Multiplayer

Unfortunately, every game has its downside, and with Mirror's Edge, it's the online play. It's not that it's flawed in any way, or that it just has the usual online games – it's that there isn't really an online portion at all.

There is the race mode, where you have to get through a particular portion of the city as fast as possible, and this has online rankings with ghosts available, but there is no head-to-head online play at all.

Now, in one way, we can see the reasoning behind this – running is, after all, a solitary occupation. But we can also see opportunities as well: if you can have races, why not have head-to-head races?

Then an online match becomes not only one of speed, but also one of tactics: getting to a beam or pipe before your opponent means that they can't jump onto it until you've finished and holds them up as well as extending your lead.

We're confused and saddened by the lack of any real online offering, especially considering DICE's pedigree in the multiplayer arena. That said, though, there's more than enough gameplay in the singleplayer game to keep you happy – there's probably around twenty or so hours of gameplay in total, more if you decide to look for every hidden messenger bag.

Conclusion

When news about Mirror's Edge started coming out, many people were dubious as to whether developer DICE would be able to carry off such a radical departure from their normal Battlefield games.

We're glad to say that DICE has exceeded all expectations. Mirror's Edge is a well-polished title that pushes at the boundaries of what a game should be. Not only is it a brave departure from DICE's comfort zone, it's also a supremely radical change from the usual weapon-centric games always being pushed out.

The storyline is involving, and the more you progress through the game, the more you get sucked into the underworld of the city; the more you want to find out how it all ends. The pacing of the game is very well done, and although the basic premise of running and jumping remains the same throughout, there’s enough variation in the locations and puzzles to keep you hooked until the finale.

There's an awful lot to recommend Mirror's Edge. The look, the storyline, the whole premise of an almost combat-free game – all this goes towards making something that is highly commendable even when you take into account the few niggles, such as the dodgy enemy AI.

If you feel the need to indulge in some parkour action without the possibility of bone breakage, together with the added benefit of causing motion sickness amongst your friends and relatives, then there's no better game than Mirror's Edge. It’s as simple as that, mainly because the game sticks to the old game adage of being easy to pick up, but tough to master.