Are you kidding you are shooting The Police AND THE SWAT TEAM!!! What is the point of that I mean what did they ever do to you? Nothing!
Mirror's Edge
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
A refreshingly different take on first-person action.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Mirror's Edge was written by Marc Saltzman
Parents need to know this action game can be played without firing a weapon at all. But if you want to, Faith, the heroine, can aim and fire a gun, killing enemies who are after her, including the oppressive police force of this futuristic city. Blood can be seen when shooting targets and they fall to the ground in a lifelike fashion, but there is no gore or excessive violence. Faith can also punch, kick, and slide into enemies to cause them to trip, or disarm them to get their weapon. What makes this game interesting is the camera perspective -- you play as the strong female character and view the world by looking over her shoulder as she wall-jumps, slides under barriers, leaps across chasms to land on ledges, and performs other heart-stopping feats. Players who suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights) or vertigo may have trouble playing this action adventure.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the concept behind this interesting game, about a society that slowly became increasingly controlled by the government. Why is it that we periodically see Orwellian-like worlds similar to this one appear in literature, movies, and games? Do you think new technology developments such as survellience cameras, GPS phones, passports with computer chips, and satellite imagery make people wonder about the possibility of government abuse?
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More on Mirror's Edge
What’s the Story?
An action game played from a first-person perspective is usually considered a "shooter," those popular run-and-gun video games, such as the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or Halo titles, where the protagonist roams through the world toting all types of weapons. Now, Sweden's EA DICE studio is offering this first-person perspective in an action game with MIRROR'S EDGE. In Mirror's Edge you play as Faith, a "runner," or information courier, in a world where all communication is tightly monitored by the state. Your job is to act as a messenger between those who oppose the state's control over people's lives. By traversing rooftops and alleyways and navigating through underground waterways, you'll perform your tasks while remaining undetected by the "Blues," or police, as well as cameras and other monitoring equipment. After the tutorial and prologue, you also learn about Faith's twin sister, Kate, who was framed for a murder she didn't commit.
Played entirely from a dizzying first-person perspective, players control the agile Faith as she navigates through the city by running across ledges, climbing ladders, jumping from roof to roof, shimmying across ledges, and sliding down ziplines. Gamers might liken it to a Prince of Persia experience, but from a different view of the action.
Is It Any Good?
Mirror's Edge is an exciting, immersive -– and for the most part, non-violent –- video game. What's fun is that while you'll have many missions to complete, how you go about it might vary from player to player. For example, in one memorable scene early on in the game, you're being chased by police in a building, with bullets whizzing past your ears. You can choose to frantically climb the staircase and find a hiding spot behind some boxes, climb up onto a shelf and find an opening to an air vent to crawl through, or kick open a door to the roof, hop over an electric fence and run like mad. While you're encouraged not to use weapons in the game (in fact, you can unlock a special Xbox 360 Achievement or PlayStation 3 Trophy for not firing them) it is possible to pick up and fire a gun, if you like. Otherwise, our heroine will punch or kick to confront baddies and disarm them.
Another fascinating aspect of this game is that along with the main campaign, there is a special Race mode. While playing in Race mode, you're dropped back into the city and can compete against other Mirror's Edge players to see who has the best time; every move throughout the obstacle courses is recorded and your time trials appear as red silhouettes of your character for others to beat. There are a few minor issues, such as some moves are hard to pull off (such as hopping between two walls) and the first-person view can make it tough to know when to jump from one building to another, but overall, Mirror's Edge is a fantastic first-person adventure worth every dime. But be forewarned: those who feel nausea from watching first-person films like Cloverfield or anyone who suffers from acrophobia (fear of heights) or vertigo might want to forego this dizzying adventure.
Publisher’s Details
Developer: Electronic Arts
Released on: 11/11/2008, Price: $45-60, not online enabled
ESRB Rating: T for Blood, Language, Violence
Released on: 11/11/2008, Price: $45-60, not online enabled
ESRB Rating: T for Blood, Language, Violence
Our Members Say
See all 23 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Negative role models
EXACLY LIKE GRAND THEFT AUTO!!!!
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I rate this title off for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
If they're is a gun... M
Today, if you do something violent, you'll get arrested. How is it that if you do it in a virtual world it's fine? I say anything with with an invention to kill an innocent person (or a bad guy) shouldn't be ''appropriate. That's my review, period.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
OK
This does not sound bad at all. Just maybe some bad words.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Easy to play
Re-inventive game
Mirror's edge developer DICE really pulled out all the strings on this game. The graphics are gorgeous and the gameplay is seamless. Just watch out for the occasional four letter word and your good
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
Underappreciated masterpiece a parent could be proud to give a young teen
I am a full out Adult gamer. I play everything from downright hauntingly beautiful art games, to generic shoot em ups, and I enjoy them. I absolutely, strongly recommend, "Mirrors Edge" to any parent looking for an exciting game for a child who doesn't go into a game wanting a shoot em up, who is mature enough to deal with some political concepts, some light swearing, a little blood and occasional gunshot. The maturity aspect is pretty self explanatory: You can shoot people, namely the Thought Police-Esque "Blues". However, the game goes to great lengths to de-emphasize this aspect, and frankly, anyone who has played another shooting-based game will tell you that the gunplay in Mirrors Edge is woefully unwieldy and unrewarding. I feel safe in saying that this is purposeful, as it emphasizes the other, more pertinent parts of the game. Also, call me an art dweeb, but despite the fact that I am not squeamish about in game violence, I thought it was quite refreshing to be playing an action game where I throw a gun on the ground in order to incapacitate a foe through either non-lethal means, or to simply escape, without ever feeling like a heavy handed morality tale. I suspect that this realization on less violent solutions being the best path will stick with children much longer then the unmemorable shooting, and painting non-lethal solutions in a positive light in comparison with giving the player a choice of potentially useing a gun will instill a message of non-violence far stronger then any after school special. Also, you have a powerful sisterly bond between 2 strong and realistic female protagonists, where the character you play try's to save her sister in spite of there respective opposing and morally ambiguous philosophy's. There is mature content, yes, but it is presented in a very positive way that should make a parent smile. In short, Mirrors Edge is a beautiful and refreshing first person game that a child without the expectation of guns and gore should find intriguing. If the puzzle gameplay appeals to your child, then there is also a wonderful, complex, and though provoking theme underneath the surface. If asked what the perfect game is for a discerning parent to get there young teen, Mirrors Edge wins the prize by a long shot.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 33% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 33% | of parents feel the site is not safe |
| 33% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 33% | of parents say it's too violent |
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For Your Family
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