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The Order: 1886 |OT| Gears of Yore

Amir0x

Banned
HOLY FUCK AT THE TEXTURE WORK AND GEOMETRY IN THIS IMAGE <The Order spoilers>

Jesus christ it's so beautiful. I want to go on this guided tour!

Pretty sure it's PR talk for "we need to give people reasons to play more than once". Glad that they had grounded mode enabled from the get go on TLOU:R. I went straight for it. And it felt good!

Yeah, I figured it was PR for that. Still was hoping otherwise!

Yeah, Grounded mode is great.

I play all Uncharted games precisely one time and on easiest difficulty

=(

It's all good banana. For me, the game is too easy in the other difficulties, and because the platforming plays itself if the gunplay isn't challenging the game is just a breeze to get through. I like feeling like I accomplished something when I finish a game, I guess I'm a little oldschool like that.
 
I really hope Sony doesn't abandon RAD. The engine work and investment in the Order is absolutely amazing.

If anything, give them another 3 years and beef up their studio...they're highly talented, with the core already established they just need to refine and expand an otherwise very solid new IP mechanically and visually.

Pretty sure they're already working on a sequel, and that if anything will decide the relationship there if there is a risk.
 
Someone earlier mentioned "Somber Uncharted" and on my play through tonight I kept thinking something similar. There is definitely an element of Uncharted to this game. The blend of cinematics with gunplay has that feel to it. Maybe my comparisons to Gears aren't as accurate as a comparison to Uncharted.

I'm really hoping for good sales numbers on this one.
 

GnawtyDog

Banned
Pretty sure it's PR talk for "we need to give people reasons to play more than once". Glad that they had grounded mode enabled from the get go on TLOU:R. I went straight for it. And it felt good!

Not really. It's just a different rationalization. You could be pro or against it. Developers ultimately decide, not the consumer. For all you know there would of never existed grounded or crushing (if not given the option) and we wouldn't be having this conversation - a conversation that does not exist for many games. No matter which difficulty, "your hands are held" - if that's the rationale it's going to be based of, difficulty levels an individual "prefers".
 

De_Legend

Banned
I just played a few more hours tonight. I think I'm nearing the end now.

I was really liking it yesterday. Today, I'm loving it. This game is definitely an early contender for my GOTY list. I'm really digging the story and the gunfire gameplay has been fantastic. I mean, it's Gears of Wars'ish but it feels different enough to make it stand a part.

I love the world building and universe of this game and I desperately want more of it. I hope the game isn't a complete flop because I want the next Order.

It's amazing how many people complained about broken experiences last year and yet when we get something that is finely tuned as The Order, it ends up being critically panned.

Sounds good!
 

Kureransu

Member
Did that 'lair' studio have successful games before that entry?
. From what people are saying RAD has made great games in the past.

Sony might see the sales #'s and say fuck the reviews and still pursue a sequel

Factor 5 made the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron games on N64 and Gamecube
 
Watching a stream and yeah while there's a lot of cutscenes and some slow-walking sections, the visuals are breathtaking and the shooting looks pretty fun. I think the atmospheric immersion will really add to the enjoyment of what is otherwise a pretty "simple" game.
 
Watching a stream and yeah while there's a lot of cutscenes and some slow-walking sections, the visuals are breathtaking and the shooting looks pretty fun. I think the atmospheric immersion will really add to the enjoyment of what is otherwise a pretty "simple" game.

Some of the guns you find are fun to play around with.
 

kyser73

Member
...



I still don't actually understand Naughty Dog's excuse for this. I read it before, was something like they don't want first time players to have a bad first impression. But Christ, just how dumb do you think players are? I understand your bizarre desire to hold players hands is partly responsible for your dumb philosophy behind automated platforming and insultingly easy puzzles and obstacles ("dying sucks," said Arne. True in life, not in games. Risk means enjoy Rewards more, and teaches you fundamental lessons about the skills you need and how the game needs you to utilize its gameplay logic). But really, do you believe gamers are so dumb that if you put a prompt that said...

"You just selected crushing, the most punishing difficulty this game has to offer. Please be aware that this is meant for expert players only. You may change the difficulty at any time in the options, but doing so will cancel the attempt at the crushing trophy."


...that they wouldn't immediately understand what was going on and change to an easier difficulty if they were so concerned?

This is why

For background, Dara O'Briain is a standup comedian, panel quiz show host, occasionally mathematician and theoretical physicist and a gamer. The show is Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe.
 

viveks86

Member
Not really. It's just a different rationalization. You could be pro or against it. Developers ultimately decide, not the consumer. For all you know there would of never existed grounded or crushing (if not given the option) and we wouldn't be having this conversation - a conversation that does not exist for many games. No matter which difficulty, "your hands are held" - if that's the rationale it's going to be based of, difficulty levels an individual "prefers".

I think you misunderstood. We are not talking about the preference of a difficulty level, but the need to lock a difficulty level. There isn't one other than creating an artificial replay incentive.


Don't worry bout it. It's just not worded right. It's really just an option to switch between headphone presets and speakers as opposed to number of output channels.
 

GnawtyDog

Banned
I think you misunderstood. We are not talking about the preference of a difficulty level, but the need to lock a difficulty level. There isn't one other than creating an artificial replay incentive.

I understand the point. And I am saying it's both, can be both - not just the incentive (and the strings attached).
 
Factor 5 made the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron games on N64 and Gamecube

Which is why it's amusing that Lair was panned when it was literally the Rogue games with dragons. I remember a lot of people wondering how the hell F5 took 15-20m and the chance to make a new IP and churned out a Rogue clone. But I guess it shows how much a license can mean to an IP.
 
So, is there any chance this game will be another "GAF loves but the press doesn't" game? If so, game review is getting weirder and weirder this gen as it looks like they can't catch up with people's criterion of judging a game's quality.
 
What is GAF's impression of the storyline, after beating it? From what I read reviewers are mostly not that high on it and particularly
don't like the last few chapters/ending
.

So, is there any chance this game will be another "GAF loves but the press doesn't" game? If so, game review is getting weirder and weirder this gen as it looks like they can't catch up with people's criterion of judging a game's quality.

Let's face it, no matter what score the reviewers gave this game some faction of gamers was going to criticize them over it. It's not like their criticisms are made of thin air. Whether you like this game or not really depends on what it is you value in your games. If the reviewers had largely had positive opinions of it, you would have people criticizing them for putting graphics and QTEs over gameplay etc etc.

A review score is ultimately a reflection of how much a reviewer enjoyed the game and how much they would recommend to their audience/average gamer. If you are not that concerned about a reviewer's personal opinion and care more about whether the game is well-executed and has the qualities that you find important, you are better served reading the text of a review and watching video.
 

viveks86

Member
So, is there any chance this game will be another "GAF loves but the press doesn't" game? If so, game reviews is getting weirder and weirder this gen as it looks like they can't catch up with people's criterion of judging a game's quality.

Too soon to call. Gotta wait a few days at least to see how it shakes up.

This is why

For background, Dara O'Briain is a standup comedian, panel quiz show host, occasionally mathematician and theoretical physicist and a gamer. The show is Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe.

Haha! That was hilarious! But seriously, he couldn't get past the berserker?! :/
 
Which is why it's amusing that Lair was panned when it was literally the Rogue games with dragons. I remember a lot of people wondering how the hell F5 took 15-20m and the chance to make a new IP and churned out a Rogue clone. But I guess it shows how much a license can mean to an IP.

It didn't help that the flying was only sixaxis based when it was first released. If they could have used traditional controls, I'm sure it would have reviewed better.
 

hiex_

Banned
I think the game definitely works best playing on hard. The encounters are relatively straight forward, but still an okay challenge and can get pretty intense with the audio/visuals. That being said, it's a real "set piece" game that doesn't give the player a lot of agency in what you can do. There are a lot of areas that just involve walking around and admiring the world that RAD have built, which is amazing to look at and get absorbed into. I think atmosphere wise the game's on par with TLOU. But again, the game is very point A to B, shoot guys, admire setting, B to C and so on.

I also haven't really seen any quicktime events like people are saying. They're certainly in there, but a lot of it seems to be environmental cues rather than insta death combat stuff (apart from grenades, but there's more to those than "press X to not die").

Anyway, I think it's a really cool and absorbing game, but I can see why so many people have a problem with it. There aren't many mechanics involved, and it doesn't do much interesting with what's there. But I'm a sucker for world design so I'm enjoying it. So far at least, toes crossed.
 
It didn't help that the flying was only sixaxis based when it was first released. If they could have used traditional controls, I'm sure it would have reviewed better.

Sure, but didn't they patch in traditional controls later on? I just remember Game Informer playing some of the Rogue games while discussing cancelled Star Wars games and they brought up how much they hated Lair while being in love with the Rogue games. It just didn't make much sense to me since they're the same thing in terms of gameplay. That's why I said that it shows how much an IP can mean to a game. Apparently it can take a game from being completely shit to being beloved.
 

viveks86

Member
You know what, guys. I think all the positive impressions are happening in this thread and all the negative ones are in the review and spoiler threads. I just took a peek at the spoiler thread and every post is "I don't like this", "I don't like that" lol
 

kyser73

Member
Too soon to call. Gotta wait a few days at least to see how it shakes up.



Haha! That was hilarious! But seriously, he couldn't get past the berserker?! :/

The whole series is awesome. But yeah, I remember most of the posters on a UK site I was posting on ripped the piss of Dara about that - I've not played Gears, but just watching the background I could work out what to do!

It's that lack of skill that is the reason ND and others have hand holding gaming mechanics and the rest of it - the simple fact is a broad swathe of the buying public aren't that good at games and they want to get their money's worth out of a game.
 

Dominator

Member
I'm still excited to play this tomorrow. Not going to rush, but I'll probably finish it the same day because I'm starting in the morning.

Platinum will also be mine!
 

viveks86

Member
It's that lack of skill that is the reason ND and others have hand holding gaming mechanics and the rest of it - the simple fact is a broad swathe of the buying public aren't that good at games and they want to get their money's worth out of a game.

Hmmm interesting… So they don't want rubbish players to choose a difficulty setting because they think they are awesome, and then trash the game because it's too frustrating.
 

Phreak47

Member
I'm excited to play this, but not $60 excited. Reviews in many ways confirm much of the fears. Unless you're looking for a completely different crowd than core gamers (think Myst) then you have to deliver the gameplay. The IGN review even mentioned that you can crouch spam your way through most of the battles. Too bad.
 

kyser73

Member
Hmmm interesting… So they don't want rubbish players to choose a difficulty setting because they think they are awesome, and then trash the game because it's too frustrating.

Partly, but I think it's also because they want everyone who owns it to actually get to see the whole game regardless of their skill level. The things I've noticed annoy lots of the more hardcore on here (handlholding, 'easy' one-stick direction advancement) are precisely the things that enable less committed/skilled gamers to enjoy what they're playing and get to feel that sense of agency while playing that they are beating the game.

A good example is the combat in Assassin's Creed. One of the major gripes many have on here is that it isn't especially nuanced or complex, with the same sequence guaranteeing victory no matter how many enemies you're up against...but that also makes someone who can't or doesn't want to remember a more complex set of commands a complete badass, especially in Black Flag where you swing down from the rigging of a ship into a mass of fighting bodies and just start kicking ass with some cool finishing moves.
 

Darknight

Member
Anyone recently tried to order online at best buy? Its sold out for PICK UP in store! What the hell? Did they under ship copies or selling like hot cakes?

Edit: read its disabled when store is closed...the fuck BB? Fuck off.
 

viveks86

Member
Partly, but I think it's also because they want everyone who owns it to actually get to see the whole game regardless of their skill level. The things I've noticed annoy lots of the more hardcore on here (handlholding, 'easy' one-stick direction advancement) are precisely the things that enable less committed/skilled gamers to enjoy what they're playing and get to feel that sense of agency while playing that they are beating the game.

A good example is the combat in Assassin's Creed. One of the major gripes many have on here is that it isn't especially nuanced or complex, with the same sequence guaranteeing victory no matter how many enemies you're up against...but that also makes someone who can't or doesn't want to remember a more complex set of commands a complete badass, especially in Black Flag where you swing down from the rigging of a ship into a mass of fighting bodies and just start kicking ass with some cool finishing moves.

Options are great and I welcome that. What I don't welcome is compromising the experience for one skill level to accommodate other skill levels. An ideal system would be one that scales well across all of them. Instead all we get is the lowest common denominator with arbitrary damage multipliers slapped on the player and enemies to keep it from becoming a snoozefest for higher skills. That, in my opinion, is a cop out. It's why AI sucks in so many games. They are not given the level of attention that other aspects of game design seem to get.
 

Jashobeam

Member
I'm still excited to play this tomorrow. Not going to rush, but I'll probably finish it the same day because I'm starting in the morning.

Platinum will also be mine!

Yup excited here too, don't give a crap about reviews because I know what I'm getting into. Tomorrow I get to watch & play through a 7 hour, decent action movie and I love my action movies (even the critically panned bad ones).
 

Dazza

Member
A review score is ultimately a reflection of how much a reviewer enjoyed the game and how much they would recommend to their audience/average gamer.

I would suggest there are many video game journalists jaded and are out of touch with the average gamer
 
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