Mirror's Edge

Beautiful, artistic, colorful, poetic, and exciting are only a few of the words I would use to describe the amazing video game, Mirror's Edge. I know some people don't consider video games as art, but I really think this game is artistic. Created by the video game developers DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment), the story is about a female "runner" named Faith who delivers messages to people around a fictional utopian city as the police and crime lords tries to stop her and the other runners from delivering their messages. The main gameplay system of Mirror's Edge is parkour, which is basically moving around obstacles the quickest and most efficient way. Faith uses parkour to run along walls, slide down sides of buildings, jump over fences, ride down zip lines, and balance across pipes. Although you fight cops, crime lords, and antagonist runners the main objective of the game is to run. Usually games like these would be played in the third-person point of view(you can see the entire body of the character) but Mirror's Edge is played from a first-person point of view instead (you play through the eyes of the character). This makes the gameplay even more unique because usually first-person games just involve shooting people, aliens, or robots. The main producer, Owen O'Brien, on the development team of Mirror's Edge didn't think the game would be successful because of the first-person view where the player just runs. Thankfully, O'Brien was proven wrong.

The beauty of Mirror's Edge is the gameplay and the visuals. There isn't a better feeling than out running gunfire from the cops by jumping from one roof top to the other while landing by doing a tuck and roll. You really feel like your put right into a chase scene from The Matrix. Once the chase begins, the heart starts pumping. Another great feature about the game is the unique use of colors in a really pretty setting. The setting is a fictional city that looks somewhat futuristic and is primarily shaded white. What stands out in the game is that interactive pieces of the environment are highlighted with a bright primary color. For example, the pipes you can climb up and the doors you can bust through are highlighted with a bright red color. The coloring is simple yet very beautiful as the drab white setting is filled with splotches of vibrant colors. The graphics engine also makes the colors and setting very sharp and crisp and there are some really great flares of light here and there. Mirror's edge is wonderful game to play and watch.

Now it may sound like I am some form of advertisement saying "Play this game!" but I really feel Mirror's Edge is a work of art. I also wanted to mention how the game's protagonist, Faith, disregards the stereotype of video games having the man being the hero and the woman is the damsel in distress. Faith is a female who gracefully parkours across obstacles, intelligently deals with problems at hand, and she isn't too afraid or weak to fight with whoever gets in her way. The soundtrack of Mirror's Edge is also worth mentioning because it's rhythm is beautiful and catchy. The main song, called "Still Alive," is performed by the Swedish singer Lisa Miskovsky. The tone and rhythm of the song just fits perfectly with game as you run across the rooftops of the utopian concrete jungle.

As I said before, the true beauty and fun of the game is running fast and efficiently past obstacles in a uniquely colored futuristic city. I think Tom Cruise's character, John Anderton, said it best in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report..."Everybody runs."