Mirrors Edge (Xbox 360)

==========Mirror's Edge Xbox 360==========

Are you brave enough to take a leap of Faith into the unknown?

*Introduction*

Mirror's Edge is an original and unique new title, heavy influenced by both 'Parkour' and 'Free Running'. Parkour (a French word, literally translated means-the art of 'Movement') is a type of urban sport which founding principles are for a human to get from A to B, in the shortest time ...
...huge issue, and 'flowing' is considered a fundamental part of the discipline. It is far better to get from A to B in smooth and rhythmic like motions, then it is to stop, start and not be at all fluent. Parkour is almost always done in a 'urban environment', usually one with small buildings, drain-pipes, steps and several different sized furnishings. Almost anywhere from city centres, to schools, and even housing estates can become an 'urban playground' ... more

====Mirror's Edge Xbox 360==========

Are you brave enough to take a leap of Faith into the unknown?

*Introduction*

Mirror's Edge is an original and unique new title, heavy influenced by both 'Parkour' and 'Free Running'. Parkour (a French word, literally translated means-the art of 'Movement') is a type of urban sport which founding principles are for a human to get from A to B, in the shortest time possible-with no tools. The runners movements are also a huge issue, and 'flowing' is considered a fundamental part of the discipline. It is far better to get from A to B in smooth and rhythmic like motions, then it is to stop, start and not be at all fluent. Parkour is almost always done in a 'urban environment', usually one with small buildings, drain-pipes, steps and several different sized furnishings. Almost anywhere from city centres, to schools, and even housing estates can become an 'urban playground' with just a little imagination. Of course due to this, the obstacles can often be very great. A true master of the art must be strong in several aspects; speed, strength, agility, stamina and of course good jumping ability are all vital.

A standard 'run' (Going from Place A, to Place B) would consist of running the majority of the way. Leaping over smaller objects in the path, climbing and scaling larger buildings and also rolling as a safety measure. Any jump downwards from anything over a medium height, is usually followed with a full body roll directly over the shoulder. This breaks down the pressure and distributes it amongst the body. Some of the jumps the professionals make would crush their bodies, should they just take the full brunt of the force on there simple two-legged stance. Another reason for the roll, is of course, to keep the speed and momentum going; which is vital. It is an art form in it's own right, and to see someone who knows what there doing; truly is a sight to behold.

*Review*

*I am reviewing Mirror's Edge on the Xbox 360. However there are only a few very subtle differences between the 360 version and the PS3 version of the game. The only ones I am aware of are that the PS3 version has slightly more 'lag' and looks a little bit rougher around the edges so to speak. However as the gameplay is identical, I think it would be fair to use this review if you are considering the Playstation 3 Version.*

Mirror's Edge really is going to be a marmite game for the majority of people. Your not going to merely like-it or think it's average. You will either love it, or you will hate it-it's as simple as that. I will warn you right from the get-go that it has flaws. Huge gapping ones depending on how you look at it. But it also a game of quaint charm, of great character and is a genuinely fun game to play. Additionally I would also consider myself a 'lover' (Although not of marmite; I despise that evil brown paste!) but will try my uppermost best to provide an honest, fair and unbiased review.

The story of Mirror's Edge is set some time in the not so distant future. And whilst no definitive timeframe is ever given to the player, it is blatantly obvious that it is a future that we could most likely be heading for. It is a CCTV world on steroids, where news, TV, Newspapers (and most likely even Video Games!) have all been banned. The world is supposedly crime free (Well there is no news of crime anyway; Pun most certainly intended) and everyone is monitored twenty-four seven. In this world of silence, the majority of the public are happy, docile even. However there is a small underground group of 'runners', who knows all is not as it seems. Unhappy with having there lives monitored and thirsty for the thrill of the run. These 'couriers' as they are called, carry messages, news, goods, whatever, to the people who need them-of course for a fee.

The main character in the game (and the one you will spend the entire time controlling) is Faith. An Asian-mixed woman, dressed almost completely in black, with several tattoo's and one hell of a leap! The story builds over 9 impressive chapters, with an additional prelude. However much to the contrary of the initial set-up, the first 5 or so chapters, really are nothing to write home about. A traditional chapter will start with a briefing of your goal for that level, and then your straight off. Leaving little time to hang around, but also little to care about the story. You will get a few in-game cut scenes throughout the levels, where for example the camera will move to the other end of a building, to show a parade of blues (Police) running and gunning directly towards you. Then when you have completed that level, you will get a short cartoon clip. These clips are too short to really care about, but are well made and enjoyable. They round off each chapter nicely and in a unique, if albeit novel way.

For me the story was not that great. They never put enough time into letting you get to know the main few characters, and consequently when major plot developments happened; I found myself disinterested at best. It would appear that (From the closing few moments) you are meant to have real feeling for the main protagonist at that point. Yet I found even though I thought the ending was fantastic, I didn't know Faith at all; and therefore had no real feeling or compassion for her. By having such little story (and also in many ways, by choosing cartoons) I feel they have really dumbed down what could be a huge selling point for a game like this. I suppose you could argue that a Parkour game, is perhaps more of a sports game, and therefore story is largely irrelevant. However Mirror's Edge would of benefited so much form being just a little more fleshed out story-wise, and it could of taken the game to new heights.

I think now would be a good time to mention a rather game-defining point; the camera. Now the entire time you play Mirror's Edge you will be playing in FPS mode. FPS mode, stands for First Person Shooter mode, which basically means you see the world in 1st person, from Faiths eyes. Now this of course means you have a fantastic view of the highly artistic urban landscape. But it also means you cannot see your feet. Now in games where gun play is a huge part that is fine, but in a game where the core mechanics of the game are jumping; That can provide an issue. There is no option to switch camera, FPS mode is all you get. Within the first half an hour (And for me within the first level) you will fall to you death countless times because of this. Now once you get used to the camera angle, all is fine. But finding that sweet spot, of when exactly to jump, to make sure you just about fling yourself from one building to another-is tough to say the least. To be completely fair it's fantastic and rather exhilarating once you get the hang of it: but the learning curve is really, really steep. However even having said that, the game could of benefited hugely from having a 3rd person perspective-as an option at least. Much like in Fallout 3, you will most likely play in 1st person the majority of the time; but it is nice to be able to pan out and actually see there is a character you are controlling. Being able to see your character more often, would also help you build a stronger relationship with Faith; Which is a missing ingredient in many ways.

The core gameplay is pretty solid, with a few awkward points here and there. Due to the camera you need to get used to jumping a few seconds after it appears you have fallen off the building. This is of course because Faith's eye's are looking far beyond her feet. Now whilst that may sound like a very tiny and even trivial complaint, it is psychologically a very hard thing to get over. I found myself even on the last chapter, jumping way too early (admittedly in a panic) and falling quickly to my demise.

Another important aspect with a game like this is the control scheme. I found that this was very easy to use, and as there are little inputs, most should get used to it shortly after picking up the controller. For the 360 version you run around with the 'right analogue stick', and gain speed simply by not bumping into things and keeping flow. Your most used button would then be the 'left shoulder button' which makes Faith Jump. You will also be using the 'left trigger button' a fair amount. That makes you crouch when stationary, to get through vent's and small tunnels. It will also make you slide when running, to quickly slip under objects whilst maintaining maximum momentum. It can also be used to roll, as long as you hit it at the perfect time, just before you land from a height. Beyond that the only other key thing is balancing, when walking along narrow planks. This is done with the 'left analogue stick' so as not to fall. Everything else is done by Faith on her own accord. Wall runs, grabbing ledges, objects, and the like is all done with a simple jump. The control scheme really is refreshingly simple and yet offers a lot of depth. A huge part of the end-game activities is to try and get a level done in the shortest time possible. To get the best possible times, you must have perfect accuracy with you moves and must keep the flow through the entire course. The control scheme is perhaps where Mirror's Edge shines the most, as after the initial difficulty, it is a rewarding and fun system.

The combat is acceptable, but slows down the momentum of the game quite severely. Luckily there is very little combat, so you won't need to spend to much time roughing up the blues. When a fight starts Faith has several ways options to go with; and usually each is best suited to a particular event. The first option is to simply run or dodge past them all. Whist not always possible, and with the increased risk of being shot a hundred or so times, it's always the most stylish way-and indeed the way I believe the game was intended to be played. Should you be raging for a fight that too is possible. You have both kicks and punches in your arsenal, and both are equally as useless. However combos such as the wall-run-to-a-kick-in-the-face combo, can deal some serious damage to you befuddled foe. The third and final option is too steal one opponents gun and shoot the rest. The latter is most certainly not in the same ethos of Faith, but will be shockingly effective.

You additionally have a few advanced moves in you arsenal. The first is for disarming your opponents. To do this you will need to get in close proximity to a gun-wielding foe and press the 'Y button'. From there an also most mini-game will start, with a short clip of Faith going for the Polices gun. Just near the middle of the clip the gun will flash red, indicating that you should press Y again. From there if you get the timing correct faith will grab the gun, and if you miss the timing Faith will get shoved aside and then shot at! I found this very hard to get right and near the end of the game you have around half a second to hit the button correctly. You do have another tool in your arsenal to help though; Reaction Time. By pressing the 'X button' the whole game will slow down, enabling Faith to run around in an almost Matrix-style, which makes light work of everything in her path. This of course makes combat (And even weapon thieving) a breeze, but is a limited resource. Faith has no health bar of such, but is a tough little fighter. On my first play through I found she could take 3 or 4 bullets or punches, before she died. Which is usually more than enough to have eliminated any trouble. Also whenever she is in trouble of be killed, the screen will flash red. Simply taking a quick detour form the action and running around for a bit, will completely heal her up; and then enable her to trash the bad guys!

The graphics of the game are one of the features that many will be split on. They are very simple and basic colours with the majority of buildings and furnishing in either white, chrome or grey. The areas with enemies near will be blue, and when you get deeper in to enemy territory (and there is a greater perceived risk) there will be more and more blue. Additionally depending on the difficulty selected at the beginning, most players will have something called 'runners vision'. This is almost like a guide to the world and will very loosely point you in the correct direction. Items will be red, indicating that item is vital or that jump is in the correct direction. The graphics definitely are very lush. DICE (the game designers) have obviously made an active decision to use a limited colour palate; and I feel that it really works. It just oozes 'CCTV' and 'Ipod' and everything is scarily clean and shiny. Overall the world feels well fleshed out with plenty of buildings (Although not every is reachable) and a few hidden things; here and there. There are a few different levels to brake the game up, including a few scenes inside buildings and even a chapter on a boat!

The music for this game is phenomenal! No doubt's about it, the techno/trance like beats and the flowing mechanic like noises supplement the game perfectly. The theme tune in particular is a song that really effected me and is now (rather ironically) on my Ipod. It is called Still Alive and is by a young Swedish singer named Lisa Miskovsky. A stunning and haunting tune, that almost sums up the entire game in both lyrics and presence. The song was considered so beautiful that it has spawned several remixes by some of the biggest DJ's in the world! Armand Van Helden, Junkie XL and Paul Van Dyk are amongst the list of great artists who have released there own version of the track. The game ticks every box possible for me with the music and truly excels in every point.

Once you have completed the main story-line part of the game there is still plenty to do. Each level will then be available for a speed run, challenging you to complete the whole chapter in a nail-bitingly short time. These should provide a huge challenge for even fantastic players. You will also eventually unlock around 25 playgrounds, which are small bits of original levels. Each with several marking points, these challenge you to hit each one and then complete the level in the shortest time possible. With tiered rewards Gold, Silver and Bronze, you could easily sink a dozen hours or so into this mode alone. Some challenges are near impossible and really quite frustrating. I gave up on almost all levels with a lower grade medal simply because they require you to be perfect within a few milliseconds! As you collect medals you also get points, these points are added up and at a certain level you will unlock new courses; or new checkpoints for existing ones. There is no online play for the game, which is a shame as it could have been brilliant racing others online. Another missed opportunity in my opinion. There are leader boards but there really not that fun. It will show you the worlds best time and you can then download a ghost of that run to compete against. You can also do this with you friends, and download one of there ghosts. It all largely pointless, other than to learn the quickest way round. It is also rather boring racing a stagnant AI apposed to a real person. And most of us mere mortals will never see time anywhere near those on the world leader boards! All of these are really just add-ons, but as the original game is quite short (running at between 6-10 hours depending on skill) it does add some more value for money and replay options.

At the end of the day the enjoyment you will get form Mirror's Edge, is as much down to personal preference as it is to the direction DICE have chosen to take the game in. If you can overlook it's few blemishes; the steep learning curve, the slight lack of story and the fact that every now and then your just destined to fall to your death. You will find a hugely rewarding game, filled with lush graphics, the most pumping sound track of any recent game, and a truly unique experience that little other games can offer. I really would highly recommended you take the leap of Faith and find out what it really is like, to live on the Mirror's Edge!

*Additional Information*

Price wise I paid £39.99 for this on launch day, as that was the only price available at the time. However now almost every shop online and in the high street has Mirror's Edge for between £17.99 and £19.99 brand new. It is a real bargain at that price.

The theme music from the game is by Lisa Miskovsky, and her CD's and downloads can be purchased from most places online. The original remixes were as far as I am aware limited editions, given as pre-order bonuses. However almost all can be heard on Youtube and can most likely be download from Itunes and the like.

For Xbox 360 Achievement hunters, and PS3 Trophy collectors you will most likely have a hard time here. There are a lost of basic achievements that will just unlock as you play, but there are also some button-mashingly frustrating ones. Some of them require speed runs or time trials and both are seriously very, very difficult. The best achievement in my opinion is the one entitled 'Test of Faith', which is gained by playing the entire game without shooting an enemy!

Thank you for reading and I hope my review will help you make an informed and wise decision.

Craig 07/01/2009 

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