EA Learned Lessons From Mirror's Edge Mistakes

So you're pissed that developers don't design games for freaks with giant godzilla hands?
 
Say what.. I loved mirrors edge! The gameplay was great, but as poster earlier, I only hate the fact that it was so short!
 
According to Steam I finished Mirror Edge in 5 hours. I was annoyed at how short it was but it was such a fun game. I loved the art design and the story wasn't to bad either. I really do hope they make a sequel.

I played Dead Space for less then an hour before I quit. I really disliked the controls and the movement of the character. It just felt to sluggish for me.
 
Maybe it's just me, but 5 hours isn't enough time for a game to drag on long enough to tire me. Some might say I have a short attn span. I'd say I have other shit to take care of.
 
Comparing game length, especially across genres, in my opinion does not make any sense. There is a good reason why games of similar type have the lengths they do.

RPGs typically have game play elements such as -

- a lot of back tracking
- generally more repetitive sequences using the same assets
- "static" dialogue sequences
- searching an area for items/npcs/notable locations for prolonged periods
- then spending further time talking to/examining said item/npc/location
- "grinding" sequences for level/items to proceed to the next area or for an advantage
- much different game play pacing

These add to the length of game play, but applying these elements to say an action based FPS for instance would not make any sense.

If an endurance racing game was released that only consisted of the 24 hours of LeMans and Daytona in real time, would you consider this a 48hr+ game in terms of content?

For instance for Mirror's Edge, they could have simply added more levels with relatively little development resources by reversing/mirroring/rearranging levels, but would that have made it a better game? It is a game about speed running through levels, making it a grueling 40hr+ marathon by reusing art assets and a lot of back tracking would not have made it better.
 
Didn't anyone go back and do the challenges or time their storyline runs? That's when every step and slight pause mattered.

How much more could they really lengthen the game besides adding more buildings? It's supposed to be a sprint through.
 
How about allowing us to do more than follow a stupid red line (not really a line, but the point still stands)?
 
i played, beat, and enjoyed both ME and DS.. ME wasn't perfect but I liked the gameplay and constantly being on the run like in a movie.. some people are too picky :/
 
jeremyshaw said:
How about allowing us to do more than follow a stupid red line (not really a line, but the point still stands)?
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Watch some speedruns sometime. ME's no where near as strictly linear as it appears. It's definitely not a corridor shooter.

Hardly any situation is strictly a single-solution physics puzzle. ME was quite like TMUF in that regard.

If you really do think getting from point A to point B was strictly a single path only, you're honestly very mistaken.

FWIW - that red "path" guide was there only in the easy difficulty settings. It was merely to help newbs, not show the only route possible.
 
Oh man, I loved Mirror's Edge so much. At the same time, The story should have had a lot more thought put into it since by the time the end of the game comes, it doesn't really feel like much has actually happened plot wise. Getting there, however, was a beautiful ride, as short as it was.
 
Dirk13 said:
My problem with mirrors edge was that it was so short....
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And that hand-to-hand combat felt awkward and clumsy at best. Despite it's faults it's still lots of fun to fly through the levels.
 
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The running about was great. The forced combat was shitty.
 
pojut said:
Or, you could just do the sensible thing and hook up a dual-analog game pad and play the otherwise vastly superior PC version. Oblivion, Fallout 3, and any other games where the interface is clearly intended for consoles should be played with a gamepad.
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Wow, you think oblivion is better with a game pad? I'm playing it right now and the mouse movement is just so responsive compared to so many other games, even ones built for the pc. It was games like bioshock where my hand hurt after half an hour playing because of how laggy the mouse felt that I think of when people say the controls weren't ported well. Anyways, sorry, that's just caught me off guard because of how much I like Oblivions controls.

Oh, and the feel of the mouse at Oblivions start menu is what I would consider laggy.
 
Crash250f said:
Wow, you think oblivion is better with a game pad? I'm playing it right now and the mouse movement is just so responsive compared to so many other games, even ones built for the pc. It was games like bioshock where my hand hurt after half an hour playing because of how laggy the mouse felt that I think of when people say the controls weren't ported well. Anyways, sorry, that's just caught me off guard because of how much I like Oblivions controls.

Oh, and the feel of the mouse at Oblivions start menu is what I would consider laggy.
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I think navigating the interface is better with a gamepad, despite the superior control a K/M gives you in first-person. Considering how much time is spent dealing with your inventory and such, the trade off was worth it to me.
 
I actually enjoyed Mirror Edge, the only thing that bugs me are the bugs in the game.

I had to spend an entire day Googling for a solution to the problem where the game refuse to launch. After trying out all the suggested solution I came across, I finally found one that works where I had to copy the Phyx files from nVidia's physx driver and replace the existing physx files in the game folder, and viola, it runs.

So yeah, I'm glad EA realize this. Hopefully they put more QA into their games before releasing them
 
ME looked great but made me so sick I could not keep playing. Shame really.
 
Dave3d said:
Dead Space, on the other hand[/B].
Got it for $9, and was SUPER pissed about losing $9.
Piece of crap console port that you cant play with a mouse and keyboard. THATS why it didnt do better. Spend more time (or ANY time) getting the pc port kb/mouse and FOV and other options down, THEN release it.
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So much THIS!

I picked it up off Steam for probably $10 or so and just could not get into it with the damn annoying control scheme - I remember hearind so much about the title that I figured I couldnt go wrong so I payed for it w/o doing my research. 5 minutes of googling basically told me all I needed to know about the number of people who couldn't stand it either....
 
Parmenides said:
LOL. I'm kind of scared for the wrong conclusion on sorts of aspects.
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But can you really say its the wrong conclusion or blame the publisher? The consumer on average has shown that properly marketed and hyped games sell, and is more a factor to a games success then being well received "critically" or by more dedicated fans.
 
limitedaccess said:
But can you really say its the wrong conclusion or blame the publisher? The consumer on average has shown that properly marketed and hyped games sell, and is more a factor to a games success then being well received "critically" or by more dedicated fans.
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See Okami as proof...it didn't find even moderate popularity until the Wii version, and even though it was only moderate popularity. This despite nearly universal praise from critics and players...but with no advertising budget.

Okami being the second to last game that Clover Studios ever made makes me weep for the state of the industry :(
 
limitedaccess said:
But can you really say its the wrong conclusion or blame the publisher? The consumer on average has shown that properly marketed and hyped games sell, and is more a factor to a games success then being well received "critically" or by more dedicated fans.
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You're making me think of Modern Warfare 2. I hate marketing, especially when many times the inferior product with better marketing wins over a superior product. Mareting... yeah it sure does pay the bills short term.
 
mirrors edge was amazing.. the feeling of runaways from something trying to kill you was so amazing!
 
Mirror's Edge is one of my favourite games of the last decade...!

...and EA are learning from it, Christ!
 
Absalom said:
I thought Mirror's Edge was great for what it was. Something about it clicked with me. It was refreshing to see EA/DiCE tackle a rare concept like it, instead of rehashing the same ol' push-marketed redux for the masses. So what if it didn't meet sales? Sometimes you gotta take a chance to break new ground.

And maybe that's the problem with most games today - nobody wants to take a chance... especially when large amounts of money are involved.

When devs shop an idea to publisher, they've got two choices: 1) go with the safe bet or 2) pitch the so-called "crazy" concept with hopes of not being laughed out of the room.

There was probably a time when option #2 was certainly viable. Unfortunately, those days are pretty much gone. Plus, you still gotta put food on the table.

With the rising costs of AAA titles, there aren't too many companies financially in the position to be able to roll the dice and see what happens. These days, you get your bankroll from investors. If the investors don't see some kind of ROI, it's pitchforks and torches at your doorstep.

Sometimes breaking new ground doesn't always work out though. I tip my hat to IO for trying to venture out beyond the Hitman series. Unfortunately, I feel they wasted time and money (not to mention tarnishing their rep) with those lackluster Kane & Lynch games.

The need to explore original ideas is also probably why (finally) Bungie broke free from MS. I know if I were them, I'd have gotten sick and tired of those MS board meetings having the suits ignore any game concept pitched at them that doesn't have the words "Master Chief" or "Halo" in it. Bungie is a great company that has, in my opinion, been shackled to the same game for the past decade. Now that they are freelance once again, I'm anxious to see what they come up with next.

Remedy didn't exactly hit a homerun with Alan Wake either (a triple at best). But, again, they were trying to break new ground there. More than anything, I think hype hurt that game. It did sell well; however, it wasn't the groundbreaking game that everyone made it out to be. It had all the AAA title elements in there, but it lacked a certain charm to it. I don't know what to think about it still. I think Remedy could do better. Having MS put the shackles to them probably didn't help either.

There are probably a dozen other existing gaming companies out there I could ramble on about. When it comes down to it, there is no secret formula for success. I do know one thing: if rehashing the same thing is the only way to make money in the modern gaming industry, then the industry itself is eventually doomed. This is coming from someone who has historically rolled their eyes whenever a thread/article titled "gaming is dead" pops up on the screen.
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alan wake failed because they dumbed it down for the consoles and abandon the pc version of it.

they diddntb try anything new on it. it was shit and another console shitty game
 
I bought Mirror's Edge on a Gamer's Gate sale some weeks ago and it's both fun and really frustrating sometimes. The magic police always seem to show up when I'm starting to enjoy freedom of just running around and they totally kill my buzz. ;) It really is a fun game, though.

I also liked Dead Space and bought it when it was released but have been slacking so bad that I haven't finished it yet. I really need to get on it so I can properly continue the series.
 
jonneymendoza said:
alan wake failed because they dumbed it down for the consoles and abandon the pc version of it.

they diddntb try anything new on it. it was shit and another console shitty game
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Even if it did see a PC release, it still would have been terrible. It was all about the ludicrous story and referencing Stephen King and Twin Peaks every five minutes. Gameplay was clearly not a priority, as it is downright woeful.
 
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