Lately I have been getting my gaming mitts stuck into Assassins Creed II. I had always been reluctant to play this game due to the fact that the first game left a bad taste in my mouth; I tried and tried to get into it but it really didn’t do it for me.

So I hesitated but nonetheless started the game. I have never been so engrossed in a sandbox game since probably GTA III (you would be surprised how much I stand by GTA III next to the other games in the series, but that’ll be a post for later). Assassins Creed II then got me thinking about a sport that I hold high in regard; not that I am a big sports fan or that AC II is a sports game by any stretch of the imagination, but it did indeed get me thinking about a sport that isn’t covered in gaming as much as it should be… I am of course talking about Free Running.

Free Running (Or ‘Le Parkour’) in it’s most basic form is an extreme sport that can primarily take place in a huge metropolis. One potential aim is to jump, climb and scale your way across the rooftops of any city you see fit in your journey from point A to B. Sounds simple enough, but when you’re not gifted with super human abilities like Spiderman it proves to be a little bit more difficult.

Video games have touched on this sport briefly with Assassins Creed II and Mirrors Edge, but I feel that there isn’t enough recognition of the sport itself. For example you get a metric ton of skateboarding games, (granted, not the same type of sport) but you can imagine the potential of an exclusively free running game.

So for the first time ever in my life… I am going to make a proposal for a sports game. This is probably the first time and last time I am going to do this, so sit back and watch history in action… because straight after this I am going back to playing Halo.

Garv’s Free Running Game Idea (Don’t Laugh)

Note: Before people start ranting, I know there was a PS2 and Wii game just called Free Running, but that did as well as an underwater hair dryer, so bare with me on this one.

A 3rd person running game where you simply have to reach your destination in an allotted time. The more innovative and creative the means of doing this, the more points you get. Points are awarded for jump distance covered as well as how long you can keep travelling without stopping. This game means that you have to think quickly to maximise on points. Also, backflips and somersaults are awesome so throw some of them in for good measure.

Ever played Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground? It’s the first Tony Hawk game that used the sandbox to an advantage; progressing in the game means you have to travel to the next mission. This also means you can use the city sandbox as a means of practice, which is kind of what I want to happen in this game.

I know this is a screen from Assassin's Creed 1 but you get the idea.

The difficulty with this game already is the fact that you are neither Spiderman, an assassin, or even a post-modern courier in white tracksuit bottoms. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. So a good thing to add to this game would be character customization, with a difference. I would like a customisation system that kinda mixed the customisation from both Soul Calibur IV and Guitar Hero World Tour. So you can make a realistic avatar of your good self or an absolutely off the wall character with the same skin colour as a Dyno-Rod van (for all of you out there who doesn’t know what colour a Dyno-Rod van is its florescent orange…sexy).

So that’s the game idea in its most basic form, whether it will be a means to an end I highly doubt, just gave me a good excuse to let some crazy gaming thoughts out.

My basic point here is that Free Running is not covered enough in gaming, maybe the idea is still in its infancy. But then again, I just want an excuse to do get a good free running experience without leaving my sofa.
-Garv

The original Plus XP Banner, gotta love generic pixel text

Anyway as I was rooting through the backlog of posts I came across this quite frankly embarrassing review for Mirrors Edge I did, so Sit back and relax while you read this quite awful post.

NOTE: I left the spelling mistakes in just to give you the full experience.

***

For me the First perspective in games is one of my favourites. From a young age I was playing First person shooters with my dad on the pc. So I have grown up with and experienced my fair share of first person games.

Mirrors Edge takes the first person perspective to a new level in gaming. A first person platformer I think is an awesome concept, this game has taken the concept and made it into an exciting and fresh gaming experience.

The second you set your eyes on the flawless city landscape your breath is taken away. The metropolis you are going to be running through looks flawless and clean. The use of bright colours and slight visual effects when you are running makes the visual side of this game a fresh new and breath taking experience. Dice have nailed the visuals in this game. So if you have a nasty fear of heights, be warned.

For me the First perspective in games is one of my favourites. From a young age I was playing First person shooters with my dad on the pc. So I have grown up with and experienced my fair share of first person games.

Mirrors Edge takes the first person perspective to a new level in gaming. A first person platformer I think is an awesome concept, this game has taken the concept and made it into an exciting and fresh gaming experience.

The second you set your eyes on the flawless city landscape your breath is taken away. The metropolis you are going to be running through looks flawless and clean. The use of bright colours and slight visual effects when you are running makes the visual side of this game a fresh new and breath taking experience. Dice have nailed the visuals in this game. So if you have a nasty fear of heights, be warned.

The game play it self is straight forward with the use of only four buttons. One for jumping/high movement, one for crouching/low movements one for interacting with switches etc and the all important attack button (and of course not to mention the analogue sticks for movement and looking). This straight forward control system is good for anybody to pick up and play, but the real skill is when it comes to the timing of your movements and keeping the flow of play going.

If you have not experienced vertigo, then play mirrors edge.

The game plays well, once you have the momentum going you feel unstoppable but it doesn’t last long and is stopped by either not knowing where to go next or an enemy with a gun hailing you with bullets. Which can be frustrating, many times I have had to start a section again because I have been over run by the enemy, or have had to take the trial and error approach when it came down to figuring out where to go next. But with all that said by the time you want to go through the game again (and believe me you will) you will have a greater chance of getting your momentum going and experiencing the true feel of the game.

The use of weapons in the game is fairly spaced and simple, which is good because this is no way by any means a shooting game but the inclusion of guns do help when you want to get out of sticky situations.

The story is simple and solid, you do feel compassion for the main character. But what this game does lack is good cut scenes. The cut scenes are cartoon based and feel very out of place with the graphical genius of the game play. The cut scenes and the game play don’t merge together well. But don’t let that change your mind because what the game lacks in cut scenes it makes up for in game play.

The online race and time trial modes are a great way for you to show off your moves and keep the game flowing well. With you racing against the clock it brings a great element to the game when you are done with the campaign mode.

So to sum up. Mirrors edge combines plat forming and the first person perspective well, making a great gaming experience. Even though the enemies feel cheap from time to time and the cut scenes aren’t that hot. It is defiantly worth playing.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

***

Wow back in the days when I used to give scores to games. I look back at this and think, I have come quite a way away from what I once was doing. This was only about a year or so ago and since then, myself, the staff and the site has come along way.

Basically this is my long-winded way of saying, everyone’s doing great on the site and I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Garv.

here!

For those of you who want a taster now. Here is my Mirrors edge review:

Mirrors Edge review for Xbox 360.

For me the First perspective in games is one of my favorites. From a young age I was playing First person shooters with my dad on the pc. So I have grown up with and experienced my fair share of first person games.

Mirrors Edge takes the first person perspective to a new level in gaming. A first person platformer I think is an awesome concept, this game has taken the concept and made it into an exciting and fresh gaming experience.

The second you set your eyes on the flawless city landscape your breath is taken away. The metropolis you are going to be running through looks flawless and clean. The use of bright colours and slight visual effects when you are running makes the visual side of this game a fresh new and breath taking experience. Dice have nailed the visuals in this game. So if you have a nasty fear of heights, be warned.

The game play it self is straight forward with the use of only four buttons. One for jumping/high movement, one for crouching/low movements one for interacting with switches etc and the all important attack button (and of course not to mention the analogue sticks for movement and looking). This straight forward control system is good for anybody to pick up and play, but the real skill is when it comes to the timing of your movements and keeping the flow of play going.

The game plays well, once you have the momentum going you feel unstoppable but it doesn’t last long and is stopped by either not knowing where to go next or an enemy with a gun hailing you with bullets. Which can be frustrating, many times I have had to start a section again because I have been over run by the enemy, or have had to take the trial and error approach when it came down to figuring out where to go next. But with all that said by the time you want to go through the game again (and believe me you will) you will have a greater chance of getting your momentum going and experiencing the true feel of the game.

The use of weapons in the game is fairly spaced and simple, which is good because this is no way by any means a shooting game but the inclusion of guns do help when you want to get out of sticky situations.

The story is simple and solid, you do feel compassion for the main character. But what this game does lack is good cut scenes. The cut scenes are cartoon based and feel very out of place with the graphical genius of the game play. The cut scenes and the game play don’t merge together well. But don’t let that change your mind because what the game lacks in cut scenes it makes up for in game play.

The online race and time trial modes are a great way for you to show off your moves and keep the game flowing well. With you racing against the clock it brings a great element to the game when you are done with the campaign mode.

So to sum up. Mirrors edge combines plat forming and the first person perspective well, making a great gaming experience. Even though the enemies feel cheap from time to time and the cut scenes aren’t that hot. It is defiantly worth playing.

Score: 7.5 out of 10