This season, we have seen a number of games released that are best described as awesome when things are working properly and infuriating when they aren't. Mirror's Edge is no exception to this rule. It shows moments of intensity and brilliance. Between these moments, though, are times of true frustration and confusion.
The premise is a white-washed, Utopian future where everything looks nice on the surface. Unfortunately, information has come under control. This has created a group of people known as Runners. The Runners deliver information secretly, jumping rooftop to rooftop Parkour style. Soon enough, a murder happens, and the story winds down a little bit. It's enough to justify the action, but it's no masterwork. Some aspects could have been explored a bit more, but it gets the job done all the same.
The visual choices are mostly stunning. The starched white city is accented by various points of interest indicated by usually blue or red. It shows off a pretty grand view when you're outside. It's also nice to see little details such as Faith's hands pressing up against a wall when you get close. The environments as a whole have a pretty good feel to them accompanied by a decent amount of variation. The cutscenes, on the other hand, are very awkward. I think they would have been best done in engine. They chose this animated style to present the story between chapters. I'm an anime fan, but I couldn't hop on board for these. Honestly, they look like an Esurance commercial [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMUFb71fClk].
The sound goes almost above and beyond expectations. The sounds applied to Faith's footsteps and breath are well timed and really add to the immersion of the experience. The music is outstanding. Rarely would I ever consider buying a soundtrack to a game, but I would definitely give it serious consideration if they created one for Mirror's Edge. The audio all blends very well and doesn't distract you from whats at hand.
The gameplay takes two sides. The first is the Parkour (or Urban Freerunning), and the second is combat. The Parkour is generally very awesome. Sometimes it will have you leap blindly off a rooftop only guided by a red ramp. The excitement of these blind jumps never really fades. Running around during the outside portions is very interesting because there are often times multiple ways to get where you're going. Will you jump the fence or climb the wall and launch over? Some things turn bright red. They help you find which way you're supposed to go, but they aren't always the only way. Experience from playing the game is noticeable as well. Eventually, you will learn the general flow and already be en route to the next locale before the suggested pole or platform turns red. The downside is the indoor sections. Although there are some very cool moments to be had indoors, it doesn't feel as free and is often times confusing. I got lost a number of times just trying to figure out what I was supposed to jump on. Piece of advice: If you can't tell which way to go, your best bet is to just go up as far as you can. Although the controls work really well for the better part of the game, you will still have times of repeated retries for little mistakes because of a minor slip-up. Fortunately, checkpoints are pretty frequent, and reload times are brief.
The combat, though, is a bit hit-or-miss. Some things were cool throughout. Jump-kicking guys in the face was awesome, but not really practical. The best way is to simply run up and disarm them at the right time. Taking the time to actually duke it out with anyone is really a waste of effort. The easiest way to disarm people is from behind, but I never once did that except in the tutorial where it shows you how. It almost always comes down to run up, wait for the gun to flash red, hit the button. The guns only have enough bullets to kill 2-3 enemies before you need to drop them and either run or get another gun. The game has a much greater emphasis on flight than fight, which works to its favor. Sadly, there are times when you have to fight your way out that don't go very smoothly.
If you include the prologue, there are only 10 chapters. Most of them clock in well under an hour. The game is definitely on the short side, and the only extras are time trials on the levels and leaderboards. This game was begging to allow you to run freely around this awesome city, but it's all done through moderately linear levels. The lack of free-roam is truly disappointing and takes away from the longevity.
Conclusion: For all its faults, Mirror's Edge was still an enthralling and awesome experience. I highly recommend playing it, but its brevity and lack of valuable extras lead me to suggest renting it. It is easily completable in a 5-day rental considering I knocked it out in two days. Don't let it pass you by, but don't go paying full price like I did.
The premise is a white-washed, Utopian future where everything looks nice on the surface. Unfortunately, information has come under control. This has created a group of people known as Runners. The Runners deliver information secretly, jumping rooftop to rooftop Parkour style. Soon enough, a murder happens, and the story winds down a little bit. It's enough to justify the action, but it's no masterwork. Some aspects could have been explored a bit more, but it gets the job done all the same.
The visual choices are mostly stunning. The starched white city is accented by various points of interest indicated by usually blue or red. It shows off a pretty grand view when you're outside. It's also nice to see little details such as Faith's hands pressing up against a wall when you get close. The environments as a whole have a pretty good feel to them accompanied by a decent amount of variation. The cutscenes, on the other hand, are very awkward. I think they would have been best done in engine. They chose this animated style to present the story between chapters. I'm an anime fan, but I couldn't hop on board for these. Honestly, they look like an Esurance commercial [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMUFb71fClk].
The sound goes almost above and beyond expectations. The sounds applied to Faith's footsteps and breath are well timed and really add to the immersion of the experience. The music is outstanding. Rarely would I ever consider buying a soundtrack to a game, but I would definitely give it serious consideration if they created one for Mirror's Edge. The audio all blends very well and doesn't distract you from whats at hand.
The gameplay takes two sides. The first is the Parkour (or Urban Freerunning), and the second is combat. The Parkour is generally very awesome. Sometimes it will have you leap blindly off a rooftop only guided by a red ramp. The excitement of these blind jumps never really fades. Running around during the outside portions is very interesting because there are often times multiple ways to get where you're going. Will you jump the fence or climb the wall and launch over? Some things turn bright red. They help you find which way you're supposed to go, but they aren't always the only way. Experience from playing the game is noticeable as well. Eventually, you will learn the general flow and already be en route to the next locale before the suggested pole or platform turns red. The downside is the indoor sections. Although there are some very cool moments to be had indoors, it doesn't feel as free and is often times confusing. I got lost a number of times just trying to figure out what I was supposed to jump on. Piece of advice: If you can't tell which way to go, your best bet is to just go up as far as you can. Although the controls work really well for the better part of the game, you will still have times of repeated retries for little mistakes because of a minor slip-up. Fortunately, checkpoints are pretty frequent, and reload times are brief.
The combat, though, is a bit hit-or-miss. Some things were cool throughout. Jump-kicking guys in the face was awesome, but not really practical. The best way is to simply run up and disarm them at the right time. Taking the time to actually duke it out with anyone is really a waste of effort. The easiest way to disarm people is from behind, but I never once did that except in the tutorial where it shows you how. It almost always comes down to run up, wait for the gun to flash red, hit the button. The guns only have enough bullets to kill 2-3 enemies before you need to drop them and either run or get another gun. The game has a much greater emphasis on flight than fight, which works to its favor. Sadly, there are times when you have to fight your way out that don't go very smoothly.
If you include the prologue, there are only 10 chapters. Most of them clock in well under an hour. The game is definitely on the short side, and the only extras are time trials on the levels and leaderboards. This game was begging to allow you to run freely around this awesome city, but it's all done through moderately linear levels. The lack of free-roam is truly disappointing and takes away from the longevity.
Conclusion: For all its faults, Mirror's Edge was still an enthralling and awesome experience. I highly recommend playing it, but its brevity and lack of valuable extras lead me to suggest renting it. It is easily completable in a 5-day rental considering I knocked it out in two days. Don't let it pass you by, but don't go paying full price like I did.
