Mirror's Edge 2 Goes Open World

[llafnwod]

What's with all these next-gen games being free-roaming all of a sudden? First you've got all the games that're supposed to be free-roam, your Assassin's Creed/Watch_Dogs/Elder Scrolls/Saints Row/GTA/Dark Souls/MMOs, and now franchises are weirdly branching out - Metal Gear? Free-roaming. Mirror's Edge? Free-roaming. Pretty sure there's another oddball that's come up in E3, but it escapes me.

The free-roaming might backfire, it might not. That's something that I'll decide for myself. The only thing that could put me off buying this is if EA screws with the gameplay too much - the trailer was too combat oriented for my liking, I want parkour which makes me scratch my noggin and enemies who should be run past, not fought.

You can put The Witcher on that list as well. As to the trailer, I wouldn't worry about that too much. Game trailers have a tendency to give a greater emphasis to combat than the games do (c.f. the Metro: Last Light campaign) because they think it gets people's attention. Running away from gunfire isn't as exciting as running into it.

 

[Strazdas]

so they took the part that ruined the first game (linearity to the level of "there is a way aroudn but i HAVE to run into this gun tooting soldier becuase the game told me so") and threw it away? parkour without openworld is kind of self-defeating anyway. sounds like this "good idea experiment that failed" is going to be a sucess after all.
what is this, EA being smart?

What's with all these next-gen games being free-roaming all of a sudden? First you've got all the games that're supposed to be free-roam, your Assassin's Creed/Watch_Dogs/Elder Scrolls/Saints Row/GTA/Dark Souls/MMOs, and now franchises are weirdly branching out - Metal Gear? Free-roaming. Mirror's Edge? Free-roaming. Pretty sure there's another oddball that's come up in E3, but it escapes me.

as technology progresses and our computing get faster, we are finally able to provide at least imitation of open world gaming isntead of having to confine and limit users to small colidors because the 7 year old hardware cant run any better. its a normal progression of technology, we always wanted this, now we are actually able to.

 

[Matthi205]

So now we have to start appending the year of release to every major AAA game?

Considering that this is an EA Game, I've a feeling that they're going to mess this game somehow. It's not a matter of whether they will, it's a matter of how and how much.

But then again, it's also a game from DICE. Say what you will about their consistent lineup of military shooters, but they're good military shooters. The Frostbite 3 engine makes the game look more beautiful than before, and the sandbox element can really add a dimension unseen in the first game.
Frostbite 3 doesn't do shit to make the game look better. Good textures and good models do. Covering everything up with AA/AF seems to be a normal practice these days, but it's really not something that, as a developer, makes you stand in a very good light.

But then again, I feel like storytelling is the weakest point of DICE's games (as you can see from the campaign modes of all the Battlefield games). The story for Mirror's Edge was weak enough, but I don't know if they're able to make Mirror's Edge 2's story an improvement from it. Also, I'm afraid EA and DICE are going to fall into the same traps as the previous game and emphasis more on fighting and combat than actual parkour.

So rather than risk disappointment, I'm just going to see what the game itself is like before falling into the hype.

The combat is the core problem. It's overemphasized and just not very good in MEdge. I feel that if you cut 90% of it out, you won't loose a thing and make the game a lot less frustrating to play. The combat sections do break up the platforming though, so DICE would need to find something else to fill the hole left from removing most of the combat. If that is exploration, that's fine by me. Also, could I please carry 2 or 3 mags of pistol ammo around with me? Is it too much to ask to use those trouser pockets for something?

And you're right, storytelling is something DICE just can't seem to do properly. Their games are mechanically really good, but without people from other studios helping with the story, I don't see it being very good.

 

[Littaly]

When I saw the trailers for the first Mirror's Edge I thought it was open world, I was a little disappointed to find out that it wasn't. I can't say I'm confident EA won't strip away the original concept's novelty in favor of mass market appeal, since, you know, that's kind of their thing. But it's always worth being reminded that the original Mirror's Edge was much better in concept than it was in execution, so at least initially, I'll stay open minded to any changes in the formula. I'm interested to see how this develops, unless they add competitive multiplayer, then it's pretty much sure to be dead on arrival.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

Way back, I played the demo of ME, and really didn't care for it. The free song was pretty good though. It, and the stuff from Siren: Blood Curse were the only songs/pictures on my original PS3.

I just mainly didn't like how it was in first person. When your field of view is so narrow it makes judging distances more difficult than it needs to be. In real life you don't need to look straight down to see the edge of a platform thank's to peripheral vision.

Also, what people like about parkour is DOING parkour, or watching someone win/fail at it. I didn't think there was much of an audience for NOT really doing it, AND not even seeing most of the cool stuff your character just did.

It would be like a skating game in first person, or a tap dancing game in first person. Sure you can pull off the sickest moves you've ever seen...only you can't see them.

And while it never made me queasy, at the time one of the negatives people were reporting was that it made them nauseous.

While I respect the mostly white and red style, it just made it look unfinished. Like they forgot to make textures.

Hopefully some of all of the above will be tweaked for this reboot. I honestly never thought the first game sold particularly well, so I'm surprised that they are choosing to double down on it.

 

[Easton Dark]

Does EA need a department to name things?

They can't even add a number to the title? Like Dead Space 3? Or Mass Effect 3? Or Dragon's Age 3? Or Battlefield 3?

And open world parkour won't be as exciting as Just Cause 2. First person may get some adrenaline flowing from jumping off high buildings though.

 

[Seydaman]

Fuck yea.

This was specifically one of the ideas I and several others thought would be ME great. Just what I wanted to hear today

 

[Ishigami]

Hhmm if they pair this with a nice challenge mode where people can create their own challenges (e.g. from A to B in X time) then this could add some longevity to the game.
I played through Mirrors Edge and it was alright but I never got why people liked this game so much. I mean I completely dig the art style, the music and the premise but the gameplay or rather experience of it was rather mediocre.
I'm with Koudelka on it could being more interesting if it was 3rd person so you could see the amazing stuff you do.

 

[EHKOS]

I'm psyched about this, I really am. But are we just going to name all sequels the same fucking thing? It gets confusing and annoying. I mean, just imagine if every Final Fantasy was just "Final Fantasy".

 

[Andy Shandy]

Not to get too hyped or anything, but this may be my perfect game.

 

[Metalrocks]

open world sounds too good. would be nice to just run around without getting scripted chases. would like to know if we can walk among people on the streets as well, or jump on to a balcony and be a party pooper

really looking forward to it

 

[Norix596]

I'm going to withhold judgement on this point till I see some more. I can see how it might work since the slower paced Puzzle sections of the original game (like the Atrium section of Kate) could serve a more exploration focused take on the world. Besides, "open world" can mean anything - Remember Me was supposed to be "open world" and you can't even choose which which ledge to jump to.

 

[elilupe]

I'm so scared for this game. I've been waiting for a sequel to Mirror's Edge, but there are so many opportunities to completely mess this game up, I'm terrified. Especially considering this is EA we're talking about.

 

[razer17]

I wish people would stop saying "Don't fuck this up EA". If anyone fucks it up, it's DICE. You know, the people who are actually developing the game? I know some people here seem th think this, but I doubt EA execs are actively sitting around a table saying "How can we tank our company?". Dice is a big boy now, and alongside the Sims and Sports titles, probably have the most autonomy of any EA studio/ partner, just through sheer weight of reputation and selling power. Yes, EA is the one with the funding and they could technically call the shots, I just doubt they do much of that with Dice.

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

Sadly, so long it is tied to Origin this is a game I will have to skip.

But I like the idea of an open parkour world where you can tread and re-tread favorite runs to get across town. Most extreme sports are such that practice does make perfect.

238U

 

[The]

So we have two different games with the same name. Awesome. Ten years from now is going to be a nightmare for someone searching for either the first or second one..

Bit off topic here: nice new profile pic! I remember that episode and how uncomfortable the atmosphere of it was.

Thanks. It was unsettling how calm both of them stayed. At first I actually thought it was the last episode before I figured out there was one left and thought it was a dark way to end it, but came together nicely. A sort of anti-ending.

 

[blackrave]

I always said first person parkor really is a double-edged sword.

I don't know.
I kinda liked how it was implemented in Brink
And that felt like an updated version of Mirrors Edge
Hopefully new Mirrors edge will be even more improved than Brink