The Order: 1886 – Round Table gaming's all right on the knight

Sony was obviously hoping The Order: 1886 would be the Holy Grail of exclusive releases for the PS4, but early rumours of shaky game mechanics and overly long cutscenes combined with jilted quick time events seemed like a curse from Morgan Le Fay. The Order: 1886 Roll out the flags, The Order: 1886 has hit the streets It …

[Jediben]

"The Order: 1886's gameplay mechanics depend heavily on cutscenes and quick time events (QTEs). When mixed with combat, I found these surprisingly enjoyable and exciting. This may be controversial, but I wish more games had them...."

BURN THE HERETIC!

[GreggS]

And throw him to floor, Sir?

[Alister]

yes, yes, fwow him to the fwoor, centuwion

Sorry Sir??

[AbelSoul]

Re: Sorry Sir??

Stwike him! Stwike him wuffly!

[phuzz]

Too late, you didn't PRESS X TO THROW TO FLOOR in time. Game Over.

[imanidiot]

You're mad

"The Order: 1886's gameplay mechanics depend heavily on cutscenes and quick time events (QTEs). When mixed with combat, I found these surprisingly enjoyable and exciting. This may be controversial, but I wish more games had them...."

You're completely bonkers then. There are much better ways to stop the player zoning out. Like making an engaging game for instance.

[DrXym]

I don't mind QTEs

But they have to be used in moderation and the rest of the game should be something really special to justify them when they do turn up. I think the Order's problem is they focussed too much on the presentation and not enough on the actual content. Anyone paying to the preview footage would have probably guessed this already but it's still a shame.

Neither the XB1 or PS4 has produced a smash exclusive title yet which is kind of surprising. Both have tried (Ryse, Titanfall, Driveclub, LBP3 etc.) but nothing has quite gotten it right yet.

[MJI]

Re: I don't mind QTEs

To be honest none of the next generation games have completely hooked me, nearest is Destiny.

I did enjoy the Tomb Raider game, the two Infamous games, already played TLOU, Farcry 4 is fun.

But the first great exclusive of this generation I think will be Uncharted 4

[adnim]

QTE's

Yup they really help with the immersion...

There was a time when gamers didn't need on screen prompts, hand holding or a new keyboard every three months.

But then again this is a console game and having never owned a console I don't really feel qualified to criticise the history of the platform.

Although I do feel aggrieved that nearly all PC titles are poor ports from console and the foibles of the platform are foisted on PC gamers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: QTE's

"Although I do feel aggrieved that nearly all PC titles are poor ports from console and the foibles of the platform are foisted on PC gamers."

That's because you probably payed £10 for them in a Steam sale and without the console owners helping fund the development, those games would simply not exist on PC.

When PC gamers go on about how playing PC games is much better value for money, they forget that its because in many cases the console versions are subsidising the development of the game to begin with. When PC gamers are willing to pay the amount of money it costs to fund a high quality modern AAA title then you will get games that pay more than lip service to the PC port.

[Steve Crook]

Re: QTE's

"When PC gamers are willing to pay the amount of money it costs to fund a high quality modern AAA title"

Perhaps it's the other way round. Some ports from console are rubbish, reviewers tell us they're rubbish, so the publishers know they can't charge £50.

But sometimes I think it's just too much like hard work to provide the textures and frame rates that can make a game look good on PC. Sometimes I think it's might be done deliberately. If console gamers could see just what could be done with a PC they might be inclined to walk away from consoles. Which upsets Sony and Microsoft who have hardware to sell...

[E 2]

Re: QTE's

Dunno about ports to PC from consoles.

On screen prompts and hand holding however...

I think if a C programmer starts writing assert() macros in application (not library) code then the programmer is not sure what problem s/he is supposed to be solving.

When a game developer has to resort to cut scenes and "direction" of the game, well, I think the game developer has lost the plot.

[frank ly]

Romantic Myth

"... their own elixir of life, Black Water, which seems to be the blood of Knights who have drunk from the Holy Grail, ."

There are many strange stories about coffee.

[DrStrangeLug]

Looks good, shame I can't play

This game looked really good when I saw it on a tv advert the other night and I did consider buying it. Then I saw the dreaded words "Exclusively on PS4"

Yuch.

Platform exclusives - how to stop people buying your product.

[Down not across]

Re: Looks good, shame I can't play

Platform exclusives - how to stop people buying your product.

Indeed.

However, in this case it doesn't appear to be a great loss.

[MJI]

Re: Looks good, shame I can't play

Exclusively as the studio has close links to Sony, as in several ex ND staff.

Console exclusivity is often due to ownership of studios, people bought Sony consoles to play their exclusive games.

As a few examples, people bought a PS3 over X360 simply due to Uncharted, X360 owners bought a PS3 just to play The Last of Us.

Anyway the consoles are not that expensive so if you want to play a game buy the device it plays on. It won't hurt.

[Tony Paulazzo]

Re: Looks good, shame I can't play

Looks good, shame I can't play

Here you go:

http://youtu.be/dATvYZb2QBE

Don't even need quick responses

[Paul Shirley]

"constantly changing depth of field"

One of my triggers for motion sickness ;(

QTEs make me feel sick a different way ;)

[Phil W]

Lethality

"then move in for a lethal execution"

As opposed to non-lethal executions?

[AbelSoul]

".. some arsehole cockney redcoat snatched my gun"

Hehehe... usually the first sign that I'm enjoying a game is when I start swearing at the on-screen, fictional enemies.

[SniperPenguin]

This is quite possibly the most positive review I've seen about this game.

Kotaku tore it to shreds - http://kotaku.com/the-order-1886-the-kotaku-review-1686595338

Such a shame, as the lore / background made me hope we had the next Bioshock.... Games like Bungie's "Destiny" should be living proof that no story makes fans mad.

[Sebastian A]

No mention of the reportedly short length?

5 hours and change for a playthrough? Doesn't seem like value for money to me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Annoyed!

This game promised so so so so so much and fell flat on its face in my opinion! I really wish Sony would stop over hyping and under delivering on their games, I really do. Sad times :(

[poopypants]

What is a game?

The key element that distinguishes games from other forms of entertainment is player agency. The various other forms of entertainment - movies, theatre, books, etc. - treat the audience as passive observers. To take this unique medium and turn it on its head by deliberately removing player agency through such travesties as obscenely long cut scenes and quick time events (which of course are devoid of meaningful choice) shows that The Order 1886 should really have been a movie, and sold for a lot less. (Come to think of it, that's pretty much what it is.)

[Anon E. Mouse]

so its steampunk Space Ace for the PS4?

[eesiginfo]

There's definitely a split of understanding.

This is the game/film that has been discussed, and envisaged for years.

A film that you truly get to play in...... far more than 'the last of us'.

A world populated by great characterisation, and intrigue.

The graphics take us closer to real life than ever before, but it is the acting that delivers that experience.

The key financial factor (for the future) is going to be replayability.

Without this, you can watch it on Youtube, no different to a movie (why buy the game?)

The discussion of 'open world comparison' is not relevant here, because a movie has a strict sequence, to support the story.

Developers need to concentrate on additional modes..... the obvious being a 'stealth gameplay', but also introducing more variety in how encounters are managed.

However, what is clear is that the truly 'interactive movie' is going to happen within the next decade.

The Order 1886 is almost that movie.

[E 2]

I dunno, eesiginfo.

When DVDs first came out they were hyped as immersive and having viewer interaction. There were some DVD titles where I could choose the camera angle, or alternate scenes. My neighbour at the time was excited about it and showed me a few movies like that.

That was not exactly amazing: why not just watch the cut scenes via the DVD menu.

Games are supposed to be fun: nobody wants to sort of participate in a few scenes that have strictly limited options and then watch video for a while, then rondo. What's the point? It's the worst of both worlds.

Take Deus Ex for example. In Deus Ex HR, there were cut scenes and voice overs (ie: orders) from Command Central, and these things either broke the game play or imposed choices on me.

In Deus Ex Invisible War I could choose my path modulo there being only 6 outcomes - but I was often surprised how my choices influenced the outcome. Maybe a faction leader nagged me but I could tell him/her to F off.

I think Deus Ex IW offers a way forward: many and surprising choices without a fascist director imposing a decision tree on the player... yes you ultimately have to get to the end of the game but there are many paths to the end state and they are not tightly scripted.

[E 2]

Meh

Disclosure: I've not played this game, just looked at the 'reg screenshots.

Victorian (Edwardian? Out here in the colonies we get a little lost) England with steam-punk styled automatic weapons.

Whatever.

I'll invade your little colonial era haven and use a Quake II rail gun on your plush bottom.