In a word: "Suicide." The game introduced a great, innovative idea that is drowning in an ocean of flaws.
I feel the need to start with this. A piece of dialogue in the game that made me wonder...is this DICE's fault or EA?
Jacknife: You need to be careful who you hang around with.
Faith: I learnt that a long time ago.
Yeah those twelve years of English really paid off right there...Seriously..."learnt" isn't a word, right? Or did I miss that memo?
On to the serious review: I tried not to spoil anything in this review. I am very sarcastic and rant quite a bit during this, but all my arguments are sound.
Game-play
The game's strong points are also its flaws. You die quickly and repeatedly in combat and from falls---i.e. realistic. I respect that, yet the game is unforgiving. YOU DIE ALL THE TIME. You jump; you die. You move; you die. You fight; you die. You die, you die, YOU DIE. Throughout it all I must have died 200 or more times---no joke. A better name for this game would have been "YOU DIE" or at least "A Leap of Faith". That would be a better and more fitting title than "Mirror's Edge". At least you restart from a checkpoint and not the chapter's beginning. Though...that can be worse. In certain spots, I would die, get a little further and almost make it to a ledge...and die only to get put back before the part that gave me the most trouble.
The game has horrible pacing. Going from fast running sequences and park-our (obviously the most fun in the game) to one-sided gun fights that require you to either kill yourself dashing through or fight and finally ending the sequence with very slow and tedious platforming puzzles. Well...actually it doesn't end there, it repeats that pattern---multiple times in each chapter. The action speeds up and grinds to a halt. On a semi-related note, the gun fight is ridiculous. Gun have infinite ammo for baddies, but maybe a clip of 5-10 shots if you pick it up. I understand why...but seriously...what the heck?
There were certain spots in the game in which I was at a complete loss. I died dozens of times in certain places only to find that there was a much easier way of getting to my destination than the way I was trying. I've come to two conclusions on these annoyances: 1) The game awakens the player's suicidal tendencies and/or 2) The creators wanted the player to be suicidal through the actions of Faith or their own actions.
A simple matter of opinion to most people, but I felt it was substantial enough to affect the score: the controller. The PS3 controller felt more responsive to the game than the 360 controller. Although...neither were fully responsive. The 360 would be fickle as to what commands it would acknowledge.
Visuals
Overall, the game doesn't look awful. It doesn't look as great as it could for a next-gen game. Textures are almost non-existent. The character models and clothing are the best looking aspects. I'm mixed about the bland coloring. The white is blinding. The style and use of colors and the lack thereof is a great depiction of the city's lifelessness. I do respect the artistic side of it. The 360 version had some issues with constantly being too bright in certain areas, making it impossible to see through the blinding light; and too dark in some areas making it impossible to navigate the abyss. The PS3 didn't have this issues, as I could always see in the light and in the dark. This took a few points off the 360 version.
Sound
Probably the best part of the game: the music. The theme of the game is amazing. The levels have certain themes as well. With combat, chase, puzzle, and ambient pieces all exclusive to each chapter.
Story
The story captivated me. I wanted to suffer through my constant suicides to see the ending. The pacing was a tad too quick with the story, though it did match the feel of quickness and struggle to try to stay alive. The ending also left the possibility of more games.
Overall
I have to admit, the game was fun despite all the struggles and massive suicides. Both versions are identical with the few minor exceptions of the controllers and slight visual problems. The game is not worthy of a 10 and nowhere near worth $60. I'd recommend people to rent it and beat the game at least once. The two greatest parts of the game were the chase on top of the boat and the sniper part during the final chapter.
I'd like to give the game a higher score...but I'm mixed up here. For as much fun as the game was; it was equally as frustrating. Maybe it would have been better off as a movie and not a video game...Find out for yourselves.