Mirrors Edge (52k in 52 weeks)

Platform: Microsoft Xbox 360
Players: 1 player

Mirrors Edge - Upon reflection.....

Mirrors Edge is a unique game. A special game. One which tries to define itself as something new when infact it's been done before just across many different games. Leaps of faith? Lara Croft was doing those in the 90s. Wall running? Prince of Persia darling. Speedrunning and Time Trialing? Only every racing game ever. No ones ever attempted to bring all these together though which makes Mirrors Edge the first of it's kind of game. Does the end result warrant a playthrough?

Mirrors Edge is the first mainstream console game to be based on the rising passtime of Free Running. Made popular in the 2000s by French street gangs - this has slowly found prominence with people who think using the door is so 20th century. The game places you in control of the mysterious Runner Faith who's checkered past comes back to bite her big time. From rooftop to sewer - your mission is to stay alive using the environment in as many impossible ways as possible while trying to resolve the conspiracy the game throws upon you.

First things first, the world presented to you is visually stunning. No other game on the Xbox 360 up to now can compare to the sheer brightness or crispness of the world your invited to play in. Ramps, pipes, barrels, walls, fences, trains and much more are avaliable for you to play with. There is no one way to play the game and you are encouraged to seek alternative routes where possible. The only downside to all this is the games infrequent bouts with bloom. You will be lining up a jump across a small gap only to be blinded by the screen and lose all bearings. Maybe for a sequel Faith should invest in some sunglasses.

The controls are tight and after practice you'll be wall-running like a pro. The game does an excellent job of making you feel in the game thanks in no small part to the vertigo inducing camera. The camera bobbles and moves as though it was you looking at this world and is one of the best examples of first person perspective in a game I've ever seen. Very few games make you feel every jump like Mirrors Edge does and make you think twice before trying that double wallrun twisting jump.

The game though begins to lose it's grip when you look beyond the gameplay and visuals. The story for example revolves around your sister who works for the police who is framed for the murder of some guy in a really tall building. From there you attempt to save her behind by hop,skip and jumping through the cities exceedingly shiny interiors and rooftops on your quest to free your sister from a life of soapy showers (Or is that just mens prisons?) . The game did a poor job conveying Faiths torment into the game - deciding to drip-feed this to you throughout the game as opposed to introducing you to this at the start. What this does is lead the narrative wildly in the early stages from hanging off helicopters to murder without ever really allowing you to understand what's going on. Why are police shooting me? What's in the bags I carry? Why does this creepy perverted men appear to only employ slim women to do the jumping? Nothing's ever answered and the story serves mainly as a sideshow to more leaping and running. Sure it all comes together in the end but only after several plot twists which make you tut and roll your eyes in sheer embarrassment for the fool who thought this was original. Characters come and go but you won't care nor will you remember them long enough to get any enjoyment out of the very small part they played in a plot which never really ignites the imagination.

The combat itself is hit and miss. The game encourages you to avoid combat in all but the most serious of situations - instead seeking the nearest escape route. A nice idea in theory but on more than several occasions the game forces you to fight and in the closing stages basically offers no alternative. The options for fighting fall between disarming, arm to arm combat or shooting with Faith failing to make any an appealing choice. In disarming the enemy you have to tap the Y button at the precise moment the enemy's weapon conveniently flashes red. Success leads to instant death for your opponent and a flashy new weapon for yourself while failure leaves you staggering like an Irish drunk. Arm to arm combat presents a multitude of jumping, kicking and punching your opponent into submission with varying degrees of success/failure awaiting you. Shooting though is arguably Faiths least impressive response to violence as the fact she can't carry a pistol with her is somewhat alarming given the number of police Mrs Faith attracts the attention of on a daily basis.

The lifespan is also an issue. The main story can be completed within 5 hours easily. What this leaves you with is the choice of speedrunning the game and attempting to complete it as fast as possible or attempting the time trials on offer. The issue is this is a full priced game and while the obvious aim is speed - that's no excuse for the game being remarkably short and easy to beat. Even on the hardest skill - the challenge presented isn't great and only seemingly removes the red indicators which in other skills hold your hands. The time trials offer some respite but inevitably you'll get bored at being unable to beat a certain time and thus lose interest while speedrunning is a thinly disguised repeat of the main campaign. DLC has been promised in the coming weeks but this is no consolation for those who want to pay £40 for a long gaming experience. If this is what you seek then Mirrors Edge is probably not for you.

So is Mirrors Edge a good game? Yes. Is it a great game? Not quite. The problem is there are too many small niggles in Mirrors Edge which spoil the game. For every breath-taking moment comes the frustrating clipping glitch. For every graphical awe comes the combat fail. Add to this a non-starting story and some awful bouts of bloom and Mirrors Edge feels like a game that should and could of done with more time in development. As it stands - this game is good but feels like it's not complete.

Gameplay = 7
Combat spoils the flow

Visuals = 9
A stunning world which never ceases to amaze.

Sound = 8
A world with a heartbeat and a soundtrack that goes with the flow

Lifespan = 6
Not got the legs it really should have

Overall = 7
I like it alot and if the promised sequel improves on the small issues that blight the game then this could become a franchise worth loving But at the moment those issues with lifespan, story and general small annoyances ruin the experience sadly.

So any suggestions for what game to play next?

Good review, completely agree with everything you said. I look forward to what DICE have to offer in the sequel.

Next?
Prince of Persia, after you heard me rave on about it.
Or play more Far Cry 2. >:U

Prince of Persia sounds the best bet since its on sale at the moment (<_<)

I finished this on normal and am now playing through it again on hard without shooting anyone. Then I'll probably leave playing it for quite a while and then play it again in a couple of months time when I'm bored.

I too was looking at Prince of Persia. I'll have to wait until after my birthday like a few other games.

Finally and off topic Uchiha you didn't accept my friend request on XBL D=

Didn't I? My bad, I thought I clicked accept. Send me another one and whenever my xbox live gets fix'd I'll accept it.

I'd say Prince of Persia, I think I'm going to finish it tomorrow, but, it's the Prince of Persia.

It's one of those games I'll play over and over and over again.

I really should get Prince of Persia and see what all the fuss it about. I have seen people play previous games in the series and was intrigued but this one seems be the best of the bunch and the most enjoyable.

Zoidberg94 wrote:I really should get Prince of Persia and see what all the fuss it about. I have seen people play previous games in the series and was intrigued but this one seems be the best of the bunch and the most enjoyable.

No.

Uchiha Miek wrote:Didn't I? My bad, I thought I clicked accept. Send me another one and whenever my xbox live gets fix'd I'll accept it.

No my bad I thought you had'nt but you had

Roosetifer wrote:

Zoidberg94 wrote:I really should get Prince of Persia and see what all the fuss it about. I have seen people play previous games in the series and was intrigued but this one seems be the best of the bunch and the most enjoyable.

No.

Very repetitive. I'm glad it was short because I got bored very, very quick. Sands of Time's still my favourite. Great ending though, if not a little predictable.

Rent, not buy. But you can get it for £20 so...

Hodgieoreoh wrote:

Roosetifer wrote:

Zoidberg94 wrote:I really should get Prince of Persia and see what all the fuss it about. I have seen people play previous games in the series and was intrigued but this one seems be the best of the bunch and the most enjoyable.

No.

Very repetitive. I'm glad it was short because I got bored very, very quick. Sands of Time's still my favourite. Great ending though, if not a little predictable.

Rent, not buy. But you can get it for £20 so...

It's not that Im not enjoying PoP, its just that Sands of time was awesome, the open world gameplay dosnt work imo and I think the setting(if that makes sense) was better in Sands of Time and The Two Thrones.

I love Mirrors Edge, if only they had improved the gun combat and the length of the game.

How's it going then?

I've not played the 360 since I came back upto uni - mostly because between revision (LOL as if) and the endless snake of houseparties/clubbing/nights out to Preston/Lancaster/Liverpool/Manchester and the increasing overdraft being left in its wake the 360 isn't the most appealing of things to do at the moment. Come to think of it I've been contemplating selling up the 360 and investing the money elsewhere - so in answer to the question posed - it isn't going at the moment.

Shaun2k5 wrote:I've not played the 360 since I came back upto uni - mostly because between revision (LOL as if) and the endless snake of houseparties/clubbing/nights out to Preston/Lancaster/Liverpool/Manchester and the increasing overdraft being left in its wake the 360 isn't the most appealing of things to do at the moment. Come to think of it I've been contemplating selling up the 360 and investing the money elsewhere - so in answer to the question posed - it isn't going at the moment.

Daw, but then all that whoring and cheating would go to waste. D:

Then everybody who said you couldn't do it would be right.

CYBERFROST wrote:

Shaun2k5 wrote:I've not played the 360 since I came back upto uni - mostly because between revision (LOL as if) and the endless snake of houseparties/clubbing/nights out to Preston/Lancaster/Liverpool/Manchester and the increasing overdraft being left in its wake the 360 isn't the most appealing of things to do at the moment. Come to think of it I've been contemplating selling up the 360 and investing the money elsewhere - so in answer to the question posed - it isn't going at the moment.

Daw, but then all that whoring and cheating would go to waste. D:

Likewise all that pointless bitching you did in the 360voice last month would go to waste. I'll see you at the Oscars next year though.

Hodgieoreoh wrote:Then everybody who said you couldn't do it would be right.

I'm sure they'd sleep sound at night regardless of the outcome.

You failure!