Along with Far Cry 2, Mirror’s Edge is one of the most interestingly designed games of last year. Both games focus all their mechanics on creating a very particular rhythm. Tweaking any one of those mechanics feels like it would produce a dramatically different game.

I find rhythm the biggest barrier to entry with most new games. There’s enough standardisation of interface and controls now that I can assume a lot of knowledge, but most action games demand they be played at their own pace. So the first two hours of Brothers in Arms 3 are spent being mowed down by machine gun fire until I remember that, oh yeah, cover, survey, flank. “Run and gun” is almost never an apt description.

Mirror’s Edge’s problem, again like Far Cry 2, is that it has a rhythm that feels jarringly irregular at points. When you’re running, making decisions quickly, it flows beautifully. When you pause at a particularly challenging obstacle, it’s enormously satisfying to work out a solution. They’ve created a place I want to explore and a method of exploration I enjoy.

Yet they’ve populated the world with enemies that slow and impede when you’re running, and which harry and pester when you pause for thought. But I’m torn when I think about what I’d change, because there’s that moment when you’re sliding down the side of a glass skyscraper while being shot at from a helicopter. It’s exhilirating. It’s the one section of the game where being chased enhances rather than diminishes the experience, because it seems to strike the correct balance between making you feel threatened and making you feel powerful.

For more on Mirror’s Edge, my positive review for PC Gamer is now online. I mention much of what I’ve just written here, but I want to stress that it’s a positive review.

For all its faults, Mirror’s Edge is a game that I hope everyone at least tries. The enemies might feel incongruous, but the game still feels pure in vision, like those involved were able to make the game they wanted. Which is to say, creative people were allowed to be creative, and the result is a game with the kind of boldness, visually and mechanically, normally reserved for concept art and if-only messageboard daydreaming. This is why EA are the best thing in PC gaming right now.

Or, you can simply look at Tom’s screenshots, which are far prettier than my own.

Anyway, this post mostly serves as an excuse to use the re-designed blog. The last design had a single post made during its tenure. I’ll aim for two on this one.