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People like mirrors for different reasons. If I was Grix, I'd carry a mirror with me all the time so I could admire my facial hair. Mirrors are vanity's best friend, the ugly man's worst enemy and the superstitious' tool of superstition. Or something. To me, mirror's are nothing more than an object hanging on the wall, like a painting or a calender. In the real world, that is. In gaming, they're so much more.
Think about it - mirror's are responsible for a lot of things in gaming. From the old 'ghosts only show up in mirrors' routine in Luigi's Mansion, requiring some good old puzzle solving skills and backwards-orientated controlling, to taking a more aesthetical role in life. Be honest with me - do mirror's serve much more of a function than looks? You'd be surprised!
As I said before, they do serve a purpose in Luigi's Mansion. Invisible ghosts can only be seen in mirrors, and therefore by reverse-navigation you must somehow try to find the ghosts and suck him up before he can deal you damage. It's a fairly basic puzzle, but one which utilises special effects for the game's own wicked deeds. This isn't the only game I've seen mirrors in though, way back in the time in Mario 64, I think one of the bonus levels was in a (rather poor-looking) mirror. Although I could be mistaken.
I've seen mirrors cropping up all over the place in gaming. In Final Fantasy 10, Tidus' face is distorted by a mirror in the opening scenes in Spira; in Silent Hill 2 the main guy's face is also distorted, as he thinks about all manner of philosophical debates. Why am I here? And why do I only go out at night, when it's raining. We'll never know. And there's also Super Mario Sunshine - those lovely reflecting mirrors on the beach level, with rotating, reflecting and bouncing enemies. Lovely.
But if you notice the examples I've mentioned above, it's not hard to see a pattern forming. Mirrors are used for their aesthetical beauty. They do nothing more than double the picture on the screen, which can mean double the beauty. Luigi's Mansion is a very good example, because the static camera means mirrors can show what's happening in corners hidden by walls. What mirrors do, is make a double image. It makes it as though I'm controlling two Luigi's, that you're moving about two Mario's and that a room or level is twice as large as it is.
I suppose this is inevitable with the rise in detailed, 3D gaming. The ability to program in extra detail is often a daunting task for developers. So, why draw in wallpaper, curtains and lights on a wall, when we can just use mirrors and double the work we've done already. Mint!
Mirrors are those things in gaming which are yet to be fully realised. Like little features such as water and wall-jumps, very few games utilise some of the possibilities of mirrors. Mario and Luigi seem to be names cropping up all over the place in this sense, but it does show how much attention to little things Nintendo puts in their games. Mario games make the most of every bit of scenery. Mario's controls can do everything possible, and a building isn't a building unless it can be clambered on top of. Consequently, Mario is designed with every aspect of the game in mind, which is where I think mirrors could go a long way.
I don't think they should play an integral part in gaming, but perhaps used more often in today's games. Hows about a fully reflective track in Gran Turismo 4, truly showing off the PS2's potential for mind-boggling graphics. Or a level in Mario which has a mirror in it, which totally reflects the level and everything in it and which Mario can pass through, allowing for special places to be reached and such. The potential is there.
It's funny how such little things are capable of such great glories, but the fact is mirror's are becoming more and more used in games today. Not only because they can make things look exceedingly nice, but as Luigi proved, they can create unique and puzzling situations, and a game which requires more thought than normal. But I'm not complaining, oh no. As long as I see more mirrors in games, that means more lovely mirror-image Mario's to ogle, more Tidus' to watch in a broken mirror, and more glass which I can shatter in TimeSplitters 2. Long live games enjoying their own reflections - long live mirrors!
Think about it - mirror's are responsible for a lot of things in gaming. From the old 'ghosts only show up in mirrors' routine in Luigi's Mansion, requiring some good old puzzle solving skills and backwards-orientated controlling, to taking a more aesthetical role in life. Be honest with me - do mirror's serve much more of a function than looks? You'd be surprised!
As I said before, they do serve a purpose in Luigi's Mansion. Invisible ghosts can only be seen in mirrors, and therefore by reverse-navigation you must somehow try to find the ghosts and suck him up before he can deal you damage. It's a fairly basic puzzle, but one which utilises special effects for the game's own wicked deeds. This isn't the only game I've seen mirrors in though, way back in the time in Mario 64, I think one of the bonus levels was in a (rather poor-looking) mirror. Although I could be mistaken.
I've seen mirrors cropping up all over the place in gaming. In Final Fantasy 10, Tidus' face is distorted by a mirror in the opening scenes in Spira; in Silent Hill 2 the main guy's face is also distorted, as he thinks about all manner of philosophical debates. Why am I here? And why do I only go out at night, when it's raining. We'll never know. And there's also Super Mario Sunshine - those lovely reflecting mirrors on the beach level, with rotating, reflecting and bouncing enemies. Lovely.
But if you notice the examples I've mentioned above, it's not hard to see a pattern forming. Mirrors are used for their aesthetical beauty. They do nothing more than double the picture on the screen, which can mean double the beauty. Luigi's Mansion is a very good example, because the static camera means mirrors can show what's happening in corners hidden by walls. What mirrors do, is make a double image. It makes it as though I'm controlling two Luigi's, that you're moving about two Mario's and that a room or level is twice as large as it is.
I suppose this is inevitable with the rise in detailed, 3D gaming. The ability to program in extra detail is often a daunting task for developers. So, why draw in wallpaper, curtains and lights on a wall, when we can just use mirrors and double the work we've done already. Mint!
Mirrors are those things in gaming which are yet to be fully realised. Like little features such as water and wall-jumps, very few games utilise some of the possibilities of mirrors. Mario and Luigi seem to be names cropping up all over the place in this sense, but it does show how much attention to little things Nintendo puts in their games. Mario games make the most of every bit of scenery. Mario's controls can do everything possible, and a building isn't a building unless it can be clambered on top of. Consequently, Mario is designed with every aspect of the game in mind, which is where I think mirrors could go a long way.
I don't think they should play an integral part in gaming, but perhaps used more often in today's games. Hows about a fully reflective track in Gran Turismo 4, truly showing off the PS2's potential for mind-boggling graphics. Or a level in Mario which has a mirror in it, which totally reflects the level and everything in it and which Mario can pass through, allowing for special places to be reached and such. The potential is there.
It's funny how such little things are capable of such great glories, but the fact is mirror's are becoming more and more used in games today. Not only because they can make things look exceedingly nice, but as Luigi proved, they can create unique and puzzling situations, and a game which requires more thought than normal. But I'm not complaining, oh no. As long as I see more mirrors in games, that means more lovely mirror-image Mario's to ogle, more Tidus' to watch in a broken mirror, and more glass which I can shatter in TimeSplitters 2. Long live games enjoying their own reflections - long live mirrors!
aaah, reflective tracks. Brings back memories of those early PS1 racing games. I love those way out tracks.
How about a James Bond game with that scene from Golden Gun? I remember one game that was on the Spectrum/C64 and involved moving mirrors around to get a laser to a specific place. That was a class game, a 3D version of that would be smart.
How about a James Bond game with that scene from Golden Gun? I remember one game that was on the Spectrum/C64 and involved moving mirrors around to get a laser to a specific place. That was a class game, a 3D version of that would be smart.
People like mirrors for different reasons. If I was Grix, I'd carry a mirror with me all the time so I could admire my facial hair. Mirrors are vanity's best friend, the ugly man's worst enemy and the superstitious' tool of superstition. Or something. To me, mirror's are nothing more than an object hanging on the wall, like a painting or a calender. In the real world, that is. In gaming, they're so much more.
Think about it - mirror's are responsible for a lot of things in gaming. From the old 'ghosts only show up in mirrors' routine in Luigi's Mansion, requiring some good old puzzle solving skills and backwards-orientated controlling, to taking a more aesthetical role in life. Be honest with me - do mirror's serve much more of a function than looks? You'd be surprised!
As I said before, they do serve a purpose in Luigi's Mansion. Invisible ghosts can only be seen in mirrors, and therefore by reverse-navigation you must somehow try to find the ghosts and suck him up before he can deal you damage. It's a fairly basic puzzle, but one which utilises special effects for the game's own wicked deeds. This isn't the only game I've seen mirrors in though, way back in the time in Mario 64, I think one of the bonus levels was in a (rather poor-looking) mirror. Although I could be mistaken.
I've seen mirrors cropping up all over the place in gaming. In Final Fantasy 10, Tidus' face is distorted by a mirror in the opening scenes in Spira; in Silent Hill 2 the main guy's face is also distorted, as he thinks about all manner of philosophical debates. Why am I here? And why do I only go out at night, when it's raining. We'll never know. And there's also Super Mario Sunshine - those lovely reflecting mirrors on the beach level, with rotating, reflecting and bouncing enemies. Lovely.
But if you notice the examples I've mentioned above, it's not hard to see a pattern forming. Mirrors are used for their aesthetical beauty. They do nothing more than double the picture on the screen, which can mean double the beauty. Luigi's Mansion is a very good example, because the static camera means mirrors can show what's happening in corners hidden by walls. What mirrors do, is make a double image. It makes it as though I'm controlling two Luigi's, that you're moving about two Mario's and that a room or level is twice as large as it is.
I suppose this is inevitable with the rise in detailed, 3D gaming. The ability to program in extra detail is often a daunting task for developers. So, why draw in wallpaper, curtains and lights on a wall, when we can just use mirrors and double the work we've done already. Mint!
Mirrors are those things in gaming which are yet to be fully realised. Like little features such as water and wall-jumps, very few games utilise some of the possibilities of mirrors. Mario and Luigi seem to be names cropping up all over the place in this sense, but it does show how much attention to little things Nintendo puts in their games. Mario games make the most of every bit of scenery. Mario's controls can do everything possible, and a building isn't a building unless it can be clambered on top of. Consequently, Mario is designed with every aspect of the game in mind, which is where I think mirrors could go a long way.
I don't think they should play an integral part in gaming, but perhaps used more often in today's games. Hows about a fully reflective track in Gran Turismo 4, truly showing off the PS2's potential for mind-boggling graphics. Or a level in Mario which has a mirror in it, which totally reflects the level and everything in it and which Mario can pass through, allowing for special places to be reached and such. The potential is there.
It's funny how such little things are capable of such great glories, but the fact is mirror's are becoming more and more used in games today. Not only because they can make things look exceedingly nice, but as Luigi proved, they can create unique and puzzling situations, and a game which requires more thought than normal. But I'm not complaining, oh no. As long as I see more mirrors in games, that means more lovely mirror-image Mario's to ogle, more Tidus' to watch in a broken mirror, and more glass which I can shatter in TimeSplitters 2. Long live games enjoying their own reflections - long live mirrors!
Think about it - mirror's are responsible for a lot of things in gaming. From the old 'ghosts only show up in mirrors' routine in Luigi's Mansion, requiring some good old puzzle solving skills and backwards-orientated controlling, to taking a more aesthetical role in life. Be honest with me - do mirror's serve much more of a function than looks? You'd be surprised!
As I said before, they do serve a purpose in Luigi's Mansion. Invisible ghosts can only be seen in mirrors, and therefore by reverse-navigation you must somehow try to find the ghosts and suck him up before he can deal you damage. It's a fairly basic puzzle, but one which utilises special effects for the game's own wicked deeds. This isn't the only game I've seen mirrors in though, way back in the time in Mario 64, I think one of the bonus levels was in a (rather poor-looking) mirror. Although I could be mistaken.
I've seen mirrors cropping up all over the place in gaming. In Final Fantasy 10, Tidus' face is distorted by a mirror in the opening scenes in Spira; in Silent Hill 2 the main guy's face is also distorted, as he thinks about all manner of philosophical debates. Why am I here? And why do I only go out at night, when it's raining. We'll never know. And there's also Super Mario Sunshine - those lovely reflecting mirrors on the beach level, with rotating, reflecting and bouncing enemies. Lovely.
But if you notice the examples I've mentioned above, it's not hard to see a pattern forming. Mirrors are used for their aesthetical beauty. They do nothing more than double the picture on the screen, which can mean double the beauty. Luigi's Mansion is a very good example, because the static camera means mirrors can show what's happening in corners hidden by walls. What mirrors do, is make a double image. It makes it as though I'm controlling two Luigi's, that you're moving about two Mario's and that a room or level is twice as large as it is.
I suppose this is inevitable with the rise in detailed, 3D gaming. The ability to program in extra detail is often a daunting task for developers. So, why draw in wallpaper, curtains and lights on a wall, when we can just use mirrors and double the work we've done already. Mint!
Mirrors are those things in gaming which are yet to be fully realised. Like little features such as water and wall-jumps, very few games utilise some of the possibilities of mirrors. Mario and Luigi seem to be names cropping up all over the place in this sense, but it does show how much attention to little things Nintendo puts in their games. Mario games make the most of every bit of scenery. Mario's controls can do everything possible, and a building isn't a building unless it can be clambered on top of. Consequently, Mario is designed with every aspect of the game in mind, which is where I think mirrors could go a long way.
I don't think they should play an integral part in gaming, but perhaps used more often in today's games. Hows about a fully reflective track in Gran Turismo 4, truly showing off the PS2's potential for mind-boggling graphics. Or a level in Mario which has a mirror in it, which totally reflects the level and everything in it and which Mario can pass through, allowing for special places to be reached and such. The potential is there.
It's funny how such little things are capable of such great glories, but the fact is mirror's are becoming more and more used in games today. Not only because they can make things look exceedingly nice, but as Luigi proved, they can create unique and puzzling situations, and a game which requires more thought than normal. But I'm not complaining, oh no. As long as I see more mirrors in games, that means more lovely mirror-image Mario's to ogle, more Tidus' to watch in a broken mirror, and more glass which I can shatter in TimeSplitters 2. Long live games enjoying their own reflections - long live mirrors!