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Mirror's Edge

Sweet, But All Too Brief

Mirror's Edge is a thing of beauty. Great visual and audio design and a fresh game concept combine to give you one of the most unique games in recent memory. The PC version of is easily superior to the console editions - polished and properly designed for the PC controls. Gameplay is incredibly well tuned - 99% of the time when you get killed it's squarely your own fault and practice makes perfect. Timing requirements for difficult jumps and disarm moves are strict but perfectly doable on the PC with it's pixel-precise controls.

The combat could be more user friendly, but being "accessible" translates far too often to "too easy". Mirror's Edge might err a bit on the difficulty level but all it really takes is practice. It just feels odd at first in this day and age of spoon-fed games where anyone can "win" by just bashing their head at the keyboard and waggling the mouse a bit - in Mirror's Edge, only practice, accurate timing and proper skill works.

Unfortunately Mirror's Edge suffers from being way too short. It just doesn't have enough beef for a $50 pricetag. It's as if someone decided to cut away major bits of the storyline to get the game finished while staying on schedule. Another way to look at it is to compare Mirror's Edge to Valve's Portal - both have great art direction and a fresh gameplay idea that carries the game but the end comes way too soon. Just as you learn the gameplay and pick up speed as you get "in the zone" and become one with the gameplay, the end credits for the story roll. What made Portal tick was the lower pricetag and the memorable storyline. Mirror's Edge has a great setting and backstory, but the actual game storyline is... mundane and doesn't really support the gameplay properly, so all you are left with is the action and there isn't nearly enough of it. Time Trial and Speed Run modes do extend the game, but you still end up craving for a lot more - and all those cheated times on the leaderboards are taking some fun out of speedrunning.

In closing, the overall score for Mirror's Edge clashes heavily with the sub-scores for a simple reason - it would easily be at least five points higher if the package would just offer a better value for money. Even the promised extra content packs don't alter the deal simply because EA asks money for them (at least on the consoles, no final word on the PC). If you decide to skip it for now, do keep it in mind. As soon as it lands on the bargain bin or is offered "50% off" on Steam, it's a whole new deal. Even if there isn't that much content, the gameplay is just so unique and challenging - a far too rare combination in this day and age.

Summary of YouGamers Hardware Testing

The publisher of this game state the following specifications for their minimum and recommended requirements:

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Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: GameplayPage 3: Combat, Additional Game ModesPage 4: Visuals and PerformancePage 5: Summary, Scores

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