The Making of Mirror's Edge

1Up is running a feature about the development of Mirror's Edge, which comes out in November. Two of the developers talk about how they sold the concept for the game to studio execs, and how that concept has changed over the past few years. They also provide an early proof-of-concept video demonstrating some of the gameplay. "When you're doing something that's quite different like this, it's very easy for people to say, 'Oh, but couldn't you do it in third-person as well?' or 'Couldn't you put guns in as well?' or 'Couldn't we have vehicles as well?' And I think the reason we got to where we are is because we stuck to our guns, or lack of guns. [Laughs] We have kept the purity of the core mechanic. And I think that is why it is as good as it is now, because we just focused on that in a very blinkered way and didn't let ourselves get distracted."

Comments

Re:A bit premature?

[Draek]

I'd rather have innovative commercial failures than me-too successes, *specially* from EA. Though I would've appreciated a 3rd-person perspective ;)

This game is similar to a concept I devised...

[DragonTHC]

I devised a concept a decade ago about a game based on escape and evade. The focus wasn't on combat, but being clever, skilled, and athletic.

This game, however is going to suck. First person action games are not about doing things, they are about seeing things.

The third time you run off a pipe in midair because you can't see where the hell you are, you're going to throw this game away.

I don't think the game is necessarily bad, but the execution being first person only just doesn't mesh with modern games or what modern gamers expect.

Re:This game is similar to a concept I devised...

[Dutch Gun]

I devised a concept a decade ago about a game based on escape and evade. The focus wasn't on combat, but being clever, skilled, and athletic.

About a million other gamers have also devised awesome game concepts. From someone in the game industry, let me offer a piece of unsolicited advice: Awesome game concepts are a dime a dozen. Solid execution of a concept is worth its weight in platinum. Just thinking up a new idea, no matter how cool an idea you may think it is, doesn't count. Not unless you actually implement it.

This game, however is going to suck.

Well, I wish I had your crystal ball to so assuredly declare this game a failure before it comes out. Me, I'll just wait and see. Maybe it will suck, but I respect anyone who actually gets a unique game concept like this pushed out the door. It's not easy to be different.

The third time you run off a pipe in midair because you can't see where the hell you are, you're going to throw this game away. I don't think the game is necessarily bad, but the execution being first person only just doesn't mesh with modern games or what modern gamers expect.

Right, a game that involved a lot of crazy movement through the environment would never work in first person, would it...

Have you consider that, working on this problem for years now, the developers just might have thought of some solutions to these problems that you haven't considered?