Ben’s Week In Review May 10

First and foremost, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. 🙂

Don't care about Titanfall 2, DO care about Mirror's Edge 2…hopefully

Looks like we have estimated release windows for both games and while I couldn't possibly care less about Titanfall 2 (no confidence they're going to put in a campaign, and my interest level rises only slightly if they do), I can't wait to learn more about Mirror's Edge 2 .

I just need to know what direction they're taking. Obviously, as we're not allowed to have linear adventures anymore – not without critics slamming it for virtually no logical reason whatsoever – there's no hope the game will be as linear as before. There's also little hope that the game will remain centered on that unique form of platform-based puzzle-solving. That's unfortunate but provided they at least retain that former focus in some capacity, I think I'll be happy. I want this new game to be about free-running, agility, and using your head as opposed to another open-world third-person shooter. We've got enough of those. The reason Mirror's Edge was so good wasn't necessarily because of its execution, but because it felt fresh.

Guys like Riccitiello say they want to see more innovation in the industry , and I agree. But we can't have that if all we do is follow the same set of tried-and-true formulas. Turning Mirror's Edge into a basic third-person open-world action game with some nifty platforming elements doesn't cut it. I'd like to think the developers understand this. Of course, if they do release such a game, it'll probably sell great, which will only further prove that gamers today really only want one or two standard gameplay types. At which point, we discover that it's not the fault of the developers, but the consumers. Supply and demand.

Never really cared about Tony Hawk but even so…

Yeah, I was deep into my RPG world during the Tony Hawk Pro Skater heyday and besides, I really wasn't part of the skating culture, so-to-speak. I found the whole thing intensely boring, to be honest with you; there's a reason I didn't buy SSX at the PS2's launch.

However, with the announcement of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5 , I have to say I'm pleased. I did play the first few Tony Hawk games on PS1 because really, you just couldn't avoid them. If you had any friends at all, chances were, at least one of them had a Tony Hawk game. And I remember actually having some fun playing them, despite the fact that I always wanted to get back to my "real games," as I called them then. I always appreciate any franchise that responds to its fans and returns to its roots; when you return to what made you great in the first place , you finally get it. You realize that it doesn't have to feel "old" and that you can marry the older concepts with great new tech. Nothing is stopping you. That's why I'm willing to bet THPS5 will be a damn great game and potentially the only skating title I ever own. Who knows?

Personal gaming update

As much as I enjoyed Broken Age , there's really no reason to go back through it. That's one of the biggest problems with even the best adventure games: Once you know the story and you've figured out all the puzzles, the magic is kinda gone. But it was a great ride nonetheless and one I definitely recommend, especially if you're a long-time lover of the genre. This week, it's all about Project CARS and next week, obviously, it's all about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . Did you see that amazing 1080p PS4 gameplay footage ? I mean…damn. It could indeed be a "gateway RPG" for many, and I expect nothing less than the next level of role-playing immersion. Nothing less, CD Projekt Red, nothing less.

I was actually on vacation all this past week but nobody even noticed, I'm sure. That's because, despite the ocean being about fifty feet from me, I still worked. 😉