Quick Look: Mirror's Edge Catalyst

What is up with Faith's leg in the thumbnail?! Anywho, fun QL. Thanks!

Alex Polygon'd this game :) No seriously it really is hard to talk and play at the same time, especially in a game like Mirror's Edge where precise jumping and quick reactions are necessary succeed.

@leburn98: true man, I can't even focus well when just talking to a mate, nevermind online to thousands.

I really liked the curated design of the levels in the original game, and by comparison the story levels in this game are an ugly, incoherent mess. I was really looking forwards to more mirror's edge but I don't think this is what I wanted.

Also, Vinny, you're not very good at this are you...

Austin's joke about Reaper and Nomad got me good. Oh, I love you GBeast.

This game looks rough though. Hope it's just Alex not being able to cope with playing while talking because all the movement mechanics looks like its lacking something.

I get that running is this game's whole schtick, but requiring players to run up a wall that's peppered with holes perfect for climbing seems silly.

Keep the faith alive!

I don't quite know how a second installment can get a 'They made another one of these, huh?' attitude out of me, but they did it here. Maybe it's the Ubi-esque open world game design.

Regardless, I'm still into the whole gotta-go-fast theme enough that I'll probably end up getting it on sale even it gets a less than stellar reception on release.

My gods, that dialogue and delivery is boring me to tears. As if someone took a sheet of paper, wrote "Edgy Characters!" and then drew a mind map from that--all the connections consisting of lightning bolts.

@darkbeatdk:

Look at the top corner/ edges of your room, you'll notice they are slightly darker, this is ambient occlusion if that is too hard to see then look at any object on your desk and observe the thin black shadow that surrounds where its in contact with the desk. Simulating AO is necessary for realistic shadows, its just anywhere light finds it difficult to bounce into, so pretty much the space or tiny gap between any 2 objects/surfaces that are close together.

The brief discussion of the "person good with technology, not so good with other people" archetype made me realize that however inadvertently it was done, Volition really hit it out of the park with Kinzie in "Saints Row 3&4."

I love the original and finished it many times, but the aesthetic was always my least favourite thing about it, and it seems even worse here. Like, why are the anticonsumerist rebels wearing aggressively branded polyester while the business sheeple wear retro-chic tailored natural materials? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Also we're supposed to love the hyper-sterile white iPod look of the city but hate the conformity and monotony which it is meant to symbolize at the same time?

@spacefish: Allright, that makes sense. Thanks for the tip.

Doesn't the character get some level of invincibility while moving?

Also I think the main character looks awesome but she seems so alone. Maybe the world is just underpopulated.

Can see your point, but it's entirely subjective of course. I do like how the game looks myself. I don't think it's even that uncommon to create a world that is pleasing to look at, even though it represents something 'dark'. Fallout 3's world was a destroyed and radiated garbage dump and we were supposed to like how it looked and we did.

Man, I'm really bummed out that they decided to make this somewhat open world. I loved the first game despite its flaws because of how damn near perfect each level was when it came to memorizing it and then executing a successful run through that level. Really wish video games devs would lay off the open world approach a bit more. It just doesn't work for everything.

inb4 a Vinn Co's City of the Future banner gets posted

Played through the first one years ago and loved it, played the beta and thought it was good then replayed the first about a week ago. The combat and movement seems better in the new one, don't let nostalgia cloud your opinion.

Steam? summer sale? what are these strange things you speak of?

--EA

grinding down the cable with one glove and a bare hand must hurt...

Preordered on PS4, hopefully it runs/looks better than XBO. The original on PC was one of the sharpest looking games for a looooong time.

@anjon: Have you played the new one?

As you said most of the things that seemed jenky in the video seemed like things that was jenky in the old game until you got better at the game. I have been looking for someone that enjoyed and was good at the last one to see if they find the same depth in the new one.

I like the free running gameplay but there doesn't seem to be a lot of game surrounding it.

This game needs to decide when it is using lowerCamelCase and when it is using UpperCamelCase

A little too on the nose to get an ad for the same game before the video

I was unsure about the game and decided to try it out on Origin Access....man, as shit as the story and characters are the gameplay is as fun as ever. Granted, you'll need to really like the parkour to justify getting it at full price because this is all the game really has. The combat is forgettable though not nearly as bad as some people make it seem but the running is still great. I don't know if it's better than the first one but I'll say that people are definitely misremembering the level design of the first game. The original had so many elevators that just killed the flow and way too many cramped indoor areas/vents - after 5 hours in Catalyst I haven't come across a single elevator, only a few vents and the indoor areas still give you plenty of room to run around.

Also not sure why people are sceptical about using a controller for this game. I've played both the original and Catalyst with a controller and it plays great. It's not a twitch shooter so there's no need for quick camera movement and it's one of the few games where I appreciate the vibration.

Seems like it will be just as polarizing as the original game.

I'm excited because the parkour still seems rad. Do whatever you want to the structure around it. I don't hate open worlds yet I'll manage.

You guys are hilarious. Go team NY.

"and it's sixty dollars?"

I feel like that sums this up pretty well.

KrugerSec

I sure hope Alex is playing this better now.

I envisioned the linear levels of Mirror's Edge 1 stitched together by an over-world open for exploration. The interiors of building, explored during linear levels, would be full of colour and life juxtaposed with the sterile world of glass above.

Some interior sections would be slower and narrative driven, showing the city and people she misses out on. Faith would question her role in society. Should she accept her morally well but lonely existence as a runner? Is it worth her accepting the corporate overlords to be amongst people and splendour?

The duality of the city life and rooftop life would be comparable to that of land and the sea. She is isolated up there, save for the runners she occasionally needs to see, people who didn't fit in and she cannot connect with. Then dump a load of agility orbs and time trials in there - no bystanders required.

Lastly though non essential some multiplayer. Cat and mouse, tag, races, etc. No combat required.

That Donkey In The Oven sidequest has to be named for original Mirror's Edge speedrunner Ovendonkey. He has multiple level world records for the game on Youtube. Don't know if anyone has beaten them since I last looked.They are pretty crazy as some of his runs are almost game breaking in how he traverses stuff.

haha, that framerate isn't even close to 30.

man, what a shame this generation has been.

lmao GB easts commentary was on point on this quicklook

That reload checkpoint is a joke! It needs to be at Meatboy lvls of speed in order to make the efficiency mindset they're attempting to encourage viable.

Oh hey, look, it's the char w/aspergers...

Single strap backpacks

All of the Mirror's Edge speedruns are game breaking unless specified as the 'glitchless' category. The current any% WR run is by Phillotrax, 29:08 in-game time, 31:55 real time. Here:

Damn 8 years since the original.

I guess the future is full of overly elaborate roofs...

I can see why Alex doesn't like it. He is pretty terrible at it.