Mirror's Edge Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 13 January, 2009

Faithful.

Version tested: PC

We can't help loving it. Mirror's Edge may have been short, narrow, brutal, disorientating and bound in cliché, but once you learned to read between the racing lines of its serene adventure playground and embraced its economy of control, it was hard not to skip, dive and rebound across its troubled rooftops with a quantum of glee. And while there will be the usual complaints about SecuROM (five authorisations) around this belated PC port, after half a dozen hours retracing our console steps it's hard not to argue it's the best version.

Mirror's Edge puts you in the trendy first-person trainers of Faith, a messenger for a skyscraping underground delivery network that vouchsafes freedom of communication in a glimmering city that seeks its repression, and she does this by running, jumping and skidding around rooftops, guided by a traditional movement controls and context-sensitive "up" and "down" buttons, which account for jumps, vaults, wall-runs and ledge-grabs, and skids, crouches, rolls and release respectively. With little more than these and a bridging 180-degree spin button, she can navigate virtually any series of obstacles with fluent parkour acrobatics, keeping an eye out for the guiding red visual signature of the next best leap of faith.

And, for the benefit of latecomers, we do mean virtually any series of obstacles. DICE has arranged a network of wooden ramps, chest-high pipes, pronounced air conditioning units, roof-access pods, cranes, trapeze, zip-lines, scaffolds and wooden boards to assist, and within an hour of starting you can be chaining a wall-run to a trapeze to a tucked roll under a vent into a jump from a stepped crate onto a zip-line and a soft landing on tarpaulin.

'Mirror's Edge' Screenshot 1

The new cloth effects look great in the new wind, and buffed textures help them settle in comfortably.

On consoles, however, it often took longer than that. Up and down were easy to master, but analogue directional control and DICE's reluctance to correct your course - even slightly - often snagged you, or left you to slowly, agonisingly draw yourself over the lip of a roof-edge, or sent you plummeting to your doom and the commiseration of a sympathetic checkpoint. Look down and you could see your feet. Look down and you wouldn't have time to look up again.

Thanks to the mouse, not so on the PC. With the sensitivity at a decent level, a decade of twitching guns onto monsters rescues you from misjudgement. You can glance down to see where you're jumping from, and you can line up your jumps and slides precisely. Keyboard control is just as fluent, with movement on WSAD, the up and down controls on spacebar and left-shift, the 180 spin on Q and other occasional prompts - like using objects, slowing time and kicking down doors - spread sensibly around in the main controls' immediate vicinity. Hand-to-hand combat is on the mouse buttons, which blends more intuitively into your acrobatic routines, and gun combat - though incidental to the whole - is easier with the mouse. And of course it's all customisable. Plug in an Xbox 360 controller and you can see what you're not missing, complete with the correct button prompts in menus and tutorials.

Visually the upgrade is equally seamless, with new lighting effects making the most of the sun's glare in the reflective glass of the sheer windowed buildings that stretch further above you into the deep blue sky. Thanks to NVIDIA's PhysX software, there are extra details like flappy plastic sheeting and cloth that catches the wind, or shreds under the weight of gunfire from pursuing helicopters. Textures have been improved too, glistening with surface detail, and the world has been filled out with incidentals like tumbling bricks, warped reflections in shiny pipes, and real-time fog and steam effects. It all sits prettily in an already handsome game-world of glaring concrete and breezy sunshine, which only troubled our GeForce 8800 GT-equipped 3GHz dual-core test machine in a few places, even running at 1900x1200. The only thing that looks out of place is the occasional shiny rat.

The PC version doesn't improve upon, but at least retains the console games' moreish Time Trials, too, complete with online leaderboards and quick and easy ghost downloads to race against. It uses the now-standard EA account (which I have no memory of signing up for, but discovered I do have), for which you can compile a Friends list, and EA has said it will release the promising new downloadable levels for the PC as well. The Achievements/Trophies are no longer included, with no obvious replacement, although you can still unlock a wealth of indifferent extras - artwork, anime cut-scenes and tunes.

What is a shame is that the PC conversion's few extra months' incubation haven't been used to address some of the more minor issues with the original game, like the "hint" key's uselessness indoors, and the occasional difficulty of jumping between pipes. But we can forgive these things for the improvement elsewhere in control and visuals.

'Mirror's Edge' Screenshot 2

Runner Vision (which can be toggled off) highlights objects worth climbing or jumping off, which helps as you speed around the city.

Which just leaves the game itself to measure up, and while it's undoubtedly a unique and special experience, what was true then is true now: level design isn't explicitly linear, but certainly stifles you, and often loses its way completely when it shelters from the game's epic blue skies indoors, and it's hard not to view the interference of gun-wielding "blues" as intrusive, while the story being told is perfunctory and occasionally aggravating, even if Faith herself is boldly flat-chested, bony and sympathetic when she's not speaking. It's also a short game, over in a couple of evenings, and the usual PC discount at online retailers is less meaningful now the console versions have been cut below it in some places.

For all its flaws, though, we're still in love. Mastering the game's in-body platforming is an urgent thrill, beaten down less violently here under the auspices of our old friends keyboard and mouse, and stands out from the homogenised interfaces of modern first-person and platform games. The quality of EA's 2008 output was a pleasant surprise almost throughout, but even among its several triumphs this is the only game confident enough to merely reward you with a heightened command of what you were already doing - and the only one where that more than sufficed.

8 / 10

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (68) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Slipstream #1 3 years ago

    1st!

    Yes, yes Mirrors Edge is very good! I will go and read the Article now!

    Alrighty, so a few extra graphical effects and some 'new levels' good if you don't already own the console versions I suppose.
    Yeah the game is short but I think everyone should experience the seamless gameplay style and some clever design aspects of the levels too.
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 00:39

  • Lukus #2 3 years ago

    Hope you get overtime.

  • vegard #3 3 years ago

    i'm in the process of switching from pc gaming to console gaming, but every time i play this game i wish it was on the PC. the 360 controller is alright, but wouldn't it be nice if we could have the option to plug in a mouse and keyboard? wishful thinking i guess...

    shame about the storyline, i found it very hard to get into

  • Gaol #4 3 years ago

    Prince of Persia:
    Gorgeous visuals, great soundtrack, terrific frustration free fun, a truly immersive and memorable experience.
    6/10

    Mirrors Edge
    OMFG F**king Stop F**king Shooting Me F*ck Off F*ck Off F*ck Off!!!
    8/10

    Tom Bramwell
    He's played way too many platformers
    1/10
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 00:59

  • FaceOmeter #5 3 years ago

    Thank goodness say I! With the apparently-disappointing ports of GTAIV and Saints Row 2 my PC-only lifestyle was becoming depressing...

  • dsmx #6 3 years ago

    It's still not worth paying full price for though.

  • doriangray #7 3 years ago

    Prince of Persia:
    Gorgeous visuals, great soundtrack, terrific frustration free fun, a truly immersive and memorable experience.


    The first two points are all very nice, but as proven with GTA4 they don't equal a fun game experience. As for "frustration free run" I assume you mean how it wasn't frustrating at all because the game played itself for you? Simply press forwards and jump and that's it? How "immersive" it was as i fought the same boss over and over and over again.


    I never understood people's problems with the shooting in ME. Whilst the last couple of levels are a bit fucked (goddamn snipers and "oh here's a small room full of guards";) the rest of the game creates a perfect balance. The shooting is a threat but not to the extent that I can't use my skill to either run away or disarm them.

  • Nithron #8 3 years ago

    Complaining about the gun combat in Mirror's Edge is like complaining about the limited hand-to-hand moves in Resident Evil 4/5.

    They're simply not the point of the game. The point of Mirror's Edge is running the hell away, because that's what you're good at. You're not playing as a one-man-army space marine/physicist, you're playing as a five foot tall glorified papergirl. She's got some slick martial arts moves, sure, but she aint supposed to be able to slaughter entire brigades of armed police on her own.

  • UncleLou #9 3 years ago

    Prince of Persia better than a 6? GTA IV no "fun"? People here are geting madder by the day.

    Anyway, will pick this up if I see it anywhere comparatively cheap.

  • peak_performance #10 3 years ago

    Damn it, I knew it would use that bloody securom drm system. I will need to think a lot more about it now, still seems as one of the most interesting games arriving this generation.

  • smelly #11 3 years ago

    >OMFG F**king Stop F**king Shooting Me F*ck Off F*ck Off F*ck Off!!!


    +1

  • smelly #12 3 years ago

    >Damn it, I knew it would use that bloody securom drm syst

    Like it actually effects you.. come on.. tell me you're actually one of these people who actually claims their machine is useless (or whatever) because of it.. and you're not just jumping on the "i hate drm" bandwagon?

  • rhubarbandcustard #13 3 years ago

    Who cares about stupid PC game reviews? We want more Holly Valance!

    Oh wait a minute, I came here specifically for game reviews. Go figure.

    Now imagine how cool this game would be using this:
    http://ho thardware.com/Articles/NVIDIA-G...
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 09:07

  • Retroid #14 3 years ago

    'Quantum' being the smallest possible? ^__^

  • ChrisS #15 3 years ago

    Lovely review. I really wish I had the sort of PC that could do this justice because ME's cityscapes (most beautiful dystopia ever?) deserve to be viewed at their best.

  • ryohazuki1983 #16 3 years ago

    "The point of Mirror's Edge is running the hell away, because that's what you're good at."

    There are moments when you can't just run away though, like in the mall where you gotta swing onto the platform at the very top. There's "blues" shooting all the time, it would be impossible to run away etc

    Overall it's a good game (something different, which is a good thing), but IMO the "blues" just ruin the game. But I suppose if they took them away then the game would be a lot shorter than it already is!

    Unless i'm just shit at it!.


    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 09:19

  • JahB #17 3 years ago

    Prince of Persia:
    Gorgeous visuals, great soundtrack, terrific frustration free fun, a truly immersive and memorable experience.
    6/10

    joyless interactive movie for people that can't handle more than two buttons.

    i'm not saying mirror's edge is perfect, but in terms of a game it's a hell of a lot better than PoP.
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 09:21

  • ZuluHero #18 3 years ago

    "As for "frustration free run" I assume you mean how it wasn't frustrating at all because the game played itself for you? Simply press forwards and jump and that's it? How "immersive" it was as i fought the same boss over and over and over again. "

    "joyless interactive movie for people that can't handle more than two buttons. "


    Oh FFS here we go again.

    Right. The game didn't play itself for you. Otherwise how did you get past the bits where you had a 'double-jump', pole, pole, ceiling hoop, ceiling hoop, pole, double jump, wall run, wall, run, hoop, wall run, hoop, hoop, wall run, double jump?

    IIRC that would be: A, Y, A, A, up, A, B, B, down, A, Y, A, A, B, A, B, B, A, Y

    AND that is indicative of one of the shorter sequences! And when you start to add other things like magic pads, vines and wall grinding, you will end up using the entire pad (almost). Also if you don't jump or move do an input in the right window (even if the game is rather generous) you would fall and have to start the whole sequence over again.

    But maybe I’m wrong? I guess I should have just put the pad down and watched the prince do his stuff on his own!

    Oh no wait - i can't do that because the game doesn't play itself :/

    /groan

    Anyway, for what its worth Mirrors Edge was all right. I didn't agree with its constant switching of its design ethos (run away! fight them!, run away! No! FIGHT THEM!!) And I hated its complete lack of subtlety to create an immersive world.

    Look at portal, a game that shares a similar aesthetic and world. In portal, everything is subtle. The look of the Aperture Science facility, The signs and iconography used, the sinister overtones that only become apparent the more you play.... Mirrors Edge has obviously looked at Portal. A lot.

    And on first glance it seems to work very well. But just scratch the surface and you can see that it’s just a very cheap paint job. The story doesn't work, some of the level layouts just don't make sense in a real world way – and icons/signs/posters are a joke!

    For example, the "no runner" signs sprayed all over the place depict a Faith silhouette with a no entry sign over the top. I mean c'mon? I thought that this totalitarian government hated all runners? What makes my character so special? I mean please get over yourselves…

    Anyway, the list goes on and I’ve ranted enough. Lets just say that after I finished Mirrors Edge I traded it in, but Prince of Persia now proudly sits on my "keepers" shelf, right next to Shadow of the Colossus and ICO.




    Edited by 2 at 13/01/09 @ 10:04

  • UncleLou #19 3 years ago

    Oh no wait - i can't do that because the game doesn't play itself :/


    Taking things a bit too literally, maybe? Yes, PoP does play itself. Yes, you need to input the odd approximate instruction.

    Great visuals, awful game and level design.

  • septimus #20 3 years ago

    Loved Mirrors Edge, even though I'm sure my controller almost got throw through the wall at one point.

    Strange game, I usually hate irritating games, but there is just something about this game which made me keep going back to it until it was finished.

  • PearOfAnguish #21 3 years ago

    "Now imagine how cool this game would be using this:"

    I can imagine, it would be exactly this fun: not at all.
    3D glasses and the like are gimmicky crap.

  • andromeda #22 3 years ago

    glad that there is respect for this game, a lot of people didnt quite see how ace it is,*cough* edge *cough* and were disappointed that there wasnt enough pew pew. It has beautiful blue skies and an amazing score.

  • andromeda #23 3 years ago

    @septimus

    "Strange game, I usually hate irritating games, but there is just something about this game which made me keep going back to it until it was finished."

    +1

    spot on, couldnt agree more. I almost tore my hair out on some occasions but needed to see it through. Only games ive ever finished , if anyone cares lol - deus ex, metroid prime, windwaker, outcast.

  • spudsbuckley #24 3 years ago

    Frustrating as hell but still one of the best games of last year.

    Good to see it got a decent PC port. It's on Steam as well for anyone who's wondering.

  • sneetch #25 3 years ago

    @PearOfAnguish
    "Now imagine how cool this game would be using this:"

    I can imagine, it would be exactly this fun: not at all.
    3D glasses and the like are gimmicky crap.

    Sorry to correct you PearOfAnguish but you mean it'd be no fun and you would have this odd feeling that your eyes were being baked by the desert sun.

    Screens that close to the eyes are normally a very baaaad idea.

    Edit:

    /screeching brakes

    Woah, misunderstood them. They're like 3d glasses from the cinema in that you need a real monitor too? Hmmm... interesting. :)
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 10:49

  • WickedDeeJ #26 3 years ago

    Limited activations and spyware, courtesy of SecuROM? No thanks, pity - it looked promising. But I'm glad EG finally actually mentioned DRM in a review, it's helped me make an informed decision to not buy it.

  • Katsumoto #27 3 years ago

    "Frustrating as hell but still one of the best games of last year.

    Good to see it got a decent PC port. It's on Steam as well for anyone who's wondering. "

    Are you in America, or is it coming to UK/EU steam do you know? I still couldn't see any of EA's games last time I checked.

  • ZuluHero #28 3 years ago

    @Unclelou

    If people can be theatrical and take it to one extreme I sure as hell can take it the other for the sake of sarcasm ;)

    Lowest form of wit, granted, but it's the only form i know :)

  • Darkedge #29 3 years ago

    does it still have cutscenes that look like they were done by a five year old with some coloured paper and a pair of scissors? God they were bad.
    shame you also need a Nvidia card for the lovely flappy fabrics.

    Still at least the PC version is the definative

  • spudsbuckley #30 3 years ago

    'Are you in America, or is it coming to UK/EU steam do you know? I still couldn't see any of EA's games last time I checked.'

    I'm in Ireland and it appears i'm mistaken about it being on Steam in the EU just yet as it's listed as coming soon on it at the moment. The rest of the EA stuff is there however.

  • StooMonster #31 3 years ago

    Excellent, been waiting for the PC version.

    PhysX effects look fun too; good demo for high end gaming hardware. :D

  • StooMonster #32 3 years ago

    Are you in America, or is it coming to UK/EU steam do you know? I still couldn't see any of EA's games last time I checked.

    Yes, EA games now in Americas and EU except UK. e.g. Dead Space added on 9 January ... except to UK.

  • spudsbuckley #33 3 years ago

    Well that's a bit fucked up.

    You could always use Direct2Drive.co.uk. They're pretty good.

  • Chufty #34 3 years ago

    Oh how I wish this verison had come out at the same time as the others. Damn pirates...

  • layleeloo #35 3 years ago

    I bought this along with 5 other AAA games before christmas - POP on the 360 - which was indeed wank and very linear so got traded after a day, and i got Mirrors on my PS3. I only played it once and thought the conrols were a bit pants but game looked great and wanted to play through. unfortunatly i traded that too, but at least now I will buy it on PC, then I get to play it the best way it seems - with better cotrols and even better graphics on my 4870x2 and 8GB ram. Mmmmmmmm. hehehe
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 12:54

  • Mashum #36 3 years ago

    > OMFG F**king Stop F**king Shooting Me F*ck Off F*ck Off F*ck Off!!!

    +1

    So annoying it made me put the game back in the box - I'm afraid of what I might do if I ever take it out again.

    They make the hand to hand combat such a joyless trial, then they force you do it or face a lottery of bullets. Gits! Well it was fun for a while.

  • avoozl #37 3 years ago

    So it's a good port?

  • UncleLou #38 3 years ago

    I will wait until I can get this on steam before buying it though

    You can count on the Steam version being significantly more expensive. It'll cost the same as in the EA Store, I guess, which is 50,- EUR. On play.com, the boxed copy is 26 quid, which is little more than half. Unless they adapt the Steam prices for the UK.

  • Discalceaterabbit #39 3 years ago

    Unfortunately, I already own 5 EA games, and as such cannot buy another one until I re-activate one of my "buying slots"

  • Darren #40 3 years ago

    Sounds like a great conversion to the PC, I could even play it with 4X AA forced on (so it wouldn't look as pug-ugly and jaggy as the console versions) and I'd have the PhysX physics as I have a GeForce GTX 280 graphics card. Shame then that the game itself was so lacklustre from the console demos I played that I don't feel the slighest inclination to buy it, not even at the cheaper price point.

    A nice concept I guess but a very slight game IMO and, ironically, the first-person perspective doesn't always suit the game as it makes it harder to judge jumps. With such a distinctive lead character, it's surprising that the developers didn't opt for a third-person view but had they done that then the game would have just been a run-of-the-mill platform-cum-adventure game. Certainly it never once grabbed me while I played the demos... it was all very... meh really. The disappointing sales since its release show that it wasn't a game many people wanted to play anyway...

  • StooMonster #41 3 years ago

    You can count on the Steam version being significantly more expensive. It'll cost the same as in the EA Store, I guess, which is 50,- EUR. On play.com, the boxed copy is 26 quid, which is little more than half. Unless they adapt the Steam prices for the UK.

    Steam prices in UK are cheaper than Europe, which is half the argument that the Euro crowd have with the current 1 USD = 1 EUR pricing; some UK games are now cheaper than US ones. Also, UK prices now include VAT whereas the US prices do not.

    Many current titles are £27; which for the no-disc, auto-updated, instant access (no waiting for postman to lose), download onto many computers, and download as many times as you like price is pretty good. Personally, even if it's a couple of quid extra those features are worth the price different to me; the question is how much of a price difference can I bear? Hrm...

    Still, I am hoping EA has a fair pricing policy for Steam games in UK ... when they are finally available.

    Edit: added VAT.
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 14:13

  • Thunderbolt #42 3 years ago

    Agreed - I think this is a game lots of people 'wanted' to like but there are too many faults that prevent from being truly enjoyable.

    I hope that EA don't drop the game as its was mentioned in OXM that the story is part of a trilogy so would be interesting to see where the story goes from here.

    For the next game, I would like to see a choice first and third person view - the truly hardcore option to go first-person like in racing games.

  • FooAtari #43 3 years ago

    smelly
    Like it actually effects you.. come on.. tell me you're actually one of these people who actually claims their machine is useless (or whatever) because of it.. and you're not just jumping on the "i hate drm" bandwagon?

    Limited installs/activations effects everyone. I've still not bought a game that limits my use in this way. I don't care for arguments on who installs a game five times, blah blah blah. I bought the game not rented it. I wouldn't have bought Mirrors Edge anyway but I didn't buy Red Alert 3, FarCry 2 or Crysis Warhead because of it.

  • peak_performance #44 3 years ago

    Thanks a lot FooAtari, now I got to read smellys ignored post :/ (logged out and was apparently correct in assuming it was aimed at me)

    smelly: I was actually on the "bandvagon" back in the Starforce days and haven't changed much since then. It completely goes against my principles supporting something that treats it's paying customers as trash with my money, so I generally won't. In the nick of time Ubisoft removed SF from Heroes 5 which is now collecting dust in my collection.

    I've never been especially afraid of one of these systems affecting me personally, in the case of activation limits I could and would just crack it. It's all principle, standing up for the rights of doing whatever the hell I want to do with the game I bought.

    As I said, I was (actually, I still am) really psyched for Mirror's Edge. It's a shame.

  • spudsbuckley #45 3 years ago

    Am i mental or something because the copy protection on a game has never made me not buy it.

    It's not even something that comes into my head when buying games 0_o

  • Dynamize #46 3 years ago

    Not mental, just not mindful of the encroachment on fair use and 'consumer care' or whatnot by large corporations, and the resultant diminishing value of a product with such strings attached (at least in some people's eyes).

    I'll pass on this for now thanks to the DRM. Might pick it up on budget somewhere down the line.

  • smelly #47 3 years ago

    "smelly: I was actually on the "bandvagon" back in the Starforce days and haven't changed much since then. It completely goes against my principles supporting something that treats it's paying customers as trash with my money, so I generally won't. In the nick of time Ubisoft removed SF from Heroes 5 which is now collecting dust in my collection. "


    So you're saying it DOESNT effect you.. and you're just moaning about it for the sakes of moaning about it? Or indeed using it as an excuse for pirating stuff?

    ok. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself.



  • smelly #48 3 years ago

    @spudsbuckly

    "Am i mental or something because the copy protection on a game has never made me not buy it. "


    Nah, you're not mental.. you're just not jumping on this internet bandwagon full of idiots who get worked up by the media - in much the same way as the daily mail upsets people about imigrants, etc.

    "copy protection system killed my dog", etc etc.

  • smelly #49 3 years ago

    ""smelly: I was actually on the "bandvagon" back in the Starforce day"

    Actually that's quite funny thinking about it.. Back when all you internet tards were moaning about starforce (because the pirates had problems getting around it) - everyone was going on about how securom was SOOO much better.

  • Nithron #50 3 years ago

    Yes. Eventually I will have installed a game over five times because over a long enough period of time, I will have switched computers/formatted them at least that many times. Why? Because computers are shit and constantly go wrong.

    Also, I have a laptop and a PC, so that's two installs gone already.

    Honestly, do the people claiming five installs is enough actually live some charmed life where they buy one PC and it works continuously for the rest of their lives? Or, are they so short sighted they can't see their games suddenly ceasing to work in the future?

    You guys do realise that it can't actually differentiate between a whole new PC, and a new windows install, right?

    Edit: In fact, if you update your hardware enough, something PC gamers allegedly do occasionally, it uses up a reactivation too.
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 19:11

  • Hypocee #51 3 years ago

    Smelly in another fail, folks - remember, SecuROM is only a brand name and the then-current implementations only enforced disc presence (one less evilly than t'other), rather than phoning home for worldwide limits. He apparently doesn't.

  • UncleLou #52 3 years ago

    Or, are they so short sighted they can't see their games suddenly ceasing to work in the future?

    More a case of "buy game, play game, uninstall game" for me.

    I really could hardly care less. I have sympathy for the viewpoint, I just can't listen to it anymore. 2008 was a bit much.

  • smelly #53 3 years ago

    >Smelly in another fail, folks

    Erm... no.. just because you (and indeed the masses) dont agree with me - doesnt make me wrong.

    Just because you're in the majority "mob" opinion - doesnt make your view right either. As millions of westlife (yeah i know im out of date) fans prove.

  • Killerbee #54 3 years ago

    Just finished the main story of this on the PS3 and utterly loved it. Yes, it's flawed and the story is on the weak side, but all of that is more than compensated for by the glorious thrill you get when running full pelt away from the cops and the series of moves you chain together on the fly really do work out.

    I also found it a lot more fun playing to get the "Test of Faith" trophy / achievement - the shooting might have been weak on the console versions, but the melee combat and disarms were great fun.

    Definitely recommended for the budget prices it's going for these days.

  • spudsbuckley #55 3 years ago

    More a case of "buy game, play game, uninstall game" for me.

    This. This is why i don't care about DRM.

    There's a lot of great games out there that need playing so i don't dwell on one long enough to need to install it on 5 seperate machines :D

  • Nithron #56 3 years ago

    More a case of "buy game, play game, uninstall game" for me.

    Yeah, that's your perogative, and y'know, nothing to do with me. I wasn't saying that everyone should be annoyed about it, i was saying that people who are annoyed about it aint just talking crap to sound trendy and be anti-establishment, they have genuine reasons.
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/09 @ 23:57

  • smelly #57 3 years ago

    Seems to me like it's an improvment..

    I can install on multiple machines and dont need to carry cd's around with me every time i play

    But what do i know?

  • StooMonster #58 3 years ago

    I hope the people who avoid buying games because the DRM infringes their rights are equally as passionate (hopefully even more passionate) about more significant attacks on our rights, such as the current British government's plans for ID cards and proposed National Identity Management System.

    [link url=http://www.no2id.net
    ]http://www.no2id.net
    [/link]

  • michaelius #59 3 years ago

    Limited activation = not buying if it's more expensive than 5 euro bargain bin.


  • spudsbuckley #60 3 years ago

    DRM= THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    OH NOES!!!!!!!!!!

    Now i get it ;P

  • Bigglesworth #61 3 years ago

    It's all principle, standing up for the rights of doing whatever the hell I want to do with the game I bought.

    Including flogging copies of it to all and sundry down at the local car boot sale?

    Just saying.

  • peak_performance #62 3 years ago

    What?

  • AhrimaaN #63 3 years ago

    Mirrors edge is short and retardedly badly written - I mean it has barely more of a story holding it together than Doom did, and has pathetic cut scenes, let alone I think I figured out the twist as soon as the tutorial was over. Ouch. The blues are OK, yet still annoying. I completed the game without shooting a gun, which is fine. The only challange I had was the server room and the heavy gunner guy in the middle who won't move, who basically mows you down no matter where you come from = luck to complete.

    I imagine KB + Mouse would improve the controls over xbox, however that would probably further impact the issue of length. I bought this game at $50 AUD and returned it (EB) after 2 days because I completed it, even at that reduced price the time trials were boring, and completely trial and error based = not something I will keep doing over and over.

    No longevity whatsoever.

    That being said the controls / platforming are rather good...

    Mix it up with BF2 and you might have a substantial game.

    The architectural style impressed me a hell of a lot more than anything else, seeing that most games are so boringly drab these days. (Apart from maybe Killer7, Okami, WoG)

  • AhrimaaN #64 3 years ago

    Oh yeah and one of the most frustrating things for me: not being able to take pause and look around the levels as you are constantly on the run. Very fucking frustating!

    I also could barely hear my boss dude talking over the radio on my z-5500's, bad mastering or what! Often the voice was muffled/grainy or just too soft to understand over the other sfx, even after bumping the volume up a bit.
    Edited by 1 at 14/01/09 @ 23:37

  • MMAN #65 3 years ago

    Did some troll just call this game a "tech demo"? That term has truly lost any meaning beyond "A game I don't personally like that's the slightest bit daring".

    There's some initial frustration the first time through, but this game just keeps on giving; after you start looking around after finishing the game you realise all the ways you can skip previously difficult situations and the subtle depths to almost every aspect of the controls. I'm not a fan of shortness but when it makes an experience like this I couldn't care less. Ironic that a game comes along where the shorter length is quite possibly an asset and suddenly it starts being slammed as the main "flaw".

    Darren: "A nice concept I guess but a very slight game IMO and, ironically, the first-person perspective doesn't always suit the game as it makes it harder to judge jumps. With such a distinctive lead character, it's surprising that the developers didn't opt for a third-person view but had they done that then the game would have just been a run-of-the-mill platform-cum-adventure game. Certainly it never once grabbed me while I played the demos... it was all very... meh really. The disappointing sales since its release show that it wasn't a game many people wanted to play anyway..."

    So you haven't actually played it?


    Edited by 1 at 15/01/09 @ 14:34

  • fluff_the_tiger #66 3 years ago

    a great game, though only people that are good at games will appreciate it ... sad but true

  • spacenugget #67 3 years ago

    A lot of people have misunderstood this game.
    I bought this after my mate said it was like a First person version of Mega Man but you have no gun and need to learn the best routes through dying a lot.
    I liked the sound of it, bought it, loved it.
    Somehow I feel comparisons to POP are silly really. They are nothing alike IMO.

    Oh and the part in the mall where someone mentioned you have to fight and is impossible to run away. I ran.
    It was hard but its still etched in my head:

    Run right, up stairs, right, vault into ceiling, break glass, walk backwards, wait for them to stop (reloading), deep breath, FECKING LEG IT, wall run, jump, swing, land, run, jump, breath.

    Its easy really ;oP
    Edited by 1 at 18/01/09 @ 05:16

  • neems #68 3 years ago

    I can't comment on it's longevity, as I've not had much time to play it, but I've played the first few levels and then pounded around the playground time trials for an hour or so, and I have to say this game is fantastic. It is also beautiful, runs fantastically well, and is cooler than a very cool thing.

    I am well and truly sold.