by Chris Buffa on Tuesday, October 07, 2008
A funny thing happened the day after playing Mirror's Edge. Upon waking up the next morning and looking out the window, we immediately began mapping a path to the adjacent building if we had the opportunity to jump across. Strategies for scoring the best time, which fences to leap across and pipes to slide under were far more important than figuring out what to wear or brushing our teeth. So while it remains to be seen whether the game's story mode is good, Time Trial has had a profound affect on our game time, to the point that shaving off another second is all we think about.
Time Trial is all about going from point A to B in the most efficient and quickest way possible. Faith, the game's female protagonist (and quite a looker) is able to slide underneath and vault over numerous objects, and you should always keep in mind that sometimes, it's the more unconventional route that'll lead you to victory. Don't always run up the stairs. Instead, consider wall jumping. As you'll soon discover, once EA releases a demo via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, there are numerous possibilities.
Controls are simple but still take some getting used to. You maneuver Faith forwards and backwards with the left analog stick and adjust her direction with the right analog stick, as you would in most console first person shooters. To jump, you press LB (L1 on the PlayStation 3 controller) and to slide, you hit L2 (also L2 on PS3).
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 1 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 2 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 3 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 4 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 5 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 6 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 7 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 8 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 9 of 18)
From the makers of Battlefield comes Mirror's Edge, a stylish first person adventure where you, as a runner, deliver messages while evading the enemy. Instead of using guns to complete missions, you must scale rooftops, slide under pipes and down windows, all the while enjoying gorgeous scenery. (Screenshot 10 of 18)
Most of the fun comes from figuring out the best paths to take, and we happily let the clock tick past the three-minute mark as we surveyed the area and attempted various stunts. Once we found our route, we did a trial run, paying close attention to the red checkpoints littered around the map (miss one, and you can't complete the course).
Unfortunately, our chosen path wasn't good enough to beat someone's 52-second score, which, while impressive, seems terrible considering someone else achieved 47. But that's what makes Time Trial so enjoyable. It's all about feeling the rush as Faith flies through the air and narrowly avoids plummeting to her death by grabbing a rail and pulling herself up. Now factor in the online leaderboards, where gamers post their best times, and the ability to download and race against people's ghosts, and Mirror's Edge has the potential to become one of your favorite addictions.
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