What I’m Playing: Mirrors Edge (PS3)

If you are a fan of action or adventure games, you really should check out Mirror’s Edge since it is such a unique and amazing game. It’s uniqueness comes from its style of gameplay, in that the entire game is played in the first-person perspective. Being a fan of First-Person Shooters (FPS’s), I was already comfortable with this view. However, what I did not expect was the minimal use of guns in this game, and that by no means is a bad thing. In fact, the game encourages the player to disarm enemies, and not shoot them with their own weapons. Another interesting thing about this game is the lack of any type of heads-up display (HUD). The only thing that you see on the screen, other than the surrounding level and enemies, is a tiny reticle. No health meter, no maps, nothing because none of that is even needed in this game. When you get hurt your vision will get blurry. To get around the level, look for objects or items marked in red “runner vision.” When you run into an enemy, you can either avoid them or disarm them if you have good timing. The gameplay is also really fun since it is based on free-running and has you running, jumping, and climbing around huge cities.

Click this articles title to see the games trailer!

Project: Vista for Games

I am currently using Windows 7 for most of what I do on a daily basis. This primarily includes web-surfing and and watching movies and podcasts. However, my machine also has a second partition with Windows Vista installed on it. Since I started using Windows 7, I haven’t really gone back to Vista. The thing is, I like playing PC games and I’m not sure how games like Bioshock and Crysis will run in the Windows 7 beta. That’s why I have decided to use Vista, the more stable of the two, primarily for games. What makes it even better is that I have a 26 inch Vizio LCD HDTV. In Vista, I can easily set it up so that my Vizio is the primary monitor. Doing so will allow me to play my games on that monitor. Previously I tried this with both screens activiated and could not switch the monitor that my games played on. Having a dedicated operating system for games will make it a lot better, and easier.

Finally: New Games for PSP (Updated)

I was just scrolling through Joystiq.com, and apparently Sony is going to be pushing some great AAA console titles to the PSP this fall. Games like Assassins Creed, Little Big Planet, Rock Band, and MotorStorm will soon be playable on Sony’s mighty portable. Apparently a lot of people wanted to see Assassins Creed on the PSP, and their wish will be coming true later this year. When Little Big Planet arrives on the handheld console, Sony promises that it will come with new levels and other content exclusive to the PSP. If you can believe it, Rock Band is heading to the PSP as well, in the form of Rock Band: Unplugged. It will have an in-game music store accessible via wifi, and gameplay will consist of playing “phrases” of various instruments in order to keep a score multiplier going. MotorStorm will arrive on the PSP as MotorStorm: Artic Edge. Check out its Joystiq gallery below.

• Assassins Creed: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/assassins-creed-coming-to-psp/
• Little Big Planet: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/littlebigplanet-gets-littler-on-psp-this-fall/
• Rock Band Unplugged: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/24/rock-band-unplugged-announced-for-psp/
• MotorStore Artic Edge: http://www.joystiq.com/photos/motorstorm-arctic-edge/1382765/

Update: Apparently the PSP version of Little Big Planet will be based on the same concepts as its home console brethren, those being play, create, and share. So LBP PSP gameplay will essentially be the same as its Playstation 3 version. Also, both versions may be able to communicate with one another, possibly sharing levels. This could turn out really well. Players could create levels on the PS3, download said level to the PSP, and then run through it with their friends via gamesharing. None of these are finalized features yet, but we’ll see what they come up with this fall.

What I’m Playing: Prince of Persia (PS3)

I rented the new Prince of Persia game for the Playstation 3 from Blockbuster last week, and I’ve got to say there’s a lot to like about it. From the moment the game, I’ve been very impressed by graphical art style used in the game. The graphics in POP hits a good balance between cel-shading and three-dimensioning. I also really enjoy the story here. While looking for his donkey, the Prince runs into Princess Elika and saves her from a group of thugs that were trying to capture her and return her to her father. When they return to the Temple, Elika’s father releases the dark lord Ahriman from captivity and the entire kingdom falls to corruption. Because of this, the Prince and Elika must heal all sixteen lands using Elika’s special powers. I also really like the simplicity this game uses in its controls. Each of the face buttons has a specified purpose, which does not change at all at any point during the game. However, some players may find this to be a flaw, seeing as how using the same moves over and over during the games fight sequences does get repititive. That aside, the game has an excellent art style, a great story, and is very fun to play. I would reccommend it to any fans of action games. This game is also available for the Xbox 360.

You can also check out IGN’s review of the game here: