Now Playing: Mirror's Edge

Anyone who has read my recent review of this game will be aware that I like it, but after playing through the game again on hard mode I have some additional points of view that I feel need to be raised. 

Without trying to be negative, the second playthrough of this game was decidedly less enjoyable than the first. Now I know people will probably now be thinking "what a pussy, he didn't like it on the harder difficulty" but the truth is I blitzed the whole game in 3 hours and 30 minutes and only died about 5 times.

This is one of the reasons it let me down this second time. A game so short in length is ideal for a replay, especially a game like this with multiple methods of completing certain scenarios. However, after having played through each of the levels already, all the sense of thrill and excitement is pretty much absent, and knowing where you need to go to progress sucks out even the miniscule level of difficulty that was present the first time through. The only vaguely difficult parts are those areas where combat is a necessity, and this is only because the CQC (close-quarter combat) on offer is disgraceful when Faith isn't a bullet sponge. Her disarm maneuvers are remarkably sluggish and lengthy, and in the time in takes to perform one the rest of the enemies have usually shot you to death. Bearing in mind it only takes 2-3 shots to kill you on this difficulty, the shortcomings with the combat system are overly apparent.

I can't help but feel as though there are several things which could have been done better with this game. The idea of runner vision being turned off in hard mode is a good one, but considering that in order to unlock hard mode you must first complete the game, you already know where you are going and thus the lack of runner vision has no effect. Also, after the initial thrill from the first playthrough the set-piece events seem lacklustre and the majority of the levels seem a little....dare I say it, boring?

I still think this game is an essential play, but after my second time through I wouldn't recommend a purchase. Seeing everything for the first time is still brilliant, but that second playthrough really starts to grate. Luckily it doesn't last long enough to cause too many problems.

While we're on the subject of this game, you can easily pick up ten achievements in the first level of the game (prologue). Check out this video for a very well-made achievement guide showing you how to bag them all. 

- DC Nightmare