[aaroncarney]

I have loved the Black Mirror games. Especially Black Mirror 2, it was suspenseful and at times very exciting, I didn't even mind the cliffhanger. And I was glad to hear Black Mirror 3 was on par, if not better. However, I've just completed it and was left with an "oh...is that it" feeling. The beginning of the game was good, but I feel that the ending was slow and didn't have a sense of urgency or excitement to it leaving the game quite anti-climatic. Maybe it was just me, but what does everyone else think?

[terhardp]

Personally, I'm mostly satisfied with the conclusion of the story in terms of the answers to many questions left over from the first two games. The somewhat "slow" story development is one of the things that made the first game "so special", so I liked the fact that this sequel is more similar in that respect to the the original than the sequel, that was rather rich with bombastic moments, which IMO rather deviate from the world and setting created in the original game. However, there are also a few such moment in this game as well, which makes it a decent bland between the two styles.

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by aaroncarney

was left with an "oh...is that it" feeling.

That was me for most of the game. What's the point of setting up the new butler character if he disappears as soon as he takes on the job?

[CoyoteAG]

Originally Posted by Oscar

That was me for most of the game. What's the point of setting up the new butler character if he disappears as soon as he takes on the job?

The butler thing didn't bother me. I think it was just wrapping up the fact that there will be a new generation of Gordon's living in the house with a new butler that is Bates-like.

I agree with others that the end was kind of meh but I do like that there was a solid end without a cliffhanger. For a three part story, I feel like the end of the last one should have been a little more epic.

[marcd2011]

yeah, i agree, the game was on the whole quite underwhelming. Nothing much happens for the first couple of chapters, which i accepted as i felt it was easing you into the story, but even though it does improve a bit in chapters 3-5, the last chapter was entirely dull and had a couple of badly rendered 5 second long cut scenes to end it. Why on earth they couldn't have had a bit where

Spoiler:

you go inside the mirror and control shade Adrian in a twisted reality rather than just have it as a cutscene is beyond me.. i mean for a trilogy called "Black Mirror" the actual Black Mirror was only in the third game and wasn't even interactive

I actually found myself so bored in the last chapter than i skipped the heiroglyphics and skeleton puzzles as i just wanted the game to end.. i did like the shade room puzzle though, that was fun.

[SamandMax]

All of the Black Mirror games have had incredibly underwhelming endings but Black Mirror 3's was at least conclusive, something you could not say about the others.

The first 3/4 of this game are really good so it's a shame that it kind of falls apart near the end. The whole catacombs section was just a chore to get through, paced so slowly and lacking in any sort of tension. I think it's a fitting end to the trilogy but I wish they had tackled it in a more exciting way.

[dekaneas297]

As I noted in the game's review, the final part was weak and difficult to follow (good souls, bad souls, good soul shades, bad soul shades, what goes in the mirror, what goes out of it).

And although I like happy endings, this is a game that had to have an unhappy, evil one. It's Black Mirror damn it.

[zoecastillo]

Yep - I agree - I was rather underwhelmed. I do love the Black Mirror series (one of my faves) and I couldn't wait for the 3rd - was literally counting the days (pre-ordered it months in advance - lol). But... it was a bit slow, not many surprises - I did get quite bored at the end. I was so proud of myself that I made it through the first 5 chapters without a walkthrough - taking my sweet time - but by Chapter 6, I too, wanted it to end and found a walkthrough and just cheated (raced) my way to the end. So, it was disappointing in that respect - however, I do agree that it wrapped up the entire story nicely. Still love the series though!

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by dekaneas297

And although I like happy endings, this is a game that had to have an unhappy, evil one. It's Black Mirror damn it.

It was as if they were forced at gunpoint to do a happy ending, and begrudgingly did so. The outcome may have been happy but otherwise there was nothing remotely happy or spirited about the way it was done.

[SamandMax]

I wouldn't say it's a happy ending as much as one that's left open for possible sequels. They finish this trilogy but they definitely hint at where the series could go next if it ever continues.

[millenia]

I wasn't this disappointed at all. I enjoyed the slower pace, looking around, subplots, jokes... I think this game had a bunch of brilliant jokes that made me gag and at the same time they didn't ruin the thriller feeling there.

I agree the ending could have been more 'epic' but by no means I was bored. Though I didn't really understand the scale/offering dish puzzle. I checked it from walkthru even instead of just skipping but didn't find it explained anywhere. I seriously don't understand how the hieroglyphic wall let's you know which 4 items to use. The other puzzles in the end were decent, the labyrinth was actually a good one.

All in all the middle chapters are the strongest ones, you really get sucked into the story, though there isn't anything wrong with the starting or ending chapters either. Personally I liked Darren/Adrian a lot in BMII already but here I pretty much loved him, don't know why people are whining about his behaviour. Why would I want to play a stuck up saint? (And brilliantly Adrian was afterall 'pure' even with his less than perfect attitude).

As said in above post, the subject for the possible sequel is hinted and I must say I would truly welcome some more Black Mirror considering the history. Even the first game with all its issues is atmospheric and better than average and the series just gets better from there. If they continue this way the 4th one would be 5 and a ½ stars?

[Luther10]

I'm a bit disappointed in the final chapter too... it's not as story intensive as the previous chapters, and the ending is just not epic enough, though I do like the final scene in the library after the credits... Also through the whole game, I was waiting for Angelina to make another appearance, but she did not... oh how I wanted her to survive that fall in part 2...

[Oscar]

Yeah I think there might have been a lost opportunity with Angelina. After the constable gets on your side there was no real urgency or threat and she could have been a good nemesis in the later stages of the game. Or maybe even meeting her on the other side of the mirror.

[ydranthantalus]

Originally Posted by millenia

I agree the ending could have been more 'epic' but by no means I was bored. Though I didn't really understand the scale/offering dish puzzle. I checked it from walkthru even instead of just skipping but didn't find it explained anywhere. I seriously don't understand how the hieroglyphic wall let's you know which 4 items to use. The other puzzles in the end were decent, the labyrinth was actually a good one.

the middle part of the glyphs had four standing figures. you had to place the items that correspond to those standing figures. that's the logic behind the puzzle. : )

Spoiler:

arrowhead, bowl, staff, fish

even though it was a satisfying adventure, the ending felt a little bit rushed.

[millenia]

Originally Posted by ydranthantalus

the middle part of the glyphs had four standing figures. you had to place the items that correspond to those standing figures. that's the logic behind the puzzle. : )

Yes I noticed the four figures standing up and three lying down but I really couldn't tie them to any of the rows or columns below, let alone a specific symbol. Never noticed the correspondence there. Perhaps I was just being blind but it just didn't open to me even after I knew which symbols were the right ones. Everything else in the game was very logical to me, well perhaps not the first copy machine puzzle that I kinda accidentally skipped since I forgot the switch was 'skip' and not 'help'.

[Oscar]

I spent half an hour on that damn copying machine puzzle! It was so stupid, and seemed impossible.

[cbman]

I can't comment on the last chapters but I found the beginning of the game to be incredibly naff. It was cut scene after cut scene. It seemed to be about 15 minutes before I could interact with the 'game' at all. By the time it actually let me do something instead of just sitting looking at static screens with bad dialogue, voiced badly, I had lost any interest and turned the game off.

Why couldn't you have played through that early part of the game as the detective?

The story in Black Mirror 2 was so improbable and hokey, and the gameplay so generic and dull, I only really got Black Mirror 3 out of a misguided notion of completion but I fear it may be money wasted now as I can't imagine getting up the enthusiasm to go back to it. An intro should whet your appetite, not bludgeon you into submission.

It's such a shame that so few adventure game developers seem to be able to think of any original gameplay ideas these days.

[millenia]

I've found out that I enjoy games a lot more when I don't give them so much weird expectations beforehand. Too much cut scenes, too little cut scenes, too original, not original enough... Letting one or two minor things ruin the whole game instead of just enjoying the ride.

It's the same with movies. I find that most movies are good these days (I don't watch everything so some choosing and picking to the better end happens before viewing already) and if I just tune myself into the right setting I can enjoy many many more movies immensely. You can't go watch new Indy movie expecting it to be another Raiders of the Lost Ark and why on earth would you not enjoy your Avatar as a beautiful but naive fairytale instead of nitpicking about how it missed this and is cliché there and the aliens are blue goddammit and not gray.

But yeah, you guys can be as picky as you want, I have just noticed when getting older that taking it easier and forgetting the nitpicking gives me much more joy in life. There are limits to "enjoying the ride" though, some pieces can be so horrible that there really isn't a ride to enjoy. But I never give up on a game within the first 15 minutes, anything deserves better than that really.

Anyway, I thought that BMIII was brilliant really. Together with Gray Matter I give them 9.5/10 score and I am only sad that they ended. If either one would get a sequel it would bounce up right on top my most expected game list. Right next to Dreamfall Chapters, Culpa Innata 2, GK and Tex Murphy sequels that we might or might not see.

[cbman]

[QUOTE=millenia;579283]

But yeah, you guys can be as picky as you want, I have just noticed when getting older that taking it easier and forgetting the nitpicking gives me much more joy in life. There are limits to "enjoying the ride" though, some pieces can be so horrible that there really isn't a ride to enjoy.[/QUOTE]


Exactly. So what is your point? I was saying the game wasn't enjoyable to me and I talked about why. Do you think I buy games wanting to not enjoy them or even to not play them? But if it's rubbish then it's rubbish. I'm not going to kid myself that it's not.

[aaroncarney]

Fine, it cleared everything up and answered all of our questions. But why had to it of been done in a boring, dull way? I never once used a walkthrough for the whole of Black Mirror 2, it had me on edge from start to finish and I just didn't need a walkthrough, it had a good pace. But I have to admit to using a walkthrough at the end of BM3. I never really nitpick about games at all. But you would of thought the end to a trilogy would of been a bit more epic and not an arrange-some-bones puzzle (which by the way I skipped).