One of the games I’m anticipating November, Mirror’s Edge by Dice and EA, released a demo online yesterday for the PS3, and today for the Xbox 360. Think of the game as free running in first person view.

The game takes you into the not too distant future where corporations are taking control of everything. Not too far from the truth I must say. You play as a runner named Faith, a messenger who uses parkour to move from one area to the next. Parkour is getting popular, and reminds me of Jackie Chan’s stunts. I’d recommend Rumble in the Bronx. Disctrict B13 and Casino Royale also have some good examples of parkour.

I love the opening sequence, highly stylized, very much like those motion comics you see online. Once you’re in the game, the tutorial stage starts. The controls takes some getting use to because of the many moves you can do. Jumping will probably be the move you use the most, so for the developers to put it on L1 of the PS3 controller is kind of weird. I’d prefer R1 or the X button. When doing parkour moves, you can run on walls, jump and roll, climb fences, jump from wall to wall, and bust doors open, all while in first person view. You can see your legs, and your hands and you jump and run across. Very cool looking, but sometimes it can get you dizzy. As for combat, you can disarm your enemies and take their gun, or render it useless. Reminds me of Trinity (The Matrix) in the lobby scene, where she kicks the soldier’s shotgun from him and lands into her hands, and blasts him a new one from behind.

The graphics are pretty good. Only problem I have is the pixelated shadows on character’s faces. I love the use of color in the environment. Most of the buildings have a white hue to it, with color representing destination points. So if a ramp is red, that’s your cue to jump off of it.

The soundtrack is another highlight. The tune is subtle, but catchy. Not sure if they collaborated with Frou Frou or Imogen Heap for part of their music, but it reminds me of their music.

The demo is such a tease because I wanted to play more after it stopped at the really cool part. This game comes out mid-November, and I can’t wait.

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