| Author | Review |
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Tasty Pastry
144,354
TA Score for this game: 1,139
Posted on 02 July 10 at 16:43, Edited on 23 December 11 at 18:52 |
This review has 52 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Mirror’s Edge Review
Forward Notes:
I borrowed this game from a buddy and left it on my shelf for a couple of months. For some reason I fell into a gaming funk and was looking for an “original” game to get me out of it. I figured I wanted to avoid a generic shooter, sports, etc game, and this was the obvious choice. Let’s get going then.
Single Player:
Since this game has no multiplayer, this is where you will be spending all of your time. The game plays similar to an updated Mario game – you’re constantly jumping and problem solving to get yourself from one part of the level to the other. Your character is a young woman who is part of a small group of people called runners. Runners manipulate their environment in order to get around, from being as simple as climbing a pipe to as complex as climbing a mechanical crane.
Now although the story is supposed to be the catalyst for you needing to do any of these activities, it really takes a backseat to the gameplay. In short, the skill set that you most need to beat this game is simple problem solving and understanding your character’s capabilities. A good amount of the time you’ll be staring at your television going “well if I climb that and then wall run to that, I can grab that pole and swing to that, at which point I can climb that ladder and then jump off that plank to that where I can flip that switch”.
The game complicates this procedure by throwing bad guys at you with guns who will minimize the amount of time you can spend screwing around / thinking. Some have just pistols, some have machine guns, some have heavy mini guns, while others have sniper rifles. The enemies don’t make the game impossible by any means, but they can definitely be an inconvenience. They simply create a background that makes you speed up your thinking on how to best clear the level.
There is something around ten storyline levels in this game, which can be argued as “too short”. However, the game attempts to rectify this by throwing in time trials and speed runs. The speedruns require you playing the same storyline levels but trying to beat a “time” that the game sets for you. Doing so will trigger an achievement – there is one for each level – and these can get very difficult. The time trials have you playing sections of levels again trying to beat a time, by going through checkpoints. These time trials do not have enemies and are simply time oriented.
Between the story mode, the time trials, and the speed runs the game offers hours and hours of gameplay.
However, like every game that requires precision, the game can get unbelievably frustrating. While you may believe that you’ve discovered the “fastest” way to beat a level, there’s always a youtube video showing a slightly faster way. Of course this could also be viewed as a positive – there’s always something new to look for. Considering the game’s 100% completion ratio (2.93% of people complete it – which includes all the speedruns and a good amount of time trials) you can see how difficult the game must be. But of course there is value in having so much to do in the game - just make sure not to throw your controller at a wall in the process.
Single Player Score: 9/10
Multiplayer:
There is no multiplayer. Do I think there should have been a multiplayer? Maybe. I think it might have been fun to have a totally different co-op campaign in which you had to use cooperative moves to make it through the game (Maybe some throwing the other person, some step jumps, stuff like that?). Of course many people will argue that it is a single player game and multiplayer doesn’t need to be “just thrown in”. I think a quality co-op would have improved the game, while a mediocre one would have just hindered it.
Multiplayer Score: N/A
Graphics/Sound/DLC/Intangibles:
Graphically the game isn’t that stunning. It uses an art style where they aren’t really going for the most realistic possibility. Instead they decide to focus their attention on the game’s environment, which makes logical sense. I never found a spot in the game where the game bugged / glitched / didn’t work so that I couldn’t get to the next area. It was clear that they tested it significantly for bugs/glitches, which I truly appreciated. One of the comments pointed out to me that there are some glitches if you're interested, but I did not experience it. The cutscenes and character profiles are nothing to get excited about, and quite a bit of the time they look like they could have come from the original xbox. However, the game is stylistic – you’ll be sliding and jumping gracefully – aka, the physics of the game is exceptionally good. This is what matters in my opinion, thus I completely ignored any thoughts of disappointment in the graphics of the characters.
I would be lying if I said that I didn’t mute the sound every once in a while. Although it became necessary for me to listen in later levels (gunshots) I wasn’t that big a fan of the music, though it wasn’t that bad either. Most of the time it’s just some orchestral sounds, though it of course speeds up when you’re getting chased. Perhaps the best part of the sound is the sounds that our main character, Faith, makes. When she runs you can hear her panting – when she runs you can hear her feet hitting the cement – when she lands from a high height you can hear her gasp. I didn’t much care for the dialogue, and to be honest, through my two playthroughs (and subsequent attempts at speed runs) I often zoned out because it failed to captivate me. It was often corny and predictable, similar to the story, but that’s okay – I insist that it isn’t the focus of the game.
The DLC is great – if you want to purchase it that is. You can buy it and you can have extra time trial levels which subsequently leads to more achievements. Many people advocate that if you’re going to try to 100% the game, buy the DLC, since the time trials in the DLC can translate over to the original achievements as well.
Lastly, the subtle things that I find makes or breaks a game. There are multiple difficulties (Easy, Medium, Hard) which not only adds achievement possibilities but also allows you to dictate how good of a problem solver you are. I firstly beat the game on normal and then moved to hard on my second playthrough, which I don’t regret whatsoever. It made it so I could understand how to play the game and really allow me to not get frustrated. The game also has a subtitles feature if you desire that (which I did) and the ability to skip cutscenes (which I did in speedruns playthroughs).
The controls work great in my opinion. Most of the time you’ll be using your control sticks and the left bumper – for climbing/jumping, which works rather well (it’s hard to press accidently). The game also has a “slow down” control that recharges over time that allows you to slow down time and try to steal a gun from an enemy / beat a boss. This gives Faith a chance on the hardest difficulty since those enemies can become a bother. It’s rather fun to fist fight in the game, including running up walls, jumping, and spin kicking a bad guy in the face. Even though the game is not a shooter, it uses the features of it just fine. And, most importantly, when you first start up the game you are forced to go through a tutorial that is very effective.
Graphics/Sound/DLC/Intangibles Score: (7+7+10+10 = 34 / 4 = 8.5)
Achievements:
The achievements in this game are logical yet complicated. As I mentioned earlier there is only a completion rate of under 3%. There are some obvious achievements – beating each level on any difficulty will net you an achievement – as well as beating the game on hard – and also beating each speedrun and netting a certain amount of stars on the time trials. Then there are also some more out there achievements that require you to manipulate the controls. Although none of these are particularly hard if you check out a guide, you might not be able to figure them out without them. These include achievements like this one:
Beyond that there is some collectible achievements, but I honestly didn’t mind them. There are 30 bags to collect (3 per level) in all 10 levels. You can always check in the menu screen how many bags you have found on each level, and after you beat each level you are capable of starting at multiple checkpoints inside the level, finding the bag, and immediately quitting out.
Nice ratio huh? Video guides are scattered everywhere, and I really didn’t find them hard whatsoever. As an avid hater of collectibles they never hindered my gameplay and actually gave me some replay value.
Perhaps the most interesting achievement is this one:
Which forces you to play the game in a different way, which is exactly what achievements should do. I did this on my first playthrough (on normal difficulty) and had very little issue until the last level. A rather fun achievement that made the game truly interesting.
All that being said, the speedruns and time trials are no joke whatsoever. As of writing this review I’ve only completed two of the speedruns successfully (the two easiest to be specific) though I’m still trying when I can do it without becoming upset. Perhaps most disappointing is how each of the speedruns is only worth 10 gamerpoints, which I think is a bad distribution of gamerpoints given each level’s difficulty. The ratios are nice though 
Achievement Score: 9/10
Final Score: (9+8.5+9)/3 = 8.8/10 = 4.4/5
Final Thoughts:
This game is going for less than $20 in the bargain bins right now considering how old the game is getting and how people are willing to sell it back after simply completing the storyline. I wouldn’t call it the “game of the decade” or anything, but it is definitely a breath of fresh air and a game I think you should check out for the cost. Just make sure you have some patience
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xxW0LFxx TFD
121,827
TA Score for this game: 721
Posted on 25 July 09 at 15:16 |
This review has 22 positive votes and 4 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
As an avid Tracuer (meaning i practice Parkour) and Free-Runner Mirrors Edge was always going to be a game that intrested me greatly.
Taking the form of a first person view you play as Faith,a runner who delivers packages and messages across the beautiful rooftops of a clinicicly clean and well behaved city.
But the local authorities dont take kindly to this....
The story is an intresting one (though i wont mention any of it here to avoid spoilers) and the cutscenes are told using an intresting Anime look.
While these cutscenes have a great look to them they dont suit the rest of the game and does take away from the imersion of the game.
The actuall gameplay is has come as close as we seen so far to giving people the sense of how a Tracuer see's the world and interacts with it,as Faith moves through the city objects glow bright red showing you the path and best route to take (though improvising is encouraged) this is name Runner Vision,and while in real life I dont see objects lit up in red it still gives the player a feeling of how a Runner see's the world.
The actual Parkour in the game is well done and gives a great sense of the real thing as you leap,vault and slide your way through the levels.
You can almost feel every landing and rail under your hands,and whilst the movements in Mirrors edge are very limited compared to real life they are beautifully animated.
Attention to detail is great as you hear Faith's breathing increase and her arms flail as you miss a jump.
Timing is all important in this game,just like the real thing.
If you mistime a jump or slide you will lose all your momentum.
Flow is something every Tracuer knows about,it's one of,if not THE most important thing in Parkour as you constantly look for the smoothest,fastest route through the enviroment and Mirrors edge simulates this well as you pick up speed and look for the best way to keep it.
However for a game that is built around flow they often interupt it,which pretty much ruins many of the games sections as you either have to stop to disarm and enemy (though the animations for this are once again stunning) or have to get in an elevator.
And then the ultimate insult to Flow,havning to stop becuase you suddenly have no idea what your doing or where your supposed to be going and you then have to spend a frustrating anmount of time searching for some stupid little door or ledge.
Sometimes it gets these little stops right,as you stop to look at an area and try to work out the best route,like a puzzle.
Once again this does match real life as you do occasionally stop and try to think your way up a certain obstacle or round a certain enviroment.
But at other time's it's just frustrating and ruins the overall feeling of the game.
The graphics are truly exceptional,showing a clean,bright white city of amazing rooftops and interiors often have bright colors which feels so fresh compared to the usaul color's of brown/grey/ brownish grey and the animations are truly first class.
Alot of potential for a sequel but alot of flaws.
However as a Parkour sim it's the best we have and gives a good idea of how a Tracuer lives,breathes and see's the world.
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Anonymous Rain
65,483
TA Score for this game: 1,659
Posted on 12 October 09 at 15:45 |
This review has 17 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
9/10 - Mirrors Edge was well worth the wait. I remember seeing this game talked about half a year before its release. I knew from the moment I saw the first trailer I would love it. And I did.
I felt the need to review this game simply because I feel it's underrated and want to give my opinion on it.
Story: 7.5/10
The story in this game is good, but it seems to be full of plot holes, once I completed the game, I felt as though I was missing something. A good thing then that two more Mirrors Edge games are coming out. In a nutshell, you are a "runner", someone who delivers information via snail mail. Well I say "snail mail", it's more like "run across rooftops and try not to die mail" haha, but for some reason the cops all of a sudden take a keen interest in stopping you, also, someone frames your sister for killing some politician. You find out why later on, but for me it felt like the story was slightly missing, in the sense where they were clearly making way for it to be continued in a second instalment.
Graphics: 8/10
The graphics aren't spectacular by any means, but they're not terrible either. From a distance everything in the game is uniquely sterile looking and tranquil, but up close it looks slightly dirty and certain parts of buildings look really fake. To be honest, you'll spend too much time running to care about the graphics.
Sound: 9/10
Lovely. I love the sound in this game, it's exquisite. Hearing the puffs and pants of Faith as she runs for dear life is so sexily seducing, and hearing her groan as she tries desperately to scale some massive wall, it's just so satisfying. Especially when hails of gunfire go off in the background, or the footsteps of someone chasing you rings in your ear like some kind of emergency. The dialogue is also wonderful, I had absolutely no beef with the voice actors this time around, they all did a great job. No complaints whatsoever.
Cutscenes: 10/10
The cutscenes in this game are what make it extra lovely for me. They're all cartoons. Or Manga, maybe more like Manga. Well they're 2D animations anyway. No game has done this on any next generation console yet that I'm aware of, so for that reason alone I give it the seal of uniqueness. Bakahashi approved. They also bring out the anarchistic tone of the game to the surface, which is another thing I love. However, in the next game I would like to see the addition of 3D cutscenes.
Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is obviously what makes this game as good as it is. It's so refreshing and unique. It certainly beats that miserable failure of a game, Assassins Creed. The free running element to this game is executed brilliantly, and done in first person view too! This adds a feeling of extra awesomeness to the game that I haven't felt anywhere else before. There's something really satisfying about leaping across buildings seen through Faith's eyes as if you were inside her body. Her sexy, Eurasian body... *cough* However, it's not perfect. You die in this game. A lot. The reason the game lasts for quite a while the first time you play through it is because of all the dying you do. However it gives you an incentive to play the game a second time round because you'll want to go through the game again without dying. Also, the gunplay in the game is terrible. I won't lie. Most of the time you'll leave guns behind to use your fists, or just run away. It's like the developers put so much effort into the running element of the game, but made the gunplay some kind of second rate "let's get it out of the way" thing. I'd like to see mele weapons in the next game instead of guns, or have the gun system improved. Or both.
Verdict: 9/10
A beautiful, atmospheric, anarchist action adventure with Manga cutscenes, you can't go wrong. But beware, if you don't like dying, this isn't for you.
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Harrison101
94,983
TA Score for this game: 1,248
Posted on 01 December 09 at 00:28, Edited on 01 December 09 at 16:48 |
This review has 17 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
2008 was a funny year for EA, as well as producing the greatest football game ever made (FIFA 09), as well as producing some real duffers, which was what EA have a habit of doing. However, EA broke their regular mould of sporting titles last year, with Mirror's Edge, a game based around the chavtastic sport of Free Running. It was voted Best Original Game at E3 last year as well, but do I like it...Let's find out shall we?
You play as Faith. Faith is what's known as a Runner, in a very corrupt government, run by very powerful figures. People choose a comfortable life over any kind of freedom. Information is very closely monitored and not very much gets out. You, as Faith, are a runner, along with a few other people, who spreads out information to those who need it. Sort of like the A-Team, just without the violence.
However, the twist is, the new running candidate for Mayor of this nameless city has been killed, with Faith's sister, Kate, as a cop, framed for murder. Your mission is go about the city, finding targets and trying to clear your sister's name, because if not, it's a Death Sentence.
It's an interesting storyline, but it can make very little sense at times. However, Faith is pretty much the coolest gamer chick ever. Awesome Tats, quick wit and charm make you think 'Yeah, she's cool'. Still, I like it overall, secretly quite sinister at times, but with enough sarcy and wit to forgive the occasional confusion.
This game looks very cool. It certainly gives off that impression of a cold atmosphere, and it has a great industrial feel to it. Not very good on the sounds though, apart from when you're under pressure, but it does get slightly repetitive after 30+ Minutes of play. The actual music in the game though is tranquil and really nice. Makes you forward to playing the game. So overall, they're very good and set the mood well.
The stor telling and the cutscenes are also played out very well, so kudos to EA, it certainly makes you curious as to what happens next. And that's what makes a good storyline.
Now this is a platformer with a difference. You play from a completely first person perspective, as if you have a camera right on top of Faith's head. You'll be amazed when you first play it, trust me. You can run, jump, speed-vault off items, climbing and run alongside walls and trust me, when you get momentum going in this game, you'll have a very rewarding time playing. Then again, when you get shot or when you are struggling to perform the right action, you'll want to chuck your controller at the nearest pensioner. I almost did when I failed the same jump 6 times in a row. ;_;
Also the weapons and fighting systems are very clunky and generally don't work very well.
There are also Time Trials, because after all, a game like this is BUILT for Speedruns, and yeah, if you're into leaderboards, you'll love this, running around doing just about anything. But this leaves me with another grip. Why can't they just make the whole city free roam-able, so that you can play at your own pace, in a similar sense to games like RFG and GTA4. That would improve it 10 fold. But it's still enjoyable overall. Positives outweight the negatives.
Overall, a pretty decent set. If you complete the Story you should have at least 300, and generally speaking, the achievements are well thought out, and pretty rewarding. Most are 20 or more, and if you put in 10-15 Hours Work, you could easily rack up the points, but not without the occasional killer that'll make you work harder for your completion. A fairly easy 600, a difficult 1,000. I likes.
The Time Trials are cool, and after you complete the story, the speedruns unlock for the Chapters, but that's about it. You can play through the game on Hard again, but without the guides to help you. It's not too bad this, but if you're not committed, you'll pull out what hair you had left after the first time you played through it. The Pure Time Trials Downloadable Content I wouldn't recommend either due to the fact that unless you're a Time Trialing God, or an Achievement Whore, it's not worth the extra £5/800 MS Points. Again, they should have made it a free roamer, that would have made it more playable.
Concept, Brilliant. Execution, doesn't quite make the final jump in that sense. It's a very well made game, and the innovation and graphics are superb, but it just doesn't quite hit the spot like it should, considering Free Running is all about flow and momentum. I'd love to see a sequel though, because this can be a very satisfying and rewarding game. Most of the time. If you're a Platform player, this is a must buy. If not, it's still worth a rent, because you'll enjoy it anyway. Sayonara.
Story: 9/10 - Outstanding
Excellently told, great cutscenes and voice acting. Just a small shame we only really get to hear about Faith, but that's understandable.
Presentation: 8.5/10 - Great
Menu's are debatable, personally they're okay, but the general look of the game is great, but a little repetitive now and again. Fantastic Soundtrack as well by EA and DICE.
Gameplay: 8.5/10 - Great
Simple to learn, difficult to master, overall, this plays very well, and when you get momentum going, it's a great game. When it isn't, it feels a little flat. Fighting controls are a little clunky though.
Lasting Appeal: 5.5/10 - Mediocre
After you completing the main (5 Hour tops) story, there isn't much to do, unless you find shaving seconds of your laptimes exciting. Or if you like the G's.
Overall: 8.2 - Impressive
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silver DewSky
159,011
TA Score for this game: 1,115
Posted on 24 May 09 at 23:51, Edited on 25 May 09 at 00:15 |
This review has 16 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Free Running on the Edge {My Giantbomb User Review}
Mirror`s Edge is an exhilarating ride that provides highs and lows that shows that doing something different can be rewarding, but also can come at a price. You play as Faith, an experienced "Runner" that's transports material for clients around the city. You'll mostly leap around on rooftops and high areas, as you outrun and jump pursuing cops and soldiers. In order to keep the player focused and on the right track, certain objects change to a bright red which works most of the time. By the pressing the B-button, players are also shown where they need to ultimately end up being to move on.
The game`s cinematic's are presented in animated cut scenes, with a few in-game 1st person shots that briefly explain what to do next. Most objectives are delivered via Mercury, Faith's mentor and boss who communicates through a headset faith wears. What I like about the game is that you really feel like you are the main character and that you are pulling off amazing actions which feel smooth and exhilarating. This is what the game does best and mostly keeps this feeling alive the entire game.
The length and combat frustration are the main negatives for me about this game. You can complete the campaign in around 5 hours and have a complete experience. There are time trial leaderboards and speed runs to complete, but these may not be enough to warrant a purchase in my opinion. Next is the combat. Sometimes Faith will have no choice but to fight and these situations definitely bring down the game. You can do cool kicks and punches, disarms and take downs, but the overall combat isn't as fun as just running around and jumping over buildings. Faith will usually die after a couple of bullets and melee attacks, no matter the difficulty you are playing on. If there is another Mirror`s Edge, a few tweaks here and there would make this game a must buy. 4/5 Recommended Rental 1st
+ Innovative 1st Person Action
+ Great Music that fits the Game`s Atmosphere
+ Fresh Break from blockbuster titles and shooters
- Insanely Short. Not worth 60 bucks in my opinion
- Frustrating Combat. Faith can`t take much damage
- No Multiplayer. Not really a negative, but could have been interesting to see in a game like this.
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Junk87
64,791
TA Score for this game: 1,248
Posted on 17 May 10 at 03:35 |
This review has 9 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
I'm surprised that Mirror's Edge has not been circulated as a game ideal for fast and easy Achievements. I, myself, were able to rack up 12 of them before I even started Chapter 1. That's not to say that it's a bad game, though. It is a lot of fun.
Who doesn't, in some way, want to run and jump across rooftops, risking death at every turn; Or even run up walls to vault off and boot somebody in the face; Or maybe jump from the side of a building, spinning around in mid-air, to give your pursuers the finger? All the while, doing so in the cleanest city I have EVER seen, considering the amount of rodents running around. It's all fun!
The game looks like something out of a Matrix movie, to be honest. You can even slow down time to dodge bullets, or even disarm police officers.
The story is basically about you having to solve the murder of some guy who was running in an election for city Mayor, and your very own sister has been framed for doing so. Whilst pursued by the police at every turn, you must uncover the truth and take down specific people in hope to clear her name.
I would say that there is a surprising twist at the end but, although there actually is a twist, it is no big surprise. In fact, it is pretty obvious.
If you're new to the game, I'd advise you do not start on hard mode until you are familiar with both the controls and how to use the environment to your advantage. The button layout is unlike any other game; it's all about using the bumper and trigger buttons, rather than the usual A and B, or X and O.
It's not the most confusing thing in the world, but you will have to learn how it works before you dive into the deep end of the game. Luckily though, they make you do a tutorial level at the start. As soon as you've mastered the controls however, you can begin working on your own stylish tricks, and advancing through the levels your way.
After the main game is finished, you will have unlocked a couple of new features which can either make the game a little too much hassle, or a lot more fun.
For starters, each level can be replayed on what they call a 'Speedrun'. This is basically redoing the game, except that this time they give you a set time for each chapter to complete it under. The times are not too difficult, but require that you don't waste so much time as you may have when originally playing through.
You can easily find any short-cuts that you may have missed by hopping onto 'youtube.com'. There are a lot of people who are willing to give up their secrets in order to show off their times.
Also, you will have unlocked the Time Trials. These are little assault courses within the levels for you to complete. You can achieve up to 3 stars on each course, depending on how fast you can do so. Even more courses can be unlocked by completing other courses within the qualifying time.
If you have some friends with the same game, this is where the competitive side of the fun begins. If you are impressed with a time that you had on one of these courses, you can send a challenge to a friend so they can race against your ghost and try to beat you. This is about as on-line as the game gets, but there is a leaderboard and I.W times to compare your skills with other players from all around the world.
You can now get downloadable content which contains a few other fun features, but as to not ruin the entire game, I will leave that until next time.
Overall, I'd recommend this game to any action, adventure game fan. Not the best, but a lot of fun. |
Madlmax120
143,305
TA Score for this game: 1,443
Posted on 17 November 08 at 02:47, Edited on 13 August 11 at 23:09 |
This review has 24 positive votes and 22 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
I got Mirror's Edge because the concept looked appealing. The demo and gameplay videos made it look like a fast paced game with high momentum, but unfortunately they failed to point out all the stoppages when you get lost and cant see the next jump or all the deaths that happen when trying to get one jump right..
and thats another thing. The game is full of cheap deaths. Whether it's trying to land a jump and being a faction off resulting in death, or getting killed in a few shots by swat with machineguns, while searching for the hidden path you have to navigate, it detracts from the experience.
The story mode lasted me around 6 hours and i completed it with about 400 gamer score. There is limited re-playability with the speed run's or the time trial options but I generally found these frustrating, knowing where to go and how to do it and still failing. There is a major degree of luck involved with landing jumps and on some of the time trials the path isn't readily obvious. Here is where ghosts help, but racing against the worlds best ranked has its downside. It's pretty obvious, but to see their route, you have to be able to keep up with their ghosts and there is no option to just watch their run on its own.
In my eyes theres too much a degree of trial and error deaths involved in the game and it creates a sense of frustration.
All that being said, it isn't a bad game. The art direction of the levels and layouts are good, but with objects being repeated numerous times throughout the different levels.
The ambiance and Music of the game is good and fits well with the game. As does the voice acting, however the between mission cutscenes detract from the emotional engagement of the protagonist and would've worked better with the first person view that other parts have, such as the ending sequence which was impressive.
As I expected, the story in Mirror's edge is a non-essential part of the equation. The is one, but it doesn't really make you care for it and you rather continue to play for the gameplay itself rather than the story payoff.
7/10
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Haseo ATC
66,346
TA Score for this game: 1,223
Posted on 06 August 11 at 16:26 |
This review has 5 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
For those of you who don't feeling like reading, here are my scores for this game on a scale of 1 to 5:
Originality: 5
Controls: 3.5
Graphics, voice acting, music, etc: 4.5
Replay value: 3
Game difficulty: 4
Overall achievement difficulty: 3.5
Difficulty to 100% achievements: 5+ (time trial and speedrun achievements!)
Do I recommend this game?: 5 (Heck yeah)
Ah, Mirror's Edge. Even if the basic concept [parkour] isn't original, the gameplay and feel is.The gameplay is intense---it's all about skill, speed, reaction time, and boat loads of patience. Mirror's Edge isn't a game for hardcore shooter fans or those who get easily frustrated; there's even an achievement for completing the game without firing a weapon, which is a real temptation for you achievement hunters. Enemies and weapons are sparse, but the baddies are challenging and the guns, should you choose to use them, are more than up to the task. Even if you're not a fan of parkour, like yours truly, the game's stark originality will blow you away. HUD? Forget it. You won't need a heads up display as you're tearing across the rooftops of an opressed city, utilizing the most unique and realistic first-person camera I've yet seen. Think of it as an old platform jumper like Mario or Sonic, only in three dimensions and dazzling colorful visuals.
And there's nothing like doing a slide tackle to kick a cop in the nuts---no other game can offer you that. 
The only thing that prevents this game from being 5 stars is how frustrating the game can be, especially regarding the time trial and speedrun achievements, which are tailor-made for the most determined leaderboard addicts. (For example, to get three stars on the "easiest" time trial map you need to complete it in 47 seconds. The world record, out of many thousands of players, is about 37 seconds. Completing it in just 2 minutes for a single star is a real uphill struggle. Expect to spend hours studying YouTube videos for these achievements.)
Word of caution: you will die literally hundreds of times over the course of your first playthrough. Stick with it, though. This game is challenging but fun.
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CHR1SFENTON
16,408
TA Score for this game: 1,591
Posted on 04 February 11 at 07:46 |
This review has 2 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
I Find this to be a great game, the game play reminds me a little of Condemned Criminal Origins, the first person walking around in chapters with collectibles and enemies. I am actually a fan of this type of game play, but do not know any other games that are similar to this one. So, if you got an idea of a game for me to try then hit me up.
I believe this game should have multiplayer, but I'm not a fan of online (multiplayer) achievements cause they are annoying. But the multiplayer could be similar to the Lego games almost, where you have the players are good at certain things and one climbs higher to help the other up, or one can jump further to throw objects in certain ways for the other player to get over. And also online races and/or splitscreen races.
They could also have on the leaderboards the players replay of their speedruns or their time trials. Unless that is not allowed to show others video replays or gameplay. Then it should be an option for the higher rankers.
This game needs a sequel. There is no way they are going to leave us with just 9 chapters and the story is just a free runner's sister gets kid napped. That may be a bad summary for people that pay attention. But I'm getting at the sequel should be Faith with/without and/or Kate. Now that would be legit... 
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