Standing on the rooftops!
The controls are relatively simple and work well most of the time but there are instances when the game just doesn't respond to what you want it to do but maybe I'm just overambitious… or crap. The game uses a momentum based system so if you want to clear that long jump you need to be running pretty quickly, fair enough I thought but the problem is with all the bullets flying and obstacles in your way it can be difficult to maintain a fast pace thus you slow down and miss that tricky jump. The main problem with the controls though is with the combat controls which are clunky and under-powered, you can disarm an enemy by pressing Y at the right time (thought you could stick in some QTE without anyone noticing eh.) but I bought this game to get away from shooting people and so refused to do it which meant that I died a lot. 'What's wrong with that' you might say but the whole point of this game was to use your kick ass skills to avoid fighting and DICE seem to have missed their own boat which is pretty stupid really. Other problems is that the game is too short with most competent players finishing it in 6 hours and it becomes pretty repetitive with you inside most of the time which defeats the point of free running. Plus the game constantly makes you run to the elevator to hide a secret load screen but this happens 2-3 times a level and begins to become annoying as it seriously disrupts your flow. To counteract the quick story mode the developers threw in some time trials and speed runs of the levels but these are severely cruel with their time limits (the speed runs feel like they were timed by the reanimated corpse of Stalin) and create frustration more than enjoyment.
This game can't be mentioned without the visuals and they are genuinely stunning with a fantastic art design all the way through. The way everything is white and gleams makes me wonder why people think this government is so bad, sure freedom of speech is limited but that's overrated anyway and I certainly don't see why the Royal Mail had to go underground because of it. Sorry I seem to have gone off track… anyway I don't see why DICE decided to make the cut scenes be told through a cartoon it makes the world seem less real and are poorly done anyway. The music is very good and the title track is incredibly catchy and fit's the game really well, it's all very calm and tranquil and adds to the immersion.
There are no multi player modes which is a shame because a race between two people would have been really awesome, you can download ghosts but I wanted a live race were I could dropkick someone of the top of a really tall building, hopefully to be included in the next game.
Ultimately all I have seemed to do in this review is moan but in no way is Mirrors Edge a bad game in fact when your running along at a high speed it provides a genuine sense of adrenaline and becomes one of the best games of the year but the combat needs fixing, the levels varying and some tweaking of the level design. Hopefully this will all be done in Mirrors Edge 2 but if people don't buy it there won't be one so people of the world put down that FPS and try something truly original you might just enjoy it.
Pros
+ Bright, colourful graphics with a fantastic art style
+ When it flows it feels truly exhilarating.
+ Fantastic Musical score.
+ It's different and innovative
Cons
- Story is a bit weak
- When disrupted the gameplay feels stiff
- Poor combat
- Short with no multiplayer mode
Overall
8/10
On a side note Mirrors Edge is a stupid name and was never going to bring in the sales, if they named it Shooty Shooty Bang Bang Blood Gore Boobs now that would have sold but not in Australia of course it would have probably been banned.