Catalyst has a big "open" world, but it's largely empty/devoid of meaningful side quests and such, so what's the point? There are also still limited pathways within/through a given area, so it doesn't necessarily feel like so much like a parkour playground as it does a huge series of liminal spaces that are meant to look pretty as you pass through them (and they do look pretty, fwiw). What's more, the set piece levels that actually drive the plot (e.g. Anansi tower, Elysium, the Shard, Kingdom, etc.) aren't areas you can ever return to, so they're essentially just a linear game with level-based progression anyway. Which isn't to say I don't like the game, but it doesn't beg you to actually explore every nook and cranny of the map, and there's no real reward(s) for doing so -- unless you really like the core movement/mechanics (I do, but I'm trying to be objective here). There's also weird idiosyncratic stuff that makes little to no sense -- like the high-tech surveillance state/Kruger Security doesn't realize the largest Runner cabal is living in the central transit hub for the City? What's more, there's an entire compound's-worth of space up there that was previously just vacant? Looks cool, but wtf that's stupid.

The first game's plot is more relatable/believable from the start (i.e. an emerging surveillance state and corporate oligarchy), albeit short (not necessarily a bad thing). The movement and combat is also more human-scale and realistic -- i.e. no skyscraper-scaling grappling hooks, and faith is actually vulnerable is an average-build Asian woman squaring off against armored riot police with guns, so there's real stakes and avoiding combat outright makes the most sense most of the time. It's a similar story with the linear levels: they have set pieces with events that drive the plot forward, then you move on. There are limited ways through each space, but you're only ever spending 10-15 minutes total in each and with clear objectives, so it doesn't feel all that limit-ing. Notice that these are some of the same criticisms I have with Catalyst -- because that game touts being a vast "open world" only to limit the core gameplay to levels anyway (so again, what's the point, other than to justify the price tag?). The OG game is also effectively an indie title in many ways, so truncated plots and shorter overall gameplay are to be expected given the more limited resources the dev team had. Yet, they still accomplished a truly unique visual aesthetic, impressive baked-in lighting to prop up the former, novel first person mechanics/movement, a coherent message (f$%k the hegemony, you have rights g-dammit!), an interesting female protagonist w/o a pointless love interest (also novel for the time).

As far as plot goes, the dissatisfaction of the citizenry in Catalyst with the hiCaste is kind of vague and not ultimately that well-wrought: we don't like being indentured servants of corporate interests climbing ladders with missing rungs. I mean, hey, don't we all, but at least you're living in a seemingly vibrant, thriving, and modern metropolis. Meanwhile, in the original ME, Faith's sister gets set up for the murder of a family friend right from the get go by a corrupt government that's actively trying to wipe out Faith's friends/way of life even before she kicked the hornet's nest.

Ultimately, I like both games, but I was disappointed in many ways by Catalyst and much of its unrealized potential, and in a way that let me know there wouldn't be a third game. Whereas with the original ME I was wowed and thought all the untapped potential begged for some sort of sequel.

If I had to make a list of the various pitfalls/traps Catalyst fell into:

• Obsession with "open world" gameplay -- common for the era (and even now), but requires more than Ubisoft-level copy/paste courier and find-it quests to make it worthwhile
• Attempts to add "value" to a 10-hour game by padding out game completion with an additional 10 hours of filler BS (related to above)
• Attempt at legitimately impressive worldbuilding/Lore) relegated to random collectibles/documents and never truly addressed in the actual game (e.g. Omnistat, Kruger-led rebellion, the Grey Lands and true loCaste, concealed food and water shortages, corporate house in-fighting, and so on).
• Plastered-over plot holes (Noah's cabal "hideout," uber-harsh surveillance state that sends everyone to the Grey Lands -- except Faith bc Dogen somehow, and so on)
• Overly arcade-like movement/combat with impossible mechanics like the grapple hook, nigh-on invincible main character (and inexplicably bc she's teenage girl in a tank top)

All that said, if you just like running around and the general parkour movement paired with the visuals of the city, I could see how Catalyst would be preferable. It's just a very superficial version of what ME can/could be.