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Mirror's Edge
When we play games, the only genuine sensation of movement that usually registers is the mashing of buttons and thumbsticks. So the most extraordinary accomplishment of Mirror’s Edge is the way it utterly immerses you in the experience of free-running — you viscerally feel the thrill of flowing gracefully over rooftops and around obstacles. The marvelously designed first-person view makes you feel like you are Faith, the game’s star. And since she’s one mighty badass, this game is a joy to play.
Set in a totalitarian near-future, Mirror’s Edge imagines a city where oppressive law enforcement means every move is watched and every action judged. While most of the population complies like sheep, a renegade organization of runners flits across the rooftops, ducking all that surveillance to deliver private data and packages. It’s the perfect framework to hang a parkour game on, and while free running might not seem meaty enough to support an entire game, Mirror’s Edge makes it work beautifully with an inventive blend of platforming, combat, and puzzles.
But before the word “platforming” scares you off, let us assure you that it’s almost an unfair label to hang on this game. Traditional platformers have faded off most of our radars because they feel tediously unfair. They have some B.S. mechanic that you tilt against until you unravel some arcane trick, and then voilà — you get to move on with equal parts relief and satisfaction. In Mirror’s Edge, it’s all satisfaction. Everything is completely doable if you mind your training and remember that Faith is a runner, not a fighter.
By “everything,” we mean sorting out the fastest route across a cluttered rooftop while a helicopter gunship nips at your heels, or deciphering how to climb a towering building with only occasional scaffolding to cling to. While your path through the game as a whole is linear, your choice of routes through these obstacles is impressively open. For example, to cross one gap, we could wall-run across it, drop down low and scuttle under a tunnel, or — our fave — wait for a train to come, then hop briefly onto its roof before springing to the other side in one awesome flurry.
And that’s a big part of the genius of Mirror’s Edge. There’s always a basic route you can follow (often highlighted in red), but identifying the fastest route takes a masterful, audacious eye. The controls are simply and intelligently designed: LB moves you upward (jumping, hurdling) and LT takes you downward (sliding, rolling, dropping). So it’s almost never a question of whether your reflexes are up to the job, but more of whether you’ve got the gumption to even consider trying something in the first place.
With so many options, it’s good — vital, really — that the B button gives you hints. You will get turned around and lose your bearings, especially with the cops so perpetually in hot pursuit. When that happens, pressing B sorts you out by shifting the camera to focus on the most basic way ahead. It leaves you free to run, creating some fantastic moments like the time we burst from a building and slid forever down a steeply sloped roof as bullets pinged around. It was a rush, but we were starting to worry about what to do next until tapping B fixed our eyes on a way to use all that built-up speed to shoot across a ridiculously large gap. We wanted to leap to our feet and cheer when we made it, and that’s one of the things we love about this game — it creates that kind of exultation.
As you might expect, the biggest cramp in all that style is how much you have to try, try again. Since none of Faith’s moves are superhuman, you will plummet to your death countless times as you learn the boundaries of what you can and can’t do. Fortunately, DICE was incredibly wise with checkpoints and reloads, and you’re generally resurrected just a few paces from where you ate pavement, which keeps the frustration to a bare minimum. Still, if you’re the sort who can’t stomach try-die-repeat, the lack of the always preferable save-anywhere could cause you to lose faith.
Mirror’s Edge has two other clever ways to reel you in. Naturally, you have to stand and fight at times, but Faith isn’t a space marine — if she’s shot even a little, she’s toast. So DICE focused her brawling on the nonlethal — you can punch enemies in the groin, wall-run around them, or otherwise outmaneuver them before relieving them of their weapon and clobbering them senseless. Of course, you can shoot up the joint if you like, but it honestly feels pretty boring. With such a challenging and fun toolbox of nonlethal attacks, the game inspires you to take the moral high ground. (Um, the 100-point Achievement for finishing the game without killing anyone doesn’t hurt either!) After all, what’s more interesting to all us FPS vets: another round of spray-and-pray, or charging at an enemy, sliding at the last second into a kick that pops his gun out of his grasp, and then finishing him off with a wicked kick? Yeah, exactly.
The other clever bit comes once you’ve finished the story mode, which is probably when you’ll take the time to check out the game’s time-trial options. Mirror’s Edge is going to be the speed-run game on Xbox 360. In both the story missions and in standalone time-trial courses, you can compete against leaderboard ghosts for bragging rights, and not only is it gigantically fun, but it also builds big replay value into a single-player game.
So we clearly have feelings for this game, but not all of them are happy. The load times are crazy-long, and DICE must’ve bought its elevators from the same place that BioWare got the ones it used in Mass Effect. The story wraps up neatly and nicely, but never goes anywhere all that interesting. And the final mission, sadly, resorts to last-level crap like making enemies inexplicably harder and reducing the frequency of the checkpoints — apparently just to be mean.
None of that should slow you down. Aside from everything else Mirror’s Edge succeeds at, it also has some of the most arresting, original visuals we’ve seen on 360. Its starkly colorful graphics and slick anime cinematics are expressly designed to wire directly into your nerd-joy cortex — and they do. With such raw creativity and built-in speed-run appeal, Mirror’s Edge will transfix you for a long, long time.
On Xbox 360
+ Brilliant sense of motion and gameplay. You truly feel like a free-runner.
+ Insanely addictive time trials and speed runs.
+ Just gorgeous.
? Why not do save-anywhere for zero try-die-repeat frustration?
9.5
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Bravo-323
June 01, 2010 at 6:38pm
How did this game get a better score than Splinter Cell: Conviction?????? Sometimes i just don't understand OXm's reviews...
TTL Jericho
January 08, 2009 at 6:00pm
I have two complaints with this game; the Combat System and Over all Design. Combat pretty much sucks IMO - the one button disarm robbed the game of a better experience. Not only can you not see the awesome move you're pulling off (as demonstrated by the animations during loading screens) you can't even choose what attach will be used. And you also have to pull your finger off the right stick to do it (very awkward). Major thumbs down on that. I felt the overall design of the game was shallow and the puzzle solving never felt organic. I was always using the same moves to get where I needed to go, it never coached me along to higher degrees of skill, and most of the running was pedestrian (pun intended). Assassin's Creed felt much freer and soaring than this. And the sense of height? Not so much. Other notable let downs: using the bumper for all the jumps? Not a very solid button for that which led to MANY failed attempts. The B button to show you where you need to go was a nice touch unless you happened to hit while you were running - which then turned you immediately in the direction (why not just move your FRACKIN head?) which sometimes meant you were now running off the roof. Good game, pretty game, decent story, fantastic sense of style, but needs to go back to the blackboard with their gameplay.
strattnuttz
December 21, 2008 at 9:57pm
Oh, and could OXM please get multiple people to review games, I agree with these guy's less then any other publication out on the market, and I love the 360!
strattnuttz
December 21, 2008 at 9:56pm
I agree that this game is addicting, but it does have flaws. It seems like a work in progress. When you make a long jump, and use the safe landing button, it doesn't alway's work. It is a good looking game, and very fun. However, it's the most frustrating game of the year. I like how the developer did the buildings, they look great, the characters do not however. I also agree for the first time with the revier's comment on the whole save anywhere option, it would make it a lot better. I think if there is a sequal the gliches need to be fixed.
Son_of_Azarel
November 26, 2008 at 7:58am
This game is great fun, I had no doubt i was getting it. I only hope that in the sequel. (what game doesn't have one) the combat system will be removed or greatly changed.
z Deathguard z
November 23, 2008 at 1:16pm
After playing the game demo for Mirror's Edge, I got really excited. When I went online to see some of the scores though, doubt started stamping out all of that excitement that I built up for myself. Even though a 7.5 is still supposed to be a good score, I thought the demo I played was the start to a game worth way more than that. I'm glad to see that someone is as excited about the full game as I was about the demo, and after reading this review I'm pretty confident that I'll like it just as much as this review says I will. Coming December, this game will definitely be in my 360.
HAYRON
November 19, 2008 at 12:28pm
I've got to support this review 100%
There's no better 'new' gaming experience out there right now. This game is fantastic, nearly flawless.
I finished my first playthrough on normal mode & got the Test of faith achievement as well. I'm on the next to last chapter on Hard mode right now. And that leads me to the game's only flaw, which really the devs should take as a compliment... the game is too short. That just means we want more, and as I said, is a compliment, considering so many people were afraid the game would get dull and repetitive.
The environments and paths were different enough that each level felt like a fresh design.
Great Game.
Paul OXM
November 17, 2008 at 3:25pm
We don't review games based on the curve set by Metacritic & Co. We say what we think after completing the games we review and having at least one other, if not more, staffer spend significant time with the game. We're very diligent about how we conduct reviews, and if you don't like our opinions, feel free to return to the mags and websites that don't challenge your assumptions.
ReignINblooD420
November 16, 2008 at 4:22pm
wow... a 9.5 for this game? your sister company in the UK gave it a 7. if you look at metacritic the game averaged a 7.9 and your review is the highest of them all. yet another inaccurate review by the team at OXM it would seem. I'm seriously starting to doubt you guys play these games to the fullest before reviewing them.
wickedclowns95
November 16, 2008 at 2:12pm
This game is amazing. Already beat it twice though. Once on easy so I could do the achievement for not shooting anybody and once again on hard for that achievement. I now have 625 gs from it after about 15 hours of the game. I also tried some of the time trials and speed-runs and some of them are really freaking hard. I'm not done with them but I can't say that I haven't had any of those controller throwing moments already because it sucks when you hit a button combo wrong and realize your mistake before watching yourself plummet to your death. Also on the speed-runs, you can't mess up or you've got to start over, that can make some of them pretty difficult too. ------------------------ Inhale the damage smoothly Paradise isn't lost It was hiding all along.
SeargentWiggles
November 15, 2008 at 8:27pm
i'm getting this game for christmas, time can't go any slower!!!
DelishusSeagull
November 14, 2008 at 8:22pm
This game is amazing and it's one of my all time favorites already, i just wish it was longer. Great review paul, you hit the nail right on the head.
insomniak
November 11, 2008 at 7:44am
im totally with you man. i got a ton of games yet to play and buy. Ive been working so much so I have money to buy them all but not to play them. Right now im working on Call of Duty 2 ( just bought it for the first time like a month ago for $20 and well worth it), Saints Row 2, Far Cry 2, Fallout 3 and Rockband 2. I still have to get Spiderman: Web of Shadows, Gears of War 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Mirrors Edge, Left 4 Dead, Fable 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Quantum of Solace, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Need for Speed Undercover and Price of Persia before the end of the year. Too many good games indeed not that Im complaining.
wickedclowns95
November 10, 2008 at 4:51pm
This game brought back memories of a single game that I demand everyone goes out and buys today. It reminded me of Breakdown for the original X-Box. Find a used copy if you can because it too was an incredible fps game with fighting elements. I've played this Demo many times and decided to pre-order this game. It looks freaking amazing as far as graphics. This holiday season is putting a gaping hole in my wallet. I haven't even bought Fable 2 yet. I've been playing Rock Band 2, Fallout 3, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Gears of War 2, and Legendary. And of course, I want to shell out another $60 for this game. Not to mention that I already payed off Left 4 Dead... Too many good games coming too fast... There is just no way I can get them all... --------------------------- Inhale the damage smoothly Paradise isn't lost It was hiding all along.
Paul OXM
November 09, 2008 at 3:32pm
"How long" is always hard to answer. It's not a long game -- it's on the short side of average, I'd say. Maybe six hours if you hustle, eight if you linger. I'll be playing the time trials forever, though...
iThomas
November 09, 2008 at 9:45am
Paul, you're becoming one of my favorite reviewers at OXM. You give games great praise that deserve it without nitpicking over every little blemish (something I think many do too much of just to make their reviews seem more "professional" while at the same time alienating people on what's truly a great game). I played the demo and loved it. Prior to doing so, the game was simply going to be a rental for me, but after playing the demo and reading this review, I've pretty much put it on my "to buy" list once I play through all these other big games. I applaud EA this year. They've been cranking out some extremely solid games. I still wish OXM would've given much more love to the exceptional Dead Space, however :P
FirelanderX
November 09, 2008 at 7:47am
I do not care how long this game is, I spent about 7 hours playing the demo's time trail. So yeah... I think I will be playing this for quite some time. :P --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gm2bhovFcI&fmt=18
CAWeissen
November 09, 2008 at 7:25am
So, roughly how long is the single player storyline? 8 hours? _________________ "People should not be afraid of their government...government should be afraid of their people."
l TopGunX l
November 08, 2008 at 6:36pm
Cant Wait for this one! I always trust OXM's reviews But I loved the demo anyway! ----
FirelanderX
November 07, 2008 at 10:36pm
I <3 this game... :D --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gm2bhovFcI&fmt=18
12345678910
November 07, 2008 at 9:27pm
Great, great review! I havent been paying too much attention to this one but ill have to check it out. It sounds great!
ill sue y4
November 07, 2008 at 5:20pm
i was then considering mirrors edge, now im going to make the possibility of me purchasing mirrors edge very strong.
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