Mirror's Edge Review
28 January 2009 | By James Pikover
A PC port that turned out better than the console original. Read why Mirror’s Edge PC is a must have!
PC gamers are typically considered elitist because they believe that games on the PC are always superior to their console brethren. Debating aside, they are absolutely correct when it comes to Mirror’s Edge, which is a completely different experience than on consoles, so much so that we’d happily get rid of our console versions for this one.
How can this be? The games are identical inside and out; same story about protagonist Faith, an illegal ‘runner’, or messenger, trying to save her sister in an unjust and unlawful city. Dialog is exactly the same, gameplay is the same…for a lack of a better word, the PC version of Mirror’s Edge is a port. Except that this port is better than the original for one simple reason: control.
Mirror’s Edge is all about control. Players must be able to control Faith’s movements fluidly and with ease. Otherwise, the game is no fun. Because consoles use analog sticks, turning is never as precise and moving forward, as opposed to diagonally, is nearly impossible with a stick. So using a keyboard with four buttons for movement and a mouse for turning is almost ridiculously more accurate for this title.
That said, my second play through Mirror’s Edge was a much smoother and more enjoyable experience. Sure, I knew the game better and knew what actions to take, but that doesn’t mean I could perform them instantly. Yet I did with rare exception because of the outstanding control using the mouse and keyboard over a gamepad.
Besides the hugely better controls, Mirror’s Edge on the PC just looks stunning at a resolution of 1920x1200. The amount of detail on-screen is phenomenal, and a good monitor will make it that much better. Sure, the world is just as colorful as before, but now when hanging off a ledge, Faith’s hands look real, the dents in poles are easy to notice…almost everything looks better.
The best part about all this is that it doesn’t require a powerful videocard to run. A 9600GT 512MB can run the entire game at full spec with no real slowdown. At times it dipped down to 24 frames per second, but my average was 35fps. And my computer is nothing special (2.4GHz quad core, 4GB RAM @ 800MHz, Vista Ultimate 32-bit).
What was both disconcerting was the PhysX implementation. PhysX, shown off several times with Mirror’s Edge last year, is now available for a wide variety of NVIDIA graphics cards. Its function is to perform the physics typically reserved for the CPU, except on a much grander scale. For Mirror’s Edge, PhysX gave developer DICE the ability to make glass shatter realistically when broken, flags to flutter by touching them, curtains move properly when you walk through them, etc. It’s a top-notch touch for promoting realism in games, and it ran excellently on my mid-range PC.
While testing out the new Alienware Area 51 X-58 (featuring the new Intel i7 3.2GHz quad core CPU and X-58 motherboard, 12GB of RAM and 2 ATI 4870x2 2GB’s in Crossfire), I played Mirror’s Edge only to find that at full spec, it couldn’t handle the load. It would drop down to 4fps under heavy fire or lots of action, due solely to PhysX. Owners of ATI cards cannot properly run PhysX on their graphics cards, so turning it on will make your CPU take the load, something even Intel’s latest chipset couldn’t handle. Currently, ATI and parent company AMD have no intention of supporting PhysX. Turning it off, of course, made the game run spectacularly, but without any glass-shattering.
The game itself, unchanged, still lacks a respectable plot and still has issues with combat (Being that combat is difficult, very limited and very frustrating). Many of the movement/climbing issues were resolved, with one minor exception, so the free-running experience is very solid. Time trials and speed runs are much more enjoyable on the PC platform as well, though the leaderboards are infested with cheaters already, something that should be expected.
In our console review of Mirror’s Edge, we said it wasn’t really innovative. It isn’t... on consoles. PC is a different story.
If you haven’t played Mirror’s Edge on PC or console yet, then the choice is simple: get it on PC. It’s a more wholesome and enjoyable experience. So while the game itself hasn’t improved, our grip on it has, and we love it even more.
How can this be? The games are identical inside and out; same story about protagonist Faith, an illegal ‘runner’, or messenger, trying to save her sister in an unjust and unlawful city. Dialog is exactly the same, gameplay is the same…for a lack of a better word, the PC version of Mirror’s Edge is a port. Except that this port is better than the original for one simple reason: control.
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| Everything in the game is done in first person except for the loading-screen cinematics. | Combat takes only a few forms, so make sure you time everything perfectly. If you don’t, you’ll get your ass kicked. |
Mirror’s Edge is all about control. Players must be able to control Faith’s movements fluidly and with ease. Otherwise, the game is no fun. Because consoles use analog sticks, turning is never as precise and moving forward, as opposed to diagonally, is nearly impossible with a stick. So using a keyboard with four buttons for movement and a mouse for turning is almost ridiculously more accurate for this title.
That said, my second play through Mirror’s Edge was a much smoother and more enjoyable experience. Sure, I knew the game better and knew what actions to take, but that doesn’t mean I could perform them instantly. Yet I did with rare exception because of the outstanding control using the mouse and keyboard over a gamepad.
Besides the hugely better controls, Mirror’s Edge on the PC just looks stunning at a resolution of 1920x1200. The amount of detail on-screen is phenomenal, and a good monitor will make it that much better. Sure, the world is just as colorful as before, but now when hanging off a ledge, Faith’s hands look real, the dents in poles are easy to notice…almost everything looks better.
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| Levels are fairly large, so be aware of your surroundings and remember where you went. Or you’ll get lost…like in real life. | Leaps of faith (no pun intended) are required. But if you don’t want to die constantly, use bullet time to time it just right. |
The best part about all this is that it doesn’t require a powerful videocard to run. A 9600GT 512MB can run the entire game at full spec with no real slowdown. At times it dipped down to 24 frames per second, but my average was 35fps. And my computer is nothing special (2.4GHz quad core, 4GB RAM @ 800MHz, Vista Ultimate 32-bit).
What was both disconcerting was the PhysX implementation. PhysX, shown off several times with Mirror’s Edge last year, is now available for a wide variety of NVIDIA graphics cards. Its function is to perform the physics typically reserved for the CPU, except on a much grander scale. For Mirror’s Edge, PhysX gave developer DICE the ability to make glass shatter realistically when broken, flags to flutter by touching them, curtains move properly when you walk through them, etc. It’s a top-notch touch for promoting realism in games, and it ran excellently on my mid-range PC.
While testing out the new Alienware Area 51 X-58 (featuring the new Intel i7 3.2GHz quad core CPU and X-58 motherboard, 12GB of RAM and 2 ATI 4870x2 2GB’s in Crossfire), I played Mirror’s Edge only to find that at full spec, it couldn’t handle the load. It would drop down to 4fps under heavy fire or lots of action, due solely to PhysX. Owners of ATI cards cannot properly run PhysX on their graphics cards, so turning it on will make your CPU take the load, something even Intel’s latest chipset couldn’t handle. Currently, ATI and parent company AMD have no intention of supporting PhysX. Turning it off, of course, made the game run spectacularly, but without any glass-shattering.
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| Half the fun of free running is escaping from gun-toting bad guys, especially when they can chase you in a helicopter. | When fighting, use your surroundings to your advantage. Enemies can fall off cliffs or get cornered pretty easily. |
The game itself, unchanged, still lacks a respectable plot and still has issues with combat (Being that combat is difficult, very limited and very frustrating). Many of the movement/climbing issues were resolved, with one minor exception, so the free-running experience is very solid. Time trials and speed runs are much more enjoyable on the PC platform as well, though the leaderboards are infested with cheaters already, something that should be expected.
In our console review of Mirror’s Edge, we said it wasn’t really innovative. It isn’t... on consoles. PC is a different story.
If you haven’t played Mirror’s Edge on PC or console yet, then the choice is simple: get it on PC. It’s a more wholesome and enjoyable experience. So while the game itself hasn’t improved, our grip on it has, and we love it even more.
MIRROR'S EDGE VERDICT
If you haven’t played Mirror’s Edge on PC or console yet, then the choice is simple: get it on PC. It’s a more wholesome and enjoyable experience. So while the game itself hasn’t improved, our grip on it has, and we love it even more.
TOP GAME MOMENT
Every time I made a jump that didn’t seem possible the first time through.
