Dark Mirror is one of those games where almost everything is done
right, but nothing is done amazing. It has everything it needs to be a
fun game, but not enough to push it into greatness.
WHAT'S GOOD:
Controls - For the most part (see below) the controls are easy to
manage, and provide the kind of response you need. Aiming is good,
context sensitive actions are used well, and you can manage tight
spaces fairly easily.
Weapons - You get a decent selection of weapons to use in the field,
but aren't overwhelmed by the available options either. You also don't
find yourself wishing you took the other gun, because there's no ammo
around for the one you picked up.
Game-play: There's a mix of stealth and fire-fights, but be aware that
I personally found there was a greater emphasis on the fire-fights. It
could be that I am simply no good at being stealthy. It's also one of
the few games where the escort missions were not a huge irritant. The
people that you need to escort move when you tell them to move, and
take cover when you tell them to take cover. They also did the latter
effectively, as opposed to just stopping in their tracks and ducking.
The AI was also kind enough to focus most of their attention on you
when you start shooting at them.
Mission length - Considering it's a PSP port, it has an exceptional
campaign length. It took me as long to play this game as it did some
other made-for-PS2 games.
Gadgets - Standard equipment is included, but the fact that it's common
equipment doesn't make it any less fun to use. There are 3 goggle
modes: heat vision, IR, and a 3rd mode to detect important items and
electronic signatures. An "RTL" is also at your disposal which allows
you to zip line along overhead wires.
Unlockables - There's bonus items (like new weapons and levels) to
unlock by completing various tasks throughout missions, and by
collecting "evidence files" throughout the levels. If you're a
completionist, there will be lots for you to do that will encourage
another play-through.
Locations- There's both outdoor and indoor levels ranging from snowy to
sunny locations. The level maps are also laid out well. They feel
large, but not confusing.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
Controls - I did say that overall the controls worked very well, but
there are a couple of items that could have used improvement. I found
the inventory system and the way you switch weapons to have a higher
learning curve than needed. Once you got the hang of it, it was fine,
but it could have been updated to better utilize the PS2 controller (as
this is a port from the PSP system). The other thing was that it was
sometimes frustrating to get you to lean up against the walls. This
move (completed by pressing the analog stick twice in the diretion of
the wall you're standing near) allows you to peak and shoot around
corners. It's a great feature to have, but sometimes the game didn't
realize that that's what you were trying to do. So occasionally you'll
find yourself just walking into walls for a few seconds. This could
have been a easy fix by doing something like mapping the move to the L3
button, instead of having to double tap forward.
Repetitive missions - The core game-play itself is fun, and I'm not
saying that the game is boring. It's just that the levels didn't seem
to deviate from the core game-play very much. The majority of the
levels were mostly just creep and kill, creep and kill, creep and kill
with a few very simple switch puzzles here and there. This was another
minor concern for me, but again it may be a larger issue for other
players.
Linear style - It's not 100% linear, but there's more set paths then
there are multiple ways to complete your missions. This didn't both me
at all, but for those that like a more flexible and robust set of
missions may be disappointed.
FINAL WORD:
If you like the whole stealthy operative style of game-play, then
you'll likely have fun with this one too. If you're new to the genre,
you may have more fun than someone else. If you're a veteran, I don't
think you'll find a lot of innovation here.
