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THE GOOD:
> The acrobatic combat > Stylish disarms and attacks > The sets of skills and moves available for Faith to use are broad > Very pretty setting > New, innovative, original concept > Challenging set pieces > Time trail modes THE BAD: SUMMARY:  Released in Novemeber, Mirror's Edge is a new type of game developed by DICE and published by EA. Previously EA where a brand I would avoid as most of their games where simple games created at low budget for a higher profit. However given the quality of Dead Space and the hype surrounded Mirror's Edge I decided to give it a go. Received free from my friend, keeping up my vow to never actually purchase the game, he kindly allowed me to hold onto it for as long as I wanted in exchange for the same deal with my LittleBigPlanet. Mirror's Edge follows the story of Faith, a runner who delivers confidential information between clients without the city's watch knowing what it is. This naturally means the city's Police squads are regularly attempting to clamp down on her while she works. This was never a problem for Faith until suddenly, with no indication why, the Police drastically step up their operations to catch runners. From then on the plot moves on quickly and, in some ways, frantically in a race to finish. For some reason the game always feels like a race against time, but there is no timer and no real penalty for slow gameplay. The game also raises a question mark to what type of game it actually is. It's in a First Person Shooter (FPS) perspective, but the gameplay is totally different to any FPS ever created that it can't possibly belong to that genre. Then again it is also different from any other adventure game created before as well. The first thing that hit me was the difficulty the game brought. In order to more smoothly from one obstacle to the next you have to time your actions carefully and swiftly. This rises the first problem, why does it have to be so hard? It isn't overkill but it is complex and I feel awkward knowing that to perform one manoeuvre at the time it will be needed I will have to press three consecutive buttons to do it. Allow me to explain, as you will learn in the tutorial you will have one button to jump, a second to turn, a third for physical attacks, and a forth to slide and crouch. From then on you use these buttons in different orders to create different moves for whatever situation you find yourself in. An example is when being chased by an enemy. If you are armed with a gun of some sort you can jump and turn while you are running and open fire in a reverse gun-dive position. This is only one of the many ways you can use these controls, but was my favourite from my experience. The next feature I will explain is Runner Vision, a slow motion effect triggered when you press the square button. It makes moves such as counters and complicated jumps easier to perform and is generally the key special skill Faith possesses. It is especially useful when faced with enemies, as when they try to attack you a sudden flash/glow alerts you to the correct time to press the counter button, making disarming them much easier and keeps up the rhythm of the game. The worst problem with this game, is the length. I mentioned before that the story moves frantically fast, pushing you to the end of the game within maybe seven or eight hours depending on the difficulty and player's skill. It's not even that it's short, but it's short and it doesn't take the time to explain itself. We're simply told that the corporation in charge of the city is bad, and the runners are the only hope left. There is no explanation as to why this is, or what is in the packages you ensure are carefully delivered. Very little about the background is explained, and the story's depth is knee high at best. That's not to say there are no plot twists or surprises, on the contrary there are some points of the game that resemble an actually well crafted storyline. However they are drowned out by the vast level of silence about the overall plot to matter. The game also advertise it's apparent 'free' choice of gameplay. Supposedly offerring numerous paths and routes to move through the level. However that turns out in my opinion to be a lie. The only variations are just different jumps or walls to climb. In the end you still end up going the same way no matter how original you try to plan your path. The sound quality in Mirror's Edge to me stands out just as average. The dialogue is solid however the voice acting is rough. In game sounds, such as footsteps, are all effective but nothing that will strike you as authentic. The music is simply music to fill in the empty parts of the game and everything is just created to do it's job. At the very least it managed to do its job, if only just. Extra challenges and modes are simply variations of time trail runs through the campaign levels. Getting from start to finish in the fastest time possible. There are online leader boards so there is still some challenge in the game outside the main story, but not really enough to prolong the inevitable trade-in when the reported downloadable content is hardly 'content' at all. A bonus map is it's most substantial addition, and it is unlikely to have much else worth buying, or getting if it becomes free, available. Despite all of it's errors and short comings. Mirror's Edge is still something brand new. Innovative and challenging with gameplay never before seen in other game. Like I said before, Mirror's Edge is un-placable. To complex for a FPS yet to new to be an adventure game. It creates a new genre to place itself in, and as a first in it's field it isn't that bad. I do recommend playing this game as a rental. Simply because this is one of those games that needs to be played. In conclusion, this game is a failure. However from that failure also comes success. If Mirror's Edge is to spawn a trilogy, then it can be perfected in it's later installments. The fact is that Mirror's Edge has started something new in the gaming industry. Something that hasn't been done within the past one or two years. It adds a refreshing new genre to games, despite being the only one in it's class. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will love this game and will get a far longer play from it than I will. Score Graphics > 8.7, shiny and polished but overuses the crisp white texture. Gameplay > 8.4, innovative but over-complicated and frustrating. Sound > 6.9, just reaching average. Nothing exciting or spectacular about it. Story > 7.4, short and empty but still has some twists and events that will keep you entertained for the game's short length. Lifespan > 6.8, little else than the story mode and time trail are worth looking at. Once done with those it is fit for a trade-in. Overall > 38.2 out of 50, 76.4%, 3.8 out of 5
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