| Mirror's Edge | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | EA Digital Illusions CE |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Producer(s) | Owen O'Brien |
| Writer(s) | Rhianna Pratchett[1] |
| Composer(s) | Magnus Birgersson |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3[2] PhysX (hardware supported by nVIDIA GPUs only, acceleration and additional effects are exclusive to the Windows version)[3] |
| Version | 1.01[4] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | PS3 & Xbox 360 NA November 12, 2008[5] |
| Genre(s) | First person, action-adventure, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T OFLC: M PEGI: 16+ |
| Media | Blu-ray Disc, DVD, download |
| System requirements | Supported OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Vista, Processor: 3.0 GHz or faster, Memory: 1 GB RAM or more, Graphics: Microsoft DirectX 9.0c compatible video card, Shader Model 3.0 required. Video card must have 256 MB or more, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or better, Hard Drive: 8 GB free space, Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card |
| Input methods | Gamepad, mouse and keyboard |
Mirror's Edge is a single-player first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and published by Electronic Arts. The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008. A Windows version was released on January 16, 2009. Mirror's Edge is powered by the Unreal Engine 3 with the addition of a new lighting solution, developed by Illuminate Labs in association with DICE.
The game has a realistic, brightly coloured style and differs from most other first-person perspective video games in allowing for a wider range of actions—such as sliding under barriers, tumbling, wall-running, and shimmying across ledges—and greater freedom of movement, in having no heads-up display, and in allowing the legs, arms, and torso of the character to be visible on-screen. Mirror's Edge is set in a society where communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime, and so a network of runners, including the main character, Faith, are used to transmit messages while evading government surveillance. In the style of a three-dimensional platform game, the player guides Faith over rooftops, across walls, and through ventilation shafts, negotiating obstacles in parkour fashion.
Mirror's Edge has received mostly positive reviews, with the PC version garnering a Metacritic aggregated score of 81%. The game's uniqueness and its expansive environments have received praise, while criticism has centred on its weakness of plot, and short length. A soundtrack featuring remixes of the final credits song "Still Alive" by Swedish singer Lisa Miskovsky (unrelated to the song of the same name featured in 2007 game Portal) was also released. A side-scroller version of the game for the Apple iPhone is currently under development, and is slated for release in April 2010. In a 2009 interview with Videogamer.com, EA Games Europe senior vice president Patrick Söderlund confirmed that a sequel to Mirror's Edge is in production.
Contents |
Mirror's Edge aims to "convey [...] strain and physical contact with the environment", according to senior producer Owen O'Brien, and to instill a freedom of movement not yet seen in the first-person genre.[9][10] In order to achieve this, camera movement has been tied more closely to character movement. For example, as Faith's speed builds up while running, the rate at which the camera bobs up and down increases. When a parkour roll is executed, the camera spins with the character.[11][12] Faith's arms, legs, and torso are prominent and their visibility is used to convey movement and momentum. The character's arms pump and the length of her steps increase with her gait, and her legs cycle and arms flail during long jumps.[11][13]
In gameplay, the character's momentum becomes an asset. The player must attempt to conserve it through fluidity of physical actions, encouraging the creation of chains of moves.[14] If Faith does not have the momentum required to traverse an object, she will fall off or short of it.[15] Controls are simplified by being context-sensitive; the "up" button will cause Faith to traverse an obstacle by passing over it (i.e., by jumping, vaulting, climbing, or grabbing set pieces like zip lines) while the "down" button will cause her to perform other manoeuvres like sliding, rolling, or crouching.[15][16] To assist the player in creating these chains of moves, the game employs a system called "Runner Vision", which emphasises environmental pieces useful for progression. Certain pipes, ramps, and doors are highlighted in red as Faith approaches, allowing the player to instantly recognise paths and escape routes.[15] Further along in the game, the number of these visual hints is reduced to only the end goal, and the player can opt to turn off this hint system entirely.[14] It is also used to create puzzles in which the player must figure out how to combine the highlighted set pieces into a chain of moves in order to reach the target.[15] Another means of assistance to the player is a system called "Reaction Time", a form of bullet time activated by the player, slowing down time and allowing the player to plan and time their next move without losing momentum or tactical advantage.[16]
The player character can hold weapons, but O'Brien stressed that "this is an action adventure. We're not positioning this as a shooter - the focus isn't on the gun, it's on the person." Gameplay in Mirror's Edge focuses on finding the best route through the game's environments while combat takes a secondary role. Completing the game without shooting a single enemy unlocks an achievement for the player.[9] Consequently, guns may be obtained by disarming an enemy, but when the magazine is empty, it will need to be discarded.[14] Additionally, carrying a weapon 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 short-term firepower.[9][15]
Along with the campaign mode, Mirror's Edge features a time attack mode, where the player must try to complete one of a set of special maps in the shortest amount of time. Best times can be uploaded to online leaderboards, where players can also download ghosts of other players to compete against.[17][18] The maps are unlocked by playing through the campaign mode. According to producer Tom Ferrer, the time trial portions of Mirror's Edge are "bite-sized and short so you can grind them and play them and get faster and faster. It's not like playing an entire level."[19]
Mirror's Edge takes place in a nameless utopian city,[20] where a totalitarian[21] regime (closer in function to an illiberal democracy) has taken over following the events of the "November riots", which took place eighteen years earlier. In Faith's own words, the city was once "dirty and dangerous, but alive and wonderful."[22] The government implemented a policy of invasive surveillance, tracking all forms of electronic communication in order to reduce crime to nearly nonexistent levels and quelling any challenge to its power.[20] An upcoming mayoral election seeks to retain Mayor Callaghan in power to keep the government's control on the city, though a new favoured candidate Robert Pope promises to bring change.
The main protagonist of Mirror's Edge is Faith Connors, a 24-year-old girl of Eurasian ethnicity,[23][24] who has a distinctive design around her right eye, imitated by the game's logo. Faith earns her living as a "Runner", a courier who carries physical communiques around the city, her services retained by revolutionary groups who avoid communicating via highly-monitored telephone and e-mail channels.[9] Faith's attitude towards the totalitarian government is rooted in her past; her parents were active in protest movements when she was young, campaigning to keep the city from shifting to the oppressive regime. Her mother was killed during the November riots—a peaceful protest gone wrong—and Faith ran away from home when she was 16, living a thief's life on the city streets. Faith became a Runner after meeting Mercury (or Merc), a former Runner who now trains new hires, sources jobs for them, and provides them with intelligence and radio support while on the job.[25] Other characters include Faith's twin sister, Kate Connors, an officer with the city police, and Faith's friend Celeste, another of Merc's Runners.[26]
Faith, after completing a delivery to fellow Runner Celeste, learns from Merc that her sister Kate may be in trouble at Pope's office. When she arrives, she finds Kate standing over the body of Pope, insisting she has been framed for murder and requesting Faith to discover the cause. Faith finds a piece of paper with the name "Icarus" on it in Pope's hand. Kate remains at Pope's office to provide distraction for Faith's escape. From another Runner, Jacknife, Faith learns that Pope's head of security, a former wrestler named Ropeburn, may be connected to Pope's murder. Faith convinces Lt. Miller to set up a meeting with Ropeburn to allow her to overhear any details. At the meeting, Ropeburn discovers Faith's presence and attacks her, but Faith gains the upper hand and throws him off the roof. As he is hanging above a long drop, she tries to interrogate Ropeburn, but before he can reveal anything he is killed by an unknown assassin.
Lacking other leads, Faith investigates the security firm that has begun aiding the police force in their crackdown of Runners. She finds they are behind "Project Icarus", a program designed to train their forces in parkour to chase and fight the Runners. Evidence also leads Faith to the trial of Ropeburn's assassin to a boat in port; after chasing the assassin, Faith discovers she is actually Celeste, who is now a part of Icarus under collusion to keep herself safe, and warns Faith to consider the same. The arrival of the police allows Celeste to escape.
With Kate convicted for Pope's murder, Merc has arranged the police convoy transporting her into an ambush spot for Faith, and Faith is able to help Kate run free. When Faith returns to her hideout, she finds it has been attacked, Merc on the edge of death and Kate recaptured. In his dying words, Merc tells Faith that Kate is now at the Shard, Mayor Callaghan's office and where the main servers that run the city's monitoring systems are located. With Miller's help, Faith is able to enter the Mayor's private offices, destroying many of the servers to gain access to the roof. On the roof she finds Kate held at gunpoint by Jacknife. Jacknife reveals he too is part of Icarus, and has been part of the plan all along to lure the Runners out of hiding. When Jacknife tries to take Kate onto a waiting helicopter, Faith is able to jump on, knocking Jacknife out of the helicopter and falling to his death but also damaging the helicopter in the process. Faith helps Kate to escape safely from the falling helicopter.
During the end credits, media reports that Faith's actions have only served to intensify Project Icarus, and Faith and Kate are still wanted for Pope's murder. However, with the electronic servers down, the population is cautioned to avoid using electronic means of communications until the servers are restored.
In 2007, DICE creative director Ben Cousins told GameIndustry.biz that the studio was looking to create "something fresh and interesting", anticipating a need to diversify away from the successful Battlefield franchise the studio was known for.[27]
In June 2007, Computer and Video Games magazine revealed that DICE was working on a game called Mirror's Edge, which was expected to "shake up the [first-person shooter] genre".[28] On July 10, 2007, Mirror's Edge was officially announced by Electronic Arts, and at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in February 2008, the first demonstration of gameplay was shown.[16] A video featuring entirely in-game footage was released at the Sony PlayStation Day in London on May 6, 2008.[29]
The art direction grew out of the gameplay. We wanted to give people a sense of the world very quickly and move through it very quickly. We initially stripped out all of the colors and then just put in red [to guide people to objectives]... I wanted a game where I could look at a screenshot and say, "Hey, that's Mirror's Edge."
Mirror's Edge has a distinct visual style, with the outdoor environments predominantly featuring white and distinctively lacking in green, punctuated by deliberate use of strong primary colours. According to Senior Producer Owen O'Brien, the stylistic choice allows the player to focus on the Runner Vision guidance, as well as serving as a health meter; the colours become more desaturated as Faith starts to take damage.[20] Because development of Mirror's Edge began before DICE's own Frostbite Engine was completed, the game uses Epic's Unreal Engine 3. A lighting system called "Beast" was developed for the Unreal Engine by Illuminate Labs in association with DICE. The new software would accentuate the different art style of Mirror's Edge, by allowing for the reflection of colours as well as light.[2][30] In order to address the issue of simulation sickness associated with the free movement of the camera in first-person view, a small reticle was placed in the centre of the screen. The reticle serves as an aiming and focal point, preventing dizziness in similar fashion to the dance technique called spotting. Aside from this reticle (which can be hidden by the player), no heads-up display exists in the game.[20][31]
The demo for Mirror's Edge, consisting of the game's prologue chapter, was released via the PlayStation Store on October 30, 2008,[32] followed by the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on October 31. On November 7, 2008, DICE announced that Mirror's Edge had achieved gold status, and PS3 and Xbox 360 versions would be shipping to retailers on November 13.[33] On January 16, 2009, a Microsoft Windows version of the game was released.[8] The PC version features support for NVIDIA's PhysX, adding detail and physics to glass, smoke and soft materials. The game includes the SecuROM v7.x (activation based) DRM software,[34] unless bought from Steam.[35]
The game is at the centre of EA's conflict with EDGE Games, a California-based development studio.[36][37] EDGE Games is not related to Edge magazine beyond the licensing of its trademark. In September 2009, EA petitioned to have EDGE Games' trademarks cancelled, alleging continued threats of legal action. Tim Langdell, president of EDGE responded by accusing EA of engaging EDGE in settlement talks as a "play for time". Langdell's company claimed true legal ownership of the phrase "Mirror's Edge" among other variations of "Edge".[38]
Buyers who pre-ordered Mirror's Edge at Game Crazy received a code that unlocked a time trial portion of the demo, as well as a Mirror's Edge-themed t-shirt. A time trial code was also included in GameStop preorders, along with a yellow "Runner Bag" resembling the messenger bags used in the game.[39] Preorders from UK retailer GAME included a Mirror's Edge-edition Fenchurch t-shirt.[40] The game could also be bought through the Electronic Arts website, where a package deal with a red Timbuk2 messenger bag was available. The bag featured the game's logo on the outside, while the inside featured a portrait of Faith.[41]
During Comic-Con 2008, DICE announced it would create a limited-run comic book adaptation of the game together with DC Comics division WildStorm.[42] The comic is drawn by Matthew Dow Smith and written by Rhianna Pratchett.[43]
On October 7, 2008, EA announced the release of a remix album featuring the Mirror's Edge theme song "Still Alive" by Swedish musician Lisa Miskovsky. Contributing artists included Benny Benassi, Junkie XL, Paul van Dyk, Teddybears and Armand Van Helden. "Still Alive" is also the name of the closing credits song of 2007 game Portal; the two tracks are unrelated.[44] The album, titled Still Alive – the Remixes, was released on November 11, 2008.[45] In May, the Mirror's Edge Original Videogame Score was released in online-only form. The album was composed by Swedish electronic musician Magnus Birgersson.[46][47]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 81% (PC) 79% (Xbox/PS3)[48] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A-[49] |
| Computer and Video Games | 9/10[50] |
| Edge | 5/10[51] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | A-, B+, B[52] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[53] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[54] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 (Xbox 360)[55] |
| IGN | 8.3/10 (PC)[56] 7.4/10 (PS3)[57] |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 9.5/10[58] |
Mirror's Edge has received mostly positive reviews, with score aggregator Metacritic reporting scores of 81% for the PC version and 78% for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions.[48] Official Xbox Magazine gave the game 9.5 out of 10, praising its "brilliant sense of motion and gameplay". Play awarded it 9 out of 10,[59] while GameTrailers.com gave it 8.3 out of 10.[25] Computer and Video Games was also positive, calling it "A brilliant and unique experience, even if the small shooting parts aren't quite up to scratch."[50] IGN awarded the game 8.3 out of 10, calling it a "thrilling and stylish venture", but "the first chapter of a franchise that's still finding its feet."[57] GameSpot praised the immersive gameplay environments, but criticised the inconsistency of gameplay speed.[55] Ian Bogost of Gamasutra commended the game for being unconventional, calling it "a shooter that makes you hate to shoot".[60]
Edge gave the game 5 out of 10, stating that the levels felt contrived and that there was no true freedom through the levels, merely multiple preordained paths.[51] The Guardian noted the game's short length,[61] and many reviews criticised the "trial and error" nature of the play.[19][62][63] Despite giving the game a score of 8 out of 10, Eurogamer dismissed the storyline as rambling, adding that "[Mirror's Edge] is going to divide audiences down the middle... Some will be able to overlook the gaping flaws, but others will never appreciate its moments of brilliance, and both positions are justifiable... "[64] Other issues raised were the stylistic choice of animated cutscenes,[56] and the "cramped" feel of some of the levels.[51][65]
The developers initially projected a total of three million copies of Mirror's Edge to be sold,[66] and in February 2009, Electronic Arts reported sales of over one million.[67]
On December 4, 2008, EA announced the creation of seven all-new time trial maps for Mirror's Edge, slated for release in January 2009. According to Owen O'Brien, Senior Producer for DICE, “The freedom of movement and control in first person has been the most popular aspect of Mirror’s Edge so we decided to distill these down to their purest form for this map pack... We deliberately chose a more abstract aesthetic that is still within our distinctive art style and then focused on flow and gameplay to create an experience and challenge very different from the main game.”[68] In January 2009, the release date was specified as January 29.[69] The release was delayed until February 19, 2009, when the 'Time Trial Map Pack' was made available as downloadable content for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.[70] An eighth map is available exclusively for the PlayStation 3 version of the game.[71]
A side-scrolling browser game interpretation of Mirror's Edge titled Mirror's Edge 2D was released by Electronic Arts in conjunction with independent developer Borne Games. The game is similar to and uses the modified engine of Borne's popular game Fancy Pants Adventures.[72] A one-level beta was released on November 11, 2008, with an expanded three-level beta released on February 24, 2009. The developer's site states that "the full Mirror’s Edge 2D has been released, but we’re still in beta."[73] A version of Mirror's Edge for the iPhone and iPod Touch was announced on December 2, 2009. It will be a side-scrolling game with 3D graphics, featuring 14 levels and dynamic camera angles, and was scheduled for release in January 2010.[74][75] It was then later revealed that it was pushed back to an April release.[76]
In October 2008, the game's senior producer, Owen O'Brien, suggested that "the story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc."[77] In a June 2009 interview with Videogamer.com, EA Games Europe senior vice president Patrick Söderlund confirmed that a sequel to Mirror's Edge is in production.[78] In January 2010, Karl-Magnus Trodesson of DICE declined to comment on the sequel, explaining that DICE "[hasn't] officially announced that we're working on it."[79]
Mirror's Edge | Table of Contents |
Walkthrough
| Mirror's Edge | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | EA Digital Illusions CE |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Release date(s) |
 
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| Genre(s) | First-person Platform, Action |
| System(s) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows |
| Players | 1 |
| Rating(s) |
CERO:
 Ages 15 and upESRB:
 TeenPEGI:
 Ages 16+ |
Mirror's Edge is a first person action-adventure video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE). The game was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2008 and was released for Windows in most regions by late January 2009.
The game was announced on July 10, 2007, and is powered by the Unreal Engine 3 with the addition of a new lighting solution, developed by Illuminate Labs in association with DICE. The game has a realistic, brightly-colored style and differs from most other first-person perspective video games in allowing for a wider range of actions, such as sliding under barriers, tumbling, wall-running, and shimmying across ledges. It also affords players greater freedom of movement, in having no HUD, and in allowing the legs, arms, and torso of the character to be visible on-screen.
The game is set in a society where communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime, and so a network of runners, including the main character, Faith, are used to transmit messages while evading government surveillance.
Prologue: The Edge
| Portal: Action & Adventure |  |
Mirror's Edge at The Mirror's Edge Wiki |
|---|
| Mirror's Edge | |
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| Developer(s) | Digital Illusions CE |
| Publisher(s) | EA |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Release date | November 13, 2008 |
| Genre | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player Multiplayer |
| Age rating(s) | ESRB: M |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough | |
Powered by Unreal Engine 3 with an additional new lighting solution, the game was announced in July 10, 2007 to developed by EA DICE. Set in a realistic, brightly colored persona environment, the most immediate notable differences from other first-person perspective video games is that there are no HUD at all, allowing greater visibility of the main character's legs, arms and torso on-screen.[1] Following the notion of total visibility of everything, it also allows wider range of actions able to be performed such as sliding under barriers, wall-run, tumbling and shimmying across ledges.
Mirror's Edge portrays a world where every single communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian government, thus gamers are introduced to an organization of rebel runners, including the lead character, Faith, whom are used to transmit messages while evading tight surveillance around the city.
A demo was released on the PlayStation Store on Oct. 30, 2008 and the Xbox Live Marketplace on Oct. 31, 2008.[2]
Electronic Arts' DICE announced on Nov. 6, 2008 that Mirror’s Edge had gone gold.[3]
Contents |
Mirror's Edge aims to "convey the strain and physical contact with the environment", according to senior producer Owen O'Brien, and to instill a freedom of movement not yet seen in the first-person genre.[4][5] This is achieved not only with the exercise of parkour, but also by tying camera movement more closely with character movement, such that the rate at which the camera bobs up and down increases as Faith builds up speed while running and the camera spins when she rolls.[6][7]
Also, the arms, legs, and even torso at times are prominent and their visibility is used to convey movement and momentum, such that Faith's arms pump and the length of her steps increase with her gait, and her legs cycle and arms flail during long jumps.[1][6] With such a heavy focus on movement, it is imperative to maintain momentum, which is done by an uninterrupted, fluid flow of actions, creating a chain of moves.[8] Failing to string these moves together results in a loss of momentum, which can mean that Faith falls off or short of an object if a certain level of momentum is required to traverse it.[9] Controls are simplified by being context-sensitive; the "up" button will cause Faith to traverse an obstacle by passing over it—for example, by jumping, vaulting, climbing, or grabbing set pieces like zip lines—while the "down" button will cause her to perform other maneuvers like slides or rolls, or simply crouch.[9][10]
In order to assist the player in creating these chains of moves, the game employs a system called "Runner Vision", which derives its name from its purpose: to depict the environment the way a runner would see it, instantly recognizing escape routes. It is a highlighting system that emphasises environmental pieces useful for progression—like pipes, ramps, and enterable doors—with the color red as Faith approaches, though it does not always indicate the best route.[9] Further along in the game, the number of these visual hints is reduced to only indicate the end goal, though the player can opt to turn off this hint system entirely.[8] It will also be used to create puzzles in which the player must figure out how to combine the highlighted set pieces into a chain of moves in order to reach the target.[9] Another means of assistance to the player is a system called "Reaction Time", which is a form of bullet time that allows the player time to plan where to go next without losing momentum, as well as making the timing of jumps and disarms easier.[10]
Although the player character can hold weapons, O'Brien stressed that "this is an action adventure. We're not positioning this as a shooter - the focus isn't on the gun, it's on the person." Gameplay in Mirror's Edge will focus on finding the best route through the game's environments while combat takes a secondary role. In fact, on the E3 'Gameplay Walkthrough' O'Brien says that going through the game without shooting a single bullet unlocks an achievement[4], "Test of Faith"[11] Consequently, guns may be obtained by disarming an enemy, but when the magazine is empty, it will need to be discarded.[8] Additionally, carrying a weapon slows Faith down and the heavier the gun, the more it hinders her movement, which introduces an element of strategy in determining when to trade agility for short-term firepower.[4][9]
To increase the longevity of the game, there will be many messenger bags hidden in the levels for the player to find to unlock extras. Also, there will be a time attack mode where the player will try to complete small portions of a level as fast as possible. There will be online leaderboards as well as red "ghost runners" so that the player can see their fastest routes or the routes of people on the leaderboard.
The game is divided into 10 chapters (9 + the prologue), and gameplay lasts roughly 8-10 hours.
The only playable character in the game is a runner named Faith, a Eurasian female. Faith was not the intended lead character. The developers ultimately “fell in love with her” among a number of originally planned characters in a multiplayer mode. Art Director Johannes Söderqvist explains that she has “grown a lot through the two years since she was ‘found’” and that her shoes come from a “concept artist having some fun”, “the tattoo on her arm…from her being a tech girl,” as the developers “didn’t want something like the yakuza…I wanted something more unique that would key into who she is as a person. If she was into electronics, she’d have a tattoo that looks like a circuit board.”[12]
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. One day, when she was still a young girl, she broke into an office belonging to a man named Mercury, who caught her but was impressed with her skills. Mercury then trained Faith as a runner[13]. Faith was taught not to rely on modern forms of communication, partially because they are monitored by the police state. 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 Mercury, who will help Faith in her attempt to outwit and overcome the many government agents that are out to eliminate her. [5]
The game's name derives from the mirror-like aesthetic of the city of tall, gleaming skyscrapers and Faith's existence on the fringes of that city along with other dissidents, who have been pushed to the edge.[14]
Though set in a seemingly utopian city environment with low crime, clean streets, and sterile architecture, it is ruled by a totalitarian government regime that conducts unbridled levels of surveillance on citizens. In this world of communications monitoring, the only way to deliver confidential information between parties is to employ couriers (called runners) to physically deliver the information.[4]
Aside from white, the city is dominated by primary colors and orange, but it has little of the color green, emphasizing the sterile atmosphere—even plants and trees are white. Grey was also avoided in order to distinguish Mirror's Edge from other games. Color is important as an indicator of health, since HUD has been eliminated from the game; as Faith takes damage and her health level decreases, the city's colors desaturate.[14]
Despite continuing to develop games for its successful Battlefield franchise, DICE wanted to diversify away from it to something "fresh, interesting, and interactive" that had not been seen before in Electronic Arts' portfolio, according to DICE's creative director, Ben Cousins.[15] In June 2007 it was revealed that DICE was working on a game called Mirror's Edge that was mistakenly described as a first-person shooter, which was being planned with the intention to "shake up the genre".[16] On July 10, 2007, Mirror's Edge was officially announced by Electronic Arts, and at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in February 2008, the first demonstration of gameplay was shown.[10] At the Sony PlayStation Day in London on May 6, 2008, the first video featuring entirely in-game footage was revealed and released.[17]
The game uses Epic's Unreal Engine 3 rather than DICE's own Frostbite Engine because the development of Mirror's Edge began before Frostbite's development was complete. Beast, a new lighting system developed by Illuminate Labs in association with DICE, was added to the Unreal Engine in order to accentuate the different art style of Mirror's Edge and allow for the reflection of colors as well as light.[18][19]
The game is being developed on the PlayStation 3 and then it will be ported to the Xbox 360, although both versions will be released at the same time; on the 7th of November 2008 it was announced that the game had achieved Gold status and was ready to be shipped to retailers.
In order to address the issue of simulation sickness that is associated with the free movement of the camera in first-person view, a small reticle was placed in the center of the screen, though this is not apparent from the first video released because it was removed from the in-game footage shown. The reticle serves as an aiming point and as a focal point to prevent the player from experiencing dizziness, working in a similar fashion to the dance technique called spotting. Other than this reticle, no HUD exists in the game (and the reticle may be removed by choice of the player).[14][20] Sony has announced that the PS3 version of Mirror's Edge will receive exclusive downloadable content.
When pre-ordered at Game Crazy a time trial code for the game is given, as well as a T-Shirt of the game. A time trial code is included in GameStop preorders as well, along with a yellow "Runner Bag" which resembles the ones that Runners use in the game. Preorders from UK retailer GAME include a Mirror's Edge edition Fenchurch T-Shirt. On the Electronic Arts website, a combo package of the Mirror's Edge game plus a red "Runner Bag", similar to the ones given by Gamestop and made by Timbuk2, is available for the price of $130. On the front is the logo of the game, and the inside shows a portrait of Faith.[21]
During Comic-Con 2008, DICE announced it would create a limited run comic book adaptation of the game together with DC Comics division WildStorm.[22] The comic is drawn by Matthew Dow Smith and written by Rhianna Pratchett.[23]
On October 7, 2008, EA announced a Mirror's Edge remix album featuring the Mirror's Edge theme song "Still Alive" (no relation to the song "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton for the game Portal) by Swedish musician Lisa Miskovsky along with five remixes of the song by Benny Benassi, Junkie XL, Paul van Dyk, Teddybears and Armand Van Helden. The album, titled Still Alive - the Remixes, was released on November 11, 2008.[24]
The senior producer for the game, Owen O'Brien, has divulged the plan to turn the game into a trilogy by saying, "the story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc."[25]
A demo for Mirror's Edge was released on PlayStation Store for the Playstation Network on October 30 and Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox Live on October 31, 2008. It consists of the training level and one of the opening levels. People who have pre-ordered the game at specific online retailers can enter the code they've received to unlock the Time Trial mode.
A Flash game based on Mirror's Edge, named Mirror's Edge 2D, is in beta.[26]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A-[27] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | A-, B+, B[28] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[29] |
| GameSpot | 7/10[30] |
| GameTrailers | 8.3/10 |
| IGN | PS3: 7.4/10 Xbox 360: 7.3/10 |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (US) | 9/10 |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 9.5/10 |
| Play Magazine | 10/10[31] |
| Playr | 6/10 |
Official Xbox Magazine gave Mirror's Edge 9.5/10, praising its "brilliant sense of motion and gameplay". Play Magazine awarded it 10/10. Gametrailers.com gave Mirror's Edge 8.3/10 [13]
Eurogamer rated Mirror's Edge 8/10, praising the games ambition and overall gameplay, but admitted the game would not have an appeal to everyone, saying "this is going to divide audiences down the middle. It's an ambitious game, but it manages to match its achievements with irritations at every turn; it's bold and forward-thinking, yet stilted and old-fashioned. Some will be able to overlook the gaping flaws, but others will never appreciate its moments of brilliance, and both positions are justifiable... " [32]
IGN UK has given the game 8.3 out of 10, saying the graphics, sound and presentation were amazing, but didn't last for a long time.
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| Mirror's Edge | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | EA Digital Illusions CE |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 PhysX |
| Release date(s) | Xbox 360 & PS3 NA November 12, 2008 AUS November 13, 2008 EU November 14, 2008 Microsoft Windows NA January 13, 2009 EU January 16, 2009 AUS January 16, 2009 iOS April 1, 2010 |
| Genre(s) | First person, action-adventure, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | Apple: 9+ ESRB: M OFLC: MA15+ PEGI: 18+ |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS |
| Media | Blu-ray Disc, DVD, download |
| System requirements | Supported OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Vista, Processor: 3.0 GHz or faster, Memory: 1 GB RAM or more, Graphics: Microsoft DirectX 9.0c compatible video card, Shader Model 3.0 required. Video card must have 256 MB or more, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or better, Hard Drive: 8 GB free space, Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card |
Mirror's Edge is a single-player first person action-adventure video game made by Electronic Arts for Windows, Xbox 360 and PS3.
   | DICE reveals Mirror's Edge details - DICE reveals Mirror's Edge details // News |
| | On Mirror's Edge - On-Mirrors-Edge - Guide to the game Mirror's Edge |
| | "A Leap of Faith" - Edge Magazine - Video Games, Game News, and Gaming Jobs | Edge Online |
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