Mirror's Edge [360/PS3]

[Malc]

I got this as a present for Christmas and completed it today. After critical reviews and bad points raised about this game I was ready to be dissapointed. However, I wasn't.

I went through it on normal difficulty and only had trouble on 2 or 3 parts in the game when enimies were involved. I loved every moment of it though, the world feels so solid and clean, and when you're blasting through the level it's a great feeling. I know it's a little bit short, but i'd happily accept that over a game that was massive and repetitive.

I do believe Charles' review on this site got it spot on, much more so than Edge or some other so called 'high-class' journalists gave it. This game deserves more appreciation and I hope EA let Dice develop a sequel to this short, but sweet game.

[Dazzyman]

After the disapointment of POP on xmas day and depressing me so much I refused to play another game on xmas I decided to start this tonight and was expecting to think it was meh (even though I enjoyed the demo the reviews have put me off) but even though Im on level 02 (3rd inc Prologue) Im finding it pure enjoyment. Ive gone down the run away from the henchmen routine and it adds to the tension when they come after me.

Great game so far, zero issues with motion sickness or knowing what to do or where to go, controls are fantastic.

[randombs]

Totally agree about motion sickness. I don't suffer it in any games, but that Namco game on Xbox, Breakdown, gave me a big headache and made me feel a bit dizzy playing it. Maybe the effects were exacerbated by being a bit ill at the time (a cold or something) but I'd never felt that before. When I read the Edge preview way back when (I think it was the cover story) I was worried but after playing the demo I was glad the effects weren't there again, although I'll probably try experimenting when I'm next ill

[NekoFever]

I've nearly finished this after two days but what time I've had with it has been great. The weak point is definitely the combat and to be honest since the story is pretty meh anyway I would have been just as happy with a much greater focus on the running and jumping, maybe with enemies limited to the pistol-toting ones that are just as easy to skip around.

Saying that, though, I did like when you're

->Open Spoiler<-

running from the Icarus Runners

. The few times you were

->Open Spoiler<-

running from them and could hear them behind you and without the ability to hide on a rooftop like you could from normal blues

were really tense. I'd have liked fewer enemies overall and more set piece encounters like those, because some of the bits in warehouses with you and a few enemies were just so annoying.

Overall I love the concept and it's a brilliant proof of that concept. It just needs to be a bigger game with a few rough edges smoothed out. I'll be buying the DLC based purely on the trailer on Live, though - pure platforming in abstract environments looks awesome

No motion sickness here, incidentally. You're always in control of the character so it's not like it's waving around wildly.

Edit: I just finished it this morning and I stand by the above comments. When the last level was going to be about

->Open Spoiler<-

getting to the roof of a skyscraper I was hoping for an epic climb the whole way through, with lots of acrobatics and daring jumps 500 feet up, but it just became three or so annoying battles with some acrobatics linking them

. The early levels with basic enemies that you could just outrun were the best ones.

[Malc]

I had no problem with motion sickness either, nor did I have a problem with the end of the game. A good little fight and a beautiful location to conclude the game. And no crappy boss fights! Thank god we're past that stage in modern gaming.

[Mad Gear]

Been playing tjhis for the past few hours and i thought i wouldn't get into it after listening to past reviews and the 1up crew bagging on it. **** 'em i love it, one of the best gaming experiences of the year for me. It's great to see something newish (well it's a bit like POP but set in modern times) but it just works for me.
The graphics are a breath of fresh air with it's bright colours and super sharp structures. The gameplay is sooo satisfying when you manage to hook together a string of jumps and slides and end up whacking some guy off (arf) the edge of a building.

My only problem now is if i go to bed i'll definitely end up waking in a pool of sweat after having nightmares of plummeting off the edge of a skyscraper.

Well done EA and DICE (whoops for some reason i always get Gearbox mixed up with them). Just hope that the sales weren't too bad and it gets another chance.

[FreelancePolice]

Don't think gearbox had anything to do with it ^^

Anyway, got this for xmas and have been tucking in up to chapter 4. Really enjoying it and while it's not perfect, it sure does keep you on the edge of your seat! The cut scenes are a bit jarring with the rest of it and there's occasionally a bit of a signposting problem. However I've often found that just trusting where you expect to go works out ok!

Graphically it looks swell and the contrasting bold primary colours really makes for a satisfying spectacle, although the HDR/bloom/whatever it is can be a bit too bright for my monitay!

[Spatial]

Yep, it's Dice rather than Gearbox.

And sadly its not doing too well at retail by all accounts. If you go by the rather unreliable VGChartz it had only sold 150,000 units in Europe by some point towards the end of November (and hadn't done much better in the US). This was in relation to something like the 410,000 that Left 4 Dead shifted even though it was released much later.

Then again Dead Space (a title which deserves to do well because it's amazing from what I've played so far) isn't doing much better either!

A much more reliable local indicator for me is the severe discounting we've seen of both titles over Xmas, which rather suggests that retailers aren't selling much of it either and are virtually slitting their own throats in a desperate bid to shift their stock.

Which is a shame because Mirrors Edge is a bloody good game and I've really enjoyed the time I've spent with it so far since getting it on Thursday. It isn't perfect but it's vibrant, colourful and exhilarating on times - certainly different enough to hold my attention.

Personally I blame the `Blue Sky In Games` brigade for not putting their money where their mouth is.

[MrMarbles]

Personally I blame the `Blue Sky In Games` brigade for not putting their money where their mouth is.

I think a big problem was that the box-art didn't appeal to Mr I-Don't-Read-Reviews, whilst the reviews were damning enough to put off Mr I-Do-Read-Reviews, what with there being a million games being released at the same time.

It's the same problem with Dead Space. Whilst it didn't get the harsh reviews that Mirror's Edge did, it was inundated with eights at a time where you need nines to get noticed by the review-wary individual. And it had a brown box.

Having said that, I have no idea which games were successful this winter... Gears 2 and, um, Carnival Games?

[Sixty]

Typical that two original IP games that EA have actually tried with haven't sold well. I suppose the latest iterations of their yearly-updated sports titles are selling millions, in contrast.

[capcom_suicide]

Typical that two original IP games that EA have actually tried with haven't sold well. I suppose the latest iterations of their yearly-updated sports titles are selling millions, in contrast.

At 14.99 I can only hope that many more gamers will try this. I loved it, and bought the PS3 version last week in the play sale, as I think the demo and controls were better, so my second playthrough will be on the Sony and on the Projector.

It is such a shame to see poor sales on the my two main GOTY contenders: Dead Space and Mirrors Edge.



Oh well. I'm looking forward to my next playthrough anyway!

[MonkeyWrench]

I think the problem was the timing of release. You just don't throw out two new IPs at a time of year that is ruled by tried-and-tested games, most of which coming from the same publisher. Mirrors Edge and Dead Space probably would have done better released in the new year lull. I think the fact Mirrors Edge is being sold for &#163;15 not long after its release is very telling. I'm sure EA won't fall into the same trap next year.

[Dazzyman]

Ive just finished level 7 and even though thats the weakest level so far for me (with the forced fighting which was easy anyway) Im still enjoying it and cant wait to crack on with TT afterwards. Its up their with DS as my fav game of the year now and I really expected to hate it. First hour I couldnt even wall flip turn now I can do it without any issues I dont even fight, infact I make a point of finding an alternative route not to fight unless its force scripted as I find it works better as role playing I guess.

[cavalcade]

Yep, it's Dice rather than Gearbox.

And sadly its not doing too well at retail by all accounts. If you go by the rather unreliable VGChartz it had only sold 150,000 units in Europe by some point towards the end of November (and hadn't done much better in the US). This was in relation to something like the 410,000 that Left 4 Dead shifted even though it was released much later.

Then again Dead Space (a title which deserves to do well because it's amazing from what I've played so far) isn't doing much better either!

I'd estimate perhaps half a million each worldwide by the end of the year. Not a disaster, but probably a quarter of what they hoped for each title. But in both cases I'd warrant the people who played them will be begging for sequels. A bit like Assasin's Creed. Though sadly in this case without the sales figures.

Heck, Viva Pinata got a sequel and that only sold 500k.

If Microsoft or Sony had any sense, they'd swoop on both Mirror's Edge and Dead Space and try to secure exclusivity for the second iterations. I imagine EA will be very open to offers, and by the time they're ready to go, word of mouth and lessons learned, as well as picking a less frantic time to release them should see them shift considerably more copies.

[Dazzyman]

Just finished it and loved every minute of it. Yep Id rather their was no fighting but luckily theirs I think only one area that you must fight to open a door even at end of level 9 its optional (might be another earlier on not sure) its even optional right near the end if you plan right. Saying that though Id rather their have been more chases and a fail mode instead of say being chased by a gang and if caught game over than fighting in FPS. It works ok when in one and one and is actually quite easy (easiest way is to run slide kick in nads 3 hits to head and repeat) and of course when theirs more its basically telling you dont fight find a route around but I loved the chase bits so much Id rather have that.

Its really easy to get lost in the fighting combat even hand to hand and it can slow the game right down but if you look theirs always a route around to never even touch a mob 99&#37; of the time. Its something I stuck with very early on to always find a route and never fight and its been a good thing for me from that point on its made me enjoy it much more.

I never had any issues of getting lost or what to do next and even though I only found out late on level 9 that you can wall hug with holding LB down (I tap it and then retap it from off) even that never caused me any issues.

I just found it sublime, gorgeous to look at and sounding. I wished their was more outdoor sections as the indoor ones became more platformy/puzzle type at times instead of running like crazy and vaulting/jumping but its minor.

Definetly one of my favourite games this year and cannot wait for the DLC.