I reiterate, there is legitimate concern that has been raised, but black bars, linear path, and length aren't any of those. The Order set out to be something, it shouldn't be knocked for that, it should however be knocked for how it failed in that regard. The vitriol concerning the "Story Pyramid" is fucking embarrassing. That's not the problem, it never was. The problem was never the importance placed on story, it is apparently that the story falls apart.
The Order received a negative backlash sometime ago, not for what it ending up doing but instead for what it tried to do. The criticism was there long before the conversation ever began. That to me is the biggest shame of all.
I had originally planned on wadding through this thread and selecting every quote that I disagreed with. That would have resulted in a long response, a lot of time spent, and me defending a game I haven't played. I just picked up my copy and then, when finished, I can actually speak to The Order itself.
That said, regardless of what The Order ended up doing, I still feel can be done right. I'll return to this post once I finish it.