Mirror’s Edge, one of Electronic Art’s latest developments in partnership with DICE.  Now I’ve seen plenty of trailers and in previous exhibition where i have seen this game demoed and demoed but I’ve always been quite curious to see what it actually plays like.  Today I was given my curiosity.  In the halls of Stoneleigh park I managed to have a good half hour with Mirror’s Edge living my action hero dream of jumping across massive sky scrapers while tight rope walking across a narrow beam with a 100ft or so drop beneath me. 

Rigged up to the PS3 we were all able to give one of the levels of the game a try in which your running across the rooftops in a lush tall city.  The visuals are great and everything has a unique art style.  You do run through the level quite fast so I’m surprised to how I didn’t get lost but somehow you just “kinda” know where to go.  As you come across arm guards you have to either disarm them or simply beat them to a pulp, some guards carry weapons which makes things a little bit more interesting. 

Not much was given story wise, even though you are contacted regularly by an outsider showing you where to go and keeping you up to date with what’s happening.  In fact very little is known currently about the story all we know is you’re on the run and it’s your mission to get away from those who chase you down alive!

The controls always made me feel a bit iffy about any kind of free-style game, but I was quite surprised to see how well it actually held together.  The controls help you a lot and nothing is ever complicated, id say the biggest problem is probably the frustration of nearly making that massive leap or simply grabbing onto a ledge and then accidently jumping off it!  In fact I can probably see this game being Very frustrating to most people on release, but hopefully those who are strong willed will prevail. 

The PS3 Six-Axis ability made it that more enjoyable as you would have to balance yourself perfectly when slowly walking across narrow walkways.  I’m not sure how well the 360 version will come out but I’d imagine it shouldn’t be that bad.  So if you’re looking to live out your free-running fantasy then I’d recommend looking out for this game near release date, but if you’re still unsure, check back for our full review once released on the 14th of November.  2008