Clever Thought, but Not Perfect
Umm, finally, the worlds of parkour and gaming have collided?
Actually, parkour seems like a completely natural thing for gaming and it is a little surprising that this is the first real attempt to bring it to the market. And rather than make it a really sub-par sports game, EA (which has become BOTH the biggest copier of its own games AND the most innovative company out there. A weird dichotomy to be certain, but it's one EA has taken with impressive gusto) turned it into a fun action title with a lame story.
Mirror's Edge is based on a totalitarian world where couriers, who provide the info that the gov't does not want to get out, are enemy #1. You are Faith, one of these runners. And, yes, the gov't isn't exactly fond of you.
This is one of the most brilliant turns on platforming ever seen. A game with plenty of flaws, but one of the strongest foundations for a game series in recent memory. The controls are really easy to grasp. The camera is a headache, as is usually the case, but there is always a way to handle basically everything. Your character is capable of extremely cool moves --- wall runs to quicky jumps to spin jumps --- but, sadly, you cannot really see what you're doing. It's really cool, however. There is some combat, but the combat is an afterthought at best and, honestly, not terribly good. An improved combat system is a huge thing and will be massive in terms of improvement.
And while the game ITSELF is not overly challenging (it's not easy, but it's not the most difficult thing ever). However, the time trials are EXTREMELY difficult. The only way you can hope to pull them off is to remember that momentum is a HUGE part of the game. You can go REALLY fast if you manage to hit your stunts and jumps correctly. I, sadly, sucked at it --- but, hey, I'm not the best gamer on the planet.
This is a game whose sequel will be amazing and that is quite good in its own right, but it's a really good game and one of the most impressive gaming experiences you'll get this generation.
