Jon_Rivera

I don't think the combat was shoehorned at all. The gunplay was solid enough for a first person platformer. You could aim. You could shoot. You could ditch the gun. That's all the gunplay you should have in a game were you aren't a gun fighter and are sometimes forced to defend yourself against highly armored and armed opponents. You guys forget that the game's focus isn't to be some shooter where you shoot dudes in the face. And sorry, but the game isn't unfair; it's just very difficult. Beside two unavoidable combat situations, all other combat can be avoided without even getting shot once - you just haven't figured it out yet :-). You know, it isn't bad for a game to be difficult. I think you have been playing so many modern games that you expect games to not be frustratingly tough anymore. Mirror's Edge was intentionally made to be tough with your character being mot as tough as the opposition and by throwing in tough jumps and acrobatic puzzles (which I did not find challenging whatsoever). You are either really bad at this game or you just aren't playing it right :-P.

Yeah, Mirror's Edge could have been cut some more slack with a better release date. However, it's less of an issue of business strategy and more an issue of:
-the game is very difficult and challenging (this is a very good thing). Most games now very easy to complete
-Mirror's Edge is different from anything anyone has played before
-it isn't a shooter or role playing adventure, which is not what people expect from a game that utilizes the first person perspective (just think about Geist [GC] and Penumbra: Overture [PC])
I personally think DICE definitely made something special here and can be paralleled with other gems like Gunstar Heroes [GEN] and NiGHTS Into Dreams [SAT]. The game does having occasional clipping issues with the monorail sequences, the mid level loads shouldn't be there, better AI should have been present. Though I just think that it would have given reviewers more ammunition to attack the game for it's difficulty. And I think the cutscenes should have been done in engine. Beside these three technical/presentation issues, Mirror's Edge is a fantastic and unique game.  I think people out there need to stop comparing this game to FPS titles in terms of visual accuracy and combat mechanics. However, it should be compared with other games in terms of graphical quality, technical quality, and other GENERAL aspects that make a game of any genre meet the standards of modern gaming. Hypothetically, if you were to compare the first 3rd person platformer (no one knows to expect) with the 20th 3rd person action role playing game (most everyone has played one at this point and expects games in this perspective to meet these "standards"). That platformer could be a great game in its own right, but will fall short because it doesn't meet the "standards".

It often 'looks' as if game reviewers (they're more like critics at this point) cannot make up their mind. Some will say "I want to see developers make risky ventures" or "I would like to see something new and different"... Well, Mirror's Edge came out and look what happened. Middling reviews for:
bad FPS action... it's not an FPS (the FPS genre is getting stale)
level of difficulty... it IS okay for a game to be really difficult (in case you don't remember WipeOut 2097/WipeOut XL [PS])
Jumping puzzles... challenge
the parkour not lasting the entire level... this is the worst criticism. If you could freerun the ENTIRE level without and care or challenge that would be just boring. Just hearing that sounds rediculous and just plain stupid. That doesn't even sound like a game - it sound like a sim or tech demo.


The gaming world simply isn't for a game like Mirror's Edge, or any game that tries to be different for that matter.

This game footage looks so great, maybe even more so than the video review of the game...

Don't be afraid to speak out about this stuff. I think you have pretty valid arguments and I do agree on the issues with the VATS system. It just seems like it was just an afterthought for the sake of injecting some sort of turn based element like the first two Fallout games.

thank you so much! it's up already...

I've looked everywhere and I don't  see any part of the page that say "review". Can someone help me with this??

Allegories and satires aside, Advent Rising's story should not end on an inconclusive note because a poorly developed game. I remeber being torn about this game when I bought it. I wanted to like it and enjoy it for what it was trying to do, but the technical problems that game had drained most of the interest out of me. I feel terrible about it, for I enjoyed the well scripted story as well as the games dynamic soundtrack. I would like Chair to finish the intended trilogy, and find a competant developer to work on the games.

I love Halo. That game was such an unknown quantity going in; no one knew what to truly expect of it. Halo blew lots of folks away. The stuff that happens in that game is incredible and that visuals were fantasic. It was generally a well made piece that nailed down that fun factor for many people. Then Halo 2 came out... and it fell so short of the previous game. It was pretty much Halo 1.5; some new levels (not as long as halo), not many great moments, updated graphics. In other words it seemed like a framework or shell of a game. Halo 3 then comes out. It's a fantasic game with the visuals, modes, features, and a resolution the the overarching story. But, it still never reached the level of quality or greatness that Halo had achieved dyuring it's time of release. I think Halo is amazing, but that doesn't mean I like the Halo series. Actually, I hope Bungie makes a new game in either the Marathon universe or the Pathways into Darkness universe...

I honestly think that NES is more an alias than Nintendo Entertainment System, which should be the true name. I agree that it should be changed.

I'm sorry, but I highly disagree. That is not to say that floppies are bad. In fact, I honestly still use them. They are great for programming and safe storage. However, they are not fast, nor are they entirely reliable as they are prone to getting the dirty disk virus. That happens when disks are near magnets for a prolonged period of time. the magnets don't have to be strong either. It could be a petty refridgerator magent that messes up a disk. In other words, floppies require lots of care.

If you want to know what I think the best form of interchangable media is, then I'd have to say it is the solid state cartridge. They aren't affected by magnetism, they are most durable format, they are faster than any disk or optical disk, and they are simply the most reliable format. The only thing anyone needs to do to keep cartridges in prime condition is clean them every once in a while. If there's any format they need to go back to, it's solid state cartridges. Technology has improved and solid state storage devices are getting cheaper to make and buy. So, why not??