This game is
all about that very complex thing, memory... And I can’t remember a fucking
thing about this game! Only joking. Remember Me hit the shelves, the PS Store
and wherever else you can get games from in July 2013. Interestingly it was
available for PS+ subscribers as early as November!
The game is
set in a 2084 Paris, or rather ‘Neo-Paris’. I don’t know if the Paris we see in
the game is the Paris in 2084 or a different reality Paris. The game focuses on
Nilin, initially imprisoned by the games baddies; she gets out of the fortress
with help from a mysterious Edge. Following this is a narrative based around
Nilin attempting to bring down the pesky baddies and recovering her own
memories (trying not to give too much away!).
I got about
15 hours of game play from Remember Me. I am sad to say that I haven’t
completed this game. I’ll discuss that after the usual positives and negatives.
One
significant issue with the game for me was the combat. The game (despite being
set in 2084) is strictly melee combat (with a tiny bit of shooting). The theory
is for Nilin to be able to use combos in order to bring down her foes, and the
more you progress the bigger the combos get and the general variety changes. A
good idea, but it doesn’t work greatly in the game. When surrounded by 6
enemies I’m not too fussed about combos, I just want to hit a few of them.
Sadly the initial strikes do not feel very powerful, meaning that you have to
spend ages getting rid of the majority of enemies before you finally get the
chance to use the combos, by this time however, the enemies are on their last
legs and the weak beginning strike is too much for them. This factor makes the
latter part of the game near enough impossible on the hard mode.
One good and
bad point of the game is the storyline. The narrative feels like it should be
immense, but it is not good enough for you to really delve into the game. It
feels a little plastic and rushed, as if they created the story in a short time
and then went about creating the game. The main point of the storyline is very
interesting however, that’s why this is a good and a bad point. It would be a
good movie.
Another good
and bad point of the game is its familiarity. Remember Me has the feel of a
Batman Arkham series game tied in with Uncharted. The combat definitely feels
like something out of Arkham City, with the emphasis to move and do combos
(thankfully it works on Batman) and the platforming in between feels quite
Uncharted-y. Maybe a better comparison is Tomb Raider as Nilin is also a lady.
This is good because it doesn’t take long to get stuck in. It’s bad because it
takes the basis of what is good in Arkham Asylum and Tomb Raider and doesn’t
expand on it like the aforementioned games do to create a working dynamic.
The major
plus of this game is the character Nilin. When I gave up on this game I was
quite sad to leave Nilin without her memories. Her character is very believable
and a joy to play as. Okay the storyline is a bit iffy and the combat is woeful
but Nilin makes up for it. She starts off as a broken individual, mentally and
physically, and by the time I quit she was a strong individual, fighting for
what’s right and generally being a bit of a bad ass. I don’t think she’s a Lara
Croft (largely because she is let down by other segments of the game) but she’s
well worth remembering. Her narrative is the best thing about Remember Me and
why I’m not finding this game a total dud. I’d definitely be interested in a
Remember Me movie is the right actor was picked for Nilin as I believe it
definitely work (just so long as it isn’t made for teenage girls!)
Another
positive of the game is the fact that it looks stunning. The areas look great
and feel immersive. It seems as though the creators sunk all their time into
this however. I don’t really know what else to add here.
Sadly, the
main reason I didn’t complete this game was because of the collectibles. I love
it when a game has collectibles. I believe GTA5 nailed the collectibles, some
are hard to find, and some are easy; and crucially they amount to an extra
dimension of gameplay. They aren’t linked to the main story but are worth your
time. In a free roam game it is easy to do, definitely. In a chapter based game
Uncharted has a good model, the collectibles aren’t particularly useful, but
they look nice and have some nice historical text attached to them. The chapter
game that nails the collectible is Mafia 2; as the collectibles are synonymous
with the era the game is set in. However Remember Me takes them to another
level. You have to actually collect some of the items to add extra HP and extra
focus. So going into the end of the game where the boss battles are hard with
low health and a reduced chance to use the items that are essential to beating
some enemies make the game beyond difficult. I didn’t believe the game was good
enough to go through the previous 7 or 8 chapters so that I could beat it. I’d
rather move onto a next game or frankly, just watch Eastenders.
Overall I
believe this game is the perfect metaphor of the PS3. It’s good but should have
been so much better. The game lacks on some of the basic items needed to be a
really good game. I get the feeling that if the idea of this game was muted
around 2004 then by 2006 there would be a great Playstation 2 game on the
market that we would still mention now. Sadly the game feels rushed, instead of
broadening the storyline and making a longer game it has gone for a short and quick
blast with pretty visuals and lack of substance.
Would I play
this game again? One day perhaps. I wouldn’t count on it though.
(Someone make
it a movie! And don’t add a shitty love strand of a storyline and turn it into
Hunger Games!)
Peace.
SJ.
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