Imagine portal without the portals, and at a frantic speed.  That’s kinda what I am likening my first hour of Mirror’s Edge to.

Mirror’s Edge puts you into the role of a courier in a futuristic world where the government controls everything, and where sensitive information must be transported the old-fashioned way…  By hand.  The apparent problem is that “The Man” is always hip to your route and ends up trying to take you down while you wall-run, swing, leap, tumble and Kung-Fu-Chop your way across the rooftops.

I need to spend a lot more time with this game, but so far it is quite exciting.  While the opening missions are obviously designed to go easy on you while you familiarize yourself with the controls, Mirror’s Edge constantly asks you to make impossible jumps and to problem-solve your way out of some pretty sticky situations.  Before long, you have to string together some pretty cool acrobatics in order to reach safety.  While the level design is quite linear, I really don’t feel all that boxed in.  It feels more like I am just choosing the best path and thinking on my feet rather than proceeding to the next checkpoint.

The game’s use of color makes finding your way around pretty easy, although that doesn’t mean its always a walk in the park.  There are definitely some “How in the hell am I going to get all the way up there” moments, but fortunately the chick you play in the game is more nimble than a ninja.

Mirror’s Edge, thus far, is about high-speed problem/puzzle solving.  It’s fun, frantic, and the story seems pretty interesting.

The game has been criticized for being too short, which I can’t testify to yet because I am only an hour into the game, and some feel that the brevity of the game and a lack of multiplayer make the full 59.99 price tag a bit extreme.

Length of game aside, I would argue that this game DOES have multiplayer, just not the kind you’re used to.

Example.

I live in Houston, and Eoco lives in the UK somewhere.  We’re NEVER on XBL at the same time.  HOWEVER, I can compete with Eoco for the best time on the level, not against the clock but against his fastest ghost.  While you can’t chat with the ghost, which would be a bit unsettling, this form of persistent multiplayer presence has its plus side.  You can play against any of your friends ANY TIME.  Sounds like multiplayer to me.

I’ll hit with an ItsNotAReview later this week, after I’ve had more time to play, but so far… Mirror’s Edge is a blast.

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