244: Stumbling Through Mirror's Edge

[Howlingwolf214]

Mirrors Edge is one of a rare group of games. Games that have you fail over and over and yet, at some point, everything goes perfect and fluently. Then BAM, you overstep, fall off a building and the cycle begins again.

The time trials got more annoying every time for me until I put on my music while playing. It became ten times more enjoyable.

 

[SnipErlite]

I personally enjoyed Mirror's Edge a lot, yes it was flawed but at least it was trying something new.


Also, parklife reference ^_^

 

[ryukage_sama]

"A risky, innovative platformer-cum-shooter. . ."
Y'know, I've never heard of a game that is both a platformer and a cum-shooter.

 

[Salviar]

I do agree with some of the things said in this article and I noticed some new things about it that I didn't know before, but overall I found the game to be one of the most enjoyable I've ever played!
I mean, although I wasn't a big fan of the whole 'jump right, shoot right or die fast' thing, I still think that the game wouldn't have worked without them. If the game was merely a running, parkour game then it would get boring almost immediately because of the lack of surprise. Instead of wondering what was about to happen, it would always be 'Oh. Running again. Yeah, I know."
Haha but that's just my opinion. I loved the game but I really liked the points made in this article too!

 

[playinthedark]

Just my opinion, of course, but the problem I had with this game was that its premise was a COMPLETE LIE.

This was meant to be a game based on 'free-running', yet every level had perfectly to-the-very-footstep preconceived paths throughout every level, meaning you constantly had to stop to see where the next objective was. Way to break the flow of a free running experience! If anything Mirror's Edge is a memory puzzle with occasional gunfire.

There was no spontaneity in the movement throughout the levels at all. If you had the objective of "get from point A to point B" and you could use all your skills in the best way you could to find your own way to achieve that goal, then that would have been a true 'free-running' game. But no, you deviate from the pre-set path and you fall to your death. If it were a puzzle game, that would make sense, but when you have guys with machine guns running after you, stopping to look for the next glowy object to grab onto makes for a very stop-start-stop-start infuriatingly fragmented experience.

I appreciate the idea, and it was the hope of more open gameplay that compelled me to take it to the very end. In retrospect, however, I hated it completely.

 

[omegawyrm]

Mirror's Edge is the most fun I've ever had playing a mediocre game.

Yeah, the story is stupidly bad and if you go into the concept art they talk about how they had plans for a SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INTERESTING story that they apparently decided to throw out completely. Yeah, the levels are often ridiculously linear and the "point me where to go" button is more confusing than helpful. Yeah, there was no reason for the designers to not simply make your objective more clear at points.

But it was still a damn fun game. The action is physically involving, and managed to make me feel like I was thinking about Faith's movements as if they were my own body. The visual style is really, really good looking and a much better example of the "future dystopia" look than a lot of games pull off. The sense of speed and fluidity are just plain fun to experience.

(Honestly, the gunfights didn't bother me. The bad guys feel just like any other obstacle you have to get past. Except, instead of doing chained wallruns and pole swings, you're doing slide kicks and disarms. I thought the combat felt like a pretty natural extension of the running mechanics.)

 

[Jangles]

I may be the only one here, but I think that Mirrors Edge was a magnificent game! It was so fast paced-as a good parkour ANYTHING should be! The overall plot may have been scrambled eggs, but the gameplay more than made up for that in my view.

 

[Cornish]

^ You're far from the only one. If you read a bit, you'll see that most people found it a wonderful game.

Oh, and Micheal Cook also writes for The Escapist? Also used to read the Runner.

Either-way, agree with a lot of the article, totally hated the fact that you had to finish the game once before you could play it decently. A few introduction levels (I.E, Faith getting back to the job without everything going to hell of the bat) would've being a great thing.

 

[InvisibleMan]

Phew! Just finished the story mode on "Hard" while avoiding killing any enemies! Got the "Pro Runner" and "Test of Faith" achievements at the same time...

I confirmed my previous statement about the combat system: every stage of the game is definitely designed so that the best course of action is NOT to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat or by shooting. Even in the last stage, which has the biggest number of heavy-armed enemies in probably the tightes space, the best route is to run around them and only engage (maybe) the last guard blocking your way out. I must admit it took me many, many tries, but now that I know that and which way to go, I could probably clear that area in record time.

Almost frustrating if you are not in the mental frame of the game...

 

[layzeedave]

As somebody that grew up playing the likes of rick dangerous. I found the fighting segments well fitting. There's a certain economy of action in determining what to do, the fight's are like a whole other puzzle. I suppose some people want only the parkour game as a puzzle. Well those people do have the time trials, but I digress.

I'm a long time PC gamer and I'm midway through my third or fourth playthrough, but using a joypad instead of mouse and keyboard. I can see why a lot of people don't like it now. I doubt I'll finish this playthrough.

 

[hampiton]

'Mirrors Edge failed.'

Considering how the game was widely received as being enjoyable and inventive, and also considering how there is a sequel in the works, that's a bad claim.

 

[mikev7.0]

I made a conscious decision before I played the game, and that was not to use guns. And it paid off! Using a gun in Mirror's Edge cheapens the game (and the mechanics of shooting in the game sucked anyways). The guns felt like they were put in afterwards, like EA's usability came back saying "people want guns in a FPS game, so put guns in Mirror's Edge"...

Did the game have it's faults? Sure. About as much as any other game out there. But with EA committing to this IP, I can see the next Mirror's Edge is going to be great (lets hope they put in some online games of tag!)

Online tag in "the flow" would be a great idea. I already like that you can compete online for times. That's what I think a lot of people missed about Mirror's Edge. That at heart it's a racing game with no car. It's all about finding the line and maintaining momentum. Also whenever I hear someone talking about an "atrocious" story, I have to wonder 1. Do they know what that word really means? Also, 2. Could they write a better one? I doubt it. I don't think half of the stories from games that get panned to hell and back by people who could do no better, are as bad as the "critics" say. I bought Mirror's Edge on release and have never regretted it. Well done to all involved in this daring project. Oh yeah, and the other Still Alive is also great.

You'll notice in the original article although they say Mirror's Edge "failed" it sure didn't stop them from playing the hell out of it apparently.

 

[Voration]

I loved mirrors edge for its fast pacing and originality. The flaws can be improved upon in later versions of similar style gameplay. If there was a sequel, a better story would be appreciated though

 

[Steady Drain]

awesome game.

 

[Metalrocks]

i love this game. its different and fun as hell. never had any major issues with the controls and i play it on the PC only. i started to play it again and im still having fun with it.
yes it is short and yes, the story is poorly explained (so as the rainbow six veags games) but the game play as such is really fun and enjoyable.
i hope part 2 will come out.

 

[Jonathan Bradford]

I liked the game just fine personally, and the comic fleshed out the story.

 

[Preacher zer0]

Mirrors Edge did NOT fail.

It's flaws are real for sure yo, but these are inevitable when exploring new concepts in gaming, it's a pretty damn rare moment when an experiment such as ME results in an utterly perfect result, I mean c'mon, name ONE game that broke the mould, got outside the box, was fresh and original AND utterly flawless... even Ico had it's flaws and I deeply loved that game.

Ico was the experiment, Shadow was the main event, taking the core aesthetic, feel and "soul" if you will, listening to the deep emotional resonance the style evoked in players and tuning it to even greater levels.

ME was the experiment and hopefully the promised sequel will be the main event for the franchise.

It wasn't a fail is all I'm saying, it was a test, a brave experiment.

A leap of faith...

...and it paid off, because now we're getting that sequel.

 

[spectrenihlus]

Loved Mirror's Edge, still hoping for an even awesomer(yes I know that's not a word) sequel.

 

[random_bars]

Personally I think the biggest flaw with Mirror's Edge was its level design, in that a game like it really needs much more freedom in its levels than it gave. By making it so that there was only one specific path that you -HAD- to take to progress, they essentially made it only fun when you know where you're going.

And before people reply and start telling me about the time trials - yeah, I know, there are lots of little shortcuts and things you can do, but I mean freedom on a broader scale than that. Freedom that would theoretically allow you to get from the beginning of the level to the end via completely conventional, boring routes - which would actually give the concept of parkour, i.e. finding the quickest and most efficient route through the environment, more of a meaning, than having it just be the only way you can get to the end anyway.

 

[surg3n]

I liked Mirrors Edge, but the combat ruined it for me - no good being a bad ass parkour chick when your surrounded by dudes with guns, the game just didn't let you deal with situations in the way that made sense to the gameplay. I'd rather have a more casual game like that, less being chased and dealing with dudes with guns, and more about finding the fastest route across buildings, maybe a race. I mean, the courier thing was there from the start, then gradually the plot turns away from that. What generated the buzz with Mirrors Edge, was that demo, people played the shit out of that, trying to get a perfect run... the game descends from that point IMO, your not doing anything more interesting than in that demo.

If it was up to me, I'd make a multiplayer version, make it more like a race (get to the case, get the case to a drop point, while opponents try and stop you. We don't get too many games that are multiplayer, where the primary focus isn't just killing. Even Kane and Lynch, with it's bank robbery multiplayer games was good fun. Maybe I'm just sick of constant FPS games, but dammit I'd play Mirrors Edge to death if I could do away with the constant enemy funneling.