Parkour-based FPS in the works

by John Bardinelli { Jul 6th 2007 at 5:33PM }

In development by Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (DICE), the upcoming PS3, Xbox 360, and PC title Mirror's Edge hopes to bank on the success of the Prince's acrobatic abilities in Prince of Persia in a first-person 3D environment. You play the role of Faith who climbs, sprints, and leaps around a utopian metropolis fighting the corrupt authoritarians in power.

The main character's moves were inspired by parkour and have been kept deliberately simple. Mirror's Edge aims to give players a better sense of being in a body, forcing you to pay attention to things like acceleration and the way your head moves as you walk or come to an abrupt stop.

While the game will be packed with action, don't expect shooting to be the central focus, as realistic physics play a huge role in the gameplay. Ever try bouncing off a wall holding a heavy assault rifle?

Tags: acrobatics, dice, fps, parkour, pc, princeofpersia, ps3, xbox360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Shagittarius @ Jul 6th 2007 5:36PM

"World of Flaming French Guys Craft"

Anam @ Jul 6th 2007 5:36PM

That sounds pretty cool. Though I'm wondering what the controls would be like...

machrc @ Jul 6th 2007 5:41PM

I personally would rather "skate:"

smallgene @ Jul 6th 2007 5:43PM

this calls for a grapple hook!

Jose @ Jul 6th 2007 5:51PM

I hope this doesn't end up like the Mark Ecko game. Let's hope for Assassin's Creed (what they're shooting for at least) meets Half-Life 2. Physics and freerunning FTW?

5459f294 @ Jul 6th 2007 6:01PM

Sounds cool... But first person? Platforming has generally not worked well in a first person view.

Psaakyrn @ Jul 6th 2007 6:04PM

I'm more interested in what happens if someone misses a jump...

ajf @ Jul 6th 2007 6:11PM

Hm, concern grows within me for the idea of the game. I mean, I'm in a parkour group myself, we train every now and then, rarely doing any of the illegal stuff like jumping from rooftop to rooftop. But, for parkour to be put into an FPS.....it would be a bit complicated or too over-simplified a control scheme, going by how parkour basically involves doing whatever you want as a move, so long as it's smooth.

Yashoki @ Jul 6th 2007 6:46PM

This looks retarded. Parkour is one of those things you need to do in real life.

Gary Z @ Jul 6th 2007 6:47PM

To all those who think platforming can't be done in first person, play Breakdown...I'll wait while you look in the $5 bins at game shops...

Zach Isso @ Jul 6th 2007 7:02PM

Finally, something similar to the legendary experience of first person football of ESPN NFL Football. Likely, an even worse idea.

zwarrior @ Jul 6th 2007 7:47PM

Anyone who has seen Live free or Die Hard know how cool parkour can be, so this is great news.

Akiosarin @ Jul 6th 2007 8:53PM

sweet jesus! angst-ridden kids running around, feeling pride as they style jumps an clear Grandma's plant pot thats sat outside in the garden.

an now a game to do it from the safety of your chair!
without breaking your neck....of course, because its dangerous.

Tony Bowman @ Jul 6th 2007 8:56PM

wasn't there a parkour PSP game last year?

conceptually it sounds great, but executing something like this has GOT to be tough.

Cal @ Jul 6th 2007 9:49PM

Free Running (PSP, PS2) has been pushed back to TBA 2007, from the looks of it. Tis a shame, I was looking forward to that game. It's probably been scrapped and forgotten.

Cal @ Jul 6th 2007 9:51PM

...Wait, it seems to be out, there are a few reviews on Gamespot.com

http://www.gamespot.com/psp/sports/freerunning/players.html

retromancer @ Jul 6th 2007 11:24PM

why does a utopian metropolis have corrupt authoritarians in power?

Vision67 @ Jul 7th 2007 12:57AM

retromancer wins

hahnchen @ Jul 7th 2007 5:03AM

There's a shitload more information on this in this month's Edge magazine (where I'm guessing all these web stories are ripped from). And although you guys above are right to sound sceptical of this, it sounds like DICE are really concentrating on getting this right.

The concept art looks damn awesome though. It's set in a gleaming utopian metropolis, all aspirational clean lines and white walls. The protagonist an Asian parkour styled information courier and looks pretty damn cool on the front of Edge.

But it's the back cover of Edge which is so fucking awesome. It shows one of the bad guys, a cop named Miller. He's slim, menacing, sophisticated, looks cooler than any guy from The Matrix without even trying, and would be so much cooler to play as. It's a shame he isn't the player character, becuase I'd rather play for the authoritarian regime than the punk ass freerunners, after all.