I played Mirror's Edge Catalyst on PS4 (rented it from Gamefly) and I don't recall any of the issues you are talking about. It was an open world game and I don't recall there being any loading screens between sections. The fact that it was open world was one of the things I hated about the game. The first game was a lot better because it was linear rather than an open world filled with repetitive missions. Also, there were plenty of areas in the game where you had to do battle with or outrun numerous enemies (a lot more than 3-5). Saying consoles can barely run Mirror's Edge is extreme hyperbole.
The loading screens are hidden . Similarly to how last gen characters would always use elevators to travel between area's. Catalyst hides its loading screens in small tightly packed coridors that seperate each zone and require you to move slowly. Or on a grapling hook swing between buildings that slows your momentum and can only be accessed at certain parts of the map. You can actually trigger a loading prompt if you are going fast enough.
When people origionally imagined an open world Mirrors Edge, they imagined a true open wold akin to Assasins Creed or Watchdogs or GTA or Infamous Second Son. A full city to run around and explore/platform. Mirrors Edge Catalyst isn't that game. Catalyst is a series of platforming orientated portal levels glued together by hidden loading screens to form the facamile of an open world.
I really like the Mirrors Edge IP, and I liked Catalyst a fair bit. However it was clearly held back by hardware. Other examples include
1. Several times during the game in linear missons you go to the top of tall buildings. At the top, the Horizon is often obscured by clouds. Assumedly this is because the PS4 cant render the draw distance required.
2. Enemy numbers. I dont remember ever fighting more then 5 enemies in the one space aside from one mission in which the environment is small and lacks natural light due to being an indoor area. I could be misremembering though.
Edit:
None of what you've mentioned will deliver a next generation jump in gameplay. On the "new" gen consoles, we're still playing games with last gen gameplay. Again, mirrors edge catalyst was a terribly designed game that had nothing to do with power. Yes, you had less enemies but that's the cost of open world and frostbite. They could've used the same engine as mirrors edge and delivered better gameplay with similar visuals. Making a bigger world does not equate to a better game.
The same is true for anthem. They've decided to place an emphasis on visuals and when you work with finite resources, there will always be compromises. Next gen, when the consoles are approximately 12tf, we'll still be having this discussion. When you work with finite resources, this happens. Remember the destruction and physics in red faction on the ps360? No games this gen have matched it despite having almost 10x more gpu resources as last gen. Why? Priorities.
This is Untrue. The proof of this is Ubisoft's Steep which essentially fulfills the promise of what an open world Mirrors Edge game should be. A Large open high fidelity platforming sandbox where you can either follow tightly scripted missions or enjoy making you own path/own fun. Its a not a new gameplay idea, we had skate last gen. Yet Steep is the best itteration this generation and uses the extra power of modern consoles to make the world larger and more detailed. In a place where atmosphere is important, this is greatly appreciated. Yet Steep for all its positives is noticeably empty and is pretty light on snow physics.
This is the issue. Right now Devs can either make large empty worlds or they can make full worlds. This directly effects gameplay. For instance Steep's chairlift is a static object. With more CPU power it could be in motion. Going from static platforms to moving platforms in a platformer is a pretty big "gameplay" change.
