Menu Close

Snag The Order: 1886 For Only $40

Ben-Dutka 9 Comments

Maybe you thought the game wasn't quite good enough to warrant the full $60 price tag. Or perhaps you thought it wasn't long enough.

Well, is it worth it to you at $40?

Amazon has the best deal yet on the PlayStation 4 exclusive, The Order: 1886 . You can snag it now for only $40, which is a significant discount on the standard cost. In our opinion, the majority of critics from major sources got this one wrong; you can read all about it in our candid and in-depth review . Most of you have already read it, which I definitely appreciate. 🙂

Anyway, it's well worth playing – and definitely worth seeing – so you should consider this deal.

Related Game(s): The Order: 1886

Read more →

The Order Inspires Horse-Drawn Uber Rides In New Zealand

Ben-Dutka 3 Comments

Oh come on, you know you'd want to do this. If you lived in Auckland, New Zealand, that is.

As reported by Twinfinite , delivery service Uber has teamed up with Sony to offer Auckland residents a singular lifetime experience.

It's nothing too crazy but it's still very atmospheric, just like the game in question: Via the Uber mobile app, you can request a pickup with a horse-drawn carriage and inside that carriage is a TV and PlayStation 4. Obviously, you can anticipate The Order: 1886 sitting in the machine as well. Said SCE New Zealand Marketing Manager Krister Robinson:

"This game is the perfect marriage of past, myth and modern technology. Everything in the game, from the characters, the enemy, the weapons, the setting and the technology has been crafted to bring this to life. We’re looking forward to offering some passengers a one-off travel experience that brings history – The Order: 1886 carriage – and today’s technology – Uber – together."

Oh, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Related Game(s): The Order: 1886

Read more →

Stand Fast, RAD, Don’t Let The Haters Hurt The Order’s Sequel

Ben-Dutka 58 Comments

I made it abundantly clear in my review :

Far too many critics messed this one up.

We saw far too much subjectivity passed off as fact; i.e., the nasty and erroneous belief that open-world is simply superior to a linear structure, that any cut-scene longer than a few minutes is now considered "too long" (and consequently, a huge "flaw"), etc. We also saw more evidence that games without multiplayer and games that aren't sandbox-oriented are quite simply treated unfairly by the critical community.

I've got just one thing to say to developer Ready at Dawn: Ignore this sh**. I'm sorry it has hurt the scores for The Order: 1886 , and I'm sorry the game suffered through such a hugely exaggerated – and often completely false – series of negative headlines prior to launch. Inevitably, I expect all this to have a negative impact on sales (even though it has debuted at #1 in the UK ). But if you are cleared to make a sequel, do not let this mess hurt the next project.

Don't kowtow; don't bend and scrape; stick to your guns. You want to create a linear, narrative-driven adventure and there is nothing wrong with that . No, it doesn't need multiplayer; no, it doesn't need to be longer, and don't listen to this tripe about the pacing. The pacing is excellent; the only "pacing" twitch gamers complain about is the fact that they can't run around and do whatever they want every second of the game. Ignore it all, RAD.

As you've probably seen from a very vocal contingent of fans, and despite what some critics and journalists want everyone to believe (that linear is "inferior"), there are still plenty of people who appreciate what you're trying to do. As such, stick to the plan. Now, we'll all welcome better AI, fewer QTEs, a more robust stealth mechanic, a less predictable story, etc. By all means, we're not saying you shouldn't address these shortcomings; they're precisely why The Order isn't the AAA PS4 exclusive it could've been.

But just fix those things; don't change what this new IP is about. Please don't. Not every gamer in the world only cares about multiplayer, open-world, etc. I promise.

Related Game(s): The Order: 1886

Read more →

PSXE Poll Update: Fans Expected The Order To Score Better

Ben-Dutka 45 Comments

Well, duh.

It's no surprise to learn that most gamers thought The Order: 1886 would score better than it has.

In our most recent poll, we asked our community to predict the average review scores for the new PlayStation 4 exclusive. The majority guessed somewhere in the 8 range, while most others figured on a lot of 7s. In truth, unfortunately, the game currently holds an average Metascore of only 65, and it hasn't fared well at many of the major outlets. Whether or not we at PSXE agree with those negative assessments remains to be seen…review coming very soon.

This week, we stay with the most controversial game of 2015 thus far. The question now is: Do you think critics handled this game badly? Do you see too much subjectivity, too much bias, etc.? Or, do you think most of them are spot on? We're going to assume that you've played at least part of The Order before voting. 😉

Related Game(s): The Order: 1886

Read more →

The Order: 1886 Critical Reception Shows A Changed Landscape

Ben-Dutka 149 Comments

The critical reception for the latest PlayStation 4 exclusive isn't exactly glowing.

In fact, with a current Metacritic average of only 66, it's arguably the biggest disappointment of the new generation thus far.

But is it really? I've been scanning dozens of reviews and while there are objective points that bother me (the poor pacing, predictable story, overly intrusive QTEs, etc.), I'm noticing a lot more subjectivity than normal. And interestingly enough, that subjectivity speaks to a preference that has changed drastically in the past ten or fifteen years.

It seems the overwhelming majority of critics dock the game for being too short, too easy, and too story-centric. Some reviewers come across as if they can't sit still for more than 30 consecutive seconds without pressing buttons; they act like watching a cut-scene is some agonizing ordeal. Cut-scenes have dwindled greatly in frequency and length and now that we've returned to a game that's heavy on the cut-scenes, it just doesn't go over well. There's no doubt about the decreased attention span in the nation, but that goes well beyond gaming.

As for the too short and too easy part, there was a time in this industry's history when games were way too hard. Do we not remember that? And do we not acknowledge that gaming is now a mainstream hobby and successful titles must cater to a larger audience than ever? "Too short" is highly subjective as well. As I said yesterday, shorter games actually appeal more to me than ever before . My biggest problem with a lot of these reviews is that subjective reasoning seems to be presented as fact.

It is not a universally bad thing that a game is short, nor is it an automatic negative if the game puts a big emphasis on story. Now, if the gameplay feels tacked on and the storyline in question is better suited for another medium (like movies), that's one thing. But just because there's an emphasis on a narrative – something we're absolutely seeing less and less of – that doesn't mean it's "bad." Difficulty is also mostly irrelevant when determining a game's quality.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Had this game released a generation or two ago, I can almost guarantee the scores would be much, much higher. And not because it's "outdated" now; just because it's of a style that obviously, people don't like anymore.

Related Game(s): The Order: 1886

Read more →

Ready At Dawn On The Order Fiasco: “We Blame Ourselves”

Ben-Dutka 58 Comments

The haterade began to flow after that first gameplay trailer hit the web.

And while developer Ready at Dawn has been testy with irate gamers in previous weeks, studio founder and CTO Andrea Pessino tells Italian source Game's Princess (as cited by World's Factory ) that it's the team's fault:

"I just have to blame ourselves. In some way, it’s obvious that we’re not communicating our intentions…It may be a lack of our ability to communicate our vision.

It seems like everyone is trying to find, not a problem but rather dishonesty, it seems like we’re trying to hide something. I thought we had been very clear since the very beginning, about what we were trying to do."

Pessino went on to say their game is "rather unique and specific" and it's not just about frame rate and "a couple polygons here and there." He hopes that in the future, the studio will do a better job presenting their projects, so everyone will have a "little faith that what we're saying is true."

That's a very diplomatic way to approach things, I think. The Order: 1886 is the game everyone loves to hate right now and while I don't believe it's all Ready at Dawn's fault, there is some truth to what Pessino says.

Related Game(s): The Order: 1886

Read more →