Retrospect

With so many conflicting reports already appearing on, not only details regarding a sequel to Mirrors Edge, but also whether the game is even in development, I felt it was time to re-indulge my free-running capabilities and refresh our memories, as to why there is even contemplation of a followup.

Despite Mirrors Edge original release being almost 4 years ago, in which time there have been massive visual and technical strides, mirrors Edge is still as pleasing to the eye as Jennifer Hendricks covered in milk chocolate, whilst straddling a football (Oh yeah, I went there!). The City itself conveys a very utopian feel, picture the futuristic city perceived in Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”, now think of that cities polar opposite, bright, vivid and misleading, but an also a very cerebral setting, with overused whites, which is minimally layered with neon blasts of vibrancy, which can cause you to lose your bearings in unfamiliar surroundings. Almost every aspect in daily life is monitored, news is manipulated and used as propaganda, all very reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel “1984”.

You play as Faith, a female, free runner whose job is to deliver Haagen-Dazs ice cream to wealthy stock brokers, before it melts into tasty liquid mess, or something like that? I think there’s some sort of conspiracy sub plot simmering somewhere in the background. The truth is, the narrative is like a Fearne Cotton opinion, totally irrelevant, all you really care about is the free running. It’s fair to say that Mirrors Edge doesn’t adhere to the typical formula normally associated with FPS’s either, opting for a less violent direction. Rather than perpetrating questionable acts of violence, your rewarded in taking the moral high ground, by simply running away, very quickly, and hopefully looking good while doing so.

But you know a game is going to be unbearably frustrating, when you spend less time leaping from rooftop to rooftop, disarming heavily armed guards, and trigger happy helicopter’s, than you do attempting to leap over a desk. When you first begin Mirrors Edge you will fall, a lot! Frustratingly frequently actually. It will happen with such irritating regularity, that your believe that it isn’t your miss timed jumps that are causing you to fail, but that the game is just hopelessly unresponsive. Whether your jumping, sliding, or running across walls, if you’ve even slightly miscalculated, Mirrors Edge will brutally send you crashing (quite literally) towards Earth, and leaves you with a familiar sensation of hopelessness. But when you do achieve the seemingly improbable, and your suddenly linking jumps, runs, slides almost effortlessly, it’s a gratifying sensation, and almost single-handedly erasing your previous frustrations. You can’t help but stride around with a reinvigorated sense of satisfaction and omit a swagger only Simon Cowell could equally exude.

For vast majorities of the game, the combat is rendered relatively redundant, as its conceivably possible to not even engage in any hostilities, let alone kill anyone, and even when required to battle, your almost always choose to disarm the opponent rather than fight head on, which is accompanied by its own problems. Again it’s a timing issue, time it right, and your feel suitably smug as Faith sends her knee crashing into the assailants jaw, and relinquishing the gun at the same time, get it wrong, and its good night Vienna, or this worlds equivalent. Slowing down time with a button push is an advantage, but your soon become heavily reliant on it in almost every combat situation.

So lets recap; Mirrors Edge is painfully frustrating, is visually appealing but equally derived of character, is nightmarishly ruthless, not to mention sluggish, unresponsive and explains itself about as well as an excitable child, high on cookies watching back to back episodes of Peppa Pig, but do you know what? Despite its glaring over sites, and its borderline narcissism, I love it. Mirrors Edge generally offers something new from the typical mainstream, first person perspective, and a level of sophistication rarely associated with the genre saturated with modern-day conflicts. Just being able to see your feet and hand responses as you quickly ascend to the top of a skyscraper, or carefully negotiating perilously narrow pipes, offers an even greater sense of immersion.

Mirrors Edge is a difficult game to recommend to the wider demographic, it’s not really aimed at any one potential gamer, it follows the same basic premise throughout, you go, you see, and you run faster than an orphan being chased by Madonna, but it never feels repetitive. It rewards gamers for their perseverance, and punishes the rest. But taking into account Mirrors Edge age and affordability, (currently available for £8.65 on Amazon) in my typically biased opinion, this is well worth purchasing. I’m now just hoping that the sequel is a free running, free roaming, open world. Hmm? A readily available, fully exploitive city? Just imagine the potential?!

Recoiling my time with Fallout 3 is reminiscent of watching a great movie that you forgot even existed. You quickly extract vivid images from your extensive memory, and once again become captivated by its forgotten genius, but unlike a classic movie, your subconscious also conjures up the enormous sense of despondency you endure, from the games extensive dilemmas. This is Fallout 3, an immersive world teething with dangers, not just from mutated insects, rodents and even humans, but also from the harsh and highly radioactive environment that is the Capital Wasteland, but equally sullied by its well documented problems. The question is, is Fallout 3 still playable? Well the answer is simply, Yes.

Ok, there are issues, the very same contentions we all remember, but there not as glaringly obvious as they appeared in hindsight, nor nearly as frequent. Glitches and other nuances have become unfortunately affluent in many of Bethesda’s titles, although it harbours many bugs, it doesn’t contain the same crippling defects associated with both New Vegas and Skyrim, which symbolizes that Fallout 3’s problems are rendered somewhat obsolete, in comparison to its successors.

Fallout 3 has never been a visually appealing RPG, opting for every shade of green and grey conceivable, but in a world as ravaged and somewhat desperate as the one conveyed here, it should come as no surprise that you’re not carelessly skipping through beautiful green fields, inhabited by rainbow coloured unicorns, (what a tender world that would be?). So in that respect, the graphics play a minute part in this games overall appeal, although its fair to suggest that it’s aged about as well as a Dorian Gray portrait. But where Fallout flourishes, is in its ability to keep you hooked in its own singular fashion.

As with many (if not all) Bethesda titles, the only way to travel is in first person, as switching to third person perspective will leave your character to skirt across the Capital Wasteland like an inebriated contestant, participating in Dancing on Ice. The detailed post apocalyptic, Washington is still as perilous as I remember, with dangerous Raiders as well as the aforementioned grandeurs creatures, which continually lurk throughout the city and the surrounding areas, being your main distractions. But taking advantage of the V.A.T.S is still as equally satisfying, as you watch in satisfied elation, as the dismembered heads of your enemies slowly ascend through the air, like a well struck Nadal forehand in slow motion. Fallout 3 is still a challenging proposition, which can leave you frustrated at points, but never feels unfairly balanced, not to mention the rather peculiar nod to heavy metal band, Fear Factory (if your unsure of what I mean, then check out the computer in the “Museum of Technology”). The plot is mediocre, neither absorbing nor reprehensible, just ok, and the sense of desperation that smothers almost every aspect of Fallout 3, can feel a little overwhelming, but once you’ve become accustomed to the dark overtones, you soon uncover why Fallout 3 can be an obsession.

Exploring ever inch of this depleted land, scavenging for supplies such as ammo and caps, or simply blasting copious amounts of Super Mutants into extravagant, rain-soaked glory, is what makes this game compelling. The freedom and the sense of control can not be understated, just the ability to arrogantly stride across the Waste’s like an Armageddon esq Clint Eastwood, is a novelty that feels continually satisfying (A Fist Fall of “Caps” perhaps?).

Overall, Fallout 3 is an absorbing but flawed experience, but in many ways is a more accomplished and fluid RPG than the subsequent titles that have followed, including Skyrim! The diverse range of Weapons and quests will suitably pacify, even the most demanding of completest, and is somewhat more enjoyable than my original play through. The enormous sense of isolation in this vast, but barren environment, can feel unnecessarily bleak at times, but that is one of Fallout 3’s, more subtlety attractive propositions, that your being totally absorbed into a reality that could credibly happen.

Have you played Fallout 3 recently? Let me know what you think of it.