Looking Forward
October 3, 2008 – Swedish developer EA DICE just moved away from the Battlefield and headed off for a new venture. Unlike Bad Company and other first-person shooters, Mirror’s Edge looks to impress everyone with an amazing and innovative gameplay style. Though the game will fall in the Action / Adventure category, the unique first-person perspective and frenetic platforming action will separate this game from the rest. Time will tell if this title will end up sprouting a whole new genre of its own.
Mirror’s Edge takes place in a special locale. It’s a city like no other, pristine and bathed by pure sunlight. It almost seems as if no man ever stepped over it. The design is clean and fresh, featuring an awe-inspiring skyline and memorable vistas from great edifices. The buildings and other construction elements are neatly distributed along the map, becoming the perfect scenario for Faith’s frantic race. Her utopian city couldn’t really exist if there wasn’t perfect harmony…and that’s where the problem is at. The apparent peace and harmony doesn’t come without a price: oppression and corruption. When an unexpected crime occurs, Faith ends up becoming the victim of a nerve-racking chase. The shady police force will stop at nothing; they want to interrogate her and deal out justice with their own hands.
This game will put players under Faith’s skin, and the goal is to run and deliver sensitive information to the proper recipients. Trained by The Runners, she has a series of abilities that allow her to travel swiftly all over the city…on foot! Jumping from roof to roof, climbing up pipes, grabbing onto ledges, and performing a few leaps of faith will be easier than you think with the proposed controls. It looks like players will mostly have to worry about the directional stick and the L and R buttons. Different button presses will allow you to run or climb a wall (ala Prince of Persia), slide through a surface, and execute parachute rolls as you land onto the next building (amongst others). Faith will encounter numerous obstacles along the way. Fortunately, her agility will also allow her to sneak under gaps, swing on pipes, and even take a ride down a zip line. This is all made possible when running at high speeds; taking advantage of that precious momentum is the key to the game.
First-person shooter aficionados may find it difficult to believe, but despite its obvious first-person perspective, few times will Faith have to use a weapon in order to reach her destination. In fact, players will be rewarded when getting through a stage without using guns or other weapons she may pick up from the enemies. Rivals will come at you when least expected, and if you’re agile and have quick reflexes, you’ll be able to stun them and get rid of them with a nice ninja-inspired move. However, if the adversary has a gun, the game will quickly bring you to reality: a quick punch face-to-face won’t do much for you. In this case, you’re better off using your momentum, sneaking in from the side, performing a quick attack, and successfully disarming them. Some say these movie-like action scenes are the most entertaining and rewarding. I bet they are!
Faith will navigate through the city by running across rooftops, entering buildings, and even underground sewers and tunnels. In order to keep you on track, color-coded signage will lead you ahead. Red colored buildings, ledges, or objects often indicate the way. Sometimes it won’t be that easy, and the game will present a bit of a challenge. It’s probably nothing to complain about though, as every good adventure game needs to have a few puzzles. On one of those occasions, Faith will have to escape from a closed room through the ventilation shaft by intelligently using her environment. That gives you an idea of what kind of puzzles you’ll encounter.
So, what do you say? Are you ready for it? Electronic Arts is definitely excited to bring this title to the store shelves, which is a good sign for us gamers. It may take some time to get used to this frantic game, but most people who had the chance to try it think it will be well worth it. Not only will it be another great action title with an interesting story, but it may also mark the beginning of a new stage in the world of Action / Adventure gaming. The game will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3 on November 11, 2008.
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