Mini review: Mirror's Edge (PC)

Short version: It's short, but fun. Replayable to some extent.

Long version: Plenty of time has passed to let the game season. There was lots of hype about the game leading up to its launch. The fact that someone was creating almost a new genre of game, a first person game that plays down the shooter in favor of movement and interaction with the environment.

The game was short. I wish it had been longer.

The High Dynamic Range graphics looked nice, but the overwhelming whiteness got a bit old after a while.

It's pretty hard to play the game without shooting anyone or beating anyone up, although I guess it's meant to be that way (I think there's an achievement for that). The game unnecessarily makes it even harder by forcing a certain timing on quick-reloads after you die. In one case, I had to exit a door, jump from one building to another, then run across a building top and climb up some pipes, all while police rappelled from a helicopter to the top of that building. The first time I ran that sequence, I had a head start, thanks to a quick transit through the previous area. I had plenty of time to make it through that area before the police could shoot me, but fell and died at the end. When the game reloaded the sequence, I didn't get the head start, and the police showed up much earlier, making my passivistic trek across the rooftop impossible.

I didn't have any problems with the controls, other than operator error. The controls were consistent and simple enough. I have to share the complaint heard elsewhere that turning your head to look around while hanging from something was stupidly slow.

I also encountered an issue with sound, where the effects and ambient noises were far louder than the dialogue. This in effect removed any sort of plot, until I found that an update of my sound drivers would solve the problem.

Speaking of plot, does anyone else see an issue with Faith's crusade to save her sister? How many police did she kill or beat up on the way to save her sister? And where the heck are all the regular citizens? I mean, come on, this is a dense urban environment. Where are all the people? And what's the point of the bags, which originally figured to be a significant part of the plot?

The game begs to be replayed--can you make it through without firing a shot? Can you make it through without so much as a punch? Can you hit a rhythm so well that you never break stride through an entire chapter?

I didn't take the time to hit the time trials, but thinking back, I kind of want to now.

After release, the game got slammed, mostly on the basis of controls and brevity. I had no issues with the controls, but I have to agree with the sentiment on brevity. Overall, I would give the game a B. The technical execution, in my opinion, was outstanding. The plot and length were its main weak points.