I was introduced to this game when the first screen shots came out about 6 months ago. Why this game caught my attention is because of the quality and realisticness (is that a word?) of the game. Just take a look at the screen shot above. When I first glanced at the screenshot, I thought I was looking at an actual city in Shanghai or Beijing. But no, it’s an actual screen shot from the game. One word: Awesome. Using Epic’s Unreal 3 Engine and Beast, a new lighting system developed by Illuminate Labs, makes Mirror’s Edge more realistic, brightly colored style different from other first-person shooters. There are a wider range of actions you can do, such as sliding under barriers, wall-running, tumbling, shimmying across ledges, and greater freedom of movement. There is no HUD, and the legs, arms, and torso of the character are visible on the screen at some points. View more screenshots here: http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/949/949457/imgs_1.html. View the trailer for the game (which is all gameplay), here: http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/949/949457/vids_1.html.
Mirror’s Edge is an action adventure game, so the focus isn’t on the gun, but on the person. Gameplay mainly focuses on finding the best route through the game’s environments, with combat taking a secondary role. Guns can be obtained in the game, but carrying them slows Faith down. The heavier the gun, the more it hinders her movement. This introduces an element of strategy in determining when to trade agility for firepower.
The game is set in a conformist dystopia in which communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime. A network of runners, including the main character, Faith, are used to transmit messages while evading government surveillance. Taken from Wikipedia: “The only playable character in the game is a runner named Faith. The story follows Faith and her struggle to free her sister from a corrupt government. Her parents were killed while protesting against the government and she was forced to grow up on the street, later becoming a runner. Faith was taught not to rely on modern forms of communication, partially because the ruthless police state prefers eavesdropping every chance they get. As Faith attempts to rescue her sister, while running messages for the criminal underworld, she gets caught up in a series of events which lead to her being pursued by the totalitarian government. Acting as Faith's guide is a mysterious character named Mercury, who will help Faith in her attempt to outwit and overcome the many government agents that are out to eliminate her.”
The game will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. A release date has been set for November 2008, so it’s possible that it will be pushed back until it is completely finished.
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2 comments:
I actually just heard about this game this morning while reading an email from Gamestop.
I knew nothing about it until I read your description. The concept of freedom of movement sounds really interesting. I really hope the game's movement engine supports a gameplay style similar to French Parkour.
If it turns out it does, I'll definitely pick it up.
Not having a HUD in the game will be new and interesting. For example, when you pick up a weapon, you will not know how many bullets are left. When you start getting low you will hear a clicking sound, but thats the only indication. I like this idea. If you think about it, it makes sense. When you knock a guard out and pick up their gun, you don't eject the clip and count how many bullets are left in the gun; you just start blasting away. I'm looking forward to a game that goes beyond the norm.
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