Im actually excited for a second playthrough, I think the collectible hunting on my first one kind of broke up the pacing for me, too much running around in circles checking every corner. I'll be interested to see how it feels to just run through the whole thing without stopping to look for stuff.
Im actually excited for a second playthrough, I think the collectible hunting on my first one kind of broke up the pacing for me, too much running around in circles checking every corner. I'll be interested to see how it feels to just run through the whole thing without stopping to look for stuff.
Im actually excited for a second playthrough, I think the collectible hunting on my first one kind of broke up the pacing for me, too much running around in circles checking every corner. I'll be interested to see how it feels to just run through the whole thing without stopping to look for stuff.
I haven't even come close to growing sick of it yet. Gonna borrow it out to some friends too, so that (and Bloodborne) will give me enough time away to start wanting another play through.
I haven't even come close to growing sick of it yet. Gonna borrow it out to some friends too, so that (and Bloodborne) will give me enough time away to start wanting another play through.
I've had a lot of fun with the combat in this game already. Hopefully the ability to skip cutscenes gets patched in.
An odd oversight considering they were smart enough to include checkpoint start options so you can basically jump right in to combat scenarios, I kind of wish TLOU let you do that. Some chapters in TLOU take so long to do, I have collectibles missing at the very end of University but have to start all the way at the beginning.
Oh, as an aside, any chance we could skip some of the forced travel/exposition next game?
Like a movie, I was reminded me a follow/tracking shot.. stylistic choice I realize, but how many elevator scenes did we get?
Speaking of movies, anyone wanna take a stab at unrealistic fan-casting?
Galahad: Clive Owen
Lafayette: Edward Norton Jr
Isa : Emily Blunt
Percival : Christoph Waltz
Chancellor : Powers Boothe
Lucan : Michael Fassbender
Tesla: Jake Gyllenhaal
Hastings : Tom Cavanagh
An odd oversight considering they were smart enough to include checkpoint start options so you can basically jump right in to combat scenarios, I kind of wish TLOU let you do that. Some chapters in TLOU take so long to do, I have collectibles missing at the very end of University but have to start all the way at the beginning.
It makes me wonder how smooth development went and whether or not some of the issues are a result of inexperience with console development. I guess we'll find out sometime in the next 2-3 years.
In chapter 15, going to put it down to medium. I'm really starting to see where the combat complaints are coming from. The encounter setup is just so....artless, for want of a better word. It's make a blandly layed out space, throw wave after wave of enemies and jobs done.
The feel of the weapons had carried it until this point but one too many deaths from armoured shotgun guy who rushes me and has me at almost no health before I can even charge 1 arc shot has soured me considerably.
And I've tried using blacksight, but it's such an illthought out mechanic for a cover based shooter. What's the point of a mechanic that slows down time but leaves you vunerable, and can only hit along line of sight, which gets messed up because of the camera, when most of the guys I want to take out are behind cover waiting for the second my juice runs out ready to pummel me, leaving me worse off than before I used blacksight?
It makes me wonder how smooth development went and whether or not some of the issues are a result of inexperience with console development. I guess we'll find out sometime in the next 2-3 years.
One of the most interesting, and perhaps concerning to some, is the fact that Ru (Creative Director) is actually an artist, I believe. A traditional artist. He began in film/TV if I recall correctly, and eventually transitioned to the games industry. His background is not really in the game design/development area, and I think part of his vision for The Order was bringing "art" from the 2D page to 3D, which may be a big reason why so much emphasis was put on the engine and making every scene look like concept art brought to life.
I wonder if he will even be interested in making a sequel more "gamey", though I imagine the studio will definitely be receptive to fan input.
The feel of the weapons had carried it until this point but one too many deaths from armoured shotgun guy who rushes me and has me at almost no health before I can even charge 1 arc shot has soured me considerably.
The Arc Induction Lance is an awesome looking weapon, but I found it pretty worthless in combat compared to the alternatives. It is worth noting that you can "pre-charge" it by simply holding down the R2 button even while you're still behind cover.
I just sent you the code. I'm not sure what the preorder bonus is. I think it's a costume and weapon. If you're not interested in the code then feel free to pass it along to the next person.
Blacksight and blackwater are interesting but seem underutilized, the fact that so many people played through the game without using blacksight is evidence of that.
I don't know how to fix it, but I think it could be expanded on or else encounter design tweaked to make it more necessary. Blackwater seemed really important in the leadup to release (those viral videos) but it's basically just phoenix down. I wonder if they could also make changes to that to make it more interesting, maybe make it limited (x # of uses) and using it has a temporary side effect or something
finished the game, only complain i have is that there isn't a dedicated melee button, sometimes you get close to an enemy and the triangle icon doesn't prompt and you get killed instantly, everything else i really really like, hope some DLC gets announced and that this becomes a concurrent franchise
Completed the game this morning and then polished off the trophies and got the Platinum just now.
Starting a second playthrough on Hard, looking forward to it given the revelations in the story and the things I'll pick up now that I know so much more.
Just beat the game. Took almost exactly 7 hours on hard. To say it ended abruptly is putting it lightly. Overall I loved it but man it could have been truly amazing. Combat is great but a little more encounter variety and obviously more of it would have been icing on the cake. Really wish there was an insane difficulty because hard is just too easy even without aim assist. I don't think I used blacksight once after they first teach it to you. Graphics and animations obviously mind-blowing. Reason alone to replay it at some point. Can't wait for the sequel! (I hope)
These collectibles are going to be a bitch. I have all the cylinders and newspapers, but I missed one or two of the other things. I just don't know which. Shiiiiit.
Just beat the game. Took almost exactly 7 hours on hard. To say it ended abruptly is putting it lightly. Overall I loved it but man it could have been truly amazing. Combat is great but a little more encounter variety and obviously more of it would have been icing on the cake. Really wish there was an insane difficulty because hard is just too easy even without aim assist. I don't think I used blacksight once after they first teach it to you. Graphics and animations obviously mind-blowing. Reason alone to replay it at some point. Can't wait for the sequel! (I hope)
Finished the game last night, quite conflicted really. My short breakdown below. 7.5/10.
First third of the game was quite painful to play through, but picked up considerably for the remaining chapters. Unfortunately, the last two acts IMO was very reminiscent of early portions of the game in terms of enjoyment(lack of lol). Relying on mechanics that really bogged the experience to end the game also left a sour taste in my mouth.
+ Unbelievable graphics. Truly a showcase of what next-gen is capable of.
+ Tight gunplay and weapon variety.
+ Some of the best ambient sound/sound mix available.
+ Atmosphere was spot on.
+ OST is beast.
+ World building and recreation of era incredible.
+ Story was very interesting in concept.
+ Little parts of the environment broke/shattered in gun fights.
- Level design so god damn linear. Really reminded me of FFXIII corridor design.
- Button prompts/QTE prompts throughout game.
- Re-used encounters.
- Environment variety.
- There are 3 different types of camera behind character, but mostly it is WAY close.
- Cool weapons used infrequently.
- Enemy types lacking.
- Last two acts felt rushed.
- Instant death stealth(i am okay with context for this occuring but the moments these occurred really seemed unrealistic given how beefed up Gallahad is lol).
When the game hits it stride it reaches moments of brilliance. But the issues, mostly all pertaining to the gameplay experience, really hinder enjoyment of this game. What's sad too is the potential of this IP and the beatuiful world Ready at Dawn has crafted. Give me more game segments to play, work on the awesome gun combat already in place and have levels that are more open and explorable.
Honestly i would not mind them reducing graphical quality by 25-50% if it meant bigger levels and or more complex combat scenarios.
These collectibles are going to be a bitch. I have all the cylinders and newspapers, but I missed one or two of the other things. I just don't know which. Shiiiiit.
As others have mentioned, double check the archives room as the cutscene is on a timer so it's impossible to get everything your first time through that
One of the most interesting, and perhaps concerning to some, is the fact that Ru (Creative Director) is actually an artist, I believe. A traditional artist. He began in film/TV if I recall correctly, and eventually transitioned to the games industry. His background is not really in the game design/development area, and I think part of his vision for The Order was bringing "art" from the 2D page to 3D, which may be a big reason why so much emphasis was put on the engine and making every scene look like concept art brought to life.
I wonder if he will even be interested in making a sequel more "gamey", though I imagine the studio will definitely be receptive to fan input.
I think The Order's potential comes in the form of increased interactivity, not continued imitation of cinema. I genuinely like the game, but I think the reason I'm able to overlook at least some of the flaws is because I am aware of the possibility that these may just be the growing pains of a studio trying to wrap its mind around the pressures of console and IP development. If that turns out to not be the case and we get a sequel that is constantly putting limitations on movement and interactivity, then I probably won't be along for the ride.
Blacksight and blackwater are interesting but seem underutilized, the fact that so many people played through the game without using blacksight is evidence of that.
I don't think the blacksight mechanic was ever really even explained. I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't taken a look at the trophies list.
Anyway, I'm enjoying the game surprisingly much. Biggest gripes I have are: lack of weight to the gunplay, lackluster sound effects (which is strange in comparison to how much efort was put to music and graphics) and most of the game being basically a tube.
Small thing, but lack of consistency to being able to run really rubs me the wrong way.
I think The Order's potential comes in the form of increased interactivity, not continued imitation of cinema. I genuinely like the game, but I think the reason I'm able to overlook at least some of the flaws is because I am aware of the possibility that these may just be the growing pains of a studio trying to wrap its mind around the pressures of console and IP development. If that turns out to not be the case and we get a sequel that is constantly putting limitations on movement and interactivity, then I probably won't be along for the ride.
Agreed. More open areas, more NPC interaction, more meaningful artifacts/collectibles to expand out the story, better cohesion and flow for combat scenarios.
I don't think the blacksight mechanic was ever really even explained. I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't taken a look at the trophies list.
Anyway, I'm enjoying the game surprisingly much. Biggest gripes I have are: lack of weight to the gunplay, lackluster sound effects (which is strange in comparison to how much efort was put to music and graphics) and most of the game being basically a tube.
Small thing, but lack of consistency to being able to run really rubs me the wrong way.
I think it's explained via tiny ass tool tip in the top right early in the game that says "Press L1 to use blacksight" and never again. If you missed that you wouldn't know about it. Odd because it tells you how to sprint a thousand times throughout the game
So I've been wanting to start doing in depth round ups for games as I beat them on GAF but I haven't had enough time in front of my actual computer, most of my GAF posting tends to be done from my phone, so this is my first attempt at it. I welcome feedback.
This is a game I feel is divisive in the most dangerous fashion. If one of the core strengths doesn't hit the mark for you, your experience is essentially ruined. Thankfully for me, I enjoyed the game quite a bit.
Just to get it out of the way, the visuals. I'm kind of obsessed with the visual design of this game. It's not just the tech or the art, it's the cohesion and blending of these key areas to create a world that seemingly has few flaws. The visuals aren't just superficial either. The game has a transportative effect on the player. It draws you in and demands your focus in such a way that the immersion factor is amplified far more than most titles. You can tell that RaD painstakingly designed every facet of the world to look believable artistically and chose the proper tech to complement it.
This brings me to my first major complaint, the UI and tutorial messages. The bright white outline images stand out more than an in-world colored icon like in a game like TLoU. These prompts seem like they're edited in on top of the world instead of being within in it. They're clearly a message to the player and not a representation of the thoughts of the character. Combine that with the ceaseless, basic tutorial messages that you can't disable and you get pulled out of the experience more than a game of this sort should. With such a rich, carefully crafted atmosphere these feel like an afterthought that undermines the core goals of the title.
My biggest surprise was how much I just loved the combat. They absolutely nailed the weapon feedback. Large guns with creaking metal reloads, showers of sparks and smoke billowing out with each shot give the combat a style and feel few TPS can even get close to. Serious KZ2 flashbacks at times. Tesla's arsenal is a highlight but there are far too few times where the game lets you cut loose with those guns, but when it does it conveys the sheer devastation you can cause quite well. The controls complement the combat well, although I would have preferred no soft cover since it was more cumbersome than useful and for the dive/roll to not be context sensitive.
I thought the enemy AI was pretty good for the most part (played on Hard). They rarely stayed in hunkered down in one place and kept the pressure on Galahad. Got caught off guard by flanking fairly regularly. In contrast to a lot of other people, I liked that human encounters were far more common than the lycans. It made those encounters feel more special and tense. While the human battles demonstrated just how numb the knights had become to violence and demonstrated their prowess, the lycan fights were filled with a sense of dread and weakness that the other fights just couldn't deliver.
Obviously the repetition of the lycan combat was a huge disappointment, as well as the fact we never got to use the Tesla weapons on them. I also really enjoyed the boss fights. I just wish they hadn't had the dodge prompts on screen. It would have felt much more seamless and tense that way. When I realized that you can move freely and pick up and use boards and other items on the floor as weapons those fights became a lot more dynamic than just standing still and dodging.
All in all, I thought the encounter design let down the great combat mechanics that the game had. Would have liked more variety and better pacing between the fights. I actually thought that chapters 11 and 15 had the best combat design in the game. Much more focus and had a key sense of urgency that earlier scenarios didn't have.
The melee system was probably one of the areas that dragged down the game the most. Not having the option for nonlethal/lethal takedowns in stealth seemed odd, especially since Galahad doesn't seem to use the knife in combat, and the fact that timing was required for stealth didn't make much sense. While the animations were cool, the automatic animations were too drawn out with Galahad going on for multiple hits for a single button press. This is one of those pet peeve issues of mine when it comes to player agency and it applies to the QTE sequences as well. Let each button press be reflective of a single character action. If the game had more of a fully fleshed out melee system, far fewer QTEs and prompts would have been needed since many of them were for fisticuffs and the player would have been more involved throughout the game.
I liked the story more than most people here did, it seems. While there were several predictable elements I thought the characterization and most of the dialogue (a few cliched lines aside) was strong. While the story may not have been as complex as I would have expecting, I was glad that RaD stuck with a relatively simple but expertly presented story. My main issue with the story was just that far too much was used for a sequel set up with no payoff in this game which I always consider to be a sin in the first installment of a new IP.
The vampire stuff especially pissed me off. That had huge implications for both story and gameplay but it wasn't used outside of a single cutscene.
The set ups for the next game are exciting, especially in terms of character relationships but it does make this game feel a bit incomplete. However, the performances from the cast as well as the cutscene direction was top notch. Combine that with one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a game and the cutscenes, numerous and long as they may be, were entertaining and the ones toward the end. I just wish they were better balanced with gameplay and that the QTE elements were more clearly linked with what the actual button input was.
Another criticism worth mentioning was the collectables, too many were completely pointless. The ones with lore were fascinating. If Galahad at least had commented on more of them they wouldn't feel like they were just thrown in for something to collect. That said, I always love examining stuff so looking at them was cool. It also seemed like a bizarre oversight that you couldn't listen to audio logs in game and that none of the collectables are tracked.
Overall I enjoyed the game, especially near the end, but next time I really hope RaD focuses more on the core gameplay. The flaws in this game weren't major for me but I can easily see them being complete deal breakers for others.
As others have mentioned, double check the archives room as the cutscene is on a timer so it's impossible to get everything your first time through that
Yeah, I checked that and apparently the only thing I missed the first time was a cylinder and a photo. There's still some left though. Hopefully I can find a guide with pictures and remember what I've got and what I don't
Yeah, I checked that and apparently the only thing I missed the first time was a cylinder and a photo. There's still some left though. Hopefully I can find a guide with pictures and remember what I've got and what I don't
This guide is really good, the best way to do it is start from the end (which will be freshest in your memory) and work your way back. Just skim through each video and find the things you don't recall seeing/getting. For me I missed 2 items in the warehouse
Galahad withholding his discoveries from Igraine and Lafayette...I kept saying "Goddamnit, stop acting so unnecessarily suspicious, just tell them!"
I know he took a bit of wisdom from Percival ("trust no one, question everything"), but come on, that's Izzie we're talking about, her and Galahad are supposedly super close no?
I think it's explained via tiny ass tool tip in the top right early in the game that says "Press L1 to use blacksight" and never again. If you missed that you wouldn't know about it. Odd because it tells you how to sprint a thousand times throughout the game