Zero Punctuation: The Order: 1886 - Steampunk Modern Warfare

[Azure23]

Say it with me now!

Buy a used copy from GameStop, play it, beat it, return it within seven days and get all your money back. Definitely worth it, as there is some legitimately fun gameplay in there. I just wish the levels had been bigger. Some are actually very fun such as the claustrophobic final level which has you battling through the London catacombs. The final firefight in particular is incredibly hectic and challenging.

It's not a terrible game, it's average. It has some decent characters and a decent if predictable narrative. The gameplay is everything that every other third person shooter has led us to expect.
But still, play it for free. Why wouldn't you? It's kinda cool even if just so you can see how absolutely gorgeous games can look on a new gen console.

Ha ha! Great idea, thanks man.

No problem, I was shopping around trying to find a way to play it on the cheap and came upon the suggestion in some forum. When I got to the store the clerk said I should do the same thing, as he wouldn't want any gamer to have to pay full price for it. The guys at my local gamestop always have my back, even at the expense of their own profit. It's nice to know that they're fellow gamers first and foremost. They're always doing midnight releases with giveaways and prizes and stuff, some pretty cool people.

 

[War_Dyn27]

Fun Fact: the aliens got faster in Space Invaders because the game ran better with fewer aliens on screen and sped up. The creator enjoyed the added challenge so incorporated it into the game.

 

[Def25]

I was honestly surprised by how little I was surprised at hearing about this game's poor quality. I thought that I was just being cynical when I pegged this game as crap a while back when I saw some gameplay of it, but nope, I was striking the nail right on the head. It's amazing, actually. I didn't think it was possible to make a game this bland. I thought they'd do something, anything, that would be interesting. Some gameplay gimmick, a decent plot, something that would distinguish this game at least a little bit from the run of the mill, paint by numbers tripe so abundant in the AAA industry.

But no, it's almost like they purposefully tried to make the most underwhelming game ever created. I think that's the biggest offense a piece of entertainment can commit. At least people remember and get a laugh out of Ride to Hell: Retribution. Nobody is going to remember The Order: 1886. Come a few years from now, nobody is going to be proudly looking over their PS4 library, recounting all the good times they had with each title, and wistfully recalling the adventures they had in The Order. In fact, they'll probably see The Order in their alphabetically-organized stack and think "What in God's name is this?"

Same i called this since day one and i was not suprised it flopped what saddens me is that there are people who actually BELIEVE the gaming press has some sort sony bias and trashed this game on purpuse and there is some kinda conspiracy behind it failing and not that it is a bad game. I mean just look at other games that do so much more and dont get high ratings you would expect something as bland scripted and short as the order to get high scores?

Nobody is going to remember this game. It was too cinematic.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Never understood the reasoning that every game you buy/play has to be some near perfect gem according to reviews people often in these review comments show off (except when reviews don't matter because one of managements favourites got 10/10 marks, or their internet darlings didn't get perfect marks of course). A game being mediocre doesn't mean it isn't worth your time/not worth playing. It'd be like only being a fan of guys who are certain main eventers because only they will be at the top of the card... boring and missing out on others you'd enjoy. Midcarders for life and even jobbers have fans because they have qualities that make them worth supporting... and who knows maybe some support will turn that jobber into a main eventer (game leading into a good sequel in gaming terms).

Anyway... Order 1886 is a midcarder who'll likely fall into jobber status like I thought it would be. Nice gimmick but needs to work on the ringwork if they want to go that one step further. My advice would be to put them in a tag team with Infamous as that is a performer with good ringwork order 1886 can learn a lot from.

Because the designers kept bragging that it was going to be. And forget about being stellar, it's not even average, it's below average at best, a waste of space, money, and time. It doesn't even pass basic tenets of competency.

And maybe this wouldn't be bad if it weren't for companies claiming they were going to use the hardware for never-before-seen advancements in gaming, revolutionizing and revitalizing the industry. And lo and behold they prove it's anything but. Forget maintaining status quo, they're outright regressing. Being nice to The Order is not somehow going to improve its quality nor will being nice to its designers somehow retroactively make them better.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

The sad part is that there weren't even THAT many boss battles with the werewolves.

And two of them (including the final bloody boss) use most of the same animations.

Spoiler

Re-using bosses in a 30 hour adventure like Zelda: SS is bad, but this is just terrible.

It seems no one else is going to tell you, so i feel it is my duty to point out that your avatar GIF dances in time with that posted video music. How very curious. That is all!

 

[Thanatos2k]

It toped out the UK sales charts.
But besides evolve nothing came out for consoles Cod:AW, Far cry 4, and GTA:5, and Majora's mask are still on the top 10 list, so it could mean little to nothing.

Yeah, but since when does topping UK sales charts (in a dead month with little competition) mean a game sold like crazy? Especially since the charts don't even include numbers, just "ranking"?

according to the internet, enough to show that reviews don't matter

What even counts as "the internet" these days? Some guy somewhere?

 

[Thanatos2k]

Never understood the reasoning that every game you buy/play has to be some near perfect gem according to reviews people often in these review comments show off (except when reviews don't matter because one of managements favourites got 10/10 marks, or their internet darlings didn't get perfect marks of course). A game being mediocre doesn't mean it isn't worth your time/not worth playing. It'd be like only being a fan of guys who are certain main eventers because only they will be at the top of the card... boring and missing out on others you'd enjoy. Midcarders for life and even jobbers have fans because they have qualities that make them worth supporting... and who knows maybe some support will turn that jobber into a main eventer (game leading into a good sequel in gaming terms).

Anyway... Order 1886 is a midcarder who'll likely fall into jobber status like I thought it would be. Nice gimmick but needs to work on the ringwork if they want to go that one step further. My advice would be to put them in a tag team with Infamous as that is a performer with good ringwork order 1886 can learn a lot from.

Well, that would be true - if The Order cost $15. If it cost $15 people would mutter a bit about its flaws, but that's it.

But it's not $15. It's $60. It's pretending to be a main event and then the music hits and instead of Mankind out walks Al Snow in a Mankind mask, who proceeds to pick up the mic and pretend he's Mick Foley.

That's why it gets pelted with empty beer bottles. That's why it's a waste of money. If games were free no one would care about a mediocre 5 hour experience. But they're not free, and thus they get evaluated against their competition who is charging the same amount of money.

Say it with me now!

Buy a used copy from GameStop, play it, beat it, return it within seven days and get all your money back. Definitely worth it, as there is some legitimately fun gameplay in there. I just wish the levels had been bigger. Some are actually very fun such as the claustrophobic final level which has you battling through the London catacombs. The final firefight in particular is incredibly hectic and challenging.

It's not a terrible game, it's average. It has some decent characters and a decent if predictable narrative. The gameplay is everything that every other third person shooter has led us to expect.
But still, play it for free. Why wouldn't you? It's kinda cool even if just so you can see how absolutely gorgeous games can look on a new gen console.

Why even go that far? Rent it for 1 day from Red Box for $2, beat it in one sitting, and return it. No muss, no fuss.

 

[CaitSeith]

Cinematic games: where "aiming to be a movie" takes priority over "being a fun game".

 

[Rozalia1]

Because the designers kept bragging that it was going to be. And forget about being stellar, it's not even average, it's below average at best, a waste of space, money, and time. It doesn't even pass basic tenets of competency.

And maybe this wouldn't be bad if it weren't for companies claiming they were going to use the hardware for never-before-seen advancements in gaming, revolutionizing and revitalizing the industry. And lo and behold they prove it's anything but. Forget maintaining status quo, they're outright regressing. Being nice to The Order is not somehow going to improve its quality nor will being nice to its designers somehow retroactively make them better.

That the reason? Curtis Axel for a long time told people he was "better than perfect", and is currently telling people he is the greatest royal rumble competitor of all time (by virtue of never being eliminated meaning he is still in it even now)... guy consistently loses all of his matches even against other jobbers. The point is you don't go out to the public and go "well our game is going to be kind of mediocre really, I'd wait until its 20 bucks and than get it"... that isn't how you sell something.

You can make a mediocre game whatever your hardware. I don't see why it being on the PS4 mandates it should be 9/10 minimum.
Take Alberto Del Rio for example. Guy could work better than the vast majority in the world, he had a good look, he had a good gimmick, a good manager, was booked strong (even when they gave up on him), was given a special entrance, worked with all the top guys, got given constant world titles and... nothing. Nobody cared however good he actually was meaning ultimately he was a mediocre performer.

Well, that would be true - if The Order cost $15. If it cost $15 people would mutter a bit about its flaws, but that's it.

But it's not $15. It's $60. It's pretending to be a main event and then the music hits and instead of Mankind out walks Al Snow in a Mankind mask, who proceeds to pick up the mic and pretend he's Mick Foley.

That's why it gets pelted with empty beer bottles. That's why it's a waste of money. If games were free no one would care about a mediocre 5 hour experience. But they're not free, and thus they get evaluated against their competition who is charging the same amount of money.

You got to treat something like that as a big deal and than see if they sink or swim. You treat them like a jobber you don't care about and its likely most of the audience will too straight from the get go.
Than wait for a price decrease... besides you buy the tickets to see the main attractions/your favourites anyway... heck I have my tickets brought for guys not even on the roster and instead in development (or currently in Japanese promotions), doesn't bother me.

What is their current competition anyway? I've not heard of Order 1886 selling badly (at least not yet) so it seems they went over whoever their competition is.

 

[Zydrate]

Exclusives hurt my soul (I really miss being able to play Killzone). But I've heard a whole lot of "Meh" about this game, so I guess I'm dodging a bullet from time to time.

 

[Thanatos2k]

You got to treat something like that as a big deal and than see if they sink or swim. You treat them like a jobber you don't care about and its likely most of the audience will too straight from the get go.
Than wait for a price decrease... besides you buy the tickets to see the main attractions/your favourites anyway... heck I have my tickets brought for guys not even on the roster and instead in development (or currently in Japanese promotions), doesn't bother me.

What is their current competition anyway? I've not heard of Order 1886 selling badly (at least not yet) so it seems they went over whoever their competition is.

Their competition was Evolve, or if we're still going by the wrestling metaphor - Rakishi.

 

[Haru17]

What is it with PS4 exclusives this Spring and werewolves? Not that I'm complaining, but we still need that really good werewolf game. All these tangential titles won't cut it!

 

[Lightspeaker]

What is it with PS4 exclusives this Spring and werewolves?

Maybe someone realised that most people are tired of zombies at this point so it was the next logical step?

 

[Atmos Duality]

according to the internet, enough to show that reviews don't matter

Outrage always matters more in the end.

Like two years ago when SimCity launched to the ambitious aplomb of being the shittiest game in Maxis' history that still sold well enough to turn a profit.

The only time 'the internet' matters to AAA is when it's used as a means of DRM, or when they want to blame piracy for killing sales.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

That the reason? Curtis Axel for a long time told people he was "better than perfect", and is currently telling people he is the greatest royal rumble competitor of all time (by virtue of never being eliminated meaning he is still in it even now)... guy consistently loses all of his matches even against other jobbers. The point is you don't go out to the public and go "well our game is going to be kind of mediocre really, I'd wait until its 20 bucks and than get it"... that isn't how you sell something.

You can make a mediocre game whatever your hardware. I don't see why it being on the PS4 mandates it should be 9/10 minimum.
Take Alberto Del Rio for example. Guy could work better than the vast majority in the world, he had a good look, he had a good gimmick, a good manager, was booked strong (even when they gave up on him), was given a special entrance, worked with all the top guys, got given constant world titles and... nothing. Nobody cared however good he actually was meaning ultimately he was a mediocre performer.

Ah yes, the classic "well, that's not how you sell something" defense. Of course no one admits their game is mediocre, that goes without saying. However, again, they acted like they were bringing the second coming of Buddha. Instead of just saying "we're just going to make the best game we can" free of pretense and ego then maybe people wouldn't have come down on them so hard. At the end of the day, it's a piece of junk and trying to treat it with kid gloves will not change that. There is no point in trying to be nice to mediocrity that came as a result of arrogance. When they can't even maintain status quo from your predecessors it's quite clear they're nothing but talk.

 

[gorfias]

This was one of the best Yahtzee reviews I've seen in a while. Too bad about the game being lousy. It does look gorgeous though. When it is $5 at Gamestop ($4.50 for members!!!) I'll pick it up for a lark.

For those wondering if it is worth it to get a PS4, depends if you have the money. I'm thinking of trading in my fat PS3. It sounds like an airplane taking off. The PS4 is silent and while the graphics are nothing new to a PC gamer, they are a huge step up from the PS3.

Yahtzee has a point that soon, games like Farcry 4 will not be released for Gen 7 consoles. He will get a Gen 8 then, but will feel like it is extortion, as the purchase is not because he wants to spend that kind of money for the improved graphics but because he has to do so to play a game that is not released for the perfectly serviceable PS3. But if you do have the money, yes, the difference is noticeable.

 

[TomWiley]

2014 was *not* a strong year for PS4 exclusives and this game doesn't exactly look like it's going to change the trend. I wonder if this has anything to do with Sony's less than optimal financial situation.

 

[gorfias]

2014 was *not* a strong year for PS4 exclusives and this game doesn't exactly look like it's going to change the trend. I wonder if this has anything to do with Sony's less than optimal financial situation.

I don't think so. Sony has the cash to make a great game but I think they need time to make great PS4 games. PS3 came out in 2006, but I didn't think it worth getting till 2009. And really, really hd games are harder to make than, say, PS2 games. I hope it doesn't take till 2019 for PS4 to really be worth it.

For now, the developers have their hands full.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

2014 was *not* a strong year for PS4 exclusives and this game doesn't exactly look like it's going to change the trend. I wonder if this has anything to do with Sony's less than optimal financial situation.

Probably not considering the XB1 exclusives and the attempts by 3rd parties to try and sell the new generation. Titanfall, Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Sunset Overdrive, Watch Dogs, Destiny, Evolve, Assassin's Creed: Unity, etc, all of them have at best made a splash for a couple weeks before fading. We are now going on two years' worth of tech demos and devs seem to be completely unaware of this. They seriously expected these to sell solely on the fact that they showed off technical aspects of the hardware and were SHOCKED when people called them out on those titles being shallow, boring experiences with nothing to offer in terms of gameplay and fun.

It seems to me like the current crop of talent is filled not with actual game designers but with tech porn junkies who don't understand how to actually DESIGN games. Instead they let the hardware show off a bunch of shiny but hollow nonsense and put no actual effort into creating unique gameplay, interesting level design, fun worlds, etc. This is what happens when you rely on brute force too much which too many developers did over the last generation. I don't see this turning around for the foreseeable future.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

2014 was *not* a strong year for PS4 exclusives and this game doesn't exactly look like it's going to change the trend. I wonder if this has anything to do with Sony's less than optimal financial situation.

Probably not considering the XB1 exclusives and the attempts by 3rd parties to try and sell the new generation. Titanfall, Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Sunset Overdrive, Watch Dogs, Destiny, Evolve, Assassin's Creed: Unity, etc, all of them have at best made a splash for a couple weeks before fading. We are now going on two years' worth of tech demos and devs seem to be completely unaware of this. They seriously expected these to sell solely on the fact that they showed off technical aspects of the hardware and were SHOCKED when people called them out on those titles being shallow, boring experiences with nothing to offer in terms of gameplay and fun.

It seems to me like the current crop of talent is filled not with actual game designers but with tech porn junkies who don't understand how to actually DESIGN games. Instead they let the hardware show off a bunch of shiny but hollow nonsense and put no actual effort into creating unique gameplay, interesting level design, fun worlds, etc. This is what happens when you rely on brute force too much which too many developers did over the last generation. I don't see this turning around for the foreseeable future.

To be fair Titanfall had gigantic promise as a pure multiplayer game. What they failed on was delivering more content. More Titans, more maps, more weapons, and such would have kept that game much more alive than it is now. It plays in a balls to the wall way like quake 3 and team arena did. So content to fuel unique play styles is all that it ever needed.

Still it's not BattleTech, or Armored Core, or Gundam and if we could get some really good next gen games out of any of those... The PS4 and XB1 could be new legends. Just by raising the bar.