Mirror's Edge

"Mirror's Edge Will Blow You Away"

Mirror's Edge is one of those rare games that doesn't come around that often, one that totally changes a genre or potentially creates a new one, and I have to say you'll be pleasantly surprised with the end result.

Mirror's Edge has you playing as Faith, a runner, who transports sensitive information across a totalitalian-like citiscape where all information is closely monitored. For the most part life goes on as usual and the runners are never really bothered... that is, until Faith's sister Kate is framed for a murder which, throughout the game, reveals a much broader plot at hand.

Let's be up-front here, Mirror's Edge straight up delivers on every possible level, it's got the looks, the gameplay and everything in between. So, let's get started, shall we?

Graphics: Quite possibly the most beautiful game to come out certainly this year and perhaps in a very long time. The visuals in Mirror's Edge are stunning. Whether you're jetting across rooftops or running underground, you just can't beat the look. Pretty much the entire game seems very sanitized, you'll see very little dirt and grit, a refreshing change from your typical FPS. As you progress, you'll be drawn in by the vibrant colors whether it be through the rooftops or as you beat your way through the buildings themselves, things are just beautiful. Character models are highly detailed and yes, you can look at your own legs/feet which adds to the aspect of immersion. Cutscenes are done from a highly stylized cell-shaded point of view and those character cutscenes actually run off of the in-game engine.

Gameplay: This is what sets Mirror's Edge apart from pretty much every other game in history, few come close to capturing this kid of visceral experience. The majority of Mirror's Edge is spent running, yes, you read right, running. As you run, you gain momentum which causes Faith to move much quicker as you have the ability vault over obstacles and slide under others. One unique aspect of the free-running, parkour style is the ability to actually perform the type of moves that you'll often see free-runners perform.

When jumping from a high point, you have the choice of either landing hard and taking some damage, or hitting L2 just before the point-of-impact which will cause Faith to roll, taking no damage and adding to your momentum. You'll also have the ability to wall-run, hop back and forth between walls and just create some very fun and very stylish physical maneuvers. It's also quite neat how when you're hanging from a bar, you have the ability to gain momentum by swinging, add to that the use of SixAxis controls to balance yourself as you walk across pipes, this can be turned off if you so choose. Throughout the game you'll encounter items and obstacles which turn red indicating that they're able to be used to either get to difficult areas or progress through the game, this is called runner vision and you have the ability to turn this off as well.

The combat is great without being overly complex or complicated. You can punch, kick, jump punch, jumpk kick or slide kick. Along with that, you can disarm and incapacitate an opponent by hitting the Triangle button at just the right moment when they try to strike you and their weapon turns red, this gets tougher to do as the game progresses and the cops and enemies get tougher. Even though I think the combat is fun and fresh, it's not the focal point so you can choose to fight only when you need to and even finish the game without shooting anyone, or go though the game "guns a' blazin'". However, carrying a weapon cause Faith to move slower and you'll probably just want to discard it. I think the game's difficulty is just right. This game can get tough and may require planning before entering an area with enemies or just looking for a route to progress through a given area. The gameplay is a blast and will really challenge the more skilled gamers out there.

Along with the single player campaign comes a speed run and time trial mode in which you can compete to beat other player's times and race their record-setting ghosts. This can get pretty addictive as you race to own the leaderboards

Sound: If you're like me, you'll absolutely love the serene, yet upbeat soundtrack, it's truly wonderful. Most of the time you'll be listening to the level's own, distinct ambient soundtrack with music in the background and the temp will pick-up once you hit either a puzzle (set of really tough obstacles) or you run into some enemies. The music is such an integral part of the game, that I'm sure many will appreciate the way it's used in the overall presentation. The voice-acting is fairly solid with most characters having a relaxed feel to their voices and rarely getting excited, although that does change the further you get.

Overall: This game is amazing. If you haven't picked it up, go and do that NOW, you won't regret it. If for any reason you're not convinced the parkour style free-running is an absolute rush, there is a demo in the PS Store which let's you play the entire first prologue level found in the game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/09/08

Game Release: Mirror's Edge (US, 11/11/08)