In the spirit of nostalgia and due to the Xbox One now adding more games to its playable list via backwards compatibility, Fanboy Report contributor Evan J. Pretzer has decided to take a look back at some of the greats he missed out on the first time around, starting with Mirrors Edge.
I remember when I first played this game from the studio best known for cranking out Battlefields. The year was 2009, I was just going into high school and the world seemed like an altogether uncomplicated place. Shit, video stores were even still in business at that time.
It was at the local chain in my town that I decided to rent this game and give it a go. My childhood friend, who was with me in the store, crudely suggested that I pass over the Mirror’s Edge because it starred a woman; I decided to ignore his qualms and rent it.
What I was given was amazing. In this free-runner/FPS, you were cast in the role of Faith Connors, a high flying messenger in an unnamed city ruled by an authoritarian government. You run on walls, scale impossible heights and spend time saving your sister from a conspiracy. All in all, I had a lot of fun playing this piece during that long summer up in Canada, until I didn’t.
You see, I eventually got stuck. Yes, like many a young child playing a game and without access to a laptop computer, I found myself bogged down in an area and unable to continue. As a result, I was forced to turn in the game at the end of my rental period and quickly forgot about it as the years went on and my attention turned towards beautiful women and passing my college classes.
But then, along came Xbox One Backwards Compatibility, and with it a second chance to finish what I had begun so long ago. I picked up the game recently during a sale and managed to dive back in. Below, you will find my impressions of the piece that I was finally able to complete.
- The Good: Even today, Mirror’s Edge still holds up visually. The cold white colors of the city skyscrapers shine like new on the Xbox One, and the stylized character designs shimmer with a magic that my younger self had never noticed on my first outing with the game. DICE clearly knows how to make things that hold up image wise, and I sense that will stay with Battlefront.
- The Bad: The story of Mirror’s Edge is…lame in retrospect. I know that somewhere online there will be people who read that and demand my hairless head on a platter, but it really is true. Had more time been spent on showing how the city fell into its present state, it may have been better. Perhaps I am wrong, but I get the sense that I am not. Don’t like it? Sue me. (Editor’s note: Don’t sue Fanboy Report, just Evan.)
- The Verdict: This is a game that’s a little rough around the edges, but begs for a sequel. Thankfully EA has come to their senses and decided to let the franchise continue — with a prequel. It’s not a continuation to be sure, but hey, these days gamers take what they can get.
