Mirror’s Edge was released in 2008 by DICE. I haven’t reviewed it until now because I hadn’t felt like I’d finished with it. But now, after completing it 4 times, I can tell you that it is fantastic, for me, but might not be for other gamers. 

You see, I’m an odd type of gamer. Whereas some complain about frustrating gameplay, I love it. Remember that Burnout demo? I set myself a course stretching the entire length of the sizeable demo level and challenged myself to complete it at full boost without crashing. 15 hours later I did it. Sounds like hell? Well you probably won’t like this game.

The reason I make the connection between the Burnout challenge and Mirror’s Edge is that they both offer incredible frustration. At times Mirror’s Edge can be the hardest, most unforgiving game in the world. At other times it can be a free flowing, rewarding experience which will leave you gawping at the excellence of the first-person camera perspective.

However, even the masochistic gamers like myself, will hate the combat. While hand-to-hand combat is passable, the shooting really blows. If you dare fire at any target more than 1 meter away you will undoubtedly miss, due to the terrible aiming controls of the guns. What annoys me the most is that the developers probably justify this lack of accuracy by saying “oh, well, your not supposed to use guns, it’s a platformer”. Bullshit. Let me tell you now, when you get onto a certain section of the game that takes place on a boat, you will agree with me 100%.

If you appreciate good art style you’re in for an absolute treat. Mirror’s Edge is my favourite looking game of all time. Sure Killzone 2 looks nice, and sure Uncharted wasn’t without it’s charm, but Mirror’s Edge paints the important parts of the game in different colours making the game look like a 6 year old’s painting that has been sharpened by Picasso.

The score I’m about to give is for you guys. You are the ones who may or may not purchase the game because of this and as such it would be irresponsible for me to give it a 10/10 (which is my personal score). Because of the frustration factor, which will turn a lot of gamers off, I just can’t recommend it for everyone. 

5/10 

Matt

Labels: Matthew, Matthew Meadows, Mirrors Edge, Review

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