EA: Mirror's Edge "fell short"

By Fred Dutton Published 29 November, 2010

Dead Space "didn't hit expectations" either.

Mirror's Edge, EA's 2008 parkour-flavoured FPS, "fell short" of the publisher's expectations.

EA Games boss Frank Gibeau told Develop, "First-person parkour across buildings is fun, but to be blunt, Mirror's Edge's' execution fell short."

"What I learned from Mirror's Edge is that you have to execute, you have to spend more time on a game to ensure it's polished, and you need to have the depth and persistence of an online game," he explained.

"There were issues with the learning curve, the difficulty, the narrative, and then there was no multiplayer either."

"The key learning from us was that if you're going to be bold with that kind of concept, you need to take it as far as it can go in development."

We'd say Gibeau needs to easy up on the DICE-developed title. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but it was certainly one of the more interesting new IPs of the last few years.

Eurogamer's Christian Donlan gave it 8/10, saying, "For those who can shrug off the contradictions and the limitations, ignore the tearing cityscape and lingering qualms about value for money, this will shove you so deeply into the experience of being in someone else's body, and taking it on a terrifying, breakneck joyride, that nothing else will matter."

Gibeau didn't stop at Mirror's Edge though – Visceral Games' largely excellent Dead Space also came in for a bit of a pasting.

"It made money for us, but didn't hit expectations. We felt like we had an IP that struck a chord, and one that hit quality, but again it missed multiplayer modes.

"So when we re-worked Dead Space [for the upcoming sequel], we looked at how to make it a better idea, how do we make the story more engrossing, how do we build Isaac as a character, how do we make this game a success online."

Dead Space 2 is out on 25th January on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but what of a Mirror's Edge sequel? "One thing I will say is that we won't give up on those IPs," promised Gibeau. "A new idea obviously has a lot of risk attached to it, but if you get it all right it can be huge."

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (105) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Markitron #1 2 years ago

    Dead space not selling is Eurogamers fault! 7/10? Farcical

  • weejok #2 2 years ago

    Dead Space and Mirrors Edge are both amazing games which don't need multiplayer

  • stevetuck #3 2 years ago

    Dead space was awesome, though the zero g parts made me throw up :/ GOD DAMN YOU MOTION SICKNESS!

  • Ninja_Tino #4 2 years ago

    Fair points, I guess, although a tad harsh. They're both two of the best IPs released in a while; but I've got to disagree with the lack of multiplayer being their biggest drawbacks. I'll be buying both games, but purely for the single-player experience, which attracted me so much in the first place.

  • lambtron #5 2 years ago

    "and you need to have the depth and persistence of an online game"

    "and then there was no multiplayer either."

    Oh god no. That is not the reason it didn't sell!

  • Mark1412 #6 2 years ago

    "but again it missed multiplayer modes"

    /sigh

  • FuzzyDuck #7 2 years ago

    Thought Mirror's Edge was bold and different and very well executed. It wasn't perfect, granted, but it made most first person games (i think EG calling it an FPS above is something of a misnomer) feel like you were controlling a floating camera after playing it.

  • lambtron #8 2 years ago

    By that reckoning God of War III should have had MP then it would have sold 20 million...

  • Ceelion #9 2 years ago

    I thought both games were excellent, and well worth the £35 I paid for them at release.

    Mirror's Edge time attack mode is the work of brilliance, and I hope they won't by pass it in favour of a bad multiplayer mode. This is the same reason I'm apprehensive for Dead Space 2's looming multiplayer mode. The original didn't need it, and neither does this.

  • captain_Carl #10 2 years ago

    Mirror's Edge was amazing. Great fun. I the platinum trophy, because i loved it so much. Would buy a sequel in an instant

    WELL so long as it doesn't have multiplayer anyway. That would ruin it.
    Edited by captain_Carl at 29/11/10 @ 17:36

  • MiniAmin #11 2 years ago

    and you need to have the depth and persistence of an online game," he explained.
    ...and then there was no multiplayer either."

    Nooo! Expect every EA title from here onwards to have some shoehorned MP effort attached to it.

  • CaptainQuint #12 2 years ago

    Mirror's Edge was superb. Give me a sequel. I don't care about multiplayer in a game like that.

  • bratmandu #13 2 years ago

    A multiplayer mode wouldn't necessarily ruin it. It's very easy to sit there and naysay, but who's to say the mp will be tacked on? No info has been given yet so how do you know?

    I think a multiplayer game is very doable in Mirrors Edge 2, this news article alone shows they are mindful of giving their games the proper development time in the future. If they take their time, build on the first game, and stay prepared to take risks, ME2 could be something very special. I'm optimistic about it anyway.

    It's backward thinking and narrow minded to think that "multiplayer for a franchise that hasn't had multiplayer before = it's gonna suck".

  • darc #14 2 years ago

    Both games that I rented, liked, and meant to get back to one day. Will have to put them on my list of "Things to Watch for in the Used Section".

  • zm26 #15 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 13:15:51 16-05-2012

  • Dezm0nd #16 2 years ago

    My two favourite games of this generation and they don't sell well. At least we're getting Dead Space 2, mind.

  • bad09 #17 2 years ago

    ""but again it missed multiplayer modes"

    /sigh "

    Was about to post the exact same thing, why do they think you need some kind of MP for an game to sell?? Not every game has to be the next COD or L4D. Am I the only one who doesn't even bother trying the MP on most games?

    Maybe I'm just old, gaming in general caters to the younger audience and I guess MP is what the kids today want rather than compelling SP games.

  • ben.ansell69 #18 2 years ago

    Mirrors Edge needs Kinect compatibility!

  • jellyBelly #19 2 years ago

    He's not directing these comments to the consumer/gamer so much as the funders/venture capitalists who want to know where their sweet money went

  • UncleLou #20 2 years ago

    "and you need to have the depth and persistence of an online game"

    "and then there was no multiplayer either."

    Oh god no. That is not the reason it didn't sell!

    Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that was one of the main reasons why it didn't sell.

  • Concrete #21 2 years ago

    This is classic middle management box ticking. Product X sold but product Y didn't, so in order to make project Y sell simply add what ever elements were in X that weren't in Y. In this case, a multi-player mode featuring RPG lite leveling mechanics no doubt.

    Placement, marketing, public interest and a dozen other factors could have contributed to it not selling well. But hey, its much easier just to cram bits of design from existing games in and more importantly use the absence of those bits from the original game as a product failing, rather than risk blame being apportioned to the real reason(s). Hint, the person shouting about other peoples failings often has something to hide.

  • FuzzyDuck #22 2 years ago

    While i'll certainly agree that ME and DS don't need multiplayer, it could also be argued that Uncharted also didn't need it, but turned out quite well indeed.

  • jellyBelly #23 2 years ago

    Again sorry to be such a dry bastard but online multiplayer = game as a platform + network/peer effects = monetization. Its a dead ringer for big-budget game development, unless you're a Zelda or a Fable or a God of War offcourse

  • Phantom_Dynamite #24 2 years ago

    They are two of the best IP's to come out of EA for a bit, I couldn't believe the DS score on here in my opinion it was a return to survival horror which was sorely missed on next gen consoles, only the original Condemnd made me jump as much this gen. True games to be played with loights off and sound blasting.

  • metalangel #25 2 years ago

    Most EA games fall short of what I expected of them: NFS Hot Pursuit and Bad Company 2, for example. Funny that Mirror's Edge I consider delivered way beyond what I'd hoped for.

  • Tomo #26 2 years ago

    Madness, these comments. Mirror's Edge was absolutely brilliant. On PC at least.

  • tancredo #27 2 years ago

    Mirror's Edge + Kinect = Killer App

    It's a match made in player's heaven

  • Jay-ITFC #28 2 years ago

    Hurry up with Mirror's Edge 2! Loved the original!

  • jellyBelly #29 2 years ago

    Ive been overcome by a strange desire to listen to the tune in the Deku forest in the begin of Ocarina Of Time...
    Edited by jellyBelly at 29/11/10 @ 18:03

  • Fightclubber #30 2 years ago

    Jesus some of those comments were punch worthy. Pretty pathetic to see people addressing games as missing potential because they didnt have some forgettable un needed bullshit multiplayer mode attached.

    Grade A Cock

  • Shikasama #31 2 years ago

    That paragraph from the review was awful. I hate it when reviewers do that.

    'If you ignore all the reasons this game is shit, then its pretty good'

  • DigitalDelay #32 2 years ago

    Yeah screw multiplayer, it's killing console games as it is. Too many devs adding shitty online modes only to sacrifice the single player experience! Leave online to those who do it well and give us some titles with decent story and content, a bit like we had on the PS1 and PS2 eh.

  • jstar #33 2 years ago

    This is the most depressing article I have read for a while. Fuck off multiplayer modes in every game that pops up. I don't want them, I don't have time to play them and rarely, exceptionally rarely will they come anywhere near to rivaling my usual online multiplayer time sinks.

    This is yet another perfect example of a stupid executive who thinks that the secret to making good games (or good anything for that matter) lies in spread sheets and modes and all that crap.

    I quite enjoyed Dead Space but at the end of the day it was a generic space shooter where you could shoot the limbs off the aliens. And it was gory. That's just a gimmick. Gimmicks do not equal good games.

    I also quite liked Mirrors Edge, apart from some prick EA exec (obviously this dick faced cock muncher) obviously looked at it and went, it 's first person and it doesn't ave any guns in it? That'll never work. Yeah, good one. What you need to do is betray the integrity and freshness of the original idea with tired and tested run and gun mechanics. Thanks for that.

  • Toothball #34 2 years ago

    I really enjoyed Mirror's Edge as it was. The only problems I had were with the fighting, which wasn't as much fun as leaping from rooftops. Here's to more of that!

  • curtlikesmeat #35 2 years ago

    What a load of bollocks - this guy knows fuck all about games and is mildly irritating.

    "and then there was no multiplayer either." - Fuck off! If I want multiplayer I'll go player WoW. He probably thinks Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time should have had multiplayer.

    No idea why that article riled me so much. Nerdrage!

  • darkmorgado #36 2 years ago

    There has to be a Tim Langdell joke in there somewhere.

  • FogHeart #37 2 years ago

    Nothing to do with multiplayer, everything to do with release schedule. Next we'll hear how Enslaved needed multiplayer rather than being released between a blockbuster football game and a blockbuster military shooter and at the same time as Castlevania.

    I visited the official dead space forum because I was curious how they got the idea that we all wanted multiplayer. Oh God, I wish they went just about anywhere else to look for what people want in a sequel. They just wanted more zombies to kill, more boss fights, special ammo, yes multiplayer, just about everything that makes the player feel 'badass' which is the antithesis of survival horror. I loved DS, I was excited at what it might become with just a bit better scripting, but since Extraction it feels like every change is a wrong one.

  • WJF #38 2 years ago

    You've got to admit though, with a multiplayer mode the price of the game wouldn't have plummeted so quickly due to everyone playing it through once (which was, what, 5 hours max?) and then trading it in. I picked up my copy for under £5 last year - that's pretty low for a new copy of a game.

    Sure, there were a few people that realised it was more of a time-trial based game than a story-driven linear shooty game, but it wasn't packaged in a way to get that point across.

    Personally, I think EA and DICE should have just made the time trials as a 1200 point Arcade download and shoved it on there as a premium download (1200 points wasn't the norm 2 years ago). With a more trails-esque focus, it could have been huge.

    EDIT: Or the equivalent on PSN, natch
    Edited by WJF at 29/11/10 @ 18:28

  • bf #39 2 years ago

    Mirrors Edge was fine except for the guns, having Faith use weapons didn't fit her character. Keeping the story interesting until the end of the game would be nice.

    Dead Spaces problem is that it lives up to it's name, appallingly rubbish story and dull dull dull gameplay.

  • darc #40 2 years ago

    Negs for what, confessing I sometimes buy used?? Own up and clarify yourselves.

  • mikew1985 #41 2 years ago

    Multiplayer was what killed mirrors edge? ehm no, perfectly fine without it and while you're at it don't bother with it for Dead Space 2 (I know they have, sigh), IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE IN EVERY GAME.

    /breathes

  • Jay-ITFC #42 2 years ago

    "So when we re-worked Dead Space [for the upcoming sequel], we looked at how to make it a better idea............how do we make this game a success online."

    By not releasing sh*t prequel mini games like Ignition for a start...

  • Machiavellian #43 2 years ago

    The problem with ME and DS is that they were short single player games. Lets be honest, most gamers here always complain about games with short SP and state they will only rent the game not purchase it. So it is correct that if those games had a decent multiplayer, they would probably have sold better.

    Case in point might be Assassin Creed brotherhood. First 2 did not have multiplayer and sold about the same amount, lets see if the third game sell more because it does have a decent if not AA multiplayer component.

  • Retroid #44 2 years ago

    "....and then there was no multiplayer either."

    Oh do piss off.

    Multiplayer is not the be-all and end-all of games. It's something which is great on *some* games and some lend themselves to it naturally.

    Mirror's Edge in particular is *not* that kind of games.

    STOP SHOEHORNING MULTIPLAYER INTO EVERYTHING

  • Vortex808 #45 2 years ago

    No multiplayer in mirror's edge please. It was very nearly a *great* game, but even slightly flawed, i loved it a lot. Why would anyone want multiplayer in it?? Just sort out the controls/handling a wee bit that is all that's required.

  • Baranga #46 2 years ago

    A multiplayer chase mode would be perfect for Mirror's Edge.

    The only way I can imagine a good Dead Space multiplayer is a class-based co-op mode with very specialised roles, sort of like Alien Swarm.

  • dsmx #47 2 years ago

    Wasn't mirrors edge released in the busy christmas shopping period with an asking price of £50 with about 5 hours of gameplay, with virtually no replay value? EA didn't exactly go out of their way to try and make it successful.

  • ExplodingClown #48 2 years ago

    Dead Space needs multiplayer like Aliens needs a laugh track.

  • StooMonster #49 2 years ago

    I loved both games, don't need to online multiplayer them with anyone; really looking forward to Dead Space 2 too.

    Madness that he thinks multiplayer would've made them sell more.

  • CUTZ-SIX #50 2 years ago

    I thought DS was, not long, but certanly not short. I spread it out over a full week, playing only after dark. Then i played it with other guns, than the standard one. Then a year later on hardest mode.
    One of my fav games ever.

  • StooMonster #51 2 years ago

    Did multi-player sell more Brutal Legend? (I liked that one too.)

  • intpleeus #52 2 years ago

    I prefer games without online multi-player. If I know a single-player game like Mirror's Edge or Dead Space has a multi-player game tacked on, then I am actually less likely to buy it. The single-player experience usually suffers when developers have to redirect resources toward multi-player (e.g. Assault on Dark Athena).
    Edited by intpleeus at 29/11/10 @ 19:26

  • darc #53 2 years ago

    @cthulhu_steev - you have succeeded in making me laugh at myself. :)

  • Centrifugal #54 2 years ago

    Not every games needs a multiplayer to be good and to sell well.

    Fallout and Assassin's Creed (before Brotherhood) are prime examples of this. Dead Space was a great game, even though I could never complete it due to putting the difficulty setting on Normal and not being able to change it. Maybe I'll start a new playthrough soon on Easy.

  • Masaroth #55 2 years ago

    While both were short, they both had excellent replay value, speed runs and time trials on mirrors edge kept me occupied for hours, plus a not using guns main game playthough was a great experience. Dead Space could be played through a couple of times as well.

    They wernt a comerical success due to being released at christmas during a time when the recesion was at its worst and most people were having to budget their money quite aggresively. Additionally as new ip's some of the game mechanics needed to more refinement. All they needed was to spend a bit more time polishing them and invest in some advertising and im sure they would have been major hits.

    As it stands most people never bought them, but im sure the majorty of people who bought them loved them. They are arguably two of the best games this generation of hardware. If i wanted to play a multiplayer game id buy a multiplayer focused game, with MP games playerbase is king, and none but a few particular titles will ever have the neccesary playerbases to be hits that last. Id rather they spent however long they budgeted for MP on improving the SP, adding more polish and content to make it an even better SP experince than it would be otherwise

  • alcides #56 2 years ago

    Mirror's Edge fell short... of being any good is what.

    Also Faith fell side ways, got hands up stuck on a wall, etc...

  • kangarootoo #57 2 years ago

    This is bizarre. Its hard to get the context of these comments, but I hope this is coming in a tone of "we are learning from our mistakes" rather than being critical of the studios involved.

    Anybody who has any contact with EA knows that things are done on tight schedules. The idea that either game team could have turned around to EA and said "we think it needs multiplayer, but we'll need another 5 months and another $300k" and be greeted with a yes is absurd.

    I thought Mirror's Edge was pretty good given the new ground it was covering (Assassin's Creed and Hitman both come to mind as quite bold new IPs that learn lessons first time out and really get their shit together in version 2). If EA fund a sequel, I don't doubt it will be awesome.

    As for Dead Space, I thought that was mint. The lack of multiplayer is a strange thing to pick on.

    As I said, I don't know the context. Maybe this guy is thinking "next time we will plan better, and give teams more time and money to provide the complete product that we would like". I certainly hope so.

  • Rack #58 2 years ago

    Was I really the only one who played Mirrors Edge, thought it was nice, fun while it lasted but not quite polished enough to sink time into the time trial mode and without anything else to do just shelved it?

    Mirrors Edge didn't NEED multiplayer but it did need something to make it appealing to come back to. Multi would have done that for some people but that's an aside, principally it needed a more polished single-player experience. Tightened up level design with a bit more freedom, more varied challenges and alternate endings based on use of guns would have added a lot to the game and might have pushed it into a classic title we'd be getting sick of sequels to. But at worst a multiplayer mode might have dragged in the extra players that would have made the difference that Mirrors Edge 2 needed to get made.

  • Svecke #59 2 years ago

    What kind of retard (no offense to those differently minded, no sense in badmouthing oneself) thinks that you need to push -multiplayer- into everything to give it value. Gah! Doesn't it just make you want to hit him? Is it just me? Anyone?

  • UncleLou #60 2 years ago

    Heh, wonder why I am getting negged. I am not saying I thought it needed multiplayer, quite on the contrary. I just remember the dozens of comments along the lines of "only 8 hours long and no mp, no sale". Not a coincidence that (unfortunately) nearly every game has mp these days, even if it's just clearly bolted on.

  • kangarootoo #61 2 years ago

    Actually, reading that again, I think it does sound more positive. He is saying...

    "What I learned from Mirror's Edge is that you have to execute, you have to spend more time on a game to ensure it's polished"

    and

    "The key learning from us was that if you're going to be bold with that kind of concept, you need to take it as far as it can go in development."

    which doesn't sound like a critisism of the teams, and does sound more positive for future titles.

  • kangarootoo #62 2 years ago

    And regards multiplayer, I'm with UncleLou on this one.

    Its of no real value to me either, and I don't personally want it added to everything under the sun, but I'm pretty sure this guy knows what sells. If he says lack of multiplayer affected sales of ME and DS, he is probably right, even if WE aren't the missed customers he is referring to.

  • rudedudejude #63 2 years ago

    mirrors edge was well worth the fiver i paid for it preowned.

  • SecretStage #64 2 years ago

    I bought dead space not so long ago, the reason i bought it was because i heard it had a well crafted single player.

    Also this reminds of me of Bioshock 2 which had a tacked on multiplayer and I like bioshock because of its single player experience. I just wish People would stop adding unnecessary multiplayer (especially the ones trying to copy the COD perks and exp stuff). Personally id like a nice lengthy single player and unlockable extras and secrets that arent DLC.

  • Machiavellian #65 2 years ago

    I do not see why people are asking for no MP in ME or DS. It's not like the inclusion will stop you from enjoying the SP part of the game and if the MP is done right probably would entice more gamers to make the purchase. The fact is neither game sold well and inclusion of a good MP definitely might change people minds from a rent to a buy especially if both games sequels SP are short.

    As I stated before, Assassin Creed Brotherhood is a nice case in which the SP is not hampered by the inclusion of MP. Not only that but the MP added something new and fun to the total game making Brotherhood an even better by for people who like SP and MP.

  • Smoped #66 2 years ago

    I'm sorry, but there's just no other way for me to put this. Mr Gibeau? Fuck you and your multiplayer.

  • Kaminari #67 2 years ago

    To be blunt, I think Gibeau is talking out of his arse.

    So Mirror's Edge needed multiplayer, in order to be considered a success?

    What next? MP in Dead Space 2? Oh, I can see where this is going...

  • icematt12 #68 2 years ago

    Thought both EA and Ubisoft had this idea of adding MP to encourage people not to trade in, buy pre-owned or somet.

    Never wanted to see MP added to Dead Space or Mirror's Edge, but I believe Spies v Mercs was liked with the Splinter Cells of old. Runners v Cops perhaps?

  • Smoped #69 2 years ago

    And a serious question. Do people actually play multiplayer with these games where the multiplayer mode has been tacked on? I hardly ever bother, and with these games if I do, there's usually not much activity going on online. Has anybody actually wanted to play, say, Brütal Legend online other than to collect achievements?

  • RESIDENT_nEVILe #70 2 years ago

    WJF :

    "You've got to admit though, with a multi-player mode the price of the game wouldn't have plummeted so quickly due to everyone playing it through once (which was, what, 5 hours max?) and then trading it in. I picked up my copy for under £5 last year - that's pretty low for a new copy of a game."



    Totally agree, mate. I used to be in the 'multi-player GTFO of my story-driven game' camp. But I realise now that a half-decent multi-player mode will often massively prolong the amount of time the game is in a person's collection - especially in the important few weeks after release.

    Less trade-ins = more retail copies shifted = obligatory cash-in sequel = yay/boo

    I would rather have an identikit multi-player mode over some type of DRM. In an ideal world a game would need neither to be successful in the eyes of its publisher - but Execs are mostly out of touch money-grabbing pricks who want to reduce the path to profit into 4 easy steps - that said, it is true that the week after Mirror's Edge was released the shops were full of trade-ins.


    I still play Uncharted 2 multi-player every week (haven't touched the campaign in ages) - and I was one of most vocal guys on here shitting all over it prior to release. In this case I'm actually thankful that there is multi-player mode and in the case of Mirror's Edge with its sub 5-hour campaign, who's to say it would have been a terrible thing?

  • intpleeus #71 2 years ago

    Machiavellian,

    With a given amount of resources, multi-player inevitably comes at the expense of single-player, because it draws away scarce resources that would otherwise contribute to improving single-player. Both single- and multi-player may turn out just fine, but a trade-off among alternate ends must nonetheless be made. That said, if a publisher devotes more resources to a project with multi-player than it would otherwise, then resources may not be pulled away from single-player. However, for the industry as a whole, single-player in general will likely suffer, because to avoid pulling resources away from single-player, resources must be redirected from alternative projects. Unless these resources are drawn from other multi-player projects, centaris paribus, the relative share of resources going toward single-player for the industry as a whole must decline (though the absolute quantity of resources may be increasing).

    It's an economics thing.
    Edited by intpleeus at 29/11/10 @ 19:55

  • madjim #72 2 years ago

    That guy just did the idiotic statement of the year. Did Mass Effect had multiplayer? Nope. Did it sell loads? You bet. The first Bioshock? Final Fantasy XIII? Heavy Rain? All SP, all best-sellers.

    He could at least admit that they did a shitty job in promoting the games as deserved (because both were excellent).

  • intpleeus #73 2 years ago

    I think publishers should release two versions of games: one with online multi-player and the other without. Alternately, perhaps all multi-player modes should be premium downloadable content, so that only those who want multi-player actually pay for it. The standard retail copy could then be sold for a lower price (about the price it would have been with multi-player minus the price of purchasing and downloading the multi-player mode online). This way speculation about how much multi-player drives sales of games like Dead Space can be avoided, because those who purchase for multi-player will be clearly separated from who do not -- the respective demands for single- and multi-player modes will be separated in the sales data.
    Edited by intpleeus at 29/11/10 @ 19:56

  • makeamazing #74 2 years ago

    "It made money for us, but didn't hit expectations. We felt like we had an IP that struck a chord, and one that hit quality, but again it missed multiplayer modes

    It wasnt the lack of multiplayer that caused you to fail expectations it was releasing two new IPs and one of which was at a very busy period.

  • Spekingur #75 2 years ago

    I see potential for multiplayer in Mirror's Edge - IF done properly.

    Maybe heads at EA don't see it worth the development money they spend on it. I think it is awesome however and want more. That's the biggest reason why I will be getting Brink.

  • monkfishjoe #76 2 years ago

    I agree wholeheartedly that neither Dead Space or Mirrors Edge need multiplayer. Ridiculous thought.

    It's a stupid thing that publishers think everything needs multiplayer.

    When is Mirrors Edge 2 coming out then?

  • mr2ange #77 2 years ago

    for me Dead Space was and is still one of the stand out titles this generation so far,
    Ok so it did very few new things but what a solid game. also loved the weapon upgrade system, oooh more nodes!! Gimme more NODES!!!!

  • randompanda #78 2 years ago

    Bioshock didn't have multiplayer and I hear that sold a couple of copies.

  • Smerdyakov #79 2 years ago

    "...but again it missed multiplayer modes."

    Yeah, I'm sure a hastily made multiplayer component that diverted time and resources away from the singleplayer would have made the game a critical and commercial success.

    Oh, fuck off. Just fuck off. Utter imbeciles.

    I hate you, Frank Gibeau.

  • feline #80 2 years ago

    PLEASE give me a Mirror's Edge sequel! That game was like a tiny but extremely delicious biscuit; I just want another, and another after that!

  • Wyrm #81 2 years ago

    Dead Space was a game that in no way whatsoever needed multi-player you utter nonce of a games man.

  • White_Westie #82 2 years ago

    Both these games where amazing and really immersive, no crappy tagged on multiplayer modes where micro transactions make them loads of money after a sale.

    Mirrors edge is still one of the most brilliant innovative games I have played in the last 2 years that bucked the trend and brought something new exciting and refreshing ...

    As for dead space, sound is everything and playing that game with my turtle beach x41 surround headphones on and the lights out produced some genuine jump out of my skin moments !

    This just shows how out of touch some execs can be.... he could have said
    Neither have multiplayer, how can we sell dlc for 12 months after and make some more dosh...

  • byakuya83 #83 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 10:03:41 30-03-2012

  • redhex #84 2 years ago

    mirrors edge was amazing, amazing idea, amazing music, AMAZING aesthetic and atmosphere. i find myself remembering it regularly. if it had flaws, it had no replayability for one thing, and also given the wide variety of moves too many sections could be traversed with a limited number of easy combos. multiplayer i dont really care about.

  • Machiavellian #85 2 years ago

    What kind of retard (no offense to those differently minded, no sense in badmouthing oneself) thinks that you need to push -multiplayer- into everything to give it value. Gah! Doesn't it just make you want to hit him? Is it just me? Anyone?

    Its probably the countless forum post that state no purchase if a game doesn't have MP or is it the countless people that purchase such games as DS and ME as used or when the price goes down to a tenner. I would love to know how many of you actually paid full price for either game. There is a huge market for MP and there are a lot of gamers who will not purchase a game if they do not believe it has any replay value beyond 8 hours.

    People have listed Assassin Creed or Mass Effect but you are forgetting the length difference between those games. You cannot put Bioshock in the picture since it was 20 hours long as well. Either way, adding a MP component can increase sales, especially if the game is shorter than 8 hours. I also agree that adding components that extend the game without MP can also increase it sells but it's harder to covey how those features will play out for gamers and not as easy to sell.

  • Lord_Gremlin #86 2 years ago

    It's not multiplayer, you morons! It's the game itself - bland, repetitive and frustrating. Add multiplayer and you'll get total garbage.

  • funkateer #87 2 years ago

    So i guess we all agree that both Mirror's Edge and Dead Space didn't fall short because of the lack of multiplayer.

    I personally think they were both equally hugely interesting titles, and both have room for improvement, but please don't think multiplayer is the answer.
    Also, even though I think Mirror's Edge was more flawed than Dead Space; I still think Mirror's Edge has more potential if you put some more creative talent in there; almost everything was spot on, but the story was just not delivering on the premise. Especially those cut-scenes were a real jarring break of style. Maybe there could also have been a bit more gameplay elements than just running for you life all the time; flesh out the world a bit more...

    Come on, learn from the first Mirror's Edge and come up with an amazing sequel!

  • el_pollo_diablo #88 2 years ago

    I too loved both Mirror's Edge and Dead Space - perhaps the problem was the marketing rather than the games?

  • knightmt #89 2 years ago

    Mirrors Edge was a lovely looking game, but it did have an interesting learning curve. Maybe they should of released it in chapters as DLC.

  • Anciegher #90 2 years ago

    Not every game needs multiplayer you know?

  • Collymilad #91 2 years ago

    Just make another ME plz, thanks.

  • Reihn #92 2 years ago

    I loved Mirror's Edge, bought the first one in when it came out and I'd definitely buy a sequel - but I wish they'd actually make it a 'prequel'.

    I loved the set-up idea of the game world - being a grimy runner, staying under the radar and punking about with your crew, much more than the whole "my sister has been framed for murdering the mayor" big-city, high states conspiracy plot stuff. I think a well executed, low key story, set when the gang was together, would be awesome.

  • Climhazzard #93 2 years ago

    Not everything needs multiplayer. One of my fave games Metroid Prime had none at all and im glad it didnt as would have taken time away from the single player. Just look at what happened to the sequel.

  • Bander #94 2 years ago

    What would a multiplayer Mirror's Edge consist of anyway?

    If it involves players shooting at each other, it breaks the intention of the original game and would change things too much. It might be okay for racing, but we already have that in the time trials, and making a mistake or being able to cause other players to have an accident would often be too great a penalty to recover from if people run at the same time.

    Co-op could work. It would be interesting if you have to work with other players, human or AI NPCs, to pass obstacles. But it really needs to be done carefully to not lose the pace of playing single player.

  • Bassassin #95 2 years ago

    I hope they never do a Mirror's Edge sequel. Because if they do, it will have multiplayer. It will have more guns. The lead character will be a bloke, a bloke with shoulders twice the size of his ugly face. Ang he will jump around a brown city shooting people in the face with his gun.

    Pray they don't ever make a Mirror's Edge sequel.

  • PixelPirate #96 1 year ago

    NO MULTIPLAYER FOR GODS SAKE.

    They got the game right, the more you played the better you got, there was a learning curve but a good one. It was a tough game, but rewarding once you understood the course.

    The things that frustrated gamers

    - Magical helicopters appearing and shooting you to death because the "developer says so"
    - No way of telling which way to go when you are on the level for the first time.
    - rubbish story.

    Strip those things away and give the user a series of challenges, timed throw in some "tasks" to do or mini challenges along the way, online leaderboards etc and your good to go.

    Multiplayer solves nothing and would add nothing to the game i'm sick of developers using it as an excuse for poor sales.
    Edited by PixelPirate at 30/11/10 @ 08:46

  • Tinrib72 #97 1 year ago

    Mirrors Edge - One of the best/most infuriating cheapo games I've ever played, along with Trials HD which has a shared element. Only thing thing that grated me in ME was the guns (not needed at all) and occasional tricky as fuck section hampered by slightly unresponsive controls.

    If that could be looked at for a possible sequel and add Autolog for the MP then I'll happily buy it.

    MP mode worth considering - cops vs runners? (Been playing a lot of NFS:Hot Pursuit lately)

  • Eighthours #98 1 year ago

    Amusing how EG's review of Mirror's Edge was quoted, but not the Dead Space one. Too embarrassed at the score?

  • gav082 #99 1 year ago

    Wouldn't say no to co - op in mirrors edge, I think you could have a lot of fun helping each other over the roof tops.

  • Zebula77 #100 1 year ago

    Mirror's Edge was quietly fantastic. Flawed by a story that didn't really hook you, and the inclusion of guns certainly became an annoyance.

    But when everything clicked and you were pulling off different moves fluidly and quickly, it really felt like nothing else I've ever played. The time trial DLC, tho sadly not using the urban landscapes, were a perfect example of that.

    Hope to see a ME 2 somewhere down the line.

  • drhickman1983 #101 1 year ago

    Though many have already spoken the same opinion, Mirror's Edge and Dead Space are both good games suffering from flaws that prevented either being true classics. But multiplayer would not fix any of their problems. if anything, it would possibly excacerbate them.

    I'm not against multiplayer being added to any sequels, the Dead Space 2 MP sounds interesting, as long as the single player campaign doesn't suffer for it I've no objection. It's harder to see how MP would work within Mirror's Edge, beyond racing. If they fixed the combat they could have some kind of competetive mode, but Mirror's Edge was never about the combat, so it seems pointless.

    The real danger with adding MP to games such as these is that rather than fix the actual issues they apply some dodgy MP experience because the stat-monitoring, demographic-wary suits in charge demand it, repeating the mantra "Multiplayer will fix it!" over and over again.

  • Sharlarra1983 #102 1 year ago

    Oh noes. They will dedicate the new Mirror's Edge for tards?! There was nothing wrong with it's difficulty and there was just enough online crap! We could see others time runs and learn from it. Yes, we had actually had to use our brains and creativity to figure out which one is the best accessible path for our own skills on each timerun. That was just great.
    Mirror's Edge is unique and it has fantastic atmosphere... "Did you just do what I think you did? God dammit girl, I just split my joe all over the keyboard!"

  • geeza2020 #103 1 year ago

    What a royal retard this guys is. Could you imagine what the industry would be like today if suits like him had been around nearer the industries infancy.

    Tetris creator: "We've this new game called Tetris, its a singleplayer game with falling blocks and all you have to do is-"

    Suit: "Wait a minute. This wont sell, we need to add in a multiplayer experience which we can monetize, and then we can add DLC to it and to create new revenue streams which blah blah blah /fade out to magic roundabout music" BANG!! (tetris creator shoots self)

  • kongzi #104 1 year ago

    EA should take a good hard look at what MP-games have been succesful over the years:
    they'll see that you can't plan a good mp-game, the balance and polish that needs has to come from experience, people playing it and giving feedback, the developer changing it. Succesfull MP-games are almost never new franchises, they are mostly sequels and offshoots of established franchises (like CoD, WoW) or come from a developer that has pedigree in the multiplayer arena (id, bungie, dice).

    So I wish them best of luck with tagging mp onto Dead Space, but I don't think it's going to convert masses of gamers to go online with it. I think the reason Dead Space didn't do so well was people's negative perception of EA at the time and the developer being a relative unknown. What made it stand apart was that was executed so well, but you can't see that from the box or screenshots or developer hype, you have to play it (and you should if you haven't already). It was also possibly overshadowed by Resident Evil 5, which it outclassed in almost every sense, and Batman:AA which was the breakout success of the moment and you never have two breakout successes at the same time.

  • IllicitPopsicle #105 1 year ago

    I'm currently playing through Mirror's Edge for the first time, and I think it's amazing. I actually like the difficulty level, as it makes me constantly vigilant and always looking for new ways to do things. There are relatively few problems with the game from what I can see, and what problems there are certainly wouldn't be fixed by adding multiplayer to the mix; it would be kind of like putting a bandaid on an ear infection.