Mirror's Edge Countdown Day Four

We're literally running up the walls waiting for Mirror's Edge. But that's because we're playing the demo. Not because we've decided to take up free-running while we wait for the game to come out next Friday. But today, being sandwiched between yesterday and tomorrow, means that there's new Mirror's Edge stuff to look at on our fancy Mirror's Edge countdown site.

If you deftly glide your mouse to this link, spin your fingers and click, you'll find a movie that looks at the real sport of free-running and its huge influence on Mirror's Edge.

The core of Mirror's Edge gameplay uses the same set of athletic disciplines as the strenuous urban sport of parkour, or freerunning. The game's heroine, Faith, must think fast on her feet as she runs, jumps, swings and climbs her way through each level - achieved effortlessly when executed with perfection - exploiting the environment around her to find the optimum entry points and, indeed, escape routes to keep her several steps ahead of her pursuers.

While freerunners in the real-world might not have to dodge pot-shots from snipers, as today's movie on the countdown site testifies, they can certainly relate to the adrenaline powered, hyper-kinetic and gravity-defying moves that Faith pulls off in Mirror's Edge. If you're looking for a game that mirrors parkour accurately, then Mirror's Edge boasts an endorsement from Freerun World Champion, Gabriel E Nunez. And you can't get a better endorsement than that.

There's more Mirror's Edge magic on the countdown site tomorrow. Don't miss it.