Mary Jane Irwin is a Chronological Liar

Nov
25th

The ‘better sequel’ mentality is damaging both to the games industry and to the quality of games journalism. It is a deferral of critical responsibility, a patronising pat on the head for the developer who dared to dream and fell short in some mythically vital way. I don’t want to be frustrated by dodgy controls either, but then I’m willing to blunder through if I’m going to get an experience I never had before. I felt the same about Killer 7 and Shenmue and the mobile game, Nom – flawed every one of them, but I don’t begrudge the creators a single second of the time I spent toiling with imperfections.

—

Keith Stuart, The Guardian

A few folks in the videogame critics circle have risen up to address Mirror Edge’s review score disparity. It’s a hot topic among those in the trade—the idea that we’ve grown too obsessed with technical flaws to look at the bigger, brighter picture.

My conclusion: Those who gave Mirror’s Edge poor marks just don’t get it. (Personally, I would have branded it an 8.5 on the IGN review scale). They simply don’t understand the game.

The combat is clumsy…but you’re not supposed to fight. The game doesn’t allow for trial and error…that’s why you die and try again. Some challenges are controller-flinging frustrating…sure, but it is the journey that’s more rewarding. The story is horrid…but so are a lot of videogame stories.

It seems like most critics malign Mirror’s Edge because it’s not the game they wanted it to be—instead of critiquing the experience that it is.

Comments



	Go Home Archives Chronological Photos Chronological Liar RSS Let's be friends: iam [at] thechronliar [dot] com Navigate culture business musings shameless videogames Beautiful People Chewing Pixels Collision Detection Infinite Lives Sexy Videogameland The Brainy Gamer Level Up Rock, Paper, Shotgun MTV Multiplayer	Nov 25th Tumblr Quote The ‘better sequel’ mentality is damaging both to the games industry and to the quality of games journalism. It is a deferral of critical responsibility, a patronising pat on the head for the developer who dared to dream and fell short in some mythically vital way. I don’t want to be frustrated by dodgy controls either, but then I’m willing to blunder through if I’m going to get an experience I never had before. I felt the same about Killer 7 and Shenmue and the mobile game, Nom – flawed every one of them, but I don’t begrudge the creators a single second of the time I spent toiling with imperfections. — Keith Stuart, The Guardian A few folks in the videogame critics circle have risen up to address Mirror Edge’s review score disparity. It’s a hot topic among those in the trade—the idea that we’ve grown too obsessed with technical flaws to look at the bigger, brighter picture. My conclusion: Those who gave Mirror’s Edge poor marks just don’t get it. (Personally, I would have branded it an 8.5 on the IGN review scale). They simply don’t understand the game. The combat is clumsy…but you’re not supposed to fight. The game doesn’t allow for trial and error…that’s why you die and try again. Some challenges are controller-flinging frustrating…sure, but it is the journey that’s more rewarding. The story is horrid…but so are a lot of videogame stories. It seems like most critics malign Mirror’s Edge because it’s not the game they wanted it to be—instead of critiquing the experience that it is. Comments Powered by Tumblr

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