Posted By: Erik Hansen Posted On: 10/13/08 (Viewed 473 times)
Mirror's Edge
Published By: EA Games Developed By: EA DICE Release Date: TBA 2008 Genre: Modern First Person Shooter Players: TBA ESRB Rating: RP more product info »
Early on in the show, EA was kind enough to show us around their lil' spot of land and answer a few questions about Mirror’s Edge, DICE’s upcoming First Person not-a-Shooter for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Mirror’s Edge’s trailers have racked up an impressive number of views since the first one surfaced this past summer. A quick summary for those still in the dark: Mirror’s Edge is a HUD-less, almost weapon-less first person action game set in the future in which information is the most valuable currency and surveillance has progressed to the point in which the only reliable method of delivery is through physical transport. You play as Faith, a “runner,” who makes a living by delivering sensitive parcels from one shady party to another.
The game’s action resembles parkour in many ways—Faith leaps, sprints, slides, wall-jumps, climbs, swings, and hopefully only occasionally falls to her death as she navigates her city’s bright high-rise rooftops and dank urban underbellies. The game is a wonder to watch (check out the trailer if you haven’t already), but many fans have expressed worry that its control scheme and smoothness won’t live up to the clips on display.
After about ten minutes with Mirror’s Edge on the show floor, we can safely say that being a runner feels ten kinds of badass. EA Dice has gone great lengths to ensure that the controls, as the core mechanic, are easy to use and intuitive. For general movement, you need all of two buttons: LB is the “up” button and L trigger is the “down” button. Both are almost completely context-sensitive, making Mirror’s Edge very easy to pick up and play. “Our thinking,” one of the developers told us, “was to make it so you hardly ever have to take your thumbs off of the look and movement sticks. We hardly use the face buttons at all.” The design seems to work. Playing Mirror’s Edge is a very fluid experience.
Physical feedback is visceral, and even though there’s no HUD and the game is entirely in first person, it’s easy to get a feel for how Faith is moving at any given time by listening to her breathing, paying attention to the speed of her footsteps, noticing her head movement, and other such small details. Force feedback kicks realistically when you attempt various maneuvers, and makes sure you know when you’re being shot or take an especially hard fall.
Mirror’s Edge also contains a fair bit of combat. We didn’t get to participate in much of it during the demo, but from the little we did experience, grappling and firing weapons both felt as natural as running. Again, most every maneuver is executed with a single attack button (the attack button also, rather satisfyingly, opens doors). Large and heavy guns tend to hold Faith back more than help her out, so the use of munitions is often a one-time thing, where you pick up the weapon of a fallen foe to help finish off his friends and then drop it and move on.
The game’s soundtrack also bears mention: much of it was commissioned out to external sources, and it seems that EA made a few good investments. The theme song “Still Alive” by Swedish singer Lisa Miskovsky has become an overnight hit even before the game’s release. Other pieces on a planned soundtrack album include remixes by such big names as Paul Van Dyk and Armand Van Helden. The CD will allegedly be available on the day of the game’s release.
Until TGS 2008, we knew that if nothing else, Mirror’s Edge had the potential to be a very, very interesting game. Now, after a bit of time behind the controller, we are happy to say that things seem to be coming together smashingly. Keep an eye out for Mirror’s Edge on November 11, and a PC version later this winter.
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