EoFF's Top Games of the Generation: Revelations

[Del Murder]

Never played Mirror's Edge. Maybe I should.

[Spuuky]

Portal is a great game. And you're right, it wouldn't have made it without GLaDOS, but is that a meaningful statement? Final Fantasy 6 wouldn't have been the best Final Fantasy without Kefka.

Of course the game is pretty short, but is that really a problem? A really good short story is still better than a crappy novel.

[Slothy]

Never played Mirror's Edge. Maybe I should.

Yes, you should. One of the best games released this generation and I hate myself for forgetting to include it in my nominations.

[Psychotic]

Half the fun of Portal is the comedy writing, and that doesn't just mean GLaDOS.

[Hollycat]

Never played Mirror's Edge. Maybe I should.

You can pick it up for about $10 bucks, it's pretty fun and worth it at that price, but I can't make myself believe it would be worth even a $40 investment new. It's short, only has one mode, and has very little replay value. The story is uninteresting and predictable, and the graphics look like Half life 2. BUT- The gameplay is pretty good and there isn't anything else like it really.

It would have been better in 3rd person though.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I just went back and looked at my list again, and I'm actually pretty disappointed in my noms. There are a couple of games I've thought about now that I'd rather be on the list, and I also just beat quite a few games in the last couple of weeks that I would have definitely put on my list instead. I also didn't realize HD rereleases counted until right after I sent my list, otherwise ICO HD would have got all of my noms.

Anyways, Portal is great! I need to get around to beating Portal 2. I just got around to the spot where you have that bouncy gel stuff.

[Slothy]

I paid full price for Mirror's Edge back when it came out and it was worth every penny. It also has more than one mode. You've got the story mode, and time trials at least, not to mention hunting for the different runner's stashes in the game (which sounds like it would be a boring fetch quest busy work sort of deal like every other game ever made, but isn't for the first time in history).

And I have to disagree with it having little replay value. It really depends on what you're looking for. Want to blow through the story as fast as possible? You'll play it once and never touch it again. But if you recognize the game for what it is, a playground that gives you a variety of skills to move through it and have fun, you'll keep coming back. I go back to that game every few months for another play through. There are always segments that can be done faster or more smoothly, places where alternate routes exist to explore and utilize, and the sensation of defying death never really goes away. Nor the sheer terror when you miss a jump and see the ground come rushing towards you.

This game had more replay value for me than most sandbox games with days worth of extra content. This doesn't need it. It's fun in the same way Mario Bros. was fun. Here's your moves, here's your goal, have fun.

[Hollycat]

I paid full price for Mirror's Edge back when it came out and it was worth every penny. It also has more than one mode. You've got the story mode, and time trials at least, not to mention hunting for the different runner's stashes in the game (which sounds like it would be a boring fetch quest busy work sort of deal like every other game ever made, but isn't for the first time in history).

And I have to disagree with it having little replay value. It really depends on what you're looking for. Want to blow through the story as fast as possible? You'll play it once and never touch it again. But if you recognize the game for what it is, a playground that gives you a variety of skills to move through it and have fun, you'll keep coming back. I go back to that game every few months for another play through. There are always segments that can be done faster or more smoothly, places where alternate routes exist to explore and utilize, and the sensation of defying death never really goes away. Nor the sheer terror when you miss a jump and see the ground come rushing towards you.

This game had more replay value for me than most sandbox games with days worth of extra content. This doesn't need it. It's fun in the same way Mario Bros. was fun. Here's your moves, here's your goal, have fun.

Aren't the time trials DLC?

The stash hunts aren't fetch quests, there are no quests in Mirrors Edge. They are barely hidden at all, most are just behind a fence or something. To find every secret in the game tacks on about an additional 20 minutes, if that.

What alternate routes? For the vast majority of the game that there is only one path that has a few branches that split off but then immediately rejoin. Most "alternate routes" are: should you jump over that object and climb to the roof and then jump off or go around the air conditioning unit and then jump off?

Like I said, most of the fun from the game comes from the fact that there aren't any other games like it.
It would be hundreds of times better if it were an open world where you could take courier missions and choose any route you like besides route A-1 or A-2.

I do like the fact that it takes place in future Arlington, a city which is like 20 minutes from here.

EDIT: I can however respect that you enjoyed it enough to play it multiple time. I've do the same with Freelancer.

[Madame Adequate]

Never played Mirror's Edge. Maybe I should.

You can pick it up for about $10 bucks, it's pretty fun and worth it at that price, but I can't make myself believe it would be worth even a $40 investment new.

It is.

It's short

It doesn't overstay its welcome and the heart of the game is replaying it to get better and better.

only has one mode

So?

and has very little replay value.

Just flat-out wrong.

The story is uninteresting and predictable

It's no great shakes but it's still decent enough.

and the graphics look like Half life 2

In what world is this a criticism? HL2 still looks good ten years on. And anyway one of the reasons ME is so well-liked is because it has a really cool, unique aesthetic.

BUT- The gameplay is pretty good and there isn't anything else like it really.

I guess the only thing this videogame has going for it is that it's a good game :rolleyes:

It would have been better in 3rd person though.

Ridiculously false, the game rests on being 1st person. Might as well say Gears of War would be better as a top-down twin-stick shooter.

[Hollycat]

Go compare the graphics of HL2 to any AAA titles that came out the last few years, you'll be flat out lying if you say HL looks better

On your last statement. The problem with 1st person platformers is that you can't see your feet. At the very least, a 1st/3rd toggle would have been nice.
The only parts that hinge on the 1st person are some of the story elements, which are thin to begin with.

[Madame Adequate]

I didn't say it looks better, I said it still looks good.

Also Mirror's Edge came out in 2008, so comparing it to today's triple-A games isn't exactly reasonable.

[Hollycat]

I didn't say it looks better, I said it still looks good.

When compared to games that came out when it did? Yes. When compared to anything recent though, it looks awful.

[Madame Adequate]

Game released five years ago in "Looks like five year old game" shocker!

[Hollycat]

Game released five years ago in "Looks like TEN year old game" shocker!

I fixed your post.

Edit: I want everyone to go put their mirror's edge disk in and find a point where Faith puts her hand into a visible place. Then I want you to look at the textures on everything.

[Slothy]

I can't take anyone seriously who says Half-Life 2, or any Source engine game really, looks awful. It may not run as many fancy shaders as some modern engines, but the engine and games have been constantly updated, still have the best facial animation in any game in history, and better drawn textures compared to even most games that get released now. And believe it or not, not smurfing up with troutty textures makes a bigger difference in aesthetic than having more recent technology. Plus the games will run on pretty much every piece of hardware being sold right now.

And Mirror's Edge by the same token, thanks in part to having an art style that doesn't rely on fancy graphical tricks to look good, still looks great, even when compared to more modern games.

Fact is, a lot of modern games may impress on a technical level more than these, but their art styles and the general quality of their work leave a lot more to be desired.