By Paul DaviesWell, the demo’s out, and most of the reviews have hit. It may not be quite the generation-defying classic many were expecting. All that remains now is to convince a few remaining fence-sitters to decide whether or not Mirror’s Edge is worth their time and money.
The naysayers may have a point. Mirror’s edge is a fairly slight experience, apparently clocking in at around six hours for the story mode. Yes, it is also fairly linear, being about getting from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. The main point is that this is not a bad thing. The tendency towards ‘sandbox’ type design, where the player is allowed to roam around in a large (though predetermined) space is a bit of a double-edged sword. Yes, there’s something of a degree of freedom to games like GTA IV or Far Cry 2, but ultimately all the player is deciding is what order in which to do things. Its like changing the order of tracks on a CD. Mirror’s Edge, with its defiantly old-school focus on speed, efficiency and building and maintaining momentum, has a purity that puts it on par with classic 2D platformers of old. The Time Trial modes that apparently comprise the real meat of the game, display this philosophy better than anything.
Plus, it’s just satisfying to play. Compare it to something like Call of Duty 4 or BioShock. Naturally, the strengths and focus of those games lies elsewhere, but its pretty hard to claim that you feel anything like the same connection with the anonymous, floating-arm-with-a-gun protagonists of more traditional shooters as you do with the heroine of Mirror’s Edge. In Mirror’s Edge, the player feels every vault, leap and misjudged landing (especially the latter). Even the simple act of running has a sort of visceral feel that no other first-person game has come close to matching.
It is, for want of a better word, an important game, and I’d urge anyone who’s even remotely (and justifiably) tired, dismissive or jaded with first-person games to try it immediately.
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