EA Learned From Mirror's Edge Mistakes

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Mirror's Edge had no multiplayer, and that's why it failed?

You, sir, are the only fail around here.

How on earth could you have a multiplayer parkour simulator, when it's a solo sport/martial art. You don't compete unless it's a race. And there's more than enough racing games.

May I suggest that a FP parkour with a blue hedgehog might sell rather better?

 

[Dogstile]

You mean EA unlocking the Unreal editor and not rake in thousands of potential DLC sales from the sheep?
I borrowed the game and loved it, right up to the point when guns became involved.

But slow motion jump shooting was so fun!

 

[Somethingfake]

I loved Mirrors Edge, the gun play was annoying from time to time, but it's still a blast to race through with bullets zipping around your head.

 

[carpathic]

Since it is EA, we know what he means by "polished" is "we haven't figured out how to ding you for the DLC, so we will admit a small mistake, then promise the world, as long as you pay to download it after you already own the game"

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Dismemberment always sells well. And multiplayer is not needed, it's just the game should be well-balanced.

 

[vallorn]

In a speech referencing Mirror's Edge there is mention of a sequel that is not Mirror's Edge 2. This disheartens me, because I really did like the game and want confirmation on whether or not ME2 is going to get made or stay in DICE's development hell until they stop making Battlefield games.

or until they make "Battlefield: Bad Mirrors Of Honor"
/sarc... wait that could be quite good

 

[Dexiro]

Mirrors Edge was a brilliant game. Admittedly there was just a little room for improvement but pretty much all games have room for improvement, it's no big deal.

Mirror's Edge 2 is the kind of game that'd work well if it were open world, provided they do it right. Complete non-linearity wouldn't work but just give sense that you're forging your own way past obstacles and not just following a linear path.

With less linearity it'd be great to have split paths where you could either charge through an area full of enemies (for people that don't mind combat), or try and find a way to evade them.
And then you could have other split paths where one path is really difficult but has a bonus item at the end.

Dotting around collectibles would be really nice :3 As long as they don't overdo it and make it a chore to collect all of them. And maybe small RPG elements as an incentive to collect stuff, as long as the platforming part isn't affected.

 

[hitheremynameisbob]

I'm surprised they consider Mirror's Edge a failure at all. VG Chartz isn't always a reliable source, but the two million they have it selling can't be THAT far off, and that's a decent figure. That means that EA probably got in the neighborhood of forty million dollars off that game, and I really have a hard time believing they blew more than ten, twenty million on it. What's their metric for success? I mean, I know plenty of games do better, but come on, any profit is good profit. I suppose the real question is whether those developers could have been doing something that would have made more money with the time they spend on Mirror's Edge, but come on, the game paid for itself at least twice over, just be thankful for that

 

[havass]

I liked Mirror's Edge. It was just..short. And no, EA. Not every game needs a multiplayer to be successful. That's the way to hell.

 

[GeneticallyModifiedDucks]

How exactly is Dead Space an unsuccessful game? Didn't it sell like 5 million across all systems?

Oh wait, this is EA. They have high standards it seems.

 

[Bobzer77]

the game lacked any kind of multiplayer.

GET OVER YOUR STUPID OBSESSION WITH MULTIPLAYER!!!

We don't need it in every single game!

Better to have no multiplayer if it's going to detract from the singleplayer or is just going to be tacked on.

 

[Vivi22]

And anyone who shoves an incomplete game out of the door really needs to take a good long look at why they make games in the first place... surely making a complete (as it can be) game that makes gamers and consumers happy is better than making an incomplete game for the sake of getting it out and suffering from more than enough criticism for it? Or did I miss something there...

More often than not when a developer releases a game that isn't quite ready it's because the publisher told them to get it out the door and won't pony up the time or money to complete it properly, not because the developers don't have some amount of professional pride.

 

[cerebus23]

I liked Mirror's Edge. It was just..short. And no, EA. Not every game needs a multiplayer to be successful. That's the way to hell.

yea this it was a rent game period. i mean what it take to beat it? 6 hours or so? other than that it was fun the difficulty was not to out there. make it 10 or 12 hours worth of play and replay, add some stuff like AC, batman AA that makes you go back to find stuff you missed or just as you unlock new skills and stuff and can reach new places etc.

but just taking on MP well wth are you going to do? the if we had a real sandbox to play in and try stuff like skate 2 or something that would be fun in mp. but beyond that ME had leader boards and stuff for runs, adding two or three people for mp for that would not be that great. what else give us guns so we can shoot other people in the face? that would not be what the game is about.

would love to see a truly sandbox game maked out parkour like skate 2 with a storyline and missions and muliplayer and places to free roam with people online that would be fun if that is even doable, one thing to make a sakte game but when you can clib buildings and stuff it takes alot more planning and creativity, than adding some rails and ramps to grind and jump on.

 

[EmzOLV]

More often than not when a developer releases a game that isn't quite ready it's because the publisher told them to get it out the door and won't pony up the time or money to complete it properly, not because the developers don't have some amount of professional pride.

Ta for the explanation I'm not completely up on my knowledge of this as it is ^^
I still loved it though. I don't see why everyone completely dismissed it!

 

[Frotality]

i was absolutely baffled as to why EA was actually admitting rushing a game; but then i saw it was just because they thought it needed multiplayer.

nothing to see here, folks, EA isnt breaking any mold, just thinking a free-running game should have online...footraces, i guess.

 

[Retardinator]

the game lacked any kind of multiplayer.

GET OVER YOUR STUPID OBSESSION WITH MULTIPLAYER!!!

We don't need it in every single game!

Better to have no multiplayer if it's going to detract from the singleplayer or is just going to be tacked on.

Agreed. As soon as I saw that I nearly facepalmed. Mirror's Edge does not need a multiplayer mode.

And I'm not really buying the whole "learned from mistakes" story until they shell out Mirror's Edge 2 and it turns out much better. I liked the original for its setting and gameplay, but disliked pretty much everything else.
I'm awaiting the sequel...

 

[Metalrocks]

i think it was a great game. it was something different and fun to play on the pc. not perfect, but fun
but it did seam to be unfinished, like the story. it felt like a test version, to see how people react to it. had its moments were things dint work at times with the controls, like not jumping, even when i pressed the jump button.
i also think it doesnt need a MP to be a good game. mass effect is also a SP game only and has a huge success.
i agree also that part 2 shoundt be a linear game. rather run around the city, accept small jobs on the site, and decide when you wand to do the main missions. this would give you the opportunity to run other ways instead of the given ways. find different ways to outrun the cops etc.
mirror has great potential. so i really hope that part 2 will be coming out and has improved.

 

[Owlslayer]

Mirrors Edge had a great concept indeed. But yeah, the game wasn't that great overall. I LIKED it, quite a lot actually. I loved the style and interesting colors, but the story was a bit weird and it felt...not right? I don't know. But i really hope a second one will come out.
If they truly learn from their mistakes, it could very well be very, very awesome.
We'll live and see, kids. We'll live and see.

 

[Jake Martinez]

the game lacked any kind of multiplayer.

GET OVER YOUR STUPID OBSESSION WITH MULTIPLAYER!!!

We don't need it in every single game!

Better to have no multiplayer if it's going to detract from the singleplayer or is just going to be tacked on.

Well, according to people who game developers they need multiplayer to sell units and according to magazine reviewers we all clamor for multiplayer even if it doesn't make sense. There's nothing that multiplayer can't do. Multiplayer can make your teeth whiter, restore lost hair and help you drop 20 pounds. Multiplayer stole your girlfriend, but then replaced her with a hotter girlfriend and a free car. Multiplayer is just that kind of guy. Everyone loves multiplayer.

I mean, it should be obvious right? This is why games released this last year like Fallout New Vegas, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins were such huge commercial failures. No multiplayer!

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Gibeau said that EA didn't plan to abandon either IP

So, Mirror's Edge 2 lives?