"we're going to dumb down our game to make more money from it."

[Duster]

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-mirrors-edge-sequel-will-reach-a-bigger-group-of-people/1100-6410853/

By looking at the title of the article, I already am not likely to buy the game. After reading the article, there's no chance of me buying the game.

Venture capitalists don't value these statements in weighing the companies worth. The wider audience only uses peers and advertisements and maybe the first review on google. All making a statement like this does is flip the bird to actual hobbyists.

So they will take something like mirrors edge 2, which HAD POTENTIAL TO BE A GOTYAY CONTENDER, and approach it as just another name to milk to death.




and if you are considering the content of the article itself, well there isn't one person on the planet who ever complained that mirrors edge 1 was too hard or too complex, so bravo to EA. They managed to take a great opportunity they had create not only an amazing game but also mend their reputation, and they choose to try to rape the franchise to death before the game is even released, and make less money in the process by telling fans that they mean nothing to them months before the game is released.

I'm really not any certain of a worse possible opening statement they could have made for the development of a video game. I think that's the worst they possibly could have done. I am the least hyped I could possibly be for this game. I am not even going to pirate the game. I already know it's going to have a boring, cliche story that isn't interesting enough to make me force myself through some w+mouse 1 simulator. I could spend that precious time and energy playing with my private parts.

So EA should just never ever release statements. They are better off with fan delusions that their games will be good with zero transparency.

 

[Pseudonym]

It doesn't really say anything about making the game easier. It says something very vague about a larger audience and more accessibility. It is just a couple of sentences. It might mean making the game easier, it might mean a better tutorial.

Edit: My earlier post was based only on the article linked. On further reading I've come to the conclusion that a lot of it was a bit unfair so I've deleted most of it.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

GameSpot is presently having an aneurysm and not loading. I presume the conversation looks something like this?

Streamlining games and making them more accessible doesn't always make them worse. I'm of the opinion, for example, that Mass Effect 2 was a significant all around improvement on the first game. World of Warcraft "dumbed down" and greatly simplified the MMO, and was a cross cultural genre smashing phenomenon. Skyrim was by orders of magnitude a "simpler" game than Morrowind, and was one of the best selling games of all time...both critically and popularly embraced.

So what, exactly, are they doing to Mirror's Edge that represents a trespass to the spirit of the original? I didn't mind Mirror's Edge but there was a lot of room for improvement there. I didn't perceive any golden, sacrosanct formula.

I should be clear I'm not defending EA. EA's cold, black necromantic heart does not merit defending. I'd just like to know what the changes are, as "dumbing down" tends to be applied a little too liberally by outraged gamers.

 

[thatonedude11]

I'm sorry, but I didn't see anything the article you linked that says that EA is going to make Mirror's Edge 2 a dumbed down, easy, milked to death pile of shit. From what I read, Frank Gibeau wants the game to sell as many copies as possible, aka what every single AAA executive wants. "Grow the audience" and "accessibility" are completely meaningless buzzwords, and if you're willing to completely damn a game because of that, well then that's your own loss.

I have no idea whether or not Mirror's Edge 2 will be good. Some stuff they've been saying has really excited me, and other stuff has made me a bit worried. But the big thing is that, the game is still potentially years out, and no one has gotten a chance to play it yet. Making any judges on its quality at this point is a very silly thing to do, even if an executive says some things you may not like.

 

[Mezahmay]

I'd be happy if they took the first one and threw out the token combat mechanics. It was difficult to consistently pull off and, oddly enough, taking a gun and shooting dudes did not make me feel like a skilled freerunner.

 

[The Goat Tsar]

There's nothing in that article that I had a problem with. He didn't even talk about gameplay, the only change he mentioned was the change to open world.

I'm really not any certain of a worse possible opening statement they could have made for the development of a video game. I think that's the worst they possibly could have done.

I can think of a few worse ones. Like "we're cancelling Mirror's Edge 2" or "we're merging the project with the next Battlefield game." Or even "we're making Mirror's Edge a mobile RTS with microtransactions."

 

[Barbas]

I can do that too.

"we're going to dumb down our game to make more money from it."

By looking at the title of the

thread

, I already am not likely to buy the

argument

. After reading the

thread

, there's no chance of me buying the

argument

.

OP, that article was five gosh-darned paragraphs long. Five. You're going to decide whether or not to purchase a game that isn't out yet on that?

and if you are considering the content of the article itself, well there isn't one person on the planet who ever complained that mirrors edge 1 was too hard or too complex, so bravo to EA.

They managed to take a great opportunity they had create not only an amazing game but also mend their reputation, and they choose to try to rape the franchise to death before the game is even released, and make less money in the process by telling fans that they mean nothing to them months before the game is released.

1. How's that?
2. Raping, you say? To death, you say?


How very dire. You've successfully convinced me that this plight deserves my undivided attention.

I'm really not any certain of a worse possible opening statement they could have made for the development of a video game.

Original title: EA: Mirror's Edge sequel will "reach a bigger group of people".

Please allow me, OP:

EA: Mirror's Edge sequel "canceled because it was not economically viable, Battlefield: Syria standalone DLC announced.

I think that's the worst they possibly could have done. I am the least hyped I could possibly be for this game. I am not even going to pirate the game.

Whew, it was very nearly brown trousers time for a minute there.

I already know it's going to have a boring, cliche story that isn't interesting enough to make me force myself through some w+mouse 1 simulator. I could spend that precious time and energy playing with my private parts.

Teach me - how to do the first bit, not the second bit.

So EA should just never ever release statements. They are better off with fan delusions that their games will be good with zero transparency.

I like to call that optimism, because it's nicer than crapping on a group of fans for holding out hope. That's just me, though.

 

[Duster]

I am much more likely to get hyped for "canceled because it was not economically viable" or "we're cancelling mirrors edge." than this, because there is at least a chance that EA will have gone under and a new company will have purchased the rights to the name by the time it comes round again.

Also, you guys don't follow industry news much if you don't know what "aiming for a wider audience" means the company will do.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

That's making quite a large leap from a small, throwaway statement. Making the game appeal to more people doesn't necessarily merit major gameplay changes. After all, the original managed to move quite a few units based on it's unique premise. Refining the gameplay, removing a bit of the fiddliness of it would broaden the appeal. Constructing a "better" story would broaden appeal. Having a different marketing campaign would broaden appeal.

Do not get yourself hyped for the game, particularly when it's EA releasing it. So keep thinking it's shit. Let it come out and surprise you... maybe.

 

[Sassafrass]

Yeah, nothing in that article hints that they're "dumbing down" Mirrors Edge 2. Just because they're casting a wider net doesn't mean they're making it "dumber".

In fact, parkouring around an open world city sounds like something you'd need to have a few brain cells to do, even more so if you're like me and try to shave seconds of a route when you can. XD

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalso, if Mirrors Edge is a name to be milked to death, why did it take EA 6 years to announce a sequel, then not announce when it's coming out? XD

 

[Beliyal]

I think you should calm down, OP. We don't even have any gameplay videos for the game, we can hardly say if it's going to be dumbed down or whatever. Making something approachable to more people is not equal to turning it into Farmville. While I definitely didn't find Mirror's Edge to be difficult, I think it had many issues which made the game frustrating at certain points and I really do hope that those issues will be fixed, which I believe, will make the game more approachable to people who might be put off otherwise.

I really liked Mirror's Edge and I think it had a great potential, but I can't deny that it wasn't sometimes a messy pile of "Am I falling off this building because I'm an idiot or because this jump is simply not possible?". I won't even start about that option that tells you where to go by turning your character in that direction, so when you're free running and want to check where to head next and your character turns entirely, instead of just the camera... Yeah.

Either way, I'm not jumping to conclusions just yet. It may very well end up being shit, but as of now I wouldn't say that we are in any imminent danger. I certainly didn't get the "We'll make the game piss easy" vibe from the article. Improving and opening the game to a bigger audience doesn't necessarily mean that it will suddenly become easy enough for my grandmother.

 

[Bad Jim]

you guys don't follow industry news much if you don't know what "aiming for a wider audience" means the company will do.

"Aiming for a wider audience" merely means they are going to change stuff. It doesn't necessarily mean dumb down. How would they dumb it down anyway? It was as simple as they get in the first place.

 

[babinro]

I'm not about to jump to conclusions.

Things like regenerating health and getting away from terrible inventory systems like those found in the Ultima games would be considered acts of 'appealing to a wider audience' that were successful. Mass Effect 2 is a great example of aiming for a wider audience and yet delivering a game that's often considered better than the original. Resident Evil 4 is another.

I'll grant you that there's way more horror stories than success when it comes to dumbing down games but it's not a bad thing to hear from my perspective.

 

[GloatingSwine]

"Aiming for a wider audience" merely means they are going to change stuff. It doesn't necessarily mean dumb down. How would they dumb it down anyway? It was as simple as they get in the first place.

"Aiming for a wider audience" invariably means "make it more generic so it's like those other popular things."

If I were to lay money at this point, their method of "aiming for a wider audience" on Medge 2 will be to focus primarily on the shooting parts at the expense of the parkour, because that's what the "wider audience" wants.

 

[VincentX3]

you guys don't follow industry news much if you don't know what "aiming for a wider audience" means the company will do.

"Aiming for a wider audience" merely means they are going to change stuff. It doesn't necessarily mean dumb down. How would they dumb it down anyway? It was as simple as they get in the first place.

Hold X to run.
Turning the game into a giant QTE.

I'm kidding of course but it is EA...


On the other hand Dark Souls 2 Dev's have also mentioned something similar on the lines of that they wanted to appeal to a more broader audience (Or something of the sort) months before it's release.
And sure, people will ***** and whine that it's not as good as the original but ignoring the QQ'ers and angry trolls, it's still an outstanding Dark souls game.

Maybe this is something similar?

Again, this is EA so I expect plenty of hand holding and treating the gaming community as new-born retards :l

 

[chikusho]

One way of getting a game to reach a wider audience is to make it a better, more polished product with kick-ass features and mechanics. Wow, when you think about it, that's exactly what I want! Good job EA!

 

[Netrigan]

The two most frequently heard complaints about Mirror Edge was 1) the frustrating controls which was mentioned in several reviews and 2) the game's occasions over-focus on combat.

I hope for something more involved than Ass Creed style free run, but something less finicky than ME1. Hoping it avoid turning it into a shooter. The first game really shone when it was about evasion.

 

[small]

well ill take a wait and see on it. as for "appealing to a larger audience" part and parcel of the industry now with AAA games, the cost of making and marketing them has increased to the extent that if they dont make a profit back in the first week or so investors freak. remember this is not about gamers making games this is about pleasing the share holders with a good game coming out of it as a side effect

 

[Rayce Archer]

I think it would be shortsighted to write off the game based on statements that mean nothing and a trailer that, even if it is in-engine, is totally pre-arranged. All I got out of that was "it's open-world" which I don't see as a detriment to a parkour sim. The last game to me felt too on-rails, they made a big deal of "find the best path" but there was really only one way through it all in most cases.

I'm seeing nothing that turns me off. Until we get artwork of Faith having sex with the new male protagonist in a steamy shower or mowing down a bunch of mooks with a gun while spewing one-liners, I remain optimistic. And it's not like there wasn't room to improve on the base game.