It's been a truly thrilling week for me, gaming-wise. I spent the last week - especially, this past Sunday - playing Mirror's Edge. The game turned out to be more or less exactly the kind of experience I was anticipating it would be.

One aspect of the game that never ceased to please me was the atmosphere. The lighting, the bold colorful visuals, the sounds of a bustling city and Faith's speedy paces and hastened breathing. If only the game was longer. Yesterday alone, I was able to beat the last two chapters, plus play through the entire game all over again (for the Test of Faith trophy), plus play through the first six chapters on Hard. It is entirely possible to get sucked into playing "just one more chapter" until you find yourself over halfway through the game already. This is not to say that the game is terribly short; it is highly entertaining and fulfilling. I just wish there was more of it.

I'd been working hard to earn every trophy that does not involve Time Trials or Speedruns. While the Time Trials could potentially be fun to return to some day just to toy around with, the Speedruns will be indubitably avoided. There are certain parts of certain levels that I found to be consistently broken. Through three playthroughs, they always acted funny; e.g. a wall in chapter 4 that would rarely allow me to wallrun on it. Unfortunately, wallrunning onto this wall is mandatory for progression and so, I was left wondering during each and every playthrough how on Earth I'd ever hypothetically find the patience to deal with such cruel trickery, were I ever to attempt a Chapter 4 Speedrun. My easy and effortless answer, the simple solution to this problem, is that I won't ever attempt said Speedrun. The bronze trophies are not worth it and I don't need the Platinum in this case. Straight up beating the game, beating the game without shooting anyone, and beating the game on Hard difficulty were plenty challenging for me. There's just no logical reason why I'd subject myself to such destined infuriation, particularly if the run had been going so well prior to the flawed obstacle(s) in question.

I'm completely content with the in-game mileage and trophy progress I made within the game. I'm glad to leave things as they stand, so that the game continues to leave wonderful afterthoughts in my mind.

While playing, I did find some flaws/issues/whatnot that are worth mentioning. None were game-breaking, and none ever detracted from my enjoyment of the game. For starters, I feel that the story could have been more fleshed out. Uncover all the details of the corruption. Discover exactly who did exactly what. What happens after the credits? The player is left wondering how Faith proceeds from the current situation. From a certain perspective, nothing really gets resolved.

Another issue stems from the controls. I see now why so many critics' and fellow gamers' reviews of the game have cited an unusual and awkward control scheme. After playing several playthroughs of each released Uncharted game and a couple playthroughs each of the two inFAMOUS titles, I am definitely used to a particular control scheme when it comes to action games. It's exactly like how you come to assume X will mean "Confirm" while O will mean "Cancel", or how PS3 gamers have come to learn that R2 is the new "Accelerate" in 95% of current gen racing games. So, imagine my perplexion when I suddenly found myself (more often than I would have liked...through all three playthroughs, no less) accidentally pressing R1 to shoot and finding myself turning around 180 degrees instead, or, pressing the Square button in anticipation of a Melee punch but rather, finding that I'd triggered the Reaction Time mechanic. Oh well, right? Well, this is what happens when developers commune and agree on a certain control scheme and then one developer decides to stray. Perhaps the sequel will provide us with the welcome and familiar control scheme we have come to love and trust.

Speaking of "the sequel," I would love to see a Mirror's Edge 2. I could totally see an Uncharted 2 / inFAMOUS 2 moment happening once again, with an outright phenomenal sequel coming along that blows us all away and makes all the years of waiting worth it.

*MAJOR SPOILERS* Since the story ends with Faith's sister, Kate, in a personal scenario that doesn't really lend itself towards enabling her to remain a cop, what if Kate decided to agree to letting Faith teach her the ways of being a Runner and together, they worked to take down the Mayor and Celeste and Pirandello Kruger and bring the "new" city to its knees? How positively epic would that be? I'd play that.

Heck, having played the first Mirror's Edge, I'd be game for Mirror's Edge 2, no matter what.