Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat depending on your geographic location) has a genre problem. It was frequently described as the "ultimate video game film" upon its release in 2014, thanks to its sci-fi military action and a plot revolving around a respawning Tom Cruise—like the futuristic Call of Duty or Battlefield games. Upon closer analysis of its mechanics and systems though... is this accurate? Is Call of Duty like these people described... or is it actually closer to something like The Forgotten City? Grim Fandango? Further, what can this thought experiment tell us about how we discuss video game genres?
Just what kind of game *is* Edge of Tomorrow, anyway? Let's try and answer that question in this analysis!
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This video was originally a Patreon exclusive. Support the show and get access to lots more videos like this - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - http://anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - youtube.com/channel/UC1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A
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0:00 - Intro
1:03 - Is Edge of Tomorrow Call of Duty?
2:02 - The mechanics of Edge of Tomorrow
3:32 - The answer
5:28 - How games and films handle time
6:27 - The problem with discussing genre in games
8:12 - The REAL answer
8:46 - Outro
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Intro text animation by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames
#edgeoftomorrow #livedierepeat #allyouneediskill
Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat depending on your geographic location) has a genre problem. It was frequently described as the "ultimate video game film" upon its release in 2014, thanks to its sci-fi military action and a plot revolving around a respawning Tom Cruise—like the futuristic Call of Duty or Battlefield games. Upon closer analysis of its mechanics and systems though... is this accurate? Is Call of Duty like these people described... or is it actually closer to something like The Forgotten City? Grim Fandango? Further, what can this thought experiment tell us about how we discuss video game genres?
Just what kind of game *is* Edge of Tomorrow, anyway? Let's try and answer that question in this analysis!
---
This video was originally a Patreon exclusive. Support the show and get access to lots more videos like this - patreon.com/writingongames
Podcast - http://anchor.fm/writingongamescast
Second Channel - youtube.com/channel/UC1xxfS_HILi09yaELQdmV1A
---
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - Is Edge of Tomorrow Call of Duty?
2:02 - The mechanics of Edge of Tomorrow
3:32 - The answer
5:28 - How games and films handle time
6:27 - The problem with discussing genre in games
8:12 - The REAL answer
8:46 - Outro
---
Intro text animation by Isaac Holland - twitter.com/drazgames
#edgeoftomorrow #livedierepeat #allyouneediskill
