Topic: Mirror's Edge: Catalyst -- Update: Reviews rolling in...

[MysterD]

NEW -> 06-07-2016:
OWNet -> Compilation of ME: Catalyst reviews.

OLD:
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst PC version's system requirements are up.Engadget -> DICE says Catalyst will make or break the franchise, for whether this franchise will stay around & if EA will greenlight another one.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst - Developer Walkthrough.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst - Gameplay Trailer.
GameSpot -> Their thoughts on Catalyst from GamesCom 2015.
Youtube -> TGN - Gameplay Impressions + Demo.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst - Announcement Trailer.
Joystiq -> New Official Playstation Mag is talking about rumors that Mirror's Edge 2 might run on DICE's Frostbite Engine 2.
Destructoid -> EA trying to "figure out" how to bring back Mirror's Edge franchise.
GameSpot -> Mirror's Edge 2's development has been "stalled".
1Up -> Mirror's Edge 2 has been confirmed by EA and in the works already.

[MysterD]

GameSpot -> Mirror's Edge 2's development has been "stalled".

Bleh @ this news.

[idolminds]

Damn.

[Xessive]

Dinger. I was looking forward to this one. It's ok, there's still hope.

[MysterD]

Destructoid -> EA trying to "figure out" how to bring back Mirror's Edge franchise.

Electronic Arts' Games boss Frank Gibeau has promised that he did not murder Mirror's Edge 2, and has stated that the publisher is in the process of figuring out how best to bring the franchise back.

"We’re just trying to figure out how to bring Mirror’s Edge back and in what way. That’s part of the creative development process," he explained. "I know there are some stories about how EA killed Mirror’s Edge. Well, I’m the guy; I greenlight the games. I did not kill it -- as God is my witness.

"What we said internally is: 'What do we need to do to make [a sequel] a hit?' We need to go from version one to version two so that it sells two to three times as many, it finds a much bigger audience. The first game from a quality standpoint was good, but now it needs to be great."

It's always hard to tell if a publisher is being genuine, or just trying to placate an audience, but we can only hope EA is speaking from the heart. Mirror's Edge was a great idea and I hope it gets a sequel to iron out the problems that held it back. One can only keep the ol' fingers crossed.

[W7RE]

Every time I see or hear anything about Mirror's Edge I want to play it. It's so cheap now, but I keep waiting because I've got other games to play.

[gpw11]

It's actually pretty unique and fantastic.  Well, at least I thought so.  If it's cheap, go for it.

[MysterD]

Every time I see or hear anything about Mirror's Edge I want to play it. It's so cheap now, but I keep waiting because I've got other games to play.

The game itself is really good - highly recommend it.
My complaints - cut-scenes feel out of place and the story isn't anything that great.

[MysterD]

Joystiq -> New Official Playstation Mag is talking about rumors that Mirror's Edge 2 might run on DICE's Frostbite Engine 2.

[MysterD]

Oh-Em-Gee....

Youtube -> Mirror's Edge: Catalyst - Gameplay Trailer.

[idolminds]

Now I have to replay Mirrors Edge. My hype levels are too high.

[MysterD]

Now I have to replay Mirrors Edge. My hype levels are too high.

Hehe, I downloaded the game from Steam + began re-playing it yesterday, once I saw the news.
I am so hype for Catalyst.

[MysterD]

GameSpot -> Their thoughts on Catalyst from GamesCom 2015.

[MysterD]

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst - Developer Walkthrough.

Some things to take away from this:
-> This is a reboot
-> They do deal w/ Faith's origins + background story here
-> There is also some kind of additional online social component.

[MysterD]

Engadget -> DICE says Catalyst will make or break the franchise, for whether this franchise will stay around & if EA will greenlight another one.

[idolminds]

Hope that means they are really giving it their all.

[MysterD]

Hope that means they are really giving it their all.

Sounds like both EA and DICE are betting the farm on Catalyst.

From the article...

AAA Game

Catalyst is a gamble for EA. When the team at DICE started to think about a follow-up, they quickly realised that it couldn't be half-assed. To make a worthwhile successor, they needed the publisher's full support, which meant a "AAA" budget and a lot of development time. They didn't want Catalyst to be a small downloadable title, or even Mirror's Edge 2. To do Faith justice and broaden the game's appeal, DICE was committed to a grander vision that retold the character's origin story. What's been shown so far feels like a complete do-over -- the game that the original Mirror's Edge aspired to be.

Story

"We wanted to make sure that we had a game that could appeal to our core fans and also appeal to a broader audience of action-adventure fans," Jansson says. Part of that vision involves a richer narrative and giving Faith some proper character development. She has an iconic look and a pretty badass attitude, but in the original game little was revealed about her past or how she was recruited into the rebellious world of freerunning. In Catalyst, there's a larger and more meaningful storyline that weaves through the missions, as well as CG cutscenes and expanded dialogue while you're jumping around as Faith.

Seamless Open-World

Even the world and overarching structure of Catalyst is more ambitious than its predecessor. Whereas the original Mirror's Edge took you through linear, tightly choreographed levels, Catalyst offers a seamless open world. DICE says there are no load screens and as you take on more missions, new rooftop districts in the city of Glass will open up.

No More Gunplay for Faith

Catalyst is unashamedly different. Even firearms, which were difficult to control and largely out of place in the original, have been ripped out to focus on Faith's hand-to-hand takedowns. The extraction will be welcome news to fans, but for DICE it's another risky move that positions the game further from established first-person shooter franchises.

Risk involved for EA + DICE

"To be completely honest, when we pitched this we were not at all sure that EA was going to want to do it and take that risk," Jansson says. "Because it is a risk. It's more high risk than doing a Battlefront or a FIFA." But the team's pitch paid off. And while the game is a financial risk, it does seem to support EA's changing public image. Two years ago it was named "the worst company in America," and since then the publisher has tried to show that it's putting gamers first. For instance, it's funding Unravel, a whimsical 2D platformer that won the hearts of gamers at E3 this year. Both Unravel and Catalyst had huge booths at Gamecom too, rivalling EA's tentpole franchises such as Need for Speed and FIFA 16.

[Xessive]

That sounds exactly like the same kind of talk surrounding the original game.

DICE wanted to do something different that wasn't Battlefield, EA was reluctant but gave them a chance, the new title was going to be the "make or break" game for DICE etc.

We're just hearing the same buzz all over again.

[MysterD]

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst PC version's system requirements are up.

MINIMUM:
OS: Windows® 7 64-Bit (use the latest Service Pack)
CPU: Intel i3-3250 / AMD FX-6350.
(Note: Mirror's Edge Catalyst requires at least 4 logical cores to run.)
RAM: 6 GB
HARD DRIVE: At least 25 GB of free space
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 650 Ti 2GB or better / AMD Radeon™ R9 270x or better
INPUT: Keyboard and mouse, dual analog controller

RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows® 10 64-Bit (use the latest Service Pack)
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 at 3.4 GHz / AMD FX-8350 at 4.0 GHz
RAM: 16 GB
HARD DRIVE: At least 25 GB of free space
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 4GB or better / AMD Radeon™ R9 280x 3GB or better
INPUT: Keyboard and mouse, dual analog controller

[MysterD]

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
REVIEWS

METACRITIC:
PC.
PS4.
XB1.

Out of 10:
Destructoid - 8.5
Gaming Nexus - 8.5
Arcade Sushi - 8.5
Polygon - 8.0
ZTDG - 8
Digital Chumps - 7.8
GameSpot - 7
IGN - 6.8
Action Trip - 6.5

Out of 100:
Games Beat - 80
PC Gamer - 78

Out of 5:
Examiner - 5 stars.
US Gamer - 3 stars

No score:
Kotaku.
Eurogamer.