Review: Mirror's Edge

[Geoffrey42]

Secondly, the shoes. I have some very strange things which cause me a great deal of distaste, and footwear which resemble flip-flops, or any footwear which has to be held by the toes, is one of those things. (An example of another distasteful thing to me is fingerprints on screens, a reason why I couldn't buy the iPhone.)

The shoes are not remotely flip-flops, nor are they held by the toes. They're split-toed, like the Tabi stuff linked above; full-foot encompassing shoes with a split in the toes to allow greater independent movement of the big toe from the rest.

Per the name and the eye-tattoo... I can't claim that you're misinformed, as with the above, but I will rate you a +5 on the crazy.

 

[Fangface74]

Assassins Creed is a lot older and is busting with content compared to this, don't get me wrong, the IP is nice enough, but any game where the starting level is played in EXACTLY the same way as the middle & the end of the game....needs a LOT of work.

I'm sorry, did I really just read that correctly? Ok, the game starts off the same in that you run toward a goal, fight a little, run away again and that's one chapter usually. But please do tell me when this has not been the case in Assassin's Creed? Even more so in AC because you had a requirement of at least two mini-games to fill for information gathering which got real boring real fast. At least Mirror's Edge kept it a little fresh with ever-changing colour environments and new puzzles. And about the start of the level being the same in every chapter in Mirror's Edge; Did you really play the same kind of Assassin's Creed I played because I remember having to run down a damn hill and out of a village every time I started a new assassination.

Don't get me wrong I like both games but don't use Assassin's Creed to state an opinion on another game you think is repetitive, unless you use it as THE example for repetitive levels.

Yeah, you did read it wrong, but I didn't write it that well either. I didn't say AC played any better (though I think it does, pick your OWN route to the target instead of trial & error instant deaths), I said it had more content, literally, crowds that you had to barge through or roof avoid, Mirror's Edge would benefit from something akin to this greatly, the odd texture map wouldn't hurt either! (I know it has them but would it hurt to LOOK like it has them?). But to reiterate my main gripe, if you make a game based on free running, why take the 'free' out?

 

[Bakery]

I'm tossing up whether I'd rather get this game now or later. $100 for a brand new game and only 10 hours of play? Maybe it might make a good post-christmas-sale pickup.

 

[zero_zumi]

I'm tossing up whether I'd rather get this game now or later. $100 for a brand new game and only 10 hours of play? Maybe it might make a good post-christmas-sale pickup.

Same thing here.

Good review Susan

 

[Aptspire]

damn trains lol

 

[Dommyboy]

Another thing the game did right was the thudding sounds when you fall on concrete or hit a moving object head first.

 

[OuroborosChoked]

Susan, you know the game was created for the PS3 and then ported to the 360, right?

It seems kind of awkward to me to complain about the controls on the system is wasn't designed for originally.

Why? If you don't plan on getting the PS3 version, it's pretty valuable information that the 360 controls are clunky, don't you think? Or are we simply supposed to say, sure, the poor control choice makes the game less fun than it could be, but heck, it's a port, so let's give it a pass?

Not quite. Valuable information? Yes, but not for everyone. By complaining about the controls about one specific platform, you're disregarding the two other platforms the game's out on. You're narrowing the review to just one console. That being said, you can't exactly claim to be reviewing the game, only one version of it. I have the PS3 version, and I can't say I've had any control issues at all. Should I take the review as accurate? If not, what was said about the PS3's controls in that article? Or the PC version? I realize you stated at the very end of the article that the 360 version was used in the review, but that doesn't exactly explain what the differences between the various versions might be. One might assume that the control issues apply to all versions, which is innacurate.

I think I'm repeating myself at this point, so I'll cease abruptly at thi

 

[VaioStreams]

i hate that sound too. and the blurry vision you get. i assume that's my life flashing before my eyes. but to this little...whatever about the controls. I have the PS3 version but i did play through the 360 one as well. the PS3 controls just seem a little tighter a bit more accurate. it played a little smoother as well. but eh, it's a fun game no mater how you play. either one you play, you're going to die.

 

[Sennz0r]

Assassins Creed is a lot older and is busting with content compared to this, don't get me wrong, the IP is nice enough, but any game where the starting level is played in EXACTLY the same way as the middle & the end of the game....needs a LOT of work.

I'm sorry, did I really just read that correctly? Ok, the game starts off the same in that you run toward a goal, fight a little, run away again and that's one chapter usually. But please do tell me when this has not been the case in Assassin's Creed? Even more so in AC because you had a requirement of at least two mini-games to fill for information gathering which got real boring real fast. At least Mirror's Edge kept it a little fresh with ever-changing colour environments and new puzzles. And about the start of the level being the same in every chapter in Mirror's Edge; Did you really play the same kind of Assassin's Creed I played because I remember having to run down a damn hill and out of a village every time I started a new assassination.

Don't get me wrong I like both games but don't use Assassin's Creed to state an opinion on another game you think is repetitive, unless you use it as THE example for repetitive levels.

Yeah, you did read it wrong, but I didn't write it that well either. I didn't say AC played any better (though I think it does, pick your OWN route to the target instead of trial & error instant deaths), I said it had more content, literally, crowds that you had to barge through or roof avoid, Mirror's Edge would benefit from something akin to this greatly, the odd texture map wouldn't hurt either! (I know it has them but would it hurt to LOOK like it has them?). But to reiterate my main gripe, if you make a game based on free running, why take the 'free' out?

Well since this is not the middle ages Mirror's Edge is played in and buildings are quite high in ME's day and age it's a bit much to ask to put crowds on the streets or anything like that since all the important stuff happens on the rooftops. Granted, you never come across a citizen anywhere but it seems to me that's only due to the fact that WHEN you're on ground level police have conveniently set up road blocks so no citizen will ever 'bother' them and you for that matter. With that comes the tidbit that it might not be the focus of the game to be a 'blade in the crowd' like in AC but to be a fast messenger. Not necessarily stealthy, just fast and adept in the routes on the rooftops.

Ok so the routes you have to take are somewhat linear in that you can't jump from any roof to any other roof you want. THAT might be due to the fact that the roofs you can't jump to are either across the streets so you can't reach them or they're too high. Guess what the mapping of the rooftops in a city like New York would look like. I can definitely tell you not all have them have approx. the same height like all rooftops in AC do. Some buildings do however, and those just might be the ones you need to traverse to get to where you need to be. Coincidence? absolutely not but it's credible enough. Plus there are multiple ways you can get from the building you're on to the next one, you just have to be creative. If there were no faster routes than the ones that were most obvious there wouldn't be much sense in integrating a speedrun option or time trials with ghost-system, since everyone would just be grinding a racetrack in the same way over and over like in mariokart, but on foot instead.

Free running, or free-style parkour is the term for setting up a specific route - get this, a route - and running it as stylish as possible.

 

[Mollecht]

Just to point it out, for those who have been raging at the shoes; I'm pretty sure those are normal climbing shoes, disregarding the funny toes.

 

[Fangface74]

Free running, or free-style parkour is the term for setting up a specific route - get this, a route - and running it as stylish as possible.

I'm not saying the game doesn't resemble real life free running or parkour (definitely NOT free style!), I'm saying it DOES and it makes for a dull game! Why not a stylish cover system incorporated into the route you decide upon instead of soaking up helicopter fire? I really hate the way everything is magically labelled in 'runner vision' but still usually results in a fail, going back to my (I admit,poor) AC comparison, AC didn't need markers, if something looked 'grabbable', it was, and you picked your route on your own judgement.

I think that ME's bad points stand up on their own;

A 'Boss' battle that is literally 1 button press..(I concede it's unfair calling it a Boss battle, but the whole scene was kinda cheap)

Using elevators a lot, they had it right when you grab a lift off a chopper, it feels like something a rebellious runner would do and doesn't break the immersion.

The 'slow time' function, why not make the combat (in a game that relies on pacing) more accessible and sack off 'bullet time'?

I truly believe that this title deserved more of a sandboxy approach, this wouldn't have hurt it's theme, gameplay or aesthetic.

 

[MagnetoHydroDynamics]

I know how it is to hate a sound in videogames... I bet I am not the only one here hating that *crunch* followed by a long beep... Yes I am talking about Half-life 2

 

[Arionis]

Well, since you have such disdain for it, send it to me.

I've been playing the demo non stop, I really can't get enough of this game.

Any chance I get, I play it. Demo, Game, doesn't matter.

It just feels very.......invigorating, possibly energizing is a better word, and by the way....

I want some sports tabi xD (best way I can think to describe Faith's shoes)

 

[Sennz0r]

Free running, or free-style parkour is the term for setting up a specific route - get this, a route - and running it as stylish as possible.

I'm not saying the game doesn't resemble real life free running or parkour (definitely NOT free style!), I'm saying it DOES and it makes for a dull game! Why not a stylish cover system incorporated into the route you decide upon instead of soaking up helicopter fire? I really hate the way everything is magically labelled in 'runner vision' but still usually results in a fail, going back to my (I admit,poor) AC comparison, AC didn't need markers, if something looked 'grabbable', it was, and you picked your route on your own judgement.

I think that ME's bad points stand up on their own;

A 'Boss' battle that is literally 1 button press..(I concede it's unfair calling it a Boss battle, but the whole scene was kinda cheap)

Using elevators a lot, they had it right when you grab a lift off a chopper, it feels like something a rebellious runner would do and doesn't break the immersion.

The 'slow time' function, why not make the combat (in a game that relies on pacing) more accessible and sack off 'bullet time'?

I truly believe that this title deserved more of a sandboxy approach, this wouldn't have hurt it's theme, gameplay or aesthetic.

Well grabbing stuff was a lot more easy in AC wasn't it? You could just press two buttons and be on your way, just keep running and you'll always grab something. I think Runner Vision was a great idea since it makes you look at the whole environment differently, noticing certain objects might be used for certain things (springboards, pipes, bars you could swing from etc.) After you got shown around a bit as to what kind of object or set of objects could be used for X purpose, you had Hard difficulty wherein you had no Runner Vision and could use your pre-acquired experience to find your own way. Also if you found the Runner Vision a dick move from the start - in a game which is more puzzle-focused than AC so it actually drops a couple hints to avoid frustration but ok - you could also switch it off from the start and figure it out on your own.

Yes the 'Boss Battle' was a bit lame, but thank god they gave you a second boss battle which was a bit harder.

Hmm yes elevators. I'll go about this one from the character's point of view: Even the best runners in the world need a breather. Especially if they've just been shot at, had to climb fences, run immensely fast and jump inconcievable distances. I can't blame Faith for taking the elevator to be honest. Also it didn't seem like there was much choice in the large skyscrapers since none of the other rooftops reached that far, and news helicopters are a bit short in supply.
Also I personally appreciated the elevator breaks at some times. The game got to me that much - especially the intense shoot outs before you escape into said elevator - that I myself was in need of a breather as well.

Helicopter fire needs to be soaked up? I was relatively able to avoid getting shot by them by running through narrow passages and keeping my momentum up. And why does this need a cover system? it's no shooter where you're faced with shoot outs wherein you need to stay in cover to survive. If you want cover, crouch behind a circuit box or any other thing that breaks the assailants line of sight with you, seemed to work for me well enough, especially on The Boat.

Yes the game relies on pacing. Very fast pacing. Which is why the combat is also very fast-paced. And my opinion is to avoid making it feel like AC in which you could again press two buttons to finish someone off, they went for a faster, more fragile approach. Yes some of the disarms are next to impossible without reaction time which makes it hard to go without but it's not entirely impossible. I think it's more realistic seeing that making a split-second mistake will end up with you bleeding all over the boots of your enemy. It seems very real to me and I wouldn't have it any other way.

But then again I usually used my Reaction Time for timing my jumps and looking at very cool moves a bit more slowly so I could revel in the awesomeness.

It seems we both have a very different view on a lot of features, in that I believe you hoped for a first-person-ish version of AC and I enjoy the more old school trial and error gameplay of ME, and take its features you regard as faulty as actually quite good. That about right?

 

[Sennz0r]

Well, since you have such disdain for it, send it to me.

I've been playing the demo non stop, I really can't get enough of this game.

Any chance I get, I play it. Demo, Game, doesn't matter.

It just feels very.......invigorating, possibly energizing is a better word, and by the way....

I want some sports tabi xD (best way I can think to describe Faith's shoes)

Dude there's enough Tabi on the market fit for running, I know I'm buying some

 

[Fangface74]

It seems we both have a very different view on a lot of features, in that I believe you hoped for a first-person-ish version of AC and I enjoy the more old school trial and error gameplay of ME, and take its features you regard as faulty as actually quite good. That about right?

Yeah I was just thinking this, I think it comes down to you have a better handle on the type of game that it is rather than me and my 'why is this like this and not this' moans, I think the 1st person perspective prior installed in me some unfair expectations.

(also, reaction Time for non-combat events?? hadn't even occurred to me, sticking the disk back in now)

 

[Arionis]

Sennz0r, Fang, I've been reading your guys' debate back and forth, and I'm surprised to find that both are actually highly valid arguments and not just one bigot yelling at another that he's a moron while the other speaks of anatomic impossibilities involving a rusty pipe and/or chainsaw.

I think I like it here 8D I originally only signed up to make a comment on one of Yahtzee's videos, since Zero Punctuation is my favorite web series, beating Red VS Blue with a mallet.

But I'm finding this sight as a whole deserves a more thorough exploration.

The fact I have yet to find any of the web's all too many immature fools also helps. xD

ANYWAYS, being distracted aside,

Well, since you have such disdain for it, send it to me.

I've been playing the demo non stop, I really can't get enough of this game.

Any chance I get, I play it. Demo, Game, doesn't matter.

It just feels very.......invigorating, possibly energizing is a better word, and by the way....

I want some sports tabi xD (best way I can think to describe Faith's shoes)

Dude there's enough Tabi on the market fit for running, I know I'm buying some

I want some ToT xD

It seems we both have a very different view on a lot of features, in that I believe you hoped for a first-person-ish version of AC and I enjoy the more old school trial and error gameplay of ME, and take its features you regard as faulty as actually quite good. That about right?

Yeah I was just thinking this, I think it comes down to you have a better handle on the type of game that it is rather than me and my 'why is this like this and not this' moans, I think the 1st person perspective prior installed in me some unfair expectations.

(also, reaction Time for non-combat events?? hadn't even occurred to me, sticking the disk back in now)

I feel kinda silly...but....um.....I never used reaction time in the few levels I played. >.>; I liked moving quickly, and using it made me feel slow. I didn't enjoy it. With disarms I usually just slide in with a kick, punch to the crotch, then another punch in the face.

Though, SWAT teams were trouble >8/ For them, I took the game's advice. "GTFO."

 

[Fangface74]

I feel kinda silly...but....um.....I never used reaction time in the few levels I played. >.>; I liked moving quickly, and using it made me feel slow. I didn't enjoy it. With disarms I usually just slide in with a kick, punch to the crotch, then another punch in the face.

To be fair Sennz0r said they used the reaction time in non combat for revelling in awesomeness purposes rather than assisting in completion.

 

[Sennz0r]

Sennz0r, Fang, I've been reading your guys' debate back and forth, and I'm surprised to find that both are actually highly valid arguments and not just one bigot yelling at another that he's a moron while the other speaks of anatomic impossibilities involving a rusty pipe and/or chainsaw.


I feel kinda silly...but....um.....I never used reaction time in the few levels I played. >.>; I liked moving quickly, and using it made me feel slow. I didn't enjoy it. With disarms I usually just slide in with a kick, punch to the crotch, then another punch in the face.

Though, SWAT teams were trouble >8/ For them, I took the game's advice. "GTFO."

Haha there's fortunately not a lot of trolls around here. At least they don't last long.

Don't feel silly, I hardly used reaction time as well. Just a couple of times with disarm moves or dodging bullets or just having more time to string a wallrun-turn-jump move together more accurately. Other than that I always found I was too impatient for the slowmo and pressed the disarm button way too fast xD And indeed the kick to the crotch is by far the most effective, although I tend to force myself to mix it up a little.

Also how do you like disarming the SWAT guys with assault rifles huh?

 

[Arionis]

I feel kinda silly...but....um.....I never used reaction time in the few levels I played. >.>; I liked moving quickly, and using it made me feel slow. I didn't enjoy it. With disarms I usually just slide in with a kick, punch to the crotch, then another punch in the face.

To be fair Sennz0r said they used the reaction time in non combat for revelling in awesomeness purposes rather than assisting in completion.

True

Sennz0r, Fang, I've been reading your guys' debate back and forth, and I'm surprised to find that both are actually highly valid arguments and not just one bigot yelling at another that he's a moron while the other speaks of anatomic impossibilities involving a rusty pipe and/or chainsaw.


I feel kinda silly...but....um.....I never used reaction time in the few levels I played. >.>; I liked moving quickly, and using it made me feel slow. I didn't enjoy it. With disarms I usually just slide in with a kick, punch to the crotch, then another punch in the face.

Though, SWAT teams were trouble >8/ For them, I took the game's advice. "GTFO."

Haha there's fortunately not a lot of trolls around here. At least they don't last long.
Don't feel silly,
I hardly used reaction time as well. Just a couple of times with disarm moves or dodging bullets or just having more time to string a wallrun-turn-jump move together more accurately. Other than that I always found I was too impatient for the slowmo and pressed the disarm button way too fast xD And indeed the kick to the crotch is by far the most effective, although I tend to force myself to mix it up a little.

Also how do you like disarming the SWAt guys with assault rifles huh?

*beats you for reminding me of that* GAH, I HATED trying that. Like, even in the demo, I think I only managed it ONCE on the four that pop out of throwing the suitcase up.
(wanted to mix it up, didn't last long)

And in the game levels I've managed to play, like I said "GTFO" has always been good to me.

......though once I wasn't looking down and didn't realized the roof stopped whereas my foolish self wanted to give an impression of Wile E. Coyote....