I Love You and I Don’t Even Know Your Name
So one of the cooler parts of going to GDC is hanging out at the developer parties in the evenings. These events usually consist of drinking a lot of free booze and having a really good time while PR folks butter you up and convince you that their game is the bestest thing ever. Normally this is all a lie.
But sometimes they surprise you…
I was hanging out in some overcrowded night club with a Kotaku guy on one side and a fella from The Game Reviews on the other drinking very fancy adult beverages and noshing on whatever weird foodstuff happened by when EA DICE blew my mind.
Obstensibly, the event was for Battlefield: Bad Company, that was the main event and the demo that was set up. However, right before that they showed a demo for a game called Mirror’s Edge that was so intriguing and amazing that everyone in the room had to pick their collective jaws up off the floor.
This was a world premier, so details are still scant, but you play as a “Runner” in a dystopian utopian world where a gleaming perfect city has been created at the expense of all civil liberties and free thought. The resistance movement can only communicate through hand-written and delivered messages, as all electronic communication is monitored. The game is all about speed and momentum, and standing still is a death sentence. There’s almost no combat in this game aside from sporadic hand-to-hand action, and you’re far more suited to flight than fight.
There’s normally one best way through a level, and that route is set off by bright red objects. Most of the world, you see, is in black and white, with splashes of color showing up only on occassion. The developers promised that red had a special significance, as finding the red pipes, doors, and walls would lead you toward your goal. Things in the demo started quietly enough with the heroine (yep, you play as a girl) running along rooftops and making some dangerous jumps. Things picked up quickly however, as you are spotted by a news helicopter, which brings the police hot on your heels. The rest of the level was a heart-pumping, adrenaline-fueled race to safety.
Afterward, EA went on to show Battlefield but nobody cared. The whole room was buzzing about Mirror’s Edge, it was all we could talk about. Do yourself a favor and get this game on your radar right now. Stop caring about MGS 4, GoW 2, and all those other silly abbreviated sequels. This is the game you want to play, so you’d best get ready for it.
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