Rachmaninoff's Edge

A few days ago I downloaded the Mirror's Edge demo on my PS3 - I had been looking forward to seeing what the game actually played like after watching the trailer months before. I was instantly attracted to what looked like a very 'in body' experience, where the physicality of movement is communicated well. This is a rare feat even in current gen games.


It requires a precise blend of graphic, audio and camera work. Gears is one of the only recent games I can think of that hit the mark in this regard. The idea of capturing the same sense in a first person perspective could theoretically take the perceived physical intensity even further. As soon as I started the demo I knew I would like it. The controls were intuitive and before I knew it, I had forgotten the controller all together. Apart from a couple of sequences that required repeated attempts to complete, I flew through the demo with an intoxicating level of grace.

I immediately wanted Mel, my girlfriend, to try the game. She's a former athlete, a definite kinesthetic / visual person and despite her lack of experience with video games, I imagined her taking to Mirror's Edge with nearly the same ease I did. It seemed to intuitive to me. I finally got her in front of the game. Like any good supervisor in the QA department I did my best to keep my mouth shut, and supress my impulse to hit the (X) button for her as she sat passively waiting for the instructions to advance themselves.

The results were not what I expected. Just the act of looking around and walking using the two analog sticks on the PS3 controller took her a few minutes to get straight. She's just not used to the interface, which I personally sometimes forget exsists at all. In the end she got the hang of it, but after about 15 minutes of struggle we decided to can it and watch a movie.

This test made me realize how much overlap there is between games in terms of control schema - I knew exactly how Mirror's Edge would operate before playing the game. And when the game says, hit R1 to punch, I don't have to think about my fingers, I just think 'R1'.

Though I lack any substantial musical talent, I presume it is something like playing a musical insturment. When I play piano, I have to count out the scale to find the next key. By reading music I can theoretically play Rachmaninoff, but it would be at an absolute zero pace and end in total frustration. Mel's lack of familiarity with the game controller resulted in a similar outcome. I very much take for granted my baseline facility with games. Of course there is always a learning curve for each new game, but once you know the instrument and genres of music, playing is a whole lot more fun.