Mirror's Edge

You still have 5 days left to get the EA humble bundle!  I haven't gotten to play all the way through any of the other games from it (as they are much longer and involved) but this one I have and thus why I'm reviewing it!  (And don't forget Mirror's Edge 2 has been announced!)

If you were one of the people who picked it up when it first came out for xbox or even for pc, you probably already have your idea of what this game is like.  I read multiple reviews before buying the humble bundle because, of course, I wanted to know if any of them were worth even the small amount.  Turns out: Fuck yes.

I may be late to the party, but I'm not wrong.

Slow pokemon aside, I found many split reviews.  Some people hated Mirror's Edge with a passion and others loved it.  I am in the middle, leaning toward loving it.  It was definitely marketed wrong.  EA wanted to act as if it were some giant open world that you could traverse in your shenanigans as Faith (Effy to her friends) while in reality you're given quite limited options most of the time.  If you can put that aside, feel free to keep reading about this awesome game!

Bu-bu-bu-but i-i-i-it s-sss-sssaid it wa-wa-was open wo-worrrld.

"SHUT UP!"

The gameplay mechanics are a bit tricky at first.  You really need to pay attention during the tutorial because it is your 1 and only chance to get acclimated to the controls.  If you just use your regular WASD paired with some puzzle-solving wit it's not usually very difficult on normal.  The added "runner vision" where stuff you're probably supposed to use turns red is helpful in this landscape of bright white, blue, and a few other acid-trip vivid colors.

Seriously, you will be the dog at times.

The game is overall fun because of a semi-traditional story mixed with fun puzzles to solve.  It DOES become repetitive though.  I found that because it was a short enough game (maybe 3-4 hours of gameplay) that it didn't become terribly repetitive.  Could you see what was coming next during the in-game situations?  Absolutely.  Why keep playing?  The story is fun, semi-engrossing and so is running around doing parkour. 

The music, in my mind, is epic in a non-traditional way.  It's not the "TO BATTLE!" sort of music you hear on most games because you're not rushing into a battle.  You're running for your goddamn life.  The mystery that surround the story is also perfect for this sort of game.

Stories come and go and this one doesn't stand out too much.  The gameplay is what ties everything together.  This is also one of the first games I've seen break the mold in the way of cut-scenes.  Instead of the spectacular graphics being used for the cut-scenes and story telling, they're used for the gameplay.  While the cut-scenes that tell the story are basically between mediocre and good flash graphics circa 2004.

See?  Not awful but it's not the top of the line shit you'd expect.

Like I said, the bang for the buck (especially since you can pay $1 for 5 games during this bundle of great games) is definitely apparent. 

I personally paid (yes, I'm a cheap fuck) $1.01.  So for the 5 games (technically 6 but there's no fucking way I'm installing Origin) I got they were 20 and a fifth cents each.  I've logged 4 hours on Mirror's Edge that's 5 cents an hour.  Great deal.  Go get the Humble Bundle and enjoy some games.