A game concept never heard of, stunning visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and heart-stopping action - so what happened to a game that should have revolutionized a genre but fizzled out just as quickly as it appeared? EA DICE's attempt to shake the very foundation of the platforming genre shows that you need more than just faith to accomplish the task.
First-person platforming . . . why didn't anyone else think of that before 2008 when Mirror's Edge was released. It adds so much more drama and action than a third-person platformer could give you because you are seeing everything up close and personal. Running and jumping for your life never seemed so fun . . . at first. The main flaw I found in Mirror's Edge is the very thing that sets it apart from so many other games, it's first-person camera angle. Bullets are flying and there are guards everywhere as you try to get off of the rooftop. In the first few levels, the path you are supposed to take is pretty obvious by the brightly colored red door but as you progress through the game, it seems so do the colors because soon there is a lot of red, blue, yellow, and any other blinding neon color that shows up in the game. I like neon colors, but put bright neon colors with blinding white backgrounds and I start to get a headache. Having a first-person view limits how much of the level you can see and in turn limits the options that you have. I found myself getting lost countless times as I tried to avoid bullets and guards as I searched for an exit.
Guards . . . another thing wrong with this game. I love the fact that we get the rare opportunity to play as a female lead, an Asian one at that. But unlike Lara Croft and Nariko, Faith doesn't know how to fight or how to shoot a gun. You have a better chance of survival if you flee rather than try to pull off the awkward combo or steal a guard's gun. Speaking of which, the concept seems simple enough to disarm a guard. As you are fighting, the gun will flash red and if you time it right, you can disarm him and deal a knock-out blow all in one move. The bad thing for me trying to pull off this move is that I don't see the color red very well. I'm not color blind but the thing that's colored red has to be over a certain size for me to actually see it. Like, if you write something in a red pen and hand it too me, the paper will literally look blank because I just can't see it. Same thing happens when the gun flashes red, I don't even see it. So I found myself just hammering the button hoping to get lucky and time the move correctly.
Then there's the story. I won't go into any detail about the story, probably because there really wasn't enough of one for me too. My main problem is how they presented the story, by using these cartoony cut-scenes that look like they were taken from an episode of Kim Possible. I thought this was one of the worst things about the game. It totally takes you out of the world and destroys the continuity of what you've just been playing and what you are now watching. I almost felt like I was watching a commercial, something totally disconnected from what I was just doing. You don't see great story driven games like Uncharted and Assassin's Creed use a different art style in their cut-scenes nor do you see those games change perspectives on you either. I think the game could have been much better if they had just kept the art style and perspective the same throughout the game and the cut-scenes.
While it isn't all doom and gloom for Mirror's Edge - the gameplay is fun, the time trials are probably the best part of the game - there were so many things that just seemed to go wrong. Poorly designed levels, frustrating combat, poor story, cramped jumping puzzles, and other minor flaws just ruin the best parts of the game - momentum. Though the team has confirmed that it's working on a sequel, I don't have enough faith in them to pick it up.
