Looking in the Mirror's Edge
This version is for the Xbox 360.
Every score will be given for the Xbox 360, and won't cover parts for PC or PS3.
I always was a parkour fan and before Mirror's Edge was launched there was a big wave of publicity that in a way, showed us the good part only.
No one knew the dificulty level of this game and the big fustration of it.
Why?...Well I will explain everything.
Mirror's edge is about free running or parkour.
* The game has a realistic, brightly coloured style and differs from most other first-person perspective video games in allowing for a wider range of actions,such as sliding under barriers, tumbling, wall-running, and shimmying across ledges and greater freedom of movement.
* In having no heads-up display, and in allowing the legs, arms, and torso of the character to be visible on-screen.
* Mirror's Edge is set in a society where communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime, and so a network of runners, including the main character, Faith, are used to transmit messages while evading government surveillance.
* In the style of a three-dimensional platform game, the player guides Faith over rooftops, across walls, and through ventilation shafts, negotiating obstacles in parkour fashion.
*Sound:
*The music in Mirror's edge is Dynamic in the style of Paul van Dyke.
If you bought the soundtrack you will see that it has a lot of remixes that perfectly fill the action of the game in different situations.
But the best thing in this game that make it so real is the world backround, the footsteps of faith, the slides, the wind, the birds and everything it would happen in the real world.
From my perspective the sound is really awesome and if you play the game with a 5.1 sound sistem, it will make the game more real, creating more atmosphere.
So I'll give a 10 for the sound.
*Graphics:
*Graphics in this game are different what you've seen in other games.
They are in a candy gloss style, really looks good if you are running fast without stoping.
In general you run on buildings and rarely inside of them.
*The game has a lot of white detail, it really makes you tired and forces you to scroll down your brightness detail.
Still if you do that, the game won't be so rich in detail, but that's not a big issue and depends on what LCD you use.
*But the game is dominated by white and red and in some levels a rich blue, green and yellow...that's like paradise when you see the 3 colors...
*So in the end I give credit to graphics that are creative and not some everyday review that is kinda overrated....like gamespot or other gaming sites.
10 for the graphics as well because no game has crossed the line like this one.
*Controls and Camera:
*This is a free running game, so the camera is free for you to adjust on your taste.
But the issue here is that Faith goes in the direction where the camera is pointed....I know it sounds weird, but you have to make crazy jumps and sometimes it's imposible to move the camera and you end dying many, many, many times...the camera moves slow too..
*The controls are the same story.
Both camera and controls are one category, because Faith is camera dependable.
*Controls are somehow ok, but sometimes on different jumps they won't respond...
Can't say to much here, but you will die A LOT because of the controls and camera...depending on what mode you play and difficulty.
*I give a 9.5....but it would deserve an 9 to be honest.
*Gameplay:
*The gameplay is really pumping in Mirror's Edge.
You have a story mode, where you will find the truth about Faith and the corrupted city policy.
*A time trial mode: here you have to complete a level in a certain time and obtaining Stars.
Each level has a a maximum of 3 stars and of course this goes for the achievements or for people who like to complete games to 100%.
To achieve 3 stars on every level, OMG it is really hard.
*The last mode is speedrun: Here you must play the whole story mode again per level.
You need to complete a level in a certain time.
This is hard too, VERY HARD.
*Ok, now to the gameplay.
The gameplay is about running, jumping from building to building....etc
It depends on your style too.
This game is about avoiding enemies and melee combat the hell out of them.
*You have acces to guns too...if you KO an enemy and steal his gun, but when you climb, Faith auto-throws the gun away.
So like I said this game is not about shooting, just running.
The difficulty of the game is INSANE!!!
*Like you see on my achievements list, I completed this game to 100%( but didn't bought the add-on).
It took me a night, 7 hours to pass the speedrun nr.9.
*Story mode it's not hard, it's just a training for the time trials and speedruns....
This was the hardest game I've ever played.
Mirror's edge it's not about time....it's about skill and it's extremely difficult.
*Many find this game hard and give up, but for me it was adictive, I needed to finish it.
*Every level I passed it was a big achievement for me.
I give a 9 for the gameplay, because of it's difficulty that doesn't suit any kind of player.
*So overall, Mirror's Edge is a pain in the ass, it's very hard, it has crazy controls and makes you die a lot.
Still, I found this game to be a pleasure with pain.
Sometimes you go crazy but sometimes it's rewarding.
*I'm so happy I finished 100% the game but not so happy to buy the DLC content....so I keep it finished without DLC.
If you are a pasionate parkour fan or found this game to be adictive because of it's challenging levels and difficulty...then this is something for you.
*But if you are a player that likes to complete only the story and feels bad about the other mods...you may think about it.
Final Score: 8.5