Mirror's Edge (PS3)

Mirror's Edge is the best game I've played that led to EA taking down Dr Tim Langdell in court and maybe losing all his 'EDGE' trademarks.

It's also the only game I've played that led to EA taking down Dr Tim Langdell in court and maybe losing all his 'EDGE' trademarks, shockingly enough. But, Langdell's nonsense aside, there's a game here that I bought and played and finished and now I will use words to tell you about it.

Something interesting happens whenever I mention Mirror's Edge to people; they either go "Oh, I really didn't like that!" or "Yeah, that was fun and interesting!". It seems to be one of those titles that really polarizes opinions. But I didn't really love it or hate it - I enjoyed it, and thought it ended in a satisfactory way, but it certainly didn't seem as awful as half the people I talk to make it out to be or as amazingly splendid as the other half do.

I think the whole concept - free running mixed with combat - is a very nice idea. The game feels very satisfying when you figure out a neat line and pull it off flawlessly. When you sprint up to an opponent and disarm them, it's similarly rewarding; Mirror's Edge puts a far bigger focus on speed and control than it does on normal combat. However, it takes quite some time to get used to, and the control doesn't always feel as responsive as I would have liked. There were moments when simple maneuvers took me multiple tries, and that feels frustrating.

Visually, the style is superb. Lack of realism aside, the art direction is bold, brave and simple yet stunning. It's impressive to see a game craft a style that feels so unique that it is instantly recognizable, particularly in the FPS genre where things often looks very same-y.

As for the story? It's there. It's not breathtaking or particularly inspiring, but it does a good job of keeping the main character motivated and introducing characters as it goes. Yes, there's a twist and a betrayal but I've played so many games with a twist and a betrayal now that it almost seems the standard way to write a game plot.

I think, though, there's something stopping Mirror's Edge from being quite as iconic as it could have been. Somehow I feel that more could have been done with the style - perhaps bigger, more breathtaking outdoors setpieces, or setting the game up to feel more action intense. Aside from a few intense moments, most of the game feels just like running around on roofs, looking for doors and dodging bad guys. I would have preferred to see a little bit more variety in the outdoors settings, as I am sure that far more could have been done with them.

So. Mirror's Edge. It's challenging, pretty, quite unique in style both visually and in terms of gameplay. The fact that so many people dislike it suggests that it's a hard one to get into, but the fact that it can be picked up for really rather cheap these days means that it's none too risky an investment if you don't mind sticking with games through the challenging bits.