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[Lord Error]

Agreed about the gunplay. Weapons feel fantastic, and the controls are ace (especially aiming...so smooth). I believe Pessino said in an interview that convoluted measures were taken to reduce control latency to an absolute minimum. So I guess the question is, if so much effort was put into gunplay and controls, why was seemingly so little effort put into encounter and enemy design? The foundation is absolutely there on the player's side of combat (weapons, controls) and hell, better than most third person shooters for my money (the camera zoom when entering cover is intense as fuck, for example)...the overall design just doesn't do it justice.

I think it's pretty clear they have brilliant technical people working on every aspect of the game, but the people in charge of gameplay design maybe just were not up to stuff - this is their first TPS game on a 'big' platform after all, or maybe they simply didn't have enough time to work on making all kinds of varied enemy encounters and iterating level layouts that would have to go with that - and had to rush through it to complete the game in time.

Then again I haven't played many TPS games beside Uncharted and TLOU, so even things that are played out to others might seem fine and even novel to me. I'll see as I keep playing.

 

[NyMartin90]

When can we expect to hear sales figures?

 

[Seventy70]

It's the worst part right? Combat is awesome yet it's so off and on.

I feel the same way. I just want to shoot some enemies, but there's a whole chunk of cutscenes in between.

 

[UnwrittenZero]

Massive Game of the Gen spoiler:

Spoiler

The Witcher 3.

Spoiler

Probably not but I can hope. D:

I think it will be good but we have a bit still on the gen. Something special can come out of nowhere god dammit I have horizon hype already dynomech gorilla games 3rd person photo mode thread is gonna be a treat.

 

[Crossing Eden]

When can we expect to hear sales figures?

End of the month. Considering that it had such a long time in development and used a ton of motion capture it probably needs to sell a shit ton to break even.

 

[formasymphonic]

In universe in made sense for him not to trust neither one .
The head of the order was talking down his mentor and saying how great the head of the company is .
Both of them had a close connection to the company and normally it's the people on top that always involve .
As i said it was stupid .

Spoiler

The head of the order is talking down Percival (more brutally than he needed to), but that was entirely in response to his defying the Order's orders and the negative results it brought about (he doesn't speak highly of Hastings, he just says company property was damaged / civilian lives at risk / cost Percival his own life and they don't even have any rebels to show for it). He was overly harsh but not incorrect. I could say that with the way Lucan defended Percival etc and several hundred years of service to the order there is no reason for /him/ to suspect either of them only Hastings.

It's possible to handle material like that without reducing it to saturday morning cartoon levels though.

Spoiler

It's already established in the game that there's something between Galahad and Igraine. She sees him secretly meeting with another woman. It's possible to tie that into her rage in a way that makes sense for her character without acting like it's Betty and Veronica. At least it gives her rage some context. As it is she flips the switch too easily. Having LaFayette, who is relatively new, convinced that Galahad is on the side of good more easily than Igraine with no context for it whatsoever makes for a far, far worse story.

The bold is exactly what happened though, and it didn't require an explicit active romance on anyone's part to do it. Only the circumstantial observation / inference on Igraine's part. Officer Doyle's talk about that at the beginning isn't just a Conan Doyle nod, it's also somewhat of a lens with which to view the remainder of the events.

 

[viveks86]

Nice write up, Viveks. Well articulated, fair and seemingly unbiased.

It really does sound like the biggest 6/10 that ever 6/10'd. If anything, a 6 seems somewhat generous.

Thanks for reading! I hate review scores in general as they always distract the discussion from the actual review content. So I haven't thought much about what exactly i would give it out of 10. I'm probably going to stick to my 'smiley system' going forward. It reflects accurately how I feel about the game and that's all I intend to convey, as opposed to some arbitrary score on an arbitrary scale

 

[The Xtortionist]

I think it's pretty clear they have brilliant technical people working on every aspect of the game, but the people in charge of gameplay design maybe just were not up to stuff - this is their first TPS game on a 'big' platform after all, or maybe they simply didn't have enough time to work on making all kinds of varied enemy encounters and iterating level layouts that would have to go with that - and had to rush through it to complete the game in time.

Then again I haven't played many TPS games beside Uncharted and TLOU, so even things that are played out to others might seem fine and even novel to me. I'll see as I keep playing.

Even in a series like Uncharted, you have moments like the train level, the level where you're being chased by a tank, the collapsing building, the shipyard, etc. Uncharted could also stand to have some more interesting enemies, but many encounters are still gripping despite that. Nothing in The Order put me to sleep or anything, I just can't think of a particular encounter that had me on the edge of my seat. Most of it was merely "fine", though elevated to an extent by the game's stellar gunplay. I want the best of both worlds.

 

[Xaero Gravity]

I think it will be good but we have a bit still on the gen. Something special can come out of nowhere god dammit I have horizon hype already dynomech gorilla games 3rd person photo mode thread is gonna be a treat.

Are you purposely trying to turn me on?

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Spoiler

The head of the order is talking down Percival (more brutally than he needed to), but that was entirely in response to his defying the Order's orders and the negative results it brought about (he doesn't speak highly of Hastings, he just says company property was damaged / civilian lives at risk / cost Percival his own life and they don't even have any rebels to show for it). He was overly harsh but not incorrect. I could say that with the way Lucan defended Percival etc and several hundred years of service to the order there is no reason for /him/ to suspect either of them only Hastings.

Don't think we going to agree .

 

[Yopis]

About 2 hours in.

Game makes me think of Sega CD fmv games in a way. Really like this having a blast. Always fun when you can jump from DOA to Dying Light to this and love em all. Will play this again sometime like a cool movie or show I would watch again. Not perfect but fun.

 

[Absoludacrous]

The bold is exactly what happened though, and it didn't require an explicit active romance on anyone's part to do it. Only the circumstantial observation / inference on Igraine's part. Officer Doyle's talk about that at the beginning isn't just a Conan Doyle nod, it's also somewhat of a lens with which to view the remainder of the events.

I think it's a pretty big stretch to say that's what happened. Given the rest of the writing around the game, I'm more inclined to believe they just dropped the ball than pulled off subtle character development.

 

[benzy]

Anyone else not able to find/use the DLC outfits? The armoury option in the menu is locked...

Besides that, I'm replaying certain levels and the tip prompt still pops up... wtf. There's no way to turn it off.

 

[formasymphonic]

Don't think we going to agree .

I don't think we will either. And you know what — that's fine. Its unfortunate the game didn't do it for you and others, though.

I think it's a pretty big stretch to say that's what happened. Given the rest of the writing around the game, I'm more inclined to believe they just dropped the ball than pulled off subtle character development.

I believe that they did, to me it's all there in the game — but as gundamkyoukai says, likewise, Don't think we're going to agree.

And you know what, that's fine too.

 

[petethepanda]

Hope there's a good postmortem done eventually. A lot about this game kind of felt like they got hit with a "pencils down" in production.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Anyone else not able to find/use the DLC outfits? The armoury option in the menu is locked...

Besides that, I'm replaying certain levels and the tip prompt still pops up... wtf. There's no way to turn it off.

you have to download them and no you can't turn off the prompts.

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

you have to download them.

From where?

 

[XxRampage07xX]

Anyone else not able to find/use the DLC outfits? The armoury option in the menu is locked...

Besides that, I'm replaying certain levels and the tip prompt still pops up... wtf. There's no way to turn it off.

I think you should check your email to see if Sony sent you a pre-order code or not? As I bought my game on Amazon, they sent me a code to redeem it and get the add-on content.

Edit: I don't know about digital purchase though.

 

[Yuterald]

So, I went into this game fairly blind and I don't know what to think of it yet. I'm still fairly early, however. I really like the setting/atmosphere and the general narrative/premise appears to be pretty cool/interesting, but I feel like there's something really off about the game and it's hard to pinpoint exactly how I feel about it. When I got to the first enemy encounter I was really surprised by how non-reactive/stiff the enemies/AI behaved. I was even more surprised by how unexciting and silly-feeling the werewolf battle(s) felt during their first encounter. They were just running back and forth, doing the same charge over and over again (and what's with the weird context-sensitive dodge roll?).

This game also has that walking, zoo-like vibe/feel down strong, something I haven't experienced since attempting to play the Last of Us. It's those moments when the player is walking through an environment filled with NPCs who are acting/behaving as if the player is not even there. Conveniently closed alleyways/barricades prevent the player from "ruining" the atmosphere, yet the people that the player CAN walk by/interact with hardly (if ever) respond/notice your presence which in turn completely ruins the atmosphere! I mean, there was this couple talking amongst themselves on the streets before the firs main mission and they were looking in all directions, off into the distance and I was standing RIGHT in front of them and they were more or less acting like I was some fucking ghost. It's really weird and it's not something exclusive to the Order (see Gears of War, Last of Us, Riddick, etc.). It's something I'll never understand about these kinds of game. It's like somehow developers create these really awkward unrealistic settings/vibes by trying to be realistic and atmospheric. I don't get it.

I definitely want to play more because I like the setting a lot and I think the characters are cool looking (despite feeling somewhat boring as a cast, so far). I guess I'm just surprised that we're still seeing this funny stuff in 2015. =/

 

[gundamkyoukai]

From where?

Go to the game page on the PSN store and check add ons it's there.
If you want the OST you have to go to other extras .
That where i get mine from .

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

Beat it. Just over 10 and a half hours I think! So great timing. Wow. I'm going to admit as the minority, I loved the ending and

Spoiler

that Batman esque end credit scene was so badass it had me smiling.

I would probably give the game a GREAT: 8/10 and the sequel has so much god damned potential to be one of this generations best games. There were some slight issues I had with the game but overall, god damn. Will play again, and soon! Going for the plat so...


E: and holy shit is Lafayette and Galahad both amazing characters...

 

[antitrop]

Nice summary, really see what this game "is" now

Not sure I will even bother getting it on a sale as i HATE games that take away control constantly to display pointless cutscenes

Well, the cutscenes are the point. So the game definitely isn't for you. It's certainly no secret where the developer's priorities lay. Given that, I'm still impressed the gunplay is as good as it is.

 

[ver_v3rtigo]

End of the month. Considering that it had such a long time in development and used a ton of motion capture it probably needs to sell a shit ton to break even.

not really. This is RADs first shot, so I doubt the budget was like destiny's. the game is seems to be a big hit with the players who have actually played the game, So the order's sequel should have a much larger budget. I hope it's longer for sure.

 

[benzy]

I think you should check your email to see if Sony sent you a pre-order code or not? As I bought my game on Amazon, they sent me a code to redeem it and get the add-on content.

Edit: I don't know about digital purchase though.

you have to download them and no you can't turn off the prompts.

I downloaded them and it says the Arsenal pack is installed. The armoury menu is still locked and grayed out.

 

[UnwrittenZero]

Are you purposely trying to turn me on?

Oh man I get warm memories of the t-Rex fight from turok thinking about this game. Give a t-Rex fight with intensity like fighting the flying thing in kill zone 2 darting around cover that he is smashing. Oh or maybe tall grass hiding raptors at night with creepy robot screeches it could be glorious. Oh man who do you have to throw money at to get a turok remake?

 

[NullPointer]

So I haven't thought much about what exactly i would give it out of 10. I'm probably going to stick to my 'smiley system' going forward. It reflects accurately how I feel about the game and that's all I intend to convey, as opposed to some arbitrary score on an arbitrary scale

The score might have been my favorite part. Though I wish it didn't turn out the way it did.

 

[antitrop]

I was even more surprised by how unexciting and silly-feeling the werewolf battle(s) felt during their first encounter. They were just running back and forth, doing the same charge over and over again (and what's with the weird context-sensitive dodge roll?).

The Lycan fights are ridiculously trivial, all they do is charge at you. Pressing X when the prompt appears and hipfiring them as they scamper away is really the only necessary strategy. A real shame.

 

[BriareosGAF]

The eye strain from the film grain and temporal AA/motion blur, combined with the low scene luminance in the early chapters, is surprisingly strong for me. My eyes actually feel tired and fatigued after playing this. Not a fun experience.

 

[Iorv3th]

I downloaded them and it says the Arsenal pack is installed. The armoury menu is still locked and grayed out.

I don't think you can use them until your second playthrough.

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

The eye strain from the film grain and temporal AA/motion blur, combined with the low scene luminance in the early chapters, is surprisingly strong for me. My eyes actually feel tired and fatigued after playing this. Not a fun experience.

I felt this as well and thought I was getting motion sickness or something. But by the end of the game I was fine, so maybe the early chapters just had a certain light about them? Either that or I got used to it.

 

[void666]

I just finished the game. I enjoyed it very much. It's a bit like destiny in the sense that is a flawed but great game.

There's a lot of unnecessary QTEs and the game takes away control from the player too often.
Enemies are boring. Are all enemies comprised of people wearing grey garbs?
And the arenas are uninspired. Too small. Trying to flank enemies usually results in awkward firefights with them only a few feet away from me. But by the end i was really enjoying the shootouts for some reason. Pretty intense.

Story isn't amazing but it's well told. Characters and writing are good. Voice acting is perfect.

I'd give it an 8/10

Hopefully there will be a sequel. I just hope RAD learns from their mistakes. Maybe they should take a look at how naughty dog does their cinematic games.
Uncharteds and TLOU are linear, character, story driven games. But ND tell their story without ever taking control away from the player. That's cinematic done right.

 

[XxRampage07xX]

I downloaded them and it says the Arsenal pack is installed. The armoury menu is still locked and grayed out.

Now that's really weird :|

I don't think you can use them until your second playthrough.

It's not true. I changed my outfit to the red one during the bridge section in my first playthrough. This must be a bug or something.

 

[Crossing Eden]

I felt this as well and thought I was getting motion sickness or something. But by the end of the game I was fine, so maybe the early chapters just had a certain light about them? Either that or I got used to it.

The earliest chapters are the brightest because they take place during early morning compared to every other area in the game which takes place in the afternoon or night.

 

[0.1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55]

Who is the robed hooded dude, Illuminati?

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

Who is the robed hooded dude, Illuminati?

Yes.

He's also in National Treasure 1 and 2.

 

[Arklite]

Not bad, I had a good time with it, aside from some forced walking. Really liked the weapons available as well. The script was a bit bland in some moments but holy shit the voice cast made everything sound amazing regardless.

The eye strain from the film grain and temporal AA/motion blur, combined with the low scene luminance in the early chapters, is surprisingly strong for me. My eyes actually feel tired and fatigued after playing this. Not a fun experience.

I raised the gamma in-game one notch and then I could actually see. Adjusting a setting or two on your TV could work.

 

[void666]

The eye strain from the film grain and temporal AA/motion blur, combined with the low scene luminance in the early chapters, is surprisingly strong for me. My eyes actually feel tired and fatigued after playing this. Not a fun experience.

If this was a pc game, within minutes people would find ways to disable all the filters.

 

[UnwrittenZero]

Who is the robed hooded dude, Illuminati?

Spoiler

I'm hoping Merlin someone throwing magic around would be sweet. It prob the knight that was lost during the grail search

.

 

[Persona7]

Ok...so I watched some more gameplay on playstation live or whatever it is called and I just ordered the game. I really, really want to play this. I should have just got the digital version but I can wait a few days.

Everything about this just hits the mark for me, I should have paid more attention to the game but the original trailer didn't interest me much.

 

[sti4thewin]

OMG. I just started and even after playing most of my games on PC (downsampled of course) This is the best looking game I think I've ever played.

 

[nemesun]

Just finished the game.

That ending....

Overall it was a great ride, and I'm quite grateful to RaD for not ending it on a cliffhanger.

 

[ryseing]

Still need some of the combat related trophies. Can anyone recommend specific chapters?

Also, can someone point me to a collectible guide.

 

[benzy]

Now that's really weird :|


It's not true. I changed my outfit to the red one during the bridge section in my first playthrough. This must be a bug or something.

Had to exit out the game and restart it, so the armoury option is unlocked now. Thanks for the help though.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Who is the robed hooded dude, Illuminati?

Considering that RAD's writers have a penchant for being predictable, (if this game is any indication), I would wager that

Spoiler

It's King Arthur.

Just finished the game.

That ending....

Overall it was a great ride, and I'm quite grateful to RaD for not ending it on a cliffhanger.

Uhhhhh do you know what cliffhanger means? Because it's the the epitome of a cliffhanger.

Spoiler

I'm hoping Merlin someone throwing magic around would be sweet. It prob the knight that was lost during the grail search

.

When was this mentioned?

 

[Haines]

Does anyone else feel how stiff the environments feel takes away from the graphics?

 

[Darknight]

This game had so much potential for MP it pisses me off they didnt do it

Multiplayer with these graphics and gunplay would of been sweet. Im not really a person that needs MP in all their games but its a missed potential with this one. Just imagine if TLoU didnt have MP...you cant. Shit is the perfect package and would of been here as well.

 

[NastyBook]

I'm with

Spoiler

Lakshmi

now, and the gunplay is really starting to click with me. The sound the magazine makes on the Carbine when you eject it is so good.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Multiplayer with these graphics and gunplay would of been sweet. Im not really a person that needs MP in all their games but its a missed potential with this one. Just imagine if TLoU didnt have MP...you cant. Shit is the perfect package and would of been here as well.

Knights vs rebel MP, it's literally the perfect setup for MP.

 

[antitrop]

Knights vs rebel MP, it's literally the perfect setup for MP.

I think they would probably go for some kind of a Human vs Lycan asymmetric multiplayer and it would be terrible, but I'm just cynical.

 

[GeekComplex]

I got my review all finished up.
I had pretty mixed feelings, but overall looking forward to the sequel to be certain.
http://www.giantbomb.com/the-order-1886/3030-42922/user-reviews/2200-28124