So what’s been taking the PC version of Mirror’s Edge so long? Are they optimizing it for PC platform so it doesn’t run like a geriatric quadrupedal triathlete? No? Are they trying to recoup the costs from their losses by cutting out piracy for a time? Probably not. Adding some superfluous eye candy? Bingo.

If you’re wondering what’ll run it: look no further.

It certainly looks nice, and I can’t deny that it does add to the immersion, but I would have liked something more tangible. I mean, if the physics affected the gameplay, that’d be something. Since this stuff seems to have been implemented as an afterthought though, the player has to force some of these physics sequences, themselves, going so far as to personally shoot the banners hung on the ceiling. C’mon.

Couldn’t that extra time have been spent–I dunno’–improving the overall experience? You know what might have been neat? Multiplayer! Races, Co-op, Battles, and all sorts of things could have extended the life of this puppy and knocked it up a few notches.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the game, despite it’s frustratingly broken combat tedium (the puzzles were cake), but I really wish there was more to it. A multiplayer component, done even half-right, would have made the experience that much more enjoyable for me, at least.

Oh well, instead we get more reasons to drop more duckets–during a recession–on meaningless upgrades for a dying and desolate platform.

They’re just accosting my cynicism.

I do enjoy a good bit of classic-style gameplay, and anything reminiscent to a 2D Puzzle/Platformer is just aces to me:

Those mystical backgrounds send my heart aflutter. Frozenbyte appears to be some small-time developer, with a library you can count on two fingers, and their publisher’s track record seems to be just as . . . juvenile. Nevertheless, I am all for young, upstart developers going for their one chance to break into the industry, and this looks like a title to watch out for.

Looks like it’ll be up for grabs in Q2 of ‘09. It’s the wait that kills me.

Microsoft Sam loves video games, especially old ones. Join him each week as he reviews his favorite classic games. This week he reviews 3D World Runner for the NES.