Mirror's Edge

[Ghost World]

If you would like any comments read out on the show or have any topic suggestions regarding the game for the team to discuss then this is the place to do it prior to the show's recording, which will be taking place on Tuesday 25th September.

[Combine Hunter]

I respect Mirror's Edge, despite it being a deeply flawed game. The reason I respect it, is that I can see the potential. I can see the seed of a great idea that in different hands, or maybe just given a second chance could have blossomed into something truly special. In the end though, Mirror's Edge is a game I find myself wanting to like, more than I actually do. That isn't to say the game doesn't have its high points. Racing across roof tops, sliding down the sides of buildings, and RUNNING AWAY from the enemy is when the game is at its peak. There are a couple of levels in Mirror's Edge that I genuinely love, because they focus on what I just mentioned.

But unfortunately, it seems Dice weren't aware of their own game's strengths, and more importantly, its weaknesses. The first person perspective works perfectly fine when you are trying to maintain your speed by reacting appropriately to the obstacles placed in your way. It doesn't work, when you're in a very small indoor area that demands precise platforming. Running across roof tops to avoid enemy fire is thrilling and tense. Being put in a small room with several armed cops, with no immediately obvious way to avoid them, then being shoot to ribbons within a few seconds is frustrating. I mean, I don't have to tell you the combat is broken, even fans of Mirror's Edge will admit that. But then I'm told it's possible to get through Mirror's Edge without engaging in combat.....How? because there are several encounters towards the end of the game where it felt like it was impossible to progress without engaging the enemy. And as I previously mentioned, engaging the enemy isn't a lot of fun.

I desperately want a sequel to Mirror's Edge. Because I want a game that focuses on and refines what was great about Mirror's Edge. I want a great game, not just a great idea.

[Xantiriad]

A genuinely unique and memorable game that I've played 4 times now on two different consoles.

It is a beautiful game: the use of minimal saturated colours making everything look both vibrant and stark. The art style perfectly portrays the police state/corporate Utopia as a sterile world filled with logos and base colours. It is my favourite game this generation in terms of how it looks and feels.

The wonderful soundtrack (another of my favourites) and audio effects - such as rushing wind when running/falling or the sound of urban life - add so much atmosphere to the visual treat.

Mirrors Edge made the first person parkour completely immersive by moving the focal point of the camera up from chest height (as it is with most FPS) to eye height. This was necessary to make the free running work, and is no doubt one of the reasons why the gun play (lf you are daft enough to use the guns) feels so wrong - it's not what we've been programmed to expect from an FPS. More impressive was that this was achieved without nausea inducing motion sickness often associated with the higher head camera.

I personally found Mirrors Edge to be more like a fascinating vertical puzzle game and I feel it shares a lot of the same values as Portal / Portal 2: each room or location is a jumping/wall-running vertical maze.

My only negative criticisms of the game are:
1) the over reliance on forced hand-to-hand combat to break up the free-running;
2) tank enemies to artificially lengthen the game (which can be done on a speed run in less than a couple of hours);
3) the dreadful DLC which moved Faith into a virtual world of floating blocks - almost Super Mario esque.

I managed to complete 3/4 playthrough a without using a gun - only ballsing up the 1st one by accidentally shooting a guy during a disarm. The additional challenge of playing through this way wasn't without frustration but the instant restarts and reward for progressing more than compensated.

I adored this game.

[Craymen Edge]

I'd like submit a 3 word review even though I haven't played it: 'Vomited after demo'

I don't often get motion sickness from games (watching someone else play a first person shooter sometimes makes me a little dizzy), and nothing has ever made me as sick as fast as the Mirror's Edge demo did. I think it was the sheer amount of head (camera) movement, and especially the tilting/sideways motion.

It was immensely disappointing, as I really liked the stark, clean look of the screens and artwork that was being released in the build up to release; and was excited to play this interesting, original looking game.

I consider it the one that got away.

[Leg of Time]

When this games flows well, it's perfect. When it stutters it becomes an awkward 'puzzle' of how to disarm all the enemies while not getting destroyed by gunfire.

The feel of running/parkour-ing when you've built up a 'chain' of moves is excellent, the use of audio (heavy breathing/wind whistle) re-enforces the sense of speed while running through the environment. But when you break the chain it all falls apart: sometimes awkward movement, and difficulty in dispatching enemies makes for a slightly frustrating experience.

If this game had no 'combat areas' - areas where you can't move on until you've beaten the enemies - and a fewer number of guns it would be vastly superior.

All the times I've played through I've gone for 'no guns', using guns never appealed to me whatsoever, IMO shouldn't have had the ability to pick up guns in the first place!

[Karma4036]

I played this on release and loved it for the most part.

The look and sound were both immediately striking. At a time when post apocalyptic grime and destruction were the big thing in games, I liked running about this fresh clean colourful(albeit empty) world. The whole place looked like it was designed by Apple. The sounds design was also great. The designers weren't scared to keep the sound minimal at times and the sound of nothing but wind blowing around you added to the sense of scale.

The parkour was slick. It adopted a very unique control scheme which was a brave departure from the standard/uniform control schemes that other games had at the time. When it was all working well it flowed and gave you a genuine rush as you leapt about or escaped from the police. However, when you wandered off the "race" line it got very very clunky and frustrating. Any time I ended up running into the police, I found it easier to reload than fight it out.

The gun sections were nothing short of broken for me. They appeared to be used simply to flesh out a 4 hour game into an 8 hour £40 game. It's a pity the game came out before the prevalence of downloadable games as they could have released the 4 hour game sans gunplay for 1200msp and easily had a massive hit.

I had hoped that we would get a sequel, fixing all the issues, soon afterwards but it didn't happen. It's one of those games that, whilst I liked it, I understand why others hated it. However, for me, it was a refreshing change and very memorable game. I might even kick it off again before the winter rush.

[Benjo321]

I'm sure I have the same gripes as many other player but this game was barely playable for me. Being colour blind I found the over-reliance on red to be rather frustrating. It often takes me a long time to properly distinguish red objects, so as soon the tutorial came up to explain how to disarm weapons I knew I was in trouble.

I persevered and really started to enjoy moving around the rooftop playgrounds, but the sections that required multiple enemies to be disarmed forced me to stop playing this game much earlier than I would have liked. If I could see the moments when you need to disarm using 'runner vision' I could learn the timing and be able to do it instinctively, but it became a frustrating trial and error exercise that I was unable to overcome.

It's a real shame because the art and sound design in this game are superb and the free running mechanics are a real breath of fresh air to first-person games.

[AndyKurosaki]

At times this was a frustrating game, there were a few sections I struggled to get past. But I'm glad I perservered, as it was certainly a unique experience. In a world filled with shooters, it was nice to be doing something different for a change.

[DomsBeard]

When your running at full speed and sliding/jumping through the city it's unbelievable, I just wish they removed any form of gun combat from the game it ruined it for me, totally against what the games about for me. One day I know I will go back and finish it.

[ratsoalbion]

I finished it. It looks good, it sounds good, but if you think platforming doesn't work in first-person, wait until you try free running! Oh and the story is gash. There's some serious potential here but this felt like extended 'proof-of-concept' to me.

[Combine Hunter]

Oh and the story is gash.

It is isn't it? Great set up, and a interesting protagonist, but the story is incredibly predictable and uninspired.

[DomsBeard]

I couldn't tell you one single thing about the plot or characters at all.

[Alex79]

The story was alright! There were these rogue delivery people called, erm runners I think, and then er, there was a conspiracy about, uh... Yeah I dunno.

[SnakeyDave]

Whenever I look back on Mirror's Edge I always think, this deserves a sequel. The bold aesthetic and unique gameplay were striking and refreshing then, and still are today. It's somewhat of a shame that Dead Space, likewise one of EA's new IPs in 2008 got a sequel (and soon another) while Mirror's Edge, the far more original title didn't.

The reason I want a sequel is, because while I think this game is a brilliant proof of concept for its brand of flowing first person platforming, it's seriously lacking in pretty much all other areas. The story, even if one is being generous is a bit overambitious. You're a “Runner” in some Orwellian dystopia that looks very clean, then there was something about Icarus, there was a wrestler, lots of betrayal, I forget. Part of why it's hard to take seriously is that the cut-scenes stringing this all together are cringe worthy. In-game would have been far less jarring. It's frustrating because there's stuff there to like, but so little of the world is pinned down or properly defined that it's hard to care. Even the enemies are just called “Blues.” Perhaps a smaller tale to introduce us to the world, less grand in its conspiracy, might have been more effective.

All of the combat is terrible. The rebuttal is that you shouldn't be fighting, and true enough it's quite possible to go through the game and not fire a bullet, but quite often you'll find yourself having to run through someone, at least on the first attempt, so the hand to hand ought to be passable, even if the gunplay is awful. But the animation, hit detection and controls are all agonisingly bad. It's telling that the game has a slow motion mechanic. The only reason it's there is as a patchwork for badly executed combat mechanics, as when used anywhere else it breaks the flow of your platforming.

Mirror's Edge's was a proof of concept and a striking visual treat, but that's it. It didn't even really evolve the gameplay much as you progressed. It stands out from the crowd and for that it should be congratulated but there wasn't enough to it for me to think of it as a truly great game.

[Xantiriad]

The story want that bad. It was paper thin, like most games to be quite frank, but it wasn't centre stage. This game was all about evolved movement mechanics in 1st person.

Many of its innovations have made their way into Dice's other games particularly Battlefield 3. In fact look closely at the single player levels in the city and you'll spot assets from Mirror's Edge on the roofs and streets, remapped.

It's pretty clear from the menu what the and is all about: you have the story or races - and that's where the real challenge is to be found.

I must admit to really not liking the game when I played the demo, and I can appreciate it has niche appeal. For me, however, it remains one of my favourite games of this generation; and in no small part to the sense of excitement and thrill it generates in me as a player.

[magicjoef]

Mirror's Edge is a really fascinating experiment. Although it is a bit of a flawed gem, there were a few moments I had whilst playing it that will remain amongst my favourites on 360.

The minimalist visual style and bold use of primary colours really appealed to me, and not only created a refreshing new environment to play in, but was also an aesthetically pleasing way of creating path indicators for the player.

I pretty much agree with previous posts that the game truely hit its stride when levels focused on momentum and rooftop running. Timing a slide and jump just right without any loss of speed was a fantastic feeling. With regards to the puzzle and platforming sections, they definitely had problems, but it sounds like they didn't grate on me quite as much as others, but I agree the bizarre attempt at combat should have been completely abandonded! I also think Mirror's Edge worked really well in time trial mode, where it became a feeling not too disimilar to a racing game, finding the most efficient way to navigate the course to knock a couple of seconds off a personal best.

One last thing I found interesting was when I played Battlefield 3 for the first time, it really felt like there was some Mirror's Edge DNA in the way the camera and movement mechanics worked. I think that although Mirror's Edge had some issues and didn't capture everyone that played it, it was a very bold first person perspective game, and DICE learnt some interesting lessons that will continue to inform their work.

[magicjoef]

Many of its innovations have made their way into Dice's other games particularly Battlefield 3. In fact look closely at the single player levels in the city and you'll spot assets from Mirror's Edge on the roofs and streets, remapped.

Ha! I was just typing that as you posted, it was quite striking when I first vaulted a wall trying out the Beta.

[mik]

There was a long-running thread on NeoGAF wherein graphic designers/video game lovers, like me, created advertisements for their favorite games. I loved that thread. And, inasmuch as a picture is worth a thousand words, here is my 3,000 word opus to Mirror's Edge...

[Dante Fireseed]

Most certainly a flawed gem, lots of fantastic art design choices and lots of potential, that just didn't quite come together. As has been pointed out, the art style and use of colour in this game is exceptional, I loved the highly polished, but crumbling under the surface utopia. I thought this was a really interesting concept and it sucked me in from the start. When the game stops flowing and you hit a brick wall either in combat or not knowing where to go next it kind of falls apart though.

The story is terrible. The cut scenes and voice acting are some of the worst in the last few years, but somehow despite its obvious flaws, I really, really love mirrors edge, I think more for what it does differently.

My hope is there is another game set in this universe, but not necessarily another mirror's edge game. There are huge possibilites to make perhaps a great action RPG or maybe even an open world game, with this city as a backdrop.

[magicjoef]

Nice work Mik!