Have a bit of patience and the joy will come rolling in. A great game which deserves your attention!
Tackling an as of yet untouched area of gaming is a bold move which in many cases will not work to the benefit of the publishers. Free Running has been touched on before though not like this. Mirror's Edge throws you into the front of the action. The use of a first person view was a wise move, it makes everything much clearer, and it makes the game that much more engaging which certainly would not have occurred in the usual 3rd person. While it may have been nice to see what our protagonist, Faith, looks like performing all those suicidal leaps and what not, the pro's out way the cons in terms of the view. Another benefit of the 1st person view is that we can appreciate the near flawless graphics at hand. Mirror's Edge is a beautiful world. Everything in the game is presented angelically, from the towering buildings to the arms of legs of Faith.
The controls are mapped very well with the use of the shoulder buttons making things much easier rather than the conventional face buttons. The running flows seamlessly and stringing together a combination of fast paced leaps and slides is an exhilarating experience. One problem though is the incorporation of the sixaxis. While yes you may not need to use it, one must still ask why on earth it's there. It's simply pointless, the shoulder buttons act as a much better way of rolling after a large leap rather than turning your controller. The time spent on this could have been put too much better use such as the development of the plot.
And with that mention of the plot let's take a look at it. Our girl Faith is a messenger who is being hunted down by the corrupt police and a few major players in the city. The plot isn't well thought out or developed and it clearly isn't meant to be the focus of the game. All cut scenes are fairly short and they don't offer much in the way of an explanation. The plot isn't god-awful and it certainly doesn't ruin the game, but it could have done with a bit more effort.
One other aspect many won't find too pleasing about Mirror's Edge is the difficulty. It's agonizingly easy to fall to one's death after a mistimed jump and in many cases it will take multiple tries before a single section can be completed. It's almost as if the game wants you to fail a few times. Though it isn't all bad, after a few tries at any one chapter you'll find that you can race through them in record time without any failure.
Another complaint is the so-so combat, in particular the gunplay. While it is fun to disarm an enemy and blast a few holes in his face, it can get a bit repetitive and the shooting is similar to what you would find in a rushed FPS. But much like the plot, it clearly wasn't the main focus of the game and it isn't going to ruin your experience. Mirror's Edge is about running across rooftops, taking wild leaps of faith which you never know will work. It's about performing a combination of silky moves and that proud feeling it gives. Mirror's Edge does all of this flawlessly and thus makes this a great game which is certainly worth the money, assuming you have some patience.