While we're still waiting for official confirmation on a Mirror's Edge sequel (despite it appearing on a DICE developer's CV earlier this week), EA boss John Riccitiello has been discussing the challenged faced by the developer and publisher.
"We're still working through things like how to best deal with Mirror's Edge 2," Riccitiello told Kotaku. "There are some things we learned about that [first] game. It was, I think, a massively innovative product. To be honest with you, I think it's a game that deserves to come back."
He added, "I think Mirror's Edge was a fascinatingly original world. Fascinatingly original art direction. Music and sound design was great. I think the gameplay mechanic was a blast, but was intermittent and the levels didn't work. You found yourself scratching at walls at times, looking for what to do. Sometimes you had a roll going, downhill, slide, jump, slide, jump and then you just got stopped. It sort of got in the way of the fun.
Mirror's Edge
Official trailer
1:36Cool-looking gameplay trailer
Mirror's Edge
Official trailer
1:36Cool-looking gameplay trailer
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"It was like we couldn't quite decide if we were building Portal or a runner. And I don't think the consumer was ready to switch it up quite that way. You could say it was a sharp and great innovation. I believe that it was. You have to figure out what to do from here if you want it to be a five million seller vs. a one-million unit seller.
"I've had several very lively debates with the dev team. And they are working on it. But there's a couple of different directions you could go."
Open world, for the love of God. Let players choose their own routes, not funnel them down set pieces. From DICE I expected much more for ME, when looking at the BF games, I was shocked to find how limiting a supposedly "Free-runner" game was.
Yes Mr EA Boss, it does deserve to come back, but not for the sake of fu**ing it up in regards to meeting your ever important deadlines. The first game was like a breath of fresh air and I found it interesting and frustrating at the same time. Very slick but...I don't know, it just seemed a little sterile to me... Here's hoping for an awesome sequel (but even if it takes a few years to develop, do it properly!) It won't happen like that though...It will be wheeled out too early and probably forgotten after a few months...
I still haven't finished it. Mainly because later on it gets incredibly frustrating. The timing on the disarm is too precise so they game becomes too annoying.
Maybe I will go back to it at some point, but although I enjoyed the free running I liked the story, the combat was too annoying.
Yes Mr EA Boss, it does deserve to come back, but not for the sake of fu**ing it up in regards to meeting your ever important deadlines. The first game was like a breath of fresh air and I found it interesting and frustrating at the same time. Very slick but...I don't know, it just seemed a little sterile to me... Here's hoping for an awesome sequel (but even if it takes a few years to develop, do it properly!) It won't happen like that though...It will be wheeled out too early and probably forgotten after a few months...
I think you're mistaking this EA for the old EA, they seem to have redeemed themselves over the past year or so, with titles like their Bioware games turning out really well. I thought what he said about the first game was very reasonable and echoed the thoughts of many gamers, including myself. The sterility was on purpose. It was supposed to feel awkwardly clean. If that's how it felt for you then I guess DICE were successful.
I found it stupidly hard at certain points (maybe I'm just cr*p at certain games) but there were a few times I could have literally ripped THAT STUPID 360 CONTROLLER IN HALF!!!!! Aaaargh! (cue heavy breathing...where's my medication???)
Yes, I agree it was 'clean' looking and to me, I thought wow, it makes a change from the usual muddy dull browns and pea soup drab greens (a pallette that developers use so often these days - really annoys me) but my point is the 'experience' of playing the game felt a little sterile.... Again, don't get me wrong, a neat game that basically came from nowhere (Dead Space anyone?) although the last game DICE did was a rally game on the old Xbox (correct me if I'm wrong here). As for EA, yes I do respect them more now than I have ever done in the past, so that's a good thing.
Lets' not forget the reason EA's Bioware games are so great, is because Bioware is in a sense still an "independent" developer with no input from EA.
Which in itself is a sign of EA changing its image over the past year - I myself being an EA-hater.
'Mirror's Edge' was an example of this. It shocked many people that EA was willing to take a gamble on a new and innovative IP. Something they wouldn't have done in the past.
IMO I look forward to a possible ME2, if they can build upon the strengths of the 1st 1, as I found it immensely fun but unfortunately frustrating at times too.
I loved the original. I must admit though to never using the runner vision at all. I liked trying to figure out where to go next, it was kinda like playing Portal in a way, as it was as much fun figuring out where you were supposed to go as trying to get there after you've sussed that out. If I was just going to use the runner vision I might as well have not bothered to play the game at all, simply being led from point to point, level to level, wheres the fun in that? I might as well watch a film of someone freerunning instead.
Suggestions?...No open worlds thanks, just a set route with a few variations so that you don't get bored wandering around aimlessly. The gunplay was pretty good, gave a sense of tension when being chased(and trying to escape)and broke up the action nicely, so would like to see that return. In short all that I want to see is a different playground, story and some more excellent chillout music(that suited the original so well). In this case the original wasn't really broke, so don't try and fix it, imo anyway.
i would say ME is up there with my top 10 games in the last few years. beautiful and crisp design, great challenge, brilliant character design. i'm looking forward to how they push this sequel.
i would say ME is up there with my top 10 games in the last few years. beautiful and crisp design, great challenge, brilliant character design. i'm looking forward to how they push this sequel.
I concur, ME was awesome, the dificulty was pitched just right and can't wait for more!
It was an interesting change, the ideas were cool but the execution was poor.
To the idea of an open world being leading to confusion isn't true. Crackdown had roof top races that were fine. (not sujesting they do the same but you get the point.) As a runner your character should know the city and its major locations. Having a objective locator which this in mind wouldn't distrupt the game as it would simply be a representation of you characters knowledgeof the city. Even if they don't go open world in a follow up they need to open the levels up so multiple routes are not just about short cuts within a particular obstacle.
The combat was restrictive and ended up like the rest of the game - just a series of quick time events with obstacles instead the button prompts. This made the game very flustrating at points. The fragile nature of your character was good though and the environments were sterile. It was the perfect tone for the political world it was set.
Don't get me wrong I did like it but there were some serious flaws which held is back.
The main one was the lack of perriferal vision. Sadly something which can't be represented on screen yet. If you think about it the game was a kind of progression of Vib Ribbon on the PS.
Excellent score and gunshot fx... 'Edge has all the hallmarks of a quality game, and in an earlier post, I mention the graphics being such a breath of fresh air. Cool, clean and crisp, and let's be clear, a lot of games these days are released (with their best intentions - thankfully) and its the fans that make, break or shape a sequel. AC2 springs to mind. Feedback is absolutely crucial for developers in this day and age. I personally found it a bit too hard (as I get older, I'm becoming cr*p at games!) but watching my nephews tearing up walls, snapping necks and abseiling down ropes was a joy to behold. Great work DICE and good luck with the sequel...
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