Review: Mirror’s Edge (PC)

It’s been a tough few months for PC ports and it’s not just because PC versions are arriving later than their console counterparts. Admittedly, it’s bad enough when someone comes late to the party, worse though is that they are drunk and downright unforgivable when they proceed to pee on the carpet. So once in a while when someone is late but comes with flowers, chocolates and a smile you can’t help but forgive and forget. Mirror’s Edge reminds you how a port should be handled; it takes all the strengths of the target system and builds upon it.

I won’t go into gameplay details because most of what was said in the console review here still holds true. What makes the game work (better) on the PC is the improved AI, tighter controls, gorgeous visuals and some worthwhile extra content.

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Initially, the idea of platforming in the first-person view is a bit daunting, but if you have played any FPSs in the past year on the PC, you will slide right into this one. The controls are exactly what you would find in any PC FPS and it’s no surprise that they work effortlessly and after a while, controlling Faith is almost instinctual. The game fully supports the Xbox 360 game-pad but after using the mouse and keyboard combo, playing with the controller feels like playing with oven mitts. AI too seems to be a lot more threatening and aggressive now. They are also very aware of your presence at all times.

Yes, the story is still on the short side (no extra added content there) but there is something strangely compelling about the time trial runs. If you are a perfectionist or enjoy the concept of it, you will probably end up spending as much time on them as the story mode itself. You can also download ghosts from top players on the leader boards or friends. To sweeten the deal, EA even throw in an Audio CD of the game’s fairly enjoyable soundtrack with the PC version.

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Performance-wise, the game scales wonderfully. I ran it on high details at 1440×900 with 2xAA and Vsync at a rock steady 60 fps on a Core2Duo and an 8800GTS; and it looked drop dead gorgeous. Turning on PhysX means the frame rates take a hit (it also froze twice with PhysX on but there is a patch out to fix that), but PhysX doesn’t really add much to game expect a couple of nice visual touches.

It’s not all roses and sunshine though. The annoying as hell DRM is still present (Why EA? Has it ever worked?), so you need online activation to play. But the bright side (if you can call it that) is that you don’t need the disc in the drive once the game is authenticated. And while the game includes some excellent extra content, the main story line is still a bit on the short side. But truth is those are minor gripes because at the end of the day, it’s not hard to love or recommend Mirror’s Edge for the PC. It’s less than half the price of the console versions and its better in almost every single way.

IndianVideoGamer Verdict: 9/10 (Buy)

Mirror’s Edge for PC is in stores now for Rs 999.

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