User Reviews

A Leap Everyone Should Take Once

2011-11-10T21:12:00Z

An 8 technically says "innovative, but perhaps not the right choice for everyone", but I feel no one would suffer from playing Mirror's Edge once, if only to see the kind of innovation EA DICE has put into the title. Mirror's Edge is essentially a platform game from a first person shooter perspective with a forgettable story, but superb gameplay and visuals. The parkour is fluid. The player, as mentioned in the editor review, never feels like an abstract figure thanks to the arms and legs clearly visible in use as opposed to invisible interactions. The game does not openly dissuade you from combat, but it does push the player to approach confrontations cautiously and utilize timing to your advantage. That being said, the combat was smooth. The game felt just as good my first time through when I did use guns as the second when I focused on evasion.

The blend of colors and lack of detail may seem like it would be off-putting, but the whitewashed city and the helpful red hints mixed in with a few primary colors along the way really gave the city a personality that one wouldn't expect with such minimalist design. With the exception of a very few portions, the game always creates a setting where Faith's parkour seems to meld with the environment without it feeling too designed for the gameplay. The rooftops can get a little repetitive, but the game does a good job of mixing up locations enough to keep the player engaged.

I cannot say much about the time challenges except that they were not for me. I tried them, and I can see the appeal in them, but they never really grab you like the main game. Still, it is fun (and sometimes frustrating) to modify the path to try to shave off those precious few seconds.

Concept: Create a first person game that is driven by parkour rather than combat.

Graphics: The city, though rather empty except for police, is stunning despite what seems like very minimal design.

Sound: The sound from Faith's exertions and interactions with the environment really influenced the feeling of reality that the inclusion of arms and legs created to begin with.

Playability: There will be occasional missteps and disarms can occasionally be troublesome, but overall the parkour is smooth. The feeling of momentum once you adjust to the controls and environment is something everyone should experience at least once.

Entertainment: In the (hopeful) future titles the combat could use some improvement and story could use a major overhaul, but most gamers probably won't be disappointed by the highly enjoyable gameplay.

Replay: Moderate

edge

2011-09-02T13:03:00Z

i like this game because of the free running and stuff i love it its just like assassins creed

Fresh. Fast. Fun. Addicting.

2011-06-18T10:43:00Z

I'm giving it a solid 9.0. I have never experienced anything quite like Mirror's Edge before in all my years of gaming, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Stunning visuals of a clean cityscape, fast-paced gameplay, and tight controls kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the relatively short campaign. And short isn't always bad. There are plenty of extra challenges and time trials that will keep you playing this game over and over.

"One more time!" is something I said a lot after completing most missions, because although the campaign is a linear one, there are many ways to get from point A to point B in each mission. It is a lot of fun to see what kind of combo moves you can come up with; whether it be running on a wall then jumping off to kick an enemy to the ground, then disarm and incapacitate them, or just running straight at an opponent, then sliding under their attack to double-foot-kick them to the ground. Or my favorite, getting behind an opponent and disarming them from behind with a quick kick sending their gun backwards over their shoulder into your hands. There are many, many unique ways to get around enemies and complete each mission, and that's where the fun is in Mirror's Edge. Heck, the tutorial at the beginning of the game is fun to play over.

And don't be intimidated by the fact that you don't get a weapon. It is a lot more fun and creative to not use the guns you come across, and there are actually Xbox Achievements for not using them. Mirror's Edge will challenge you to think in a different light, even with the simple mission premise of "Get from here to there without dying." All of the missions are similar, but the pacing and challenge level of the missions makes them each feel like a new experience. You will never be bored of running and jumping.

Overall, Mirror's Edge is a very satisfying game that is definitely worth a playthrough. You won't be disappointed. I wasn't.

Mirror's Edge

2011-03-10T21:24:00Z

Jumping, diving, dodging, swinging, & running the fundamentals of the basic parkouring skills. In this game you will hone in on your speed, hand eye coordination, and execution. From the time I saw the first trailer I was hooked since I was already a beginner in the parkouring world, then I played the demo and became addicted.

This is Faith the main character, you will be getting to know her and her story along the way, her involvement with why she's trying to help her sister, and why she is running to begin with, but I'm not going to go into detail and spoil the story.

The movement is so fluid, and really makes the player feel, a bit of anxiety, when performing actions like the picture displayed here jumping to a kind of sketchy landing zone from a high altitude. It's these gut wrenching performances that kept me coming back.

There wasn't much of a combat system since you don't carry any weapons however you can disarm your opponents and then shoot them. And the different ways you can fight with your enemy's using kind of a martial arts style, and using your environment to launch off a wall and connect with the enemy with a high kick to the head does provide some fulfillment.

I hope that in the second installment if there is one I have heard that there will be one, as to when no one really knows. For the second game I would like to see more parkouring on the streets, and not so much on rooftops. Also I would like to see a free roam/free running mode and maybe even make that mode multiplayer so you and some of your friends can parkour in, on and around the city with no strings attached. No story, no purpose other than to just parkour free style.

I would also like to be able to create a custom character to parkour with, and an integration of some sort of money system. So that you could take that money to a shop and buy other gear such as better shoes that might increase your characters abilities, and other items like backpacks, and clothing ect...

All in all this is a must have game props to the EA team that created it.

Great Game, Graphics, and Sound

2011-02-14T23:36:00Z

Mirror's Edge has brought a nearly new genre to gaming (a good mixture of free-running and FPS, but without all of the guns), and it is a great starter to that genre. To be honest, it wasn't the best first-person game in the world, but it was awesome to play! Having the ability to disarm enemies, jump from skyscraper to skyscraper, and move across tiny spaces is just over-the-top amazing! The graphics are very glossy and vivid, but lack some specific details. The sound is good, but some sound effects are not included in the game. Also, it felt a little repetitive at some points throughout the game. Overall, it's enjoyable, and even though it could need some additional touches here and there, it's still a very great game!

Mirror's Edge? More Like Playing God

2011-01-25T02:51:00Z

Mirror's Edge...oh god...this game...JEEZE! It takes somebody truley retarded and mentally stupid to think this game is bad. This game has everything you need: A collective cast, a good storyline, perfected gameplay and graphics, and its all wrapped and fried into a huge cost worthy game made by the creaters of the best selling Battlefield series. EA has out done themselves once again, and I am eager for a sequal so that I can run into the story of Faith once again as she takes on more of the enemies that don't stand a chance against our magnificent god-like powers.

faith can run as fast as she can........... on rooftops

2010-09-18T23:40:00Z

This is a great looking game thats not of story topic. You play as faith yeah her name is faith the high jumper that kicks but. But the gameplay.... well it's not that fun and when you get of hold of a gun the whole game changes. The game is not that fluid and the third chapter sucks. well there are some fun stuff in the game but the rest of it is boring. You wont be getting any packs thats hiding but will at least try. This game will get old but you should get this game. Just rent it or something.

A fun rush when you know what your doing.

2010-08-14T04:49:00Z

Presentation:

I feel that the story was mediocre and sadly forgettable. None of the characters were unique or didn't care about, but what i did enjoy was a nice concept to parkour your way around the city. The menu design was simplistic and fluid as the cutscenes, which provided a nice feel.

Graphics:

The art style is unique with the bright vivid colors and simplicity. the only real drag is most of the environment is rehashed throughout the levels and not too detailed, luckily you will be blitzing past these things to notice, though.

Sound:

I will straight up say that the theme song is absolutely awesome. The sounds of the city and running across buildings are strong, but a lot of the voice acting is sub-par.

Gameplay:

the feel of running and jumping over one obstacle to another was a great thrill only when you know what to do next. I admit that i had a hard time trying to figure out that im supposed to do a wall jump, the turn around to jump on a ledge that you couldn't see above. Times like that are pretty frustrating even though they try to help you by turning objects red to let you know to jump on them, etc. Also frustrating times are not actually getting the exact depth of how far you need to jump till it is too late, therefore, making it a tedious error and trial. Grabbing your opponents gun was decent, in no way was it a solid fps this way, but was acceptable.

Lasting Appeal:

After the 10 chapters i felt that you pretty much saw everything this game had to offer. personally i don't care much about the speed runs, which pretty much the only thing you can do else.

mirrors edge

2010-05-26T22:17:00Z

This game is definately amazing. the camera is amazingly done and the jumping and sliding are easily executed.

Great Concept...

2010-05-21T17:30:00Z

Mirror's Edge is a great concept. The first person free running is something new to the world of video games that seems to work well. However, that being said, I felt the game to be difficult due the lack of wepons. Certain levels put you up against tons of armed men, and you are left to find a weapon that is fairly useless against the hordes coming at you.

I also felt the stroy was a bit weak. Had the story been developed a bit more, the game might have been a bit better to play through, but it got to a point where I did not even care about the story any longer and I just would skip through the cut scenes.

Short review! Yeah!

2010-04-12T01:30:00Z

This game is freaking awesome. That's just about it. It has a great concept of first person platforming, but is sadly overshadowed by frustrating gameplay, mediocre online, and a very dissapointing story.

Free Running (followed by Free Falling)

2010-04-06T14:27:00Z

In cleaning up my long laundry list of games I need to play, I came across Mirror's Edge. This was one of those titles that may have caught your eye via pre-release preview, but then faded to distant memory. Never to bo thought of, even played, ever again. EA DICE released Mirror's Edge in 2008. As it now lies in bargain bins ($10 on the net), more and more gamers might experience a unique game that deserves a playthrough.

The story revolves around a group of "Runners," who are messengers for various organizations, and their plight against the totalitarian government who is suddenly hunting them down. The story is not the best I've seen in a game, nor the worst. I would call it competent. Most of the plot twists you can see coming from a mile away, and the dialogue becomes cliche as the game progresses.

The world is, at times, beautiful. The rest of the time, you will worry about your eyes bleeding. I'm not sure if this is an intended effect to mimic being outside after a dark interior, but it's distracting and takes away from the amazing work in level design and modeling. The super-white sections pale in comparison to the travesty that is the Mirror's Edge cutscene. The two styles do not work together and will leave you calling Faith Erin Surance.

The free-running mechanic is novel to gaming, and it is catching on. Early previews of developer Splash Damage's Brink show a similar mechanic. Where that game is a Shooter first, Mirror's Edge is a creative runner, with shooting elements tacked on. During my playthrough, the only gun I used was the sniper rifle required for a story mission. The hand-to-hand combat, combined with the wallclimbing, was an experience enough for me. As I never really used it, the shooting aspect of this game is omitted from this review.

By all means, I would have been outraged if I had shelled out $60 for this title at release. One can blow through the game in less that 5 hours. After the story mode, there really isn't anything to keep you from letting it collect dust on your shelf (by now, the trade-in value isn't worth the gas to get you to the store). The time trials, though fitting to the style of the game, are unappealing and repetitive.

Of course, there is a Hard difficulty unlocked the first time the credits roll. However, I would not recommend playing this game on anything but Easy. The shining gem of this game is the parkour-style rooftop travel. Making enemies harder to kill (and you easier) takes away from the central experience of the game. The only thing that will result is senseless frustration.

Concept: Unravel consiracy as best a parkourist can.

Graphics: Quality textures hindered by super-white lighting and crap Flash-animation cutscenes.

Sound: Electro-Organic soundtrack, fitting of the world. However, you'll get tired of Faith's grunting after a while.

Playability: Easy to pick-up controls create a nice flow. Since you really only use the analog sticks and a few buttons, I would say nearly everyone can play this.

Entertainment: Reminiscent of other 1984-inspired worlds, the story is not the entertainment. Jumping and sliding around rooftops like a 5-year-old hopped up on Pop Rocks and Mountain Dew is where the fun is.

Replay Value: Moderately Low

Things I Liked:

Parkour!
Easy controls

Things I Hated (Spoilers):

Parkour, again. The flow is hindered by what you think you can do, what you think you should be able to do, and what you can do but don't think you should be able to. Confusing, I know.
Cutscenes. The in-game world is fleshed out in bright colors and great texturing. The cutscenes look like an E-surance commercial. The two styles DO NOT work together.
The story. It's boring and predictable. There are a few decent set pieces that kept me excited, but that's it.
The ending. (SPOILERS) After jumping from the helicopter back to the same roof you were just on with SWAT members, you just stand there looking at the city. Where did the heavily armed security team go? Did they just give up when they saw the heli go down? PLOT HOLE!

eh

2010-03-15T18:04:00Z

This game is far from flawless. It's pretty lame.

Redifining the art of running and jumping

2010-01-30T17:59:00Z

For many gamers, a destroyed world is a familiar concept. Whether it’s a post-nuclear war in Fallout 3 or an alien struggle in games like Gears of War or Resistance, we’ve all seen and done everything that’s possible to save the world, with practically the same visuals – muddy browns and increasingly uglier shades of green.

In 2008’s Mirror’s Edge, instead of the destroyed landscapes we’re so accustomed to, DICE has created a world that borders more on ideal fantasy than reality. Using a color palette that consists of sky blues and neon greens, contrasting whites and the ever convenient red, Mirror’s Edge takes more of a Gattica approach as opposed to the familiar Road Warrior tool set. Whether you’re running street-level or bounding atop skyscrapers, everything from cars to trains to buildings look futuristic, shiny and new.

Of course, a world like this has to come with a price.

In the events leading to Mirror’s Edge, a totalitarian regime has created a world that is practically crime-free, but at the cost of every individual’s freedom and privacy. Where every bit of communication is monitored, from letters to emails to cell phones, news reports are more like ad campaigns, and the “truth” is what you’re supposed to hear, not what you need to hear.

As Faith, it is you’re responsibility as part of a society of runners to transfer sensitive data without being seen by the watchful eye of the government. Having witnessed the death of a mayoral hopeful with your sister, your time is limited in not only finding the killer, but also proving your sibling’s innocence. Utilizing rooftops, power cables, ventilation shafts and more, stealth is your greatest weapon and only ally against an enemy that will use any tactic to see you dead.

Using a movement style known as parkour, where you’re goal is to maintain as much momentum as possible, you’ll find Faith leaping off of buildings, jumping between walls, sliding down power cables and rolling underneath piping all in an attempt to stay alive. Pair this with her blazing speed, and the game is more about combining well-timed sequences of button presses as opposed to the run-and-gun action we’ve seen out of DICE before.

Being considered a first-person shooter, because weapons are available, Mirror’s Edge reconfigures many of the traditional FPS staples. First, there is no HUD, or heads-up-display. Where games like Halo or Resistance constantly show your character’s health, map, weapons and available ammo, Mirror’s Edge takes away everything that’s not necessary for moving from point A to point B.

Second, instead of only showing you the bobbing weave of your gun, you’ll actually see your character’s arms and legs pop into frame. If you’ve ever tried to jump over a fence, you know exactly what I’m talking about – pulling your legs up higher or tucking your arms closer to your body in case you fall. At first, this extra animation seemed awkward, but ultimately it made the severity of the jumps and climbing sequences more realistic. And think about it, when was the last time you actually saw your character’s feet in a first-person shooter?

Though Faith is equipped with all the necessary abilities to make it through the city unscathed, we, unfortunately, are not. When first looking at a set of puzzles (vault off the boxes, cling to the pipe, grasp the ledge, jump to the rooftop, tuck and roll, etc., etc.), the complexity of what you need to do may be overwhelming for most. To alleviate this problem, DICE has implemented a system of visual cues known as “Runner’s Vision” that highlights the next step you need to take to finish a level.

When first starting a mission, a set of boxes just looks like a regular set of boxes. But, getting closer to it will soon change its color from stark white and gray, to a more eye-catching shade of red. This color change is to signify its importance to your mission and also leads you to the suggested path the developers have created. By pressing the jump button, either Left Bumper for 360 or L1 for PS3, Faith will vault off the boxes, pull herself over any ledge and stand up in wait for your next command. Yes, this particular exchange required very little input from you, but wait until you have to run across a wall, jump to another wall, turn your upper body to face the opposite direction, then jump again and cling to an air conditioning shaft. And did I mention you’ll have to do it while being fired at by four armed guards?

Coming from DICE, Mirror’s Edge does implement the absolutely necessary shooting mechanics for this genre. Be cautious, though, because using firearms does come at a cost. Faith is not the last hope, guns blazing action hero most of us control when playing shooter games. In fact, Faith is not the most adept at controlling firearms at all. Though she is capable of using guns, this does severely cripple her movements to a near walking speed and prevents her from jumping and climbing to safety. And to play this game as intended, your goals, when faced with armed opponents, are to disarm them as quickly as possible and then get to a safe distance.

Just like leaping over or sliding under obstacles, disarming your opponents requires keen eyesight and critical timing. Similar to Runner’s Vision for boxes or pipes, when an enemy’s gun turns red, a quick button press will not only disarm them, but knock them unconscious as well. Though this timing will take some failed segments to master, the most entertaining moments of this game involve disarming one opponent, then vaulting over a car or stack of boxes to attack the other.

Speaking of failed segments, the words “Mirror’s Edge” are practically synonymous with “attempt, fail and retry.” When facing a new obstacle or set of enemies, don’t be surprised if you can’t master the terrain with your first attempt. Actually, don’t be surprised if you can’t master anything your first ten attempts. Mirror’s Edge is extremely punishing in the way that doing something once won’t work, but trying it four times down the road will. Even though you haven’t changed your methods, the game, for some reason, will refuse to let you through to the next section.

Constantly retrying arduous segments, just like in any other game, can be a deal-breaker for most gamers, and Mirror’s Edge is filled with scenes that will not only test your skills, but test your ability to not throw a controller across the room. If the feeling of accomplishment wasn’t so rewarding, I’d strongly suggest passing on this title. With the promise of a sequel, though, perhaps Mirror’s Edge 2 will smooth out the bumps and create a more focused experience that won’t require you to restart a chapter every thirty seconds.

Presentation: 5/5

Right from the main menu you’re greeted with a relaxing view of the city and ambient, musical tones. Though this side of the game’s world is misleading, it quickly prepares you for the expansive vistas, distant horizons and mixture of Tokyo, New York and L.A.-inspired architecture found throughout the game.

Graphics: 4/5

The actual game graphics utilize a very detailed style of cel-shaded art and pair it with oversaturated neon colors. These contrasting colors and styles visually lead you through the levels and provide subtle yet important cues to your next destination. The cut scenes, though, look more akin to an eSurance commercial and visually feel like they’re from another game completely.

Gameplay: 3/5

Though Mirror’s Edge has a fairly lengthy introductory period, eventually the jumps, rolls, grapples and disarms become second nature. The attempt, fail and retry nature of the game needs to be the first thing to receive an overhaul in the sequel, in my opinion.

Replayability: 3/5

The point of the game is to get your speed, timing and movements as efficient as possible. With the game taking me under 6 hours to complete, I was inclined to start the game over again to utilize all the techniques I had discovered throughout my initial playthrough.

Sharp, graphics, mind-bending movements, and a spectaculer story line all seamlessly blended neatly in an orignal and audacious first person action adventure.

2010-01-05T08:40:00Z

Electronic Arts, and the Swedish compnay Dice have simply created one of the most exhilarating and most blazingly orignal first person shooters ever. It was a fusion of a virtual like feel and experince with some gunplay thrown in the mix. Yet, a dejecting factor, is that the gunplay takes a backseat role , and sometimes you are often left fighting for your life, or just better off running to saftey. It comes down to disarm the badguy, when he is alone, and his teamates are away, or using the slow motion to try to disram at the right time, cause timing is key , and I mean for everything. One miscalculation and it is bye bye Faith.

Mirror's Edge is oftenly fast paced, and really addiciting. What really got me intrigued, was how well the controls were to learn and memorize. They were so quick and easy to rememeber, that an amatuer gamer could grasp the control schemes very quickly. The simple fact that the game is really appealing, and alluring is one reason why you won't be able to quit playing this secretly bleak action adventure.

The graphics are mind-blowing, and will blow you away with it's angelic landscapes, and marvelous rooftop schemes. The sounds are realistic, and you can even hear the wind in your ear, or the whole city around you. The music is pretty melodic, and doesn't drown out the splendor of the game, or divert your attention away from trying to fufill a task. It would have been better to have a more gratifying soundtrack, but the ending song is quite euphonic and catchy, and had me listenging all the way through all the credits.

The Playability will also be to one's liking with the nearly flawless FPS camera, and helps make the game even smoother, and clear sailing for some of the most casual parts of the levels. It truely makes navigating those rooftops a sheer ball.

I enjoyed the game's new concepts infused with some of the old Tomb Raider like movements, but was really awed on how they furthered and enriched those attributes to make them even more jaw-dropping then I could have ever apprehended. The free-flowing momentum builds up your speed so that you can do even more special moves, and attacks, and even make you complete the level at an even quicker pace.

This game can get galling at a couple of spots in the game, but after a few tries, you should be able to master those areas, and levels like a pro. The hard mode is basically doing the game without the red color to direct, which isn't much of a challenge , except for a few scenes where it is dark and hard to remeber which ladder, or pipe to grab on.

The extra speed runs and time trials add for even more after gaming amusement. There is over twenty time trials and all the levels are available to do on a specific time limit, after passing each level, respectively. To be able and see if you can beat others around the globe, or just your buddies, is even more of a motive to keep on playing the video game.

For me on the second time around, there is many things you can notice that you didn't the first time, and you will see these if you look around, and read things, such as letters on walls, computers, and equipment. These are not all important, but relay another, possible side story into the possible sequel, or history of the November Riots.

The bottom line, is Faith Conners is unquestionably a video game woman, I will not soon dismiss. This a stunning, and brillant achievement in the first person shooter,and even the whole video game industry across-the-board. This is certainly without question a must see, and played video game for everyone and anyone who respects a different, and orignal take on something old, and revolutionizes it into something wholly distinct.