Mirror's Edge

A good and highly original game nearly ruined by unforgiving controls and sparse checkpoints, resulting in frustrating trial and error gameplay.

Graphics are nice, and I liked their ultra clean urban vibe. Environments are well designed and look more realistic than in many other games. The music is minimalist and fits well. The story is fairly short, but well presented and I liked the stylised cutscenes. Most of the story has you running away from a police manhunt, and reminded me of some of the story in HalfLife2. Gun combat is basic, but not bad, and this game is not about combat anyway.

The first person view can make it difficult to keep your bearings, but is fairly well implemented and refreshing in a market saturated with 3rd person views. The controls are a good concept and quite nuanced, but difficult to master, and can feel very inconsistent. You are either someone who quickly "gets it" and then is free to enjoy the game, or like me, you are not quite able to master them. In my case this is also partly because the parkour is inconsistently realistic and arcade at the same time (only someone with a Crysis style Nano-Suit would be able to do those wall running jumps etc). I think many gamers with perfectly normal keyboard/controller talent will still struggle, like I did. I found some segments a bit too difficult and the scripted events were harsh, also resulting in many frustrating re-attempts. The checkpoint save system is a pain if you are struggling with a segment, and in that respect, it renders this game inferior to something like HalfLife2 which has an excellent manual save system. I had so much trouble at times, that I had to look up some youtube walkthroughs for help. It would have helped if there were more advanced training tutorials. Maybe the random loading screen tips could also have helped, but I have a fast SSD, so never got to read them. Parkour controls in Assassin's Creed may be a bit too simple and forgiving, but at least it is a lot less frustrating most of the time.

Annoyingly, there is no way to pause or reload cutscenes, as it is easy to accidentally skip them. This game is a fairly good port to PC, with no mouse accel or lag, and rebindable controls. Fortunately, no Origin account is needed with the steam version.

It is such a pity this game has serious flaws, as it is otherwise quite good and I would have really enjoyed it. I look forward to Mirror's Edge 2, hoping the devs will have ironed out the issues without dumbing the game down.

Conclusion: Whether you will enjoy this game depends entirely on how good you are with your keyboard/controller, and how much trial-and-error gameplay you can tolerate.

Mirror's Edge is one of the few parkour/free run focused games out there. Not only that, but it's an action-adventure game that is ethereal, vibrant and beautiful in almost every way.

The art direction is vibrant and it works well with the overall atmosphere of the game which is relaxing, intense and grimy.

The gameplay, once you get the hang of the control scheme, is flawed but intriguing. The mechanics require a bit of time to master, but once you do it's a fluent game - for the most part. But there are rougher and unpolished elements of the game that do make it a slightly frustrating experience - especially when certain missions force you to utilize these unpolished aspects.

The story here, while not the best or most fleshed out, contains an interesting premise and plot within an interesting world of characters and organizations. It's like an original comic book story come to life - appropriate, since Mirror's Edge comic issues were released alongside the game. The tone of the story is serious, but soulful. The characterization throughout the story is brief, but relevant and the overall storytelling is compelling and well-paced.

Mirror's Edge is a game that you need to get used to in terms of its presentation, but it is a beautiful game that provides an interactive experience like no other. It's got a dreamy atmosphere, flawed yet thrilling gameplay and an interesting but very streamlined story.

Its such a good game for people who like parkour and/or free running. Original Story and has good mechanics. The only problem is for console users, the controls sometimes are choppy and unresponsive.

I love this game even if I feel like it hates me sometimes, but it's mostly just a combat environment they just not fun, but everything around it parcurrin on the building the beautiful atmospheric soundtrack and the clean White City with beautiful slashes of colors is so stunning and beautiful that I have in high regard even if it has some really low points.

The story is a half completed mess. I have the feeling that the levels were completed and then they try to make a story around it. It's just that kind of feeling that the characters doesn't feel fully fledged out and many of them. Just go and happen.

What the fun I have on the City tops jumping and wall running and doing all the tricks to get as fast through City as possible. I cannot tell you how fun it is. It's some of the highest moments in gaming for me the feeling of flow I get.

Navigation puzzles are also a good fun of the game fronding and seeing how you can just slash off some few seconds and many of The Times where you're just wondering. How do I get up there.

What the enemies are just not fun they slow down the pacing in most levels and the worst part is that sometimes they put a pipe that I can only get on if I defeat the enemies first and that's awful, and shooting feels really flat.

This games feels so awesome and unique and art design takes the show.

Man, what a great game. I've enjoyed the Halo series as well as GoW1 and 2 but this, this is pure bliss. For those of you complaining about that lack of original games, this is one to get. I've never seen or played anything like this for a long time and it's one of the reasons for liking video games even more now than ever.

For one thing, the core aspects of the game lends itself an air of physical beauty, grace and style, thanks to it's parkour-inspired game-play which is based on a real-life art of running that involves a rapid succession of movement from one place to another. The result is a beautiful ballet of traversing the urban environment in ways that have never been seen before in the human eyes. Although I would've loved a 3rd person view, the 1st person perspective makes it all the more easier to navigate your surroundings and in the end makes the player more engrossed and involved in the game as a whole.

None of this would be possible without the guise of a hero and that is where Faith Connors comes in. Unlike many video game characters, Faith is female and it's nice to play as one, especially in this game. Tough, beautiful, and determined, Faith sets out to right the wrongs in a totalitarian society where everything is "sanitized" for the betterment of the people. Faith is unique in that she's Eurasian(or being of European and Asian descent). I must say that I was really impressed with this characterization because not too many games feature multi-ethnic video game heroines and Faith fits that bill perfectly. A breath of fresh air in my book.

It also doesn't hurt to marvel at the games graphics. Everything is rendered in stunning detail, especially if you have a High Definition TV. From steaming pipes, glistening sun, to dripping water, is all realistically put to screen. It's only that the game's cut scenes that took me out of it sometimes. Though nice to look at, had they been CGI, I would've've enjoyed them even more.

But it's the game-play in Mirror's Edge that truly is the star of the show. With it's parkour-based controls, the game is a blast to play. You can wall ride, vault over obstacles, swing from poles to even tightrope walking and more!!! All from the pursuit of your enemies that use guns, flash grenades, and even helicopters to impede your progress(and there's a surprise at the game that I won't spoil). You can disarm them and use their weapons against them but nothing is more thrilling than outsmarting and outrunning them with brains and agility. That is one of the most exciting aspects of ME. My 2 main gripes with this game is that it should had more levels and a more coherent storyline. The story is good but for those that want a deeper insight into the inner-workings of this despotic atmosphere will be disappointed.

But despite all that, I enjoyed Mirror's Edge immensely. Fun, original with potential that has yet to be fully explored, is simply incredible. I've heard that this was intended to be the first of a trilogy. With Dead Space 2(made from the same company as ME) on the horizon then it's a sure bet that this is not the last we see of Faith Connors.