I've been playing quite a bit the last 3 days. I enjoy the free running, but nothing else about the game is good.
The one area where the game is just downright awful, is within it's characters. Every single character I've encountered so far is very unlikable. I can't even take Plastic's incessant nonsense anymore. Her rant about art made me want to turn back mid-mission and kill her. She is a full blown autist lacking a single redeemable personality trait.
Everyone is so just cringey. The other black chick who's the leader or whatever, is another one I'd love to throw off a tall building. I think I'm getting close to the end (I've only been doing main story missions), and I'm really on the side of Kruger at this point. The "good guys" come off as anarchist-dictators.
I can't be alone on this. The parkour is pretty good...but everything else is just so bad/mediocre. The open world idea was an awful move, 1/2 of the game is spent running back and forth through the same routes I've done 50 times already. And the side missions add absolutely nothing to the game.
I feel like this game would be so much better if your character was a 'plant' by Kruger the whole time. You do all these missions to infiltrate the runners, and at the very end - just completely turn on them (whether by motive or by being on a 'switch' set by Krugersec), and get all of them captured/eliminated. Krugersec wins, and at the end, he disposes of Faith in a sudden and sinister end to the game. I think that would make for a far more compelling story.
Anyway...just wanted to throw this out there.
Comments
Also tackling your issue with the open world aspect: There's a fast travel system in place that the SIDE MISSIONS open up for you. DICE knew people would complain about this and maybe just want to do story, they gave you that ability.
Rebecca AKA leader of Black November as a character is to show that much like today's society extremists exist and that they are no better an alternative than well in game universe Kruger.
Also okay so yes things seem to be better on the Kruger's side in the beginning because you don't know what Reflection is yet. When you reach that part that's when it should become apparent that neither Kruger nor Rebecca are fit leaders.
Plastic was supposed to be the attempt at comic relief and showing that yes there is still some innocence out there, she honestly made the game so much better at times with her sporadic comments and her two-cents being thrown in every so often.
In the end, your opinion is yours. Yet I find your creative abilities lacking in the way of a new plot.
I also really enjoy playing the game even after half a year, sometimes just running around the city doing nothing or trying to get to out of bounds areas. I can't say I understand your frustration.
I for one really like the characters. Plastic is eccentric- the discussion she has with Faith about the art museum is supposed to be indicative of her personality, her interests and her skepticism. And if you collected Rebecca's documents and recordings you'll realise that there's much more depth and conflict to her character than the main story shows. I believe that if you complete the game- side missions, collectibles etc.- and maybe even read Mirror's Edge: Exordium, you might have a better idea of what the characters are like beneath the surface.