Mirror's Edge Review

[@haughtygarbage5848]

Playing this in high school truly was a life-changing gaming experience for me. I've never been so enraptured by a city aesthetic quite like this. It's so sunny and colorful but so dystopian and that's just crazy good vibes to me

[@degmcgee]

same here, although kinda crazy nothing has been able to truly capture the feeling this game has tbh

[@AleksandarBloom]

​@@degmcgee In some of the better multiplayer maps in battlefield games you can sense similar thing. Or at least I do.

[@BonzerMrT]

As a kid in elementary school when this game came out, I felt like this game ultimately spoiled me in my expectations on the future of gaming. There’s only a handful of games that have come out since then with the level of atmosphere this game oozes

[@Ratchetti]

Same here, such an amazing and new experience

[@jaxafrass7777]

Colorful yet dystopian? Sounds like the modern day to me lol.

[@shanweeboy]

The thing that was wild to me is that Faith's hair has physics that you only notice if you look at her shadow.

[@TheDirvish]

Reminds me of how if you glitch halo 2 or reach to see inside humans and elites limbs, they have muscles, nerves and bones

[@Moji55a]

Funny how in advanced games like Cyberpunk or Dying Light 2 struggles to make player shadow in FPP looks good.

[@jman2856]

Mirror’s Edge is another one of those slick and cool franchises that could have been something special had EA not been EA.

[@jondoe7036]

That's for sure.

[@StoneyFry]

You are right, I dislike this so much.

[@yellowrunnerbag]

I think EA too - not to absolve them by the way - is also at the mercy of the tides of the current industry, and in this sense EA is not capable of any other behaviour.

[@UnderTheSkin13]

The plot isn't that choppy if you think about it. The reason why Kate (a CPF cop) was chosen as the fall girl was to foment distrust of the public police and get it defunded. That, combined with the new parkour cops that would take down the runners (and thus prevent communication between "those who cling to the old city", the runners's clients), Callaghan would privatise city security with PK troops, ensuring complete control over city law. This is all alluded to in character dialogue throughout the game.

[@isauldron4337]

Yeah it's pretty straightforward

[@lancehildebrand4025]

Also since I don't see anyone mentioning it yet, the original, proper final boss "fight" is actually in the game files - it's a relentless gauntlet of parkour police while you're getting shot at by Mr. No-Name in his helicopter. You can use a mod to play it and it's clear why they cut it out last second - it's stupidly hard.

[@GangsterFrankensteinComputer]

This is the first time I've heard of this and now I'm compelled to try it.

[@TheSpongyMallard]

Ugh. That sounds horrible. The level leading up to it was already too hard. I replayed it not too long ago, but I quit after getting stuck on the last level for hours.

[@NotSoMelancholy]

Yeah one of the leads commented on it in an interview too where they felt they were making the later levels too combat focused but didn’t have enough time left to properly re-do them or those sections leaving the “bosses” to take the hardest hits for better or for worse.

[@EdgySnek]

This game has aged SO well. Some of the best use of baked lighting I have ever seen! It even surpasses its sequel in most areas. Catalyst looked plasticky, the movement felt weightless, the city was less immersive. Still an alright game, but nowhere near the original.

[@ExpertContrarian]

Mechanically? Yes? how it performs on PC? Absolutely not

[@EdgySnek]

@@ExpertContrarian Performance or PhysX issues? PCGamingwiki should have some fixes for you!

[@EdgySnek]

@@ExpertContrarian What kind of performance issues? PhysX? PCGamingWiki got you covered!

[@ExpertContrarian]

@@EdgySnekNope. None of that fixes the game. It’s just poorly programmed and is not a stable game on modern systems

[@EdgySnek]

@@ExpertContrarian The GOG Version runs pretty well out of the box for me. Maybe I’m just lucky. 🤷‍♂️

[@lionocyborg6030]

That bit about the story being a rushed mess is accurate: as someone else pointed out, 40% or more of Rhianna Pratchett’s original script and level plans for the game was cut by EA meddling in the development as usual. As another person also rightly pointed out, the Parkour Cops make sense though as they’re explicitly for killing the runners, not arresting them. Illegal couriers or not, it’s still state sponsored murder and the regular cops were being replaced by mercenaries from the same PMC as the parkour cops so the average Joe was going to brutalised harder too. Pope wanted to expose Callaghan as a murderer and the idea of her privatising the police force really wouldn’t sit well even with her loyal sheep. So that’s why she killed Pope by hiring Ropeburn & Celeste. Oh yeah speaking of contrivances, apparently Callaghan is a woman (first name Elaine) according to a dead iOS prequel to this game I played back in 2013. She was referred to as male precisely once in the main game but I don’t know where that is. Maybe one of the radio broadcasts you can overhear. Jackknife is probably the worst part of the cut down story as we barely know who he is and why Faith hates him so much. Going by their dialog, they may have been friends once but Jackknife was a bit rapey or something: he keeps calling her Faithy as a pet name, seems to like playing with her in that chase when we first see him, Faith claims she learned a long time ago to be careful who she hangs around with & calls him a creep. We don’t get any actual evidence of what happened between them in the past though. Jackknife even says himself just before his crappy cut down boss fight the whole reason he got involved with Callaghan and sold out Mercury to get Kate back in a raid was because he was sick and tired of Faith being mean to him: Faith: “(condescending tone) Jacknife! You couldn’t…!” Jackknife: “Attitudes like that. Well that’s exactly why I _could!”_

[@jondoe7036]

👏

[@goranisacson2502]

Thanks for the context, and making me even madder at EA for sabotaging the game.

[@lionocyborg6030]

@@goranisacson2502 You & me both, especially as while I love the game as is even the story, the latter is still weak and it could & should have been better. Other game stories I’ve seen suffer this way include Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Half Life 2.

[@Bobbyalbritton896]

Do you have a source for the 40% being cut bit? I'd love to read more into it. Mirror's Edge is one of my favorite games of all time, I replay it often, and I had no idea about this! I prefer the original over Catalyst. The atmosphere is just unbeatable.

[@lionocyborg6030]

@@Bobbyalbritton896 I did but I can’t remember where. I know one of the things that got cut was us having to sneak into prison to spring Kate. Two of the concept arts covered that showing a cafeteria and a scene where Faith is caught and interrogated.

[@superbro6413]

6:00 shoutouts to brit having (probably) the only legit "N64 Mario captured on a CRT" footage I've seen in a hot while

[@shawklan27]

*OOOOOOHHHH I'M STILL ALIVE I'M STILL ALIVE I CAN'T APOLOGISE NOOOOOOOO*

[@BlondeManNoName]

The opening to this game with it's music is one of the best ever. When this game came out I got it on sale for like 20 euros. I came to love the game even more over the years. It's one of my all time favorite games despite some of it's shortcomings.

[@Gruntvc]

I miss the EA that made: Mirror's Edge, Army of Two, and Battlefield Bad Company. Heck, I even liked the Syndicate FPS made by Starbreeze back then. Now if only they brought back Crusader No Remorse back then. Oh well... At least EA brought the Command And Conquer Collection to Steam this past month.

[@garynoland1085]

Dragonage origin 😢

[@LastGenRichtofenn]

I remember Syndicate. What a forgotten game

[@Nechrome9]

Dead Space 1+2 too... man... what an era

[@ClassicGamer102]

So, to better explain why the Parkour Cops are such a big deal, you need to understand that Icarus isn't normal cops, they're part of a Pirandello Kruger task force. PK is basically the police equivalent of a PMC, a la Metal Gear. So Pope was going to reveal Callahan's plan to basically hand policing of the city over to a private corporation. And the story does make it pretty clear that currently, the city is under some kind of authoritarian regime (otherwise why would Runner's need to physically transport messages and packages). The regime isn't as harsh as something like 1984, but privatizing the police force does represent a slide into a greater loss of freedom for the average joe. The Parkour Cops are still silly, it would make more sense if the note said "Pira-" or something, but from a gameplay perspective the Runner-Cops were still really cool. Enemies that you couldn't simply press X to defeat like normal cops, and who were harder to outrun, felt like a dramatic threat increase on a first playthrough. The ending definitely fumbles, but I do think that some of your critique is a little overblown. The story is by no means groundbreaking, but it's not terrible either. Either way, glad you gave this game a look TGB. One of my favorites!

[@Sonnance]

Also, wasn’t the mayoral candidate targeted in part because he was running on a reformist platform? Might be misremembering, but I remember thinking that him finding out about Icarus was just the justification the current government needed to remove a potential threat to their current system.

[@ianbowden2524]

Charlie I'm at the gym. Had to stop to watch your review. Love your work buddy.

[@Beeyo176]

Get them reps BRAHHHHH

[@makeitthrough_]

NO AGONY NO BRAGONY

[@ThaRixer]

This game rocks. The soundtrack is amazing, and its incredible for speedrunning too

[@shawklan27]

*still alive blasts in repeat

[@Yindoom]

oh shit it's ricky

[@isauldron4337]

Apparently 40% of the plot was cut by executives

[@PSspecialist]

Mirror's Edge was the first game I played on PS3 where I remember thinking: "Alright, THIS is finally next-gen." Though to be fair I hadn't gotten around to playing MGS4 yet.

[@cal594-l1l]

you really covered just how insanely aesthetically and mechanically tight the core gameplay, visuals and music all are standing in almost complete contrast to how vague, dull and unconfident the actual narrative and characters are. Just that one point about how bizarre what actually happens in the ending is but the design of the stage as an actual final level is communicated so well visually to the player. frankly i didn't realize quite how thrown together it is till you actually laid out the literal story progression lol. It's wild how enjoyable just being in the game space is, its a real shame all the personality and energy of the brilliant world design didn't really carry over to the actual story. if nothing else at least the plot is so undercooked you can very easily ignore the entire thing and just enjoy the amazing urban platforming experience for what it is

[@hikikomoron]

Damn i fuckin love Mirrors Egde

[@lancehildebrand4025]

AAAgggh, finally someone else who finds themselves talking about FF13 almost in tandem with ME. And I think your assessment as post-digital apocalypse is spot on, as like most aesthetics, it's a bit of a return to what preceded it - namely a matured and grounded take on the bubbly Y2K era (you can tell FF13 draws heavily from PSO 1&2). Whatever you coin it as I'm fine just as long as we can get more of it.

[@Nechrome9]

What did you think of his ff13 review?

[@betasector]

The soundscapes and sound design along with the music is fucking stellar. It's a shame catalyst was miles and miles worse than the original.

[@shawklan27]

I do appreciate catalyst for being such a vibey ass game that I play in occasion just to relax and soak in it's atmosphere. There's no game like the sequel in today's market and i appreciate that it exists even though the original is the better game admittedly

[@betasector]

Neon White ​@@shawklan27

[@Moji55a]

​@@betasector I dont think he played Neon White to chill.

[@kevboard]

you can mod the PhysX tic rate btw so that those plastic flaps move smoother. and you can increase the FOV, which helps a lot in this game

[@ZEFSIDE666]

i cant explain my feelings whenever i launch this game and see the menu and hear the killer solar fields ost. god damn i love mirrors edge

[@Crawldragon]

Man, your review reminded me of a lot of things. Mirror's Edge is a weird game because it's clearly more of a proof of concept than a finished product, and yet it seems to hold a place in peoples' hearts. I think it's because the aesthetic expressed so much of the spirit of the age despite the story being barebones and unfinished. This game came out during that golden period when the Internet was just starting to become as massive as it is today, but before corporate interests and regulatory bodies had sterilized it into something unrecognizable, when the optimism that characterized the 90s and early 2000s was stubbornly still alive despite news of the Powers that Be abusing their authority leaking on a now-regular basis. A time when the anarchic creative drive and free spirit of the time was still not only tolerated but actively encouraged, but the first signs of that changing had already begun to manifest. I wonder if that feeling would even be recognizable to a younger audience, who didn't grow up during those times when technological progress seemed like it would be an endless upward trajectory, and it seemed inevitable that humanity was about to be catapulted to a higher state of being, maybe even one capable of lasting peace, only for those dreams to be slowly choked out partly by harsh reality but also by malicious actors who had simultaneously taken advantage of young peoples' trust and of older peoples' lack thereof. That might be a bit heavy for a comment in a KZbin video for a game review, but I remember a time when games told those kinds of stories, and I miss those times. That's part of why I like watching your videos.

[@Bendilin]

The one detail I did not like about Mirror's Edge originally playing it back in the day were the Flash and Tween animated cutscenes between story areas, but little did I appreciate at the time that they used vector graphics as a low-resource means of animating cutscenes and having them play during loading screens, effectively hiding all loading screens in the game outside of one or two segments where the game has to load mid-area. I didn't even know the game had loading screens until I went to do time trials, where without the story segments you'll be greeted with tutorial loading screens of Faith performing different moves and how to execute them.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Those animated cutscenes are jarring, but I really liked it because some animation like this aired back in the day on some TV channel.

[@0uttaS1TE]

​@hemangchauhan2864 It reminds me of some of the European animation that you'd get on old kids TV channels, like Jetix.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

@@0uttaS1TE oh yeah, Jetix had those too!

[@Twiddle_things]

I like them! Although they haven't aged the best, they added some artistic flair. As an animator I highly appreciate them.

[@dennissepulveda6118]

They were literally the style of those esurance commercials, lmao. I hated em.

[@goldenultra]

I just downloaded this for the PS3 hen version and it is amazing. So fast, I remember the sound track is amazing. I remember downloading the sound track many years ago. Still nothing can touch this, just like F.E.A.R.

[@WookieWarriorz]

how they fuck is this 2008... tripe A gaming has fallen so so far. So many small elements of this game are just astounding compared to 95% of modern games.

[@StevenSantanaF]

Love mirrors edge love the channel but I'm gonna pull a major nerd "actually" for the most minute dumb detail, the PS3 box art used at 10:40 is from the rebrand post-PS3 slim in 2009 that started mostly with Uncharted 2 Among Thieves. Mirrors Edge was in 2008 and used the old Spiderman font logo on the left hand side for the box art. Thank you for your time. I'm sorry I'm like this.

[@trashxp5410]

I guess I'll have to leave a dislike given that the review is wrong... It didn't have to end like this...

[@JarJarBinks4ever]

I love the Spiderman font PS3 boxes

[@shawklan27]

​@JarJarBinks4ever same it also was a easy way to tell which game came out early or mid gen

[@Petronia911]

Good TED talk.

[@wc999]

the raimi spidey font went so hard for playstation

[@kamurotetsu4860]

I played this game on release year and I didn't understand the concept, because I wanted to play Assassin's Creed, GTA 4 and Fallout 3. Now it's 16 years later and I want less open world games and want more short, linear, unique experiences like this. Thank you for the review.

[@Njuman]

Mirror's Edge at its core is a story about FAMILY.

[@dennissepulveda6118]

You're making it sound like it's a Fast and Furious game. Never fast and furious Mirror's Edge

[@Bendilin]

You actually did get me, I legitimately believed that was a photograph of a real wall taken from Google Images.

[@NotSoMelancholy]

This game blew my mind when I first played it, I can’t tell you how many times I played that demo over and over. It blew my mind when I revisited it almost a decade later, seeing stuff like the helicopter chase as gunfire it tears through the plastic covering of scaffold just looked and felt so cool and natural. I still love this game and am amazed that it still manages to look good. I never realized that it had such a polarizing reception though, I knew gunplay was criticized but all the reviews I had seen and the general consensus of my friends were that it was great Combat is interesting, while they didn’t seem to want to have the player reliant on gameplay interviews do seem to suggest they wanted to give the players more (melee) options and expressed their frustrations at themselves due to including a “no combat achievement”. Players would go for the achievement immediately (achievements used to be a big deal back in the day) ignoring all combat and making the game much harder for themselves leading to general frustration among players. Overall, mirrors edge is special to me. I just ignore catalyst’s existence and love to come back to this and dream about what could’ve been if they had pursued something similar for a sequel.

[@Bendilin]

@8:39 One of the greatest things in a video game is when you can just... use everything within your environment, even when it's not beneficial for you to do so. It's why games like Dead Rising allowing you to toss CDs and cassette tapes at zombies was so much fun. It's very rare these days where a video game lets you just do whatever you logically would be able to do in real life like games from the 2000s did.

[@kwk111]

I'd like there to be more parkour games. Not the "hold R2 and run to sha-POW" kind. Something like the Tony Hawk games but whatever a parkour version of that would be.

[@lionocyborg6030]

Core Design’s Free Running, their final game before Rebellion (their publisher at the time) closed them is a great choice. A bit jank in spots, the Steam port of the PC version removed half the OST & censored out the Adidas sponsorship & all the major collectibles like CDs & videos, and it has a weak final level but it’s fun. In fact, it was Core playing with a Lara Croft model ported from Tomb Raider 6 in the tutorial level while making the game that gave them the idea for a 10th Anniversary remake. TRAE even uses the same engine. Sadly Crystal Dynamics got jealous & convinced Eidos (who were OK with Core’s version for a long time) to let them remake it instead, so Eidos cancelled the superior Core version in favour of Crystal’s fan fiction & the rest is history. The alpha build of the good remake leaked back in 2020 at the very end of the year and has a DNF 2001 style team working on making it a full game but they’re taking their sweet ass time. The current playable versions are indeed playable but barely qualify as so and the two latest updates to them are full of bugs.

[@Cai_Behr]

I have a huge soft spot for Mirrors Edge because I was that rare breed of person who got the game with my brand new PS3 for Christmas, along with Dead Space, and I still feel very fondly of the games movement and parkour systems

[@freddytackos]

about as light and calming as a padded cell

[@1Coin1PlayGames]

Nice video! Breakdown on OG Xbox showed the characters full body performing every action if anyone remembers that game.

[@CyrusBluebird]

I'd say this game needed another faction to have its interesting story work. I'd have suggest a splinter group in the police seeing the couriers as not a disease, but a symptom. But leaving Fei’s sister out of the loop.

[@D.S.handle]

Mirror’s edge is not really the world of digital apocalypse, it’s the world of blooming dystopia.

[@vallgron]

I was huge into parkour when this game came out was perfect timing for my developing 13 year old brain to become obsessed with it hearing the intro theme brings me back to being a kid

[@shadestrider1033]

I think my obsession with parkour was awakened by Assassin’s Creed, though the way this game handles parkour and the way Assassin’s Creed does are completely different. Either way, Brit mentioned a “Runner’s sense” and I felt that in both games.

[@KaoticReach1999]

I hate when they remove features instead of improving on them like they did with the sequel and guns.

[@Gruntvc]

Yeah, gunplay needed to be improved. But instead they completely removed guns from Catalyst. We could've had John Wick combat meets parkour.

[@lionocyborg6030]

Yeah, the guns in Mirror’s Edge are great and do what they need to do (mainly as melee combat against big groups without disarming moves is hard & boring) but they could have improved on that in Catalyst or better yet, a proper Mirror’s Edge 2 such as being able to restock depleted pistol or SMG ammo & carry a single of those guns you steal in a runner bag or holster or something similar to initial concept art of Faith. Big guns like rifles or shotguns etc. must still be discarded after emptying though as they’re too heavy. Catalyst in its attempts to “improve” the combat simply took out the best part and made the clunky melee combat even worse.

[@vincentgallorespecter]

The original had an achievement for beating the game without firing a shot, which is how I first completed it; subsequent times through using guns felt too easy and not as satisfying as methodically disarming, ground-pounding, and otherwise neutralizing all the cops, which involved a lot of trial and error. The sequel should have kept the guns but used flow state advantages to incentivize running around or taking out the enemies in melee combat.

[@lionocyborg6030]

@@vincentgallorespecter melee combat in Mirror’s Edge is only fun on easy. Normal is a challenge that starts off just fine but becomes an increasing pain in the ass by either Heat or Ropeburn & Pirandello/Kruger (New Eden is pretty light on fighting). Hard mode just sucks and is only interesting as it forces runner vision off: unlike Catalyst, you don’t actually _need_ runner vision to get anywhere and while both games don’t have it show the best/fastest route, it’s more or less still vital to have it on full in Catalyst if only to know which route not to take for the many annoying time trial side quests assuming you don’t have a walkthrough.

[@jondoe7036]

Personally I really didn't mind the removal of gunplay. To my mind Faith was always something of a pacifist, who didn't like using them anyways.

[@HaonProductions]

I'd call this aesthetic "cyber new-wave". The Blondie to Deus Ex's Ramones.

[@amit_patel654]

What about "skyline apocalypse"?

[@Ergeniz]

@@amit_patel654 "Neo-faux futurism"?

[@harrincourt95]

Now let's see how many KZbinrs will pretend to have come up with the term "Digital Afterlife" a fee weeks from now

[@realkingofantarctica]

What if I told you, I had a feeling you were gonna review this game next. Oh, who am I kidding? I bet it all on Binary Domain.

[@Channelnotfound413]

oh my god someone else remembers Binary Domain

[@Zezinizzle]

I'm gonna throw Lost planet out there

[@AnonymousExtirpativeWords]

Mirrors Edge is what brought me into parkour. And i wouldnt be as nearly as healthy, strong and mindful as i am now. Parkour, training stretching etc when practiced and developed at an early age is a real game changer. I only hope i can one day perhaps buy the original Mirrors Edge IP and build onto the glass world that catalyst shat on.

[@inika3]

First for Mirror's Egde

[@milestailprower]

I remember building my first gaming PC in 2012, and Mirror's Edge was the first game I played on it - and I was struck away. Very happy with the $5 I paid for the game. Move along several of years later, and I aquired a copy of Mirror's Edge Catalyst (thru sharing Linux ISOs 😉) - and I stopped and uninstalled it after 1-2 hours of gameplay. It had a lot of little things wrong that all added up. The switch to "open world" ended up creating a lack of level design, and also led to backtracking. Well designed levels or areas exist in "open world" games (see SM64), but Catalyst isn't one of them. Oh, and the simple, calm, soothing aesthetic that felt grounded in reality was replaced with busy Linus Tech Tips Razer™ LEDs everywhere.

[@neorsb]

One of my favorite games of all time. The gameplay, the aesthetics, the music... Just perfect. I love it.

[@Mankey619]

Even for a game that came out in 2009. It still looks amazing, and the textures on the walls are just wow. These came out on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Really goes to show that how amazing those consoles were back then.

[@synmad3638]

God I love DIGITAL AFTERLIFE. See also Neon White

[@NewWaveRecords902]

I regularly go back to this just for the atmosphere, I'm so disappointed I never got be in this world again. Sequel didn't deliver on that imo

[@paulorommel3075]

Mirror's Edge is still a game that I open just to look at things. I feel most of it (and it's sequel) looks more real than real life. It's on the same level as Control on it's love for concrete.

[@finalninjazero5140]

Nice review of Mirror's Egde

[@Yaeven]

Commenting before even watching the video.

[@finalninjazero5140]

@@Yaeven that's how assured TBG's quality is

[@Nov-5062]

​@@finalninjazero5140well at least you're honest about it

[@shlokwaghela9560]

Bro wanted those likes hard 😭😭😭

[@mow_cat]

ive always felt the story was a little rushed, but the gameplay and sound design and aesthetics were perfect :] definitely in my top 5 games of all time

[@RadicalRegice]

Faith, the trains, take the trains

[@sidneytan7880]

Would love for you to explore the idea of digital afterlife with FF13.

[@ValentineGrimCC]

The cartoony look of ME1's cutscenes and limited cast kinda helped to not take the plot too seriously. If it's a cartoon, we can just laugh at the silly or shallow bits and accept them. In Catalyst, the overall story is just as cartoonish, but they try to deliver it with a straight face, in-engine, with all those extra characters and implied depth, and... ye-eah... Something like that should either really pull its weight or have a protective coating of light satire not to look up its own tush.

[@Zezinizzle]

Yeah, ME1s story isn't good but also doesnt act like its super deep and pleased with itself like Catalyst

[@Mclucasrv]

Man I wish the sequel were just like more levels and not that mess.

[@EggDevilKing94]

I heard there's a city in Turkmenistan that's mandated to be all white. I wonder if it evokes a similar feeling to mirror 's edge.

[@pellmara5045]

It’s called Ashgabat, it’s the cars that mandated to be white, most of the buildings are made out of marble and gold but with a very Persian and Greco-Roman style so not at all a Mirror’s Edge aesthetic.

[@RemixedVoice]

It cannot be overstated just how *beautiful* this game is. I can't believe that it is 16

[@MissileLaneE]

Mirror's Edge was such a one-of-a-kind game. I thought it was a new frontier for video games, but when the sales weren't great that dream died a death.

[@beng6530]

Taking turns with my sisters on the time trials to try and keep one upping each other was a lot of fun. The time trials really invoke that "one-more try" feeling

[@WhoIsSirChasm]

A first-person game with an emphasis on going faster by making the most of your environment, a bright white post-rapture environment that gets darker as you go on, and a plot that doesn't make sense and ultimately isn't what you're playing the game for. Neon White really was just Mirror's Edge, huh.

[@aslightlystablefootsoldier9838]

Mirror's edge is one of those games you can't look away from. The place looks so washed out but.. Vibrant with colour brought to life by a mix so balanced it makes Thanos cry. The Parkour so simple yet so expansive and an ost that'll let you either run for your life or zone out and listen to the city. I love this game, I'm glad to the lucky generation that got to play and enjoy it to the fullest.

[@brennanwn]

1:03 - 3:44 The fact atmosphere is that good. Is very impressive

[@sandman45]

another good Digital Afterlife game would be some of the wipeout games, I only played the early games but it definitely has that optimistic future.

[@yellowfamilyfunny3065]

Wipeout 2097 sort goes against this though, it has a more dark and industrial dystopian aesthetic (the music conveys this too) which makes sense because everything is new and dangerous lore wise and some tracks feel like they have built between real environments. I’m thinking of Gare d’Europa and the monorail you can see in the background as you race.

[@STNKbone]

Nice, this is the first time I've heard anyone actually defend the clunky guns, and I totally agree with your reasons for doing so.

[@Vivec]

Well I can safely say this video has inspired me to jump back into Mirror's Edge. I only ever played it briefly on my mates 360 back in the day and could never get the hang of it, despite being in love with all of the game's mechanics & aesthethics. I can't wait to finally give it the time of day that it truly deserves.

[@Beeyo176]

The title hurt me

[@shawklan27]

2008 am i right?

[@Beeyo176]

@shawklan27 Well, not at first. The title was spelled "Mirror's Egde" when it was first uploaded and it made my eyes ouchie. But now? Absolutely. God I was so young

[@forte4450]

I’ve always referred to ff13’s aesthetic as “Starbucks punk” but I see the vision

[@clydu91]

what

[@Dzzy123]

Can you explain that more?

[@Nechrome9]

More like Apple punk

[@Tenpouin]

Absolutely love this game. My preferred way of playing it is without using guns. Running around, jumping and disarming enemies feels much better

[@MagikarpPower]

Still Alive ❤

[@aFLYER1980]

You can also get a mod which adds the xbox exclusive DLC on PC.

[@vulture8298]

No joke, ​ @GrimBeard has to get on the case concerning these rats, man. I bet he'd score their look pretty high, but if they don't have a player-reacting AI, then I'm curious as all hell about their overall score.

[@jondoe7036]

Have you seen the car-sized rat in this game?

[@vulture8298]

@@jondoe7036 Shit, I just remembered that. I haven't seen it first hand myself, only on YT. Now I'm _really_ wishing Grim Beard would take a crack at this game.

[@juliokazuki5185]

Fuck the story, this game is a masterpiece. Games don`t need story to be good.

[@hcohic9884]

even tho im not the biggest fan of the artistic direction games took in the late 00s and early 10s i can still credit the unique vision they went for. this games represents that well . a bleak lifeless serene utopia like everything is controlled by ai . coupled with ambiant music . this was one of the few games that did that right. reminds me a bit of '' wall e '' on the ps2. this was also a time when games were getting mainstream and naturally politics started invading them. the less said about the story the better. a decent game overall but was underwhelming for a so called '' next gen '' at the time

[@DetectiveStablerSVU]

Can't wait for Window's Corner

[@nekufujiki7924]

I believe the ascetic for Mirror's edge and ff13 was called frutiger aero look it up it's interesting.

[@_Adie]

Legitimately one of the best games ever made, probably. So unique that even a sequel (I know Catalyst isn't a sequel) doesn't feel the same. The visuals are still amazing, and god, the soundtrack, man. Honestly, The Shard made me cry at least once. And yes, Still Alive. Oh boy, my late-elementary school self was crazy about that song. And I still kinda am, I mean... Every know and then I just fire the game up and beat it in one go. And every time I find a new way to beat a different section. Because not only the vibes, but the gameplay is immaculate as well. still have no idea what the story is actually about though

[@BryceCzirr-jz7ju]

The music is super nostalgic for me. Makes me remember better times.

[@cosmiccopy112]

Such a goated game I always end up going back to this game at least twice every year

[@MrMister681]

Real ones who have the notifications on know that the career was over when it said "Mirror's Egde". Pack it up, Charlie's WASHED now.

[@VelvetVelva]

Egde

[@hosaminthehouse3431]

hey man, i want your thoughts abous FIST OF THE NORTH SATR game that RGG devloped, it has one of the best juggling system

[@Dzzy123]

I'd love to hear more about Final Fantasy XIII and the digital afterlife from you.

[@fieryrebirth]

Yeah, for how controversial FF13 is, it does have its moments, like the OST and environment design. However, it would likely be similar to his experiences with this game, imo.

[@freaknr1]

I feel this game was do close to greatness. If it had just a little nore meat on its bones and a more thought-out story, it cpuld have been one of the all-time greats. The core mechanics are excellent and the gameplay satisfying. If only it had gotten a little more time in the oven... But at least it went the Carpenter-route abd became a cult-classic. Many games of sililar quality never even get that.

[@Twiddle_things]

I love Mirror's Edge. The story, gameplay, aesthetic. Everything. It made me question and even change my values. I love this game to fucking death and will never stop loving it

[@doltBmB]

gonna have to stop you right there, the gunplay meshes perfectly with the parkour, you just gotta stop shifting your mind into "shooter" mode when you pick one up. if you feel grounded by them that's a you problem. guns allow you to more easily defeat large armored enemies in great numbers.

[@isauldron4337]

Yeah

[@lionocyborg6030]

Agreed. Just because a game is first person and has guns in it does not make it a shooter by default. Same thing with Tomb Raider. They’re platformers, not shooters. Their guns are just a primary means of self defence, like the swords in Prince of Persia or Blinx’s sweeper vacuum.

[@jondoe7036]

@@lionocyborg6030 In Mirror's Edge guns are completely secondary as your means of self-defence. Outside one mandatory sequence, where you have to use a sniper rifle to blow up a car engine, you can complete the whole game without firing a single shot and you could even argue that's lowkey encouraged.

[@lionocyborg6030]

@@jondoe7036 They may be secondary but they’re still a lot more fun than the melee combat, which sucks.

[@jondoe7036]

@@lionocyborg6030 To each their own. I always prefered Mirror's Edge's melee and enviromental take downs to its gunplay.

[@TheSpongyMallard]

I hope one day a developer makes another game like this, but works out the kinks and the rough edges. The first game has some really rough spots and people make fun of the second game's ending, but the first is even worse. The second game does better (mostly) with the levels, and the story is better in some aspects but much worse in others. Both games IMO have a lot of wasted potential.

[@Zezinizzle]

I'd prefer just barely any focus on story... almost like Portal, sneaking up on the player towards the end. Faith is a runner, delivering information in a heavily controlled/monitored city. Cool enough. Never felt like she needed to be apart of some rebellion or whatever. Heck it'd be cool if she treated it more like a job with almost no personal stance on the worlds state

[@TheSpongyMallard]

@@Zezinizzle The story in both games are fine enough, the level of the first game is what’s wrong. Both games have bigger problems and those are the levels and gameplay. The first game has some truly bad levels, namely the last one or any that basically require you to use a gun. The second game tried to fix this, but over did it. Now it’s almost too easy, especially when there are ledges nearby. Catalyst also removed some more open aspects in how you could complete missions like you could in the first. It would have been better if the map was an actual open world instead of different segments connected by small hallways. The beginning and end of missions often feel similar because you have to go through the same hallways many many times.

[@iwanttoputkamuistoesinmymo5938]

I’d like to add splatoon 3 side order to the digital afterlife category

[@actualawry]

i love this game's flow, its feeling of immersion and of course the aesthetics, both visual and auditory, with all my heart. i so so wish it could have gotten a proper sequel, instead of the pre-reboot-quel of catalyst.

[@trashxp5410]

This is a Mirror's Edge Review

[@crossingtheline2189]

10/10 game. First game i tried to speedrun because I couldnt put it down..

[@LargeMollyWater177]

1:53 also Remember Me. Another BANGER of a game.

[@brandonfigueroa5702]

Personal Top 5 games of all time

[@ZedEdge]

A very nice summary and fair critisism of the story. Super cool to get the GBS stamp of approval on one of my favorites. If I can offer a little defense of the story, to me it was never about the corporations or even runners - it was all about mending the bond between Faith and Kate. Only by trying to solving a broader issue could they break through their own barriers and be reminded how much they mean to each other. And in a way, they're saving themselves - being twins they mirror each other as both equals and opposites. It's why i can forgive the awkward 2D cutscenes, since it's the only time in-game that we see Faith from a third-person perspective (with the exception of the final scene) - it's like Faith only has a vague idea of herself and finally gets clarity when she saves Kate at the end. I'm definitely reading into things, but within all that is Merc - his playful interactions over the intercom lifts the energy a lot and gives the final level true weight when his voice is absent for the first time. It's all very underplayed but that's largely why I like it - the relationships feel so natural that it's easy to get invested from early on.

[@TreyGamr58]

I loved this game. Played it a lot as a teen. It's just so FUN! I need to play it again and maybe download some custom levels Story was okay at best, the only story beats I really remembered were the parkour cops introduction, sniping that one guy, and SCRUFFY.

[@sagewaterdragon]

Nice to see you cover this, this is one of my favorite games.

[@AdmiralFleetMeat]

I want to play this with the new viture glasses.

[@DIOBrando-ij2bp]

I wish the melee combat in this game had been as good as the melee combat in Breakdown. I was looking forward to this game after the developers brought up Breakdown as an inspiration for it, and the parkour stuff is good, but the hand-to-hand combat was a step behind Breakdown. Was kind of funny because Zeno Clash was coming out around the same time as Mirror’s Edge and that game was also inspired by Breakdown.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

This game was what I thought future games would look like (having played exclusively on PS2). Future games still falter in comparison to ME's unbelievable vibe. "Still Alive" was one of my most played song on my iPod clone music player.