Gaming Mirror's Edge

[Nessaja]

I'm surprised that a thread hasn't been posted for this game already.

In Mirror's Edge, the future is all about surveillance and control. The government, after major riots during protests, rebuilt the city and started monitoring everyone more closely for the good of everyone.

Some people though, called Runners (parkour messengers basically) deliver messages by hand so that the government cannot get to them. You play as a Runner named Faith, who's sister has been framed for a crime she did not commit. Now, with the police after you, you do what you do best. You run.

Well, that was a little explanation of the story. Here are some good sites though that should give you a better idea of the game.

[URL="http://mirrorsedge.com/"]Official site[/URL]

[URL="http://www.on-mirrors-edge.com/"]Fan site[/URL]

So what do you guys think of this game? Anyone else excited about it or has anyone tried the demo yet?

[Drizzt Do'urden]

I hadn't heard about this game until just a little while ago at the Gears of War launch. I'm pretty good friends with the Gamestop manager and I'm still surprised he's kept it from me for this long.

I'm going to download the demo when I download my flashmap pack and golden weapon today before I commence the Marathon of gears.

[Ellerby]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]I downloaded the demo last night and I've played it a couple times since then. I wasn't really expecting much from this title but I have to say that after playing the demo I'm pretty excited for November 13th!

The free running is excellent. Everything is so fluid if you know exactly when to press the main action buttons (L1, L2, R1, R2 and Triangle, basically) and it's pretty easy to get the hang of.

I was worried that the lack of shooting would ruin the game for me but I was definitely wrong. Not only do you have the option of keeping and using any guns you disarm from enemies, but actually disarming them is so much fun I found myself throwing away any guns I picked up.

I'm really stoked to play the full version and I hope it's a long and enjoyable experience.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Well, I bought Mirror's Edge a couple of days ago and I'm a few chapters in.

I have to admit, this was kind of an impulse buy for me. I hadn't bought a game in a while (at least for console) and I did have only a mild interest in this one from what I'd read. I hadn't played the demo or anything - I just went and bought it.

And I must say, despite reading some negative reviews, I am [i]loving[/i] this game. Maybe it's because my expectations were lower, but a lot of the criticisms I've read just don't really gel with me.

First of all, combat seems to be the most-heavily criticized element.

But I found combat to be reasonably fun. I mean this game isn't [i]about[/i] combat, but when it happens, it's just fine. The key thing to remember though, is that going around disarming bad guys isn't really the best way to do things. It's slower and really isn't very useful.

Instead, you're better off choosing a single nearby enemy and getting up close before they can shoot you. You can then get into a physical fight (which works pretty well). Once you've knocked them out you can take their gun and use it on the other enemies.

Or, of course, you can simply run (often this is the best course, but I do enjoy the FSP aspects when they occur - they offer a bit of additional variety and are quite realistic as well). Speaking of that realism factor, I like that you have limited ammo in each weapon and that you only take a few hits before you die. It adds to the sense of urgency, but isn't too difficult.

The actual free run aspect is really fantastic. It's amazing how this game does make you feel like you [i]are[/i] Faith. There are many subtle things going on that give you the ability to perceive depth and your own limbs/weight in a way that no other first person game has ever done. And that is largely what makes the "platforming" successful.

The only issue I have really is that the game is still mostly pretty linear. This is not a problem in and of itself, but sometimes in order to get past an area you have to perform a fairly complex or awkward move that you may have trouble with. If you fail, you have to repeat it until you get it right. This can be frustrating, but on the other hand, it forces you to learn all the moves and when you do achieve something spectacular, you really feel a great sense of achievement.

There's SO much more I could say about this game (from the wonderful cut scenes, the above average story/acting, the pretty visuals and awesome graphic design, the cool and atmospheric music, etc etc).

One thing I must mention is that, perhaps surprisingly, even the free run aspects of the game (which is probably 95% of it) are surprisingly varied.

[spoiler]You spend much of your time on rooftops, but sometimes you're underground, other times you're in subways (pretty amazing sequences in there!), other times you're running through offices...[/spoiler] you'd be surprised how varied this game can be.

So, I'm kind of amazed that I like Mirror's Edge as much as I do, but I am finding the flaws to be minimal. I mean, really, there are no greater downsides here than any other game.

I think it will really come down to whether you enjoy the first person running aspect. If not, you just won't like the game.

But if you pick it up and enjoy that aspect, I think this one's really worth getting.[/font]

[Anakoni Stark]

[SIZE=1]I rented the game, and it's great, the whole free running aspect is awesome (for the most part) but the combat feels half baked and the paths are a little too linear for me, I mean it's a free running game, it shouldnt have only one direct paths to the red doors.

-___-'

only thing that really gets to me is, the massive headaches after playing the game for at least an hour I'm usually popping a few painkillers and crashing on my couch, only to wake up in the middle of the night, ready to play it again.[/SIZE]

[Nessaja]

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]
So, I'm kind of amazed that I like Mirror's Edge as much as I do, but I am finding the flaws to be minimal. I mean, really, there are no greater downsides here than any other game.

I think it will really come down to whether you enjoy the first person running aspect. If not, you just won't like the game.

But if you pick it up and enjoy that aspect, I think this one's really worth getting.[/font][/QUOTE]

That's what I've found too. A lot of people seem to forget that the flaws of Mirror's Edge are in a lot of other games out there. I think it's just because it's new and trying things a little differently.

For me though, I really like the first person running aspect. In fact, I think I'm spoiled. I keep going back to other games and forgetting I can't run around or jump as high as in Mirror's Edge.

All I know is, with the possible level editor and maybe some multiplayer, I can't wait for the sequel.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

I know I'm WAY behind, but I rented this game and played it for the first time (I never got around to downloading the demo) and I was sufficiently happy with it. There, of course, were a few flaws, but otherwise it was a blast.

The only negatives for me were, the length which is a given. I beat it in a matter of 5 hours my first playthrough, which doesn't make it the shortest game. But with how much fun I was having it stunk. The combat was a little choppy, and I'd find myself hitting the disarm button when it was red and still getting slapped. Or try and crouch down for a kick and wind up standing straight up and getting pushed backwards (don't really like how getting pushed back can kill you).

And lastly the loading screens always seem to happen when you're running at full force and into the situation.

I would like to see a sequal now that they've seen what they can do with the engine. Maybe almost make it free roaming in a sense, though I could see a downfall of getting turned around pretty easily.

Also I'd like to see some more combos, though getting to in depth with the fighting would probably be difficult as first person combat isn't the easiest of things in the world.

Don't get me wrong a wall run/kick and disarm is a blast, and truley amazing. Though it gets a little...boring isn't the word but something a step up from boring. If you could add a few combos into it, maybe wall run kick, roll and kick. I know you can manually do those things, but it takes away from the fluidity (word?) of it.

All and all I'd give the game an 8.5/10 if I was rating it. Anybody know if there's a sequel in the works by any chance?

[Xyandar]

I love the physics and graphics of this game. It was very fluent and well-balanced for running on walls and jumping buildings. The details on the characters were very well done as well. There were a few things that err'ed me about the game, most being little glitches when you have to do a crazy stunt to climb buildings but you can't get the timing right so you fall and die instantly. There were quite a few problems with that( way more on hard difficulty than normal) but other than that it was a sweet game. I'd give it 7.5 out of 10. Now I'm just waiting for the 2nd one.