a following but the fanbase was still small. That's where Mirror's Edge Catalyst comes in as a reboot.
Gameplay
The thing that made the original so amazing was it's fantastic gameplay. It was incredibly fun. But does Mirror's Edge Catalyst reach the bar that it's predecessor raised so high. I'm going to start off with the combat. In Mirror's Edge Catalyst, combat has certainly gotten more fluid and complex by being able to perform a variety of different moves. However some of the combos that were possible in the first game have been removed. I especially miss being able to punch someone in groin and then drop kick their head while they're crumbling in pain. But no, they just had to get rid of groin punching. While combat has gotten more complex, it can still get repetitive as the game will still use the same finishing animation over and over. It has certainly gotten easier, much easier. Combat is now so easy that an experienced player like me sees it as a joke, unlike in the original were it was quite challenging. Even the strongest enemy type wasn't too difficult, just time consuming as it was a bit of a tank. Also, unlike the original game, they removed the use of guns seeing as they weren't the best. The AI isn't something to praise either.
Parkour hasn't changed much other than movement being more fluid. What has been added in is a grappling hook that you can use to reach new areas that you wouldn't normally be able to get to. However, you can't just fire it off anywhere like in Just Cause 3, it's more like Ratchet & Clank where there would be a special point for you to grapple on to. I suppose a big plus would also be the fact that it's open world now which is pretty cool! We can now explore a good portion of the city and without loading screens (except when you die or the game starts).
I should also mention a few other things like the skill tree. Yeah, you can now get experience points to unlock things like increased damage or faster climbing. There is also a fair bit of stuff you can do after finishing the main story like doing time trials or side quests. In the end, the game is fair bit longer than the original Mirror's Edge which took at most 6 hours to finish (my record is 1 hour and 35 minutes).
Mirror's Edge originally had the brightest shader ever. So bright that you would probably have to were sunglasses at night if you lived in the game. Mirror's Edge is certainly one of the most, if not the most visually appealing game I have ever seen with the bright sunlight shining over the colourful environment. Now, it isn't as bright in Mirror's Edge Catalyst but that doesn't stop it from looking absolutely stunning and more vibrant.
Story and Characters
Story time! Ok, so the story has always been one of the weak points in both games. It's not bad but it ain't great either, especially when compared with other aspects of the game. Main story is about 10 hours long. To start you off, instead of a government the country is ruled by various corporations called the Conglomerate. Since this is a reboot, a lot of the original story has been scraped with the remains being mangled and merged into the new one. This is probably the result of the change of writers.
Characters were ok. Again, not the best but not the worst. There was one character, Plastic, who I ended up quite fond of. She's a socially awkward teenage girl living alone and is the best hacker in the city. Since I'm on the topic of characters, I might as well say that they have removed Merc from the story completely. Sorry nostalgic fans. I also don't like the current design for Faith (the protagonist) as much as the one they showed us back in 2013 in the early stages of development. On top of that, they changed her voice actor. It's not that she has a bad voice, I just liked the old one better.
Soundtrack
Mirror's Edge Catalyst marks the return of the original composers, Solar Fields. I forgot to mention that the OST in Mirror's Edge was one of the best ever. Though it is good having the original composers back, I didn't find the soundtrack for Mirror's Edge Catalyst to be as vibrant as the original. Still unique though.
Conclusion
With all things considered, Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a pretty descent game (7/10). The game is fun and inherits some of it's predecessor's strengths. However, I must admit that I am a tad disappointed due to all the hype I subjected myself to for the last several. But nothing can disappoint me more than Halo 4 (RIP childhood game). It's up to you if you want to try it out as it is a very unique experience that we should all enjoy. I also predict that there will be a third instalment. I should warn you that apparently there is a bit of a quality drop on consoles apparently, so I would recommend it for PC if you have the choice.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day! :D
Oh, and this review is SPOILER FREE!!!
What Is Mirror's Edge?
The original Mirror's Edge was an innovative masterpiece for the slowly dulling first person genre. Instead of being a generic FPS where you're a man running around with a machine gun killing alien commies or something, Mirror's Edge focused on something largely unexplored in games, parkour. The game would have you traverse through the rooftops of a seemingly endless city using parkour to get to the destination. The game did this exceptionally well but it wasn't it's only strong point. Combat had very refined martial arts to take down tough opponents (and the optional not so refined gun). It looked nice and sunny. Really sunny!
Unfortunately, it's release in 2008 was shadowed by the releases of other bigger titles such as Halo 3 or... one of the Call of Duty games. Overtime, it did get a bit of a following but the fanbase was still small. That's where Mirror's Edge Catalyst comes in as a reboot.
Gameplay
The thing that made the original so amazing was it's fantastic gameplay. It was incredibly fun. But does Mirror's Edge Catalyst reach the bar that it's predecessor raised so high. I'm going to start off with the combat. In Mirror's Edge Catalyst, combat has certainly gotten more fluid and complex by being able to perform a variety of different moves. However some of the combos that were possible in the first game have been removed. I especially miss being able to punch someone in groin and then drop kick their head while they're crumbling in pain. But no, they just had to get rid of groin punching. While combat has gotten more complex, it can still get repetitive as the game will still use the same finishing animation over and over. It has certainly gotten easier, much easier. Combat is now so easy that an experienced player like me sees it as a joke, unlike in the original were it was quite challenging. Even the strongest enemy type wasn't too difficult, just time consuming as it was a bit of a tank. Also, unlike the original game, they removed the use of guns seeing as they weren't the best. The AI isn't something to praise either.
Parkour hasn't changed much other than movement being more fluid. What has been added in is a grappling hook that you can use to reach new areas that you wouldn't normally be able to get to. However, you can't just fire it off anywhere like in Just Cause 3, it's more like Ratchet & Clank where there would be a special point for you to grapple on to. I suppose a big plus would also be the fact that it's open world now which is pretty cool! We can now explore a good portion of the city and without loading screens (except when you die or the game starts).
I should also mention a few other things like the skill tree. Yeah, you can now get experience points to unlock things like increased damage or faster climbing. There is also a fair bit of stuff you can do after finishing the main story like doing time trials or side quests. In the end, the game is fair bit longer than the original Mirror's Edge which took at most 6 hours to finish (my record is 1 hour and 35 minutes).
Mirror's Edge originally had the brightest shader ever. So bright that you would probably have to were sunglasses at night if you lived in the game. Mirror's Edge is certainly one of the most, if not the most visually appealing game I have ever seen with the bright sunlight shining over the colourful environment. Now, it isn't as bright in Mirror's Edge Catalyst but that doesn't stop it from looking absolutely stunning and more vibrant.
Story and Characters
Story time! Ok, so the story has always been one of the weak points in both games. It's not bad but it ain't great either, especially when compared with other aspects of the game. Main story is about 10 hours long. To start you off, instead of a government the country is ruled by various corporations called the Conglomerate. Since this is a reboot, a lot of the original story has been scraped with the remains being mangled and merged into the new one. This is probably the result of the change of writers.
Characters were ok. Again, not the best but not the worst. There was one character, Plastic, who I ended up quite fond of. She's a socially awkward teenage girl living alone and is the best hacker in the city. Since I'm on the topic of characters, I might as well say that they have removed Merc from the story completely. Sorry nostalgic fans. I also don't like the current design for Faith (the protagonist) as much as the one they showed us back in 2013 in the early stages of development. On top of that, they changed her voice actor. It's not that she has a bad voice, I just liked the old one better.
Soundtrack
Mirror's Edge Catalyst marks the return of the original composers, Solar Fields. I forgot to mention that the OST in Mirror's Edge was one of the best ever. Though it is good having the original composers back, I didn't find the soundtrack for Mirror's Edge Catalyst to be as vibrant as the original. Still unique though.
Conclusion
With all things considered, Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a pretty descent game (7/10). The game is fun and inherits some of it's predecessor's strengths. However, I must admit that I am a tad disappointed due to all the hype I subjected myself to for the last several. But nothing can disappoint me more than Halo 4 (RIP childhood game). It's up to you if you want to try it out as it is a very unique experience that we should all enjoy. I also predict that there will be a third instalment. I should warn you that apparently there is a bit of a quality drop on consoles apparently, so I would recommend it for PC if you have the choice.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day! :D
| Tags |
3715554
6
![How To Choose A Suitable Skin [40 Sub Special] Minecraft Blog](https://static.planetminecraft.com/files/resource_media/screenshot/1431/untitled27943778_thumb.jpg)
Team UNNAMED
ThatOneIdiotNamedGhoul
ScotsMiser
CrystalRuby
cadbane86140
BroccoliTheGirl
hotsuop
Mister_Lee
The Amazing Digital Circus!
Create an account or sign in to comment.