Mirror's Edge provides a unique twist on the fps genre with great greats visuals and music until it abruptly ends.
Mirror's Edge puts you in the tennis shoes of a "runner" named Faith. "Runners" are people who deliver sensitive information to clients who can't risk sending it via email. Runners navigate through the city's rooftops doing impressive parkour-style moves like running up walls and doing summersault landings. The game's story follows Faith trying to clear her sister's name from a murder of mayoral candidate in the utopian Daily City. (Funny how this game was coincidentally released right around the Presidential Election). Faith's quest will take her throughout the city running from the increasingly dangerous police in order to prevent her sister from being arrested.
The first thing you'll notice about Mirror's Edge are the graphics. They look clean, bright, and smooth. As you progressively run faster, the screen will start to blur and you'll hear Faith panting as she runs faster than sound. The game is entirely in first person which is what keeps this game out of the crowd. Even when you do a roll, the camera rolls right along with Faith which unfortunately will give some players serious motion sickness. Gameplay-wise, Mirror's Edge is more of a platformer than a first person shooter. You do have the option to pick up a dropped gun, but the shooting feels somewhat clumsy, the guns slow down your movement and when the clip is, you'll be forced to drop it since you can't pick up ammo. Hand-to-hand combat is the best way to fight, although it doesn't feel good enough to make you want to fight enemies. You have a couple punches and kicks, but the ability to disarm your enemies is the best. Not only does it neutralize them, but it also gives you their gun (if you really want it). The music of Mirror's Edge should not be overlooked. The fast paced techno beats add to the game's fast pace and don't make the game feel cheesy at all. The game's main theme "Still Alive" sounds great and really reflects what the game is about.
Mirror's Edge has only three major flaws. The first one of those is that there are some extremely frustrating moments throughout the game. You'll often feel ridiculously outnumbered and you'll find yourself loading the same checkpoint dozens upon dozens of times. The second major flaw is the game's length. Mirror's Edge will take an experienced gamer under 10 hours to complete. The game's 9 chapters take 45-60 minutes to finish. And while each chapter might seem long, the game falls short when you add them up altogether. The third problem would have to be the lack of content. Once you beat the short story mode. You're left to play the time trials and speed runs. Time trials make you complete certain parts of a level in a certain time limit. You have no enemies to worry about and the game often gives you paths that you never took in the story mode which makes it somewhat fun. But the real problem is that some of the levels are extremely difficult and will result in controller throwing since they require perfect timing and precision. The speed runs simply make you try to beat the entire level under a time limit (with enemies). While these give you achievements, there's almost no other reason to play this mode.
But when you look beyond these flaws, you can still find a fun, and almost beautiful game to play. The running almost has a Zen-like feel to it that feels nothing short of amazing. You actually feel like you're running through a city that feels alive and busy. In fact, this game might make you want to go outside and stretch your muscles a little bit. And don't feel bad about that because I did it (and it's good for you). These are the things that make Mirror's Edge a great game. While it lacks in length, it certainly makes up for in feel. Definitely worth a rental, and it makes a good purchase as long as you pay no more than $40.