Mirror's Edge Catalyst *SP* (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Tuesday, June 07, 2016, 14:23 (3091 days ago)
edited by Kermit, Tuesday, June 07, 2016, 14:47

Played a little this morning, and based on the first half hour or so, I’m not really impressed with Mirror’s Edge’s story so far. (Yes, I know the beginning is identical to the beta, but I deliberately tried not to pay attention to story elements when I played that.) So far it’s all smoke and mirrors, narratively. I get that Faith had a sister or family or something. I get that some vague trauma befell them. I get that the Kruger corporation is EEVIIIL, but why not call it what it is—an oppressive government, a government hellbent on making you take the place in society they want you to take, for the good of everyone? The rhetoric of the game comes across like dog-whistle signaling aimed at those who believe “corporation” is itself a dirty word, but it strikes me as a lazy way to get people to care.

Contrast that with the first Mirror’s Edge, which from the first cutscene, set up a story of relationships, relationships between Faith and her parents, her sister, and her mentor. Faith’s relationship to the authorities was complicated, in no small part because her sister was a cop. Also, unlike this game, which seems to have gone full 1984, there seemed to be some hope at improvement by political means. This is all communicated very early in the first game.

In this one the runners seem like a surly bunch of hipsters--there’s some indication that Faith is bound to them by some monetary debt, so I’m not even sure I like them or get their motivations. The obvious bad guys seem like cartoons, stupidly mean-spirited in case you don’t get that they’re really, really bad, and WTF is the reason why a processing clerk at a terminal needs to wear a blast shield on his head? It’s crap like that breaks immersion for me. It’s ironic that the cutscenes play like a bad comic book, whereas the original’s cutscenes were illustrated like one, but worked for me. (Another irony—the game is about oppressive authoritarianism and heros who live off the grid, yet I can’t remember the last time a game made me accept a license agreement or made a point of telling me, in no uncertain terms, that my stats would be public.)

So far I feel manipulated, but I’m hoping the game presents some likeable characters soon. Mirror’s Edge strength always was its gameplay, and the gameplay had its difficulty spikes (I hear this one does, too). That said, the humanity of the good guys and the story motivated me, a mediocre player, to push through the tough spots in the first game because I cared. I’m not feeling yet with this one.