From the EndWar to the Mirror's Edge and Back Again

My good buddy, Mr. Crews is correct. We're not quite dead...yet. To all three of you (if that) reading this humble blog, I apologize for the delays. I'm working on a lot of projects at once, some I hope to throw around and get recognized for, others to help me improve my work in the difficult craft of writing.

In other news, video gaming to be exact, two new games which have utterly mesmerized me are Tom Clancy's EndWar and EA's new stylistic project, Mirror's Edge.

EndWar follows the typical Clancy game format (save it's RTS design) in which a future not unlike our own is under major military jeopardy and you get to play the highly trained tactical commander in charge of fighting the last war of history. The fun thing about this little gem of a game is all the controls are voice-based. Sure, you can play the game by using the Xbox controller and looking around with the analog sticks, but the real command treat is barking out orders to your infantry and tanks and watching them perform admirably in the face of certain destruction. It's a great addition to an all ready stunning looking game.

For Mirror's Edge, we change gears a bit. Okay, a lot. The game is intensely first-person, and you play Faith, a "Runner" in a shiny pristine authoritarian future. When information is controlled by the government, the rebels and resistance fans have gone low-tech, employing parkour (or freerunner) agents to physically race their information and clandestine plans around the city. It's a great kinetic game with intense visuals and lightning-quick pacing. The demo is short but very sweet.

For those of you with Xbox 360s out there, check out these demos now. EndWar is all ready out in stores, and Mirror's Edge will be released in a few days as of this writing. More later.