REMEMBER ME Divides Opinion – Hate it, Love it, Should You Buy It?

Remember Me is one of those summer games that flies under the radar for a lot of people. A new franchise, not tied to any AAA property, normally struggles towards the end of a console cycle so you have to appreciate Capcom’s balls for putting their faith in this title. For those that were aware of Remember Me, a kind of hesitant excitement had set in.

The premise sold many on the idea – a futuristic Neo-Paris where memories have become just another commodity, bought and sold by huge corporations with worrying access to everyone’s history. The shiny surface world hides a darker side, of junkies addicted to living out others memories and worse. This all sounds great, but a couple of early previews expressed some concern over the combat and game play of the title.

Reviews have started pouring in, in time for the June 4th release date, and they’ve been a real mixed bag. Perhaps the most prominent is IGN’s review giving the game a 5.9 out of 10, claiming it  “Mediocre”. They criticize the bland combat and tedious platforming, while lauding it’s ambition and intriguing world.

At the other end of the scale is EGM giving the game a generous 9/10, congratulating it on it’s narrative, atmosphere and solid action. Between these two is a whole range of dissenting opinions that leave the game sat at a 71 on Metacritic. However, the is disparity between the different versions, with the PS3 aggregate score sat at 75, while the Xbox score is only 68 and PC remains on the average.

Oftentimes we see smaller titles like this divide opinion, whether it is the lack of hype that leaves some reviewers pleasantly surprised by what they find or the early predictions of ‘cult classic’ that shows the game in a harsher light. The game certainly seems to be trying some interesting stuff, looking at the nature of memory, ethics and not to mention features a non-exploitative female protagonist.

It has more than a little in common with the other futuristic, female driven cult hit Mirror’s Edge that famously undersold it’s expected sales. Will that trend continue with Remember Me?

Faith and Nitin are doing it right

Hopefully not. I know I’ll definitely be picking this one up come June 4th, if only to support the industry trying different things. With plentiful and believable rumors that Mirror’s Edge is getting a sequel, hopefully this game will also sell enough to warrant a sequel to fix the criticisms of the first.