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Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge is one of EA's most revolutionary games that is set in the
distant future and offers gamers a freedom that has yet to be
experienced in many first person shooters. Developers DICE have upped
the ante of the genre by including the extreme sport of "free running"
into the game which at times gives you a true sense of vertigo.
In Mirror's Edge, you
play Faith who is a "runner" that couriers information to clients in
this almost perfect city. (Think Aeon Flux) Unfortunately for Faith, she becomes drawn
into a world that may look perfect and pristine on
the outside but is actually rotting from the core.
When it all goes awry for
Faith, she is forced to run and this time it's a run to save her life.
Mirror's edge uses some stylised cutscenes to progress the story with cel-shaded animation that suits the story and genre perfectly as gamers
control the nimble and acrobatic faith.
You spend much of the game making (pun intended) "leaps of faith" from one building to another which truly starts your adrenaline
pumping but this is not where the game ends. Fortunately your character
has access to "Runner Vision" which marks certain places in the game
that assists in navigating this in-depth and realistic 3D world, albeit
quite futuristic at times.
Although initially
Runner Vision is quite prevalent, it gradually decreases as the
difficulty increases and for those perfectionists, Runner Vision can
also be switched off. Control wise, Mirror's Edge is not your
traditional first person shooter and has a rather high learning curve
due to the free running aspects of the game, however with persistence,
you can truly create a very entertaining and sometimes frustrating
gaming experience.
The key of the game is
speed and timing which must be used in conjunction because if you fail,
you will fall to your death. Thankfully the tutorial will show you the
basics before you are thrown into the deep end. Although the title does
have a combat system, the best way to fight your battle is by "running"
as you attempt to evade your opponents which is the best way to fight
your battles.
The title does contain
quite a few futuristic weapons which you do have access to, however in
order to free run, you need to have your hands friends, so it's up to
the gamer on how they wish to complete the title. The combat system has
a variety of maneuvers and my favourite aspect is disarming your
opponents and then using their weight to beat them into submission. The
game is not all about fights, running and jumping as there are some
great puzzles to be solved along the way.
The average gamer should complete the game in around 6 to 10 hours which
is quite a short game but because the story is that engaging, it's hard to put
the controller down and to walk away. However this is where the
frustration of the game comes into play because speed and timing is only a button away. With that said, all gamers will plummet to their
deaths quite often in the game, however as you progress, eventually you
will get to a "place", not only in the game but within yourself where it all
comes together and this is where the fun begins. Unfortunately there is
no "save anywhere" feature and the game makes use of checkpoints which
is the classic console save method.
Graphically, the stylised graphics and colour palettes is probably one of
the most stand out games of the year from its almost anime feel to the
design. The characters move with a real-world grace and DICE have done a
great job at creating this futuristic 3D world from the ground up. All
the characters have been professionally designed and match that with
some great lighting and texture details and Mirror's Edge is a visually
impressive game.
The soundtrack of Mirror's Edge is perfect and suits
the genre perfectly as it changes with the action and story as your
progress. The voice acting is extremely professional and nothing sounds
too forced or contrived that is matched perfectly with the sound effects
of the gaming world.
In conclusion, Mirror's Edge is a thoroughly enjoyable title that is one
of the most unique games of the year as you run and fight your way
through a futuristic utopia that contains good gameplay, amazing
graphics and a storyline to match.
Mirror's Edge is quite frustrating
at times,
however if you persevere, the rewards will be endless. Although the
storyline is quite static you can complete the missions in a
variety of different ways which means you'll definitely play this title
at least one or two more times. Highly Recommended! |
