110°

Game Buzz | Episode 63 - Sonic Boom

Dealspwn writes: This week on Game Buzz we discuss SEGA's latest adventure for their spiky hedgehog in the transmedia Sonic Boom, we ask if the lack of multiplayer in The Order: 1886 really matters, we have a chat about Amazon's acquisition of Double Helix, and we have a jolly good moan about EA and Mythic's Dungeon Keeper reboot when it comes to Loser of the Week.

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dealspwn.com
350°

The Order: 1886 pushed visuals hard in 2015 - And still looks stunning today

Digital Foundry : Released in February 2015, The Order: 1886 was a stunning PlayStation 4 game at the cutting-edge of rendering technology, with visuals that still hold up today. The game's release pre-dated in-depth Digital Foundry coverage, something we're looking to address with this new video! Ready at Dawn's game never received a sequel and never received a PS4 Pro upgrade, but thanks to developments with exploited, older firmware PS5 consoles, we can now show you the game running locked at 60 frames per second.

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eurogamer.net
VenomUK252d ago

The gameplay was bland and extremely frustrating at times with unnecessary QTE combat at points. But the world and the lore and the characters and the story were fantastic. I’ve always wanted a sequel. I still hope Sony will surprise us one day.

shadowT253d ago

Sony missed the opportunity to acquire Ready at Dawn Studios.

Tacoboto253d ago

But... Sony didn't want Ready at Dawn. Clearly

mkis007252d ago

I'm guessing had 1886 turned out more positively they would have.

RaidenBlack253d ago

And let's not forget,
Ready At Dawn showcased The Order 1886 running on PC at 60fps at SIGGRAPH 2015
https://www.dsogaming.com/n...

isarai253d ago

I still stand by my theory that this game just released at the wrong time. Almost every outlet spent a lot of time in their reviews ragging on the game for not being an online experience, everyone was in the Destiny hype train and at the time they wanted EVERY game to follow suit, bashing any game that didn't. If this were released after everyone realized how much that wasn't future, people would've appreciated it more. I loved it, and I'm always disappointed that we'll never get a sequel

Tacoboto253d ago

That doesn't seem to be true about outlets complaining on the lack of online. The review summaries on Metacritic are very consistent: Amazing graphics, but shallow gameplay and a very short length with little reason to return.

Here's an example of how *little* time IGN spent talking about multiplayer:

"With no multiplayer, and no reason to revisit the short and stunted single-player campaign once it’s been completed, there just isn’t a lot to it."

It's the final sentence. They don't even take the time to say "online multiplayer"

MrChow666252d ago (Edited 252d ago )

"Amazing graphics, but shallow gameplay and a very short length with little reason to return."
You are right, that's what everbody was saying at the time, never heard anything about it not being online.
I've been thinking about trying this game for years, I may get it now that it's dirt cheap, no big loss if it sucks

MrChow666252d ago

Oh, add to that bad enemy AI, I remember that from the reviews, I saw a video of a wherewolf boss fight with a very weak AI

thorstein252d ago

And there we glowing reviews for shorter games. It was one of the times where hating this game was "cool."

CrimsonWing69253d ago

Can you show me the reviews that rag on it for not having an online experience?

I’m not doubting you or anything. I’m just being lazy.

isarai253d ago

Sorry, not multiplayer, open world is what I meant.

Tacoboto253d ago

That's also fake news, isarai. Again, the game was consistently criticized for what it was (Pretty but extremely short, extremely linear, hand-holding, no replayability), not for what it wasn't (multiplayer/open-world)

isarai253d ago

Nope, every review uses the term "linear" several times as if it's some inherently bad attribute. Not fake news at all. Since then there's veen plenty of short and sweet single player linear games that get lots of praise, again after the reality of everything being open world set it and it wasn't as great as everyone thought. But at the launch of the last gen everyone had open world fever, and especially the first couple years "linear" was a con in many games reviewed

Tacoboto253d ago

That's your own contortion assuming criticism of its extremely linear design is suddenly a call for it to have been open world.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 253d ago
zumlauf14253d ago

You totally made up a claim regarding an overall review consensus that isn't true. And, instead of just ignoring being called out for it, you respond with "oh actually i ment to say OPEN WORLD". Which literally isn't true either. You can't show us one review that bashed the game for "not being open world". And, somehow the other guy is getting downvoted. Over a bullshit liar.

isarai253d ago

Games were being criticized at that time for any game that wasn't open world or online. So yeah I got one mixed for the other, doesn't change my argument one bit that it would've been received better if it released later. People are agreeing because if you were not riding the "online and open world" hype train at that time, it was blatantly obvious there were biases in play for how games were criticized. Now after all that has happened since people want to say "oh wait these games were actually pretty good" cause they know better now

Rude-ro252d ago

The gameplay was very shallow and when one says repetitive, it is by the very definition for some fights. As in, completely identical but different setting.

The game has amazing potential.
The graphics, the lore, characters…
This could most definitely have been all corrected with a sequel and became a franchise hit…
Still would love to see an attempt.

Ie fantastic premise and moments that shine…
But it had its downfalls that deserved the negative marks.

thorstein252d ago

It was the "game to hate" when it launched. And right here, on this site, we saw people posting stories that were outright fabrications about the game. It was weird. The game launched, it was fun, a really cool game but the hate was too much. And so were the lies.

Minute Man 721252d ago

It was just too short....but I loved every minute of it....double dipped and grabbed the ultimate CE

babadivad252d ago

That isn't true. I remember people talking about how incredibly short it was and the somewhat janky gunplay.

KwietStorm_BLM252d ago

First I'm hearing of this. I don't know what multiplayer has to do with anything. The game was just dull. Amazing graphics, great narrative, great lore, boring gameplay sprinkled in pieces between cutscenes, and lackluster AI and controls.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 252d ago
anast253d ago

People cried this game was too short. No people are crying because games are too long.

isarai253d ago

Pretty sure everyone is complaining about bloated games lately but ok

anast253d ago

Thank you for the ok. I needed that.

RaidenBlack253d ago

Games like Ubisoft open worlds not enjoyable lengthy games like Elden Ring or Baldur's Gate III

anast252d ago

I get it, but people also complain about the main stories being too long or just games being too long in general because they are "adults".

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230°

The Curious Case of The Order: 1886 - A Retrospective

Ready At Dawn cut their teeth developing spin-offs for PlayStation Portable and porting games to consoles. When they got a chance to establish their own with The Order: 1886, its poor critical reception ostensibly halted their trajectory. Can one middling game really sully one’s reputation in the eyes of Sony?

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lordsofgaming.net
moriarty1889719d ago

Wanted a sequel for this game so much. It was left wide open for one with the ending it had.

porkChop719d ago

Sony did file a new trademark a while back, so you never know. Though if I were to guess it would be a reboot rather than a sequel.

REDGUM718d ago

The Order was great from my playthrough and really enjoyed it. The same with Days Gone. Both, amongst others out there, deserve a follow-up. Anyone who actually played through the complete games knows there were hidden gems in and around these 2 games. Too many out there put too much faith in reviewer's opinions instead of thier own and get put off or join the hate bandwagon.
Seriously, gamers need to game & not read or view other people game with added opinions thrown in.
Honestly, if you haven't played either of these 2 games yet, do yourself a favour, pick it or them up, forget anything you know about them & just play it for yourself & create you're own opinions.

Ninver718d ago

I ignored the reviews and went straight to the store to but the game. Thoroughly enjoyed it I might add. If only Sony had the balls to summon enough faith to reboot or give us a sequel. Maybe even a prequel done right and make it a 3 part series. Wasted opportunity for a really different exclusive if you ask me.

barom718d ago

Days Gone is really an exceptional game though it feels like it took a bit of time for it to get interesting.

The Order 1886 was unfortunately not very good. Super beautiful game with beautiful cinematics but felt incomplete and don't really remember much happening at all in the game i.e. it was kind of bland. A sequel where they learned from their mistakes would be very intriguing though and I would have bought it.

monkey602718d ago

I loved Days Gone and I would have loved a sequel.

I didnt like The Order. There was enough there for me to give a sequel a chance if they improved on bits but I'm losing no sleep over the absence of it. I thought the 1st one was genuinely terrible for a multitude of valid reasons.

S2Killinit718d ago

I really enjoyed it. I was hoping for a game in the same world but less linear. With lots of that sweet lore.

YoungKingDoran718d ago

Yeah with the tech sorted and expanding on the existing assets, they could/should have been able to do a trilogy that gen. What happened..

moriarty1889718d ago

Agreed. Such an interesting title just abandoned. Makes no sense. As I said the ending of the game sets up for a sequel perfectly.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 718d ago
porkChop719d ago

Incredible graphics and presentation. Great use of photo mode. A really interesting premise. The actual gunplay felt solid. The game just needed to be longer, and the levels could have been a bit less constrained. More enemy variety as well. At full price it just didn't have the value, at least in my opinion.

I would like to see a sequel or reboot, which I think is more likely. It would need to be a new dev as Ready at Dawn are part of Oculus now

robtion718d ago

I think Bluepoint could do a good job. They have the technical capability if Demon's Souls is anything to go by.

MeatyUrologist718d ago

Agreed. Because of all the bad reviews I waited until the end of last gen to buy it, but was really surprised. The only knocks against it were length and linearity. Really loved the visuals, atmosphere, story, and characters. The gunplay was actually really well done with unique and fun weapons.

You mentioned the photo mode, and this was one of the best examples I have seen. They actually allow you to add filters and modify the visuals in the photo mode, and then apply those to the game. I have never seen that before or since. I really wish more games would allow this. Give the users more control over how the game looks to cater it to their tastes.

uth11719d ago

This was a weird one in that the community hated the game but also demanded a sequel

SonyStyled718d ago

Because it’s literally a 5 hr game, yet had the same quality offering of the other AAA Sony games that are tens to hundreds of hours of gameplay.

I used a walkthrough trophy guide for the platinum to not miss any collectibles in one run, it took 8hrs. I thought it was actually a pretty great game, but always wonder why that level of game development didn’t continue for a 15hr single player campaign.

robtion718d ago

I'm part of the community and I loved it.

I think a lot of the hate was from people who didn't even play it jumping on the bandwagon. Clearly there was the usual hate from xbox fans but also from insecure PC players as the graphics were (still are) phenomenal.
The game is a flawed gem. A new entry on PS5 would have great potential (doubt it will happen though, Sony isn't into risk taking these days).

Eidolon718d ago

All the early hate was a people who haven't played it and were quick to call it a QTE game.

AuraAbjure718d ago

I'm an Xbox fan and I'm planning on getting a PS4 pro one day to play this game along with gravity Rush 2 and others.

coolbeans718d ago

-"I think a lot of the hate was from people who didn't even play it jumping on the bandwagon."

Can we please stop retreating back such tired defenses? It's had a heavily mixed reception ever since critics PLAYED the game back then, and justifiably so. Even trying to rope in "insecure PC players" just shows how shallow this view actually is.

718d ago
Shiore2u718d ago (Edited 718d ago )

Can't ever forget those terribly designed lycan fights.

ClayRules2012718d ago

Ugh, I love this game! But yes, those lycan fights were terribly designed, for real.

Overall though, solid gameplay.

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540°

Sony Files A New Trademark For The Order: 1886

The Order: 1886 has received a new trademark filed by Sony. The trademark application is for a video game, implying that they want to extend it.

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novicegamerguides.com
zsquaresoff854d ago

I hope they give this game another chance, it had an incredible story and gameplay, It was just unfortunate that the game length was extremely short.

Magog854d ago

The team that made it was bought by Facebook. I don't see why they would continue the series with a new team rather than just make a new IP.

Neonridr854d ago

I guess it's still possible that another studio could take another swing at it. But yeah, Ready at Dawn was bought by Facebook.

darthv72854d ago

would be cool to see an oculus version.

CrimsonWing69854d ago

It wouldn't be the first time this has happened. Bungie and 343 come to mind with Halo.

Magog854d ago

@CrimsonWing69 the difference is Halo was still successful. In my mind they should have put the series to rest when the original creators got tired of it but Microsoft love to flog the series so there you go.

ALMGNOON853d ago

am pretty sure Sony owns the IP so that doesn't matter at all.

GamingSinceForever853d ago

So what other great games has that studio produced since being bought by Facebook?

Magog853d ago

@GamingSinceForever they made Lone Echo a well received VR game.

Lord_Sloth853d ago

The team was, but that doesn't mean all of them left Sony. It's entirely possible that several of the employees still work for Sony.

Rhythmattic853d ago (Edited 853d ago )

"The team that made it was bought by Facebook."
Yes.. Not the IP...
Personally, The IP has soooo much potential for exploration.......If done right.....
Which brings me to your post... Unlike FB... Sorry, Meta.... A team is not IP, and with an even better team working on such said IP, It could be a winner...

Def wont be 1886 infinite,

deleted853d ago

Exactly @Rhythmattic Could you imagine if The Order was handed over to a studio like Santa Monica?! The Order 1886 set up a really nice setting and lore... now the idea could be pushed to the next level by one of Sony's high tier studios. It may be too much to ask to get one of the big dogs on it, but one can dream.

It could even work out that someone like Santa Monica create a smaller team just for creative vision, then hand over the busy work of building that world to one of their subsidiaries like the newly acquired Valkyrie Entertainment, which specializes in high tier support work.

Magog853d ago (Edited 853d ago )

@Lord_Sloth Readyatdawn were never owned by Sony so no, none of their employees stayed with Sony. Order 1886 was a second party game funded by Sony but developed by an outside company.

Neonridr853d ago

@GamingSinceForever - Lone Echo and its sequel are some of the better VR games out there with a great story and some awesome VR integration. The second game only came out in October of this year, so it will be some time before we see their next project.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 853d ago
_SilverHawk_854d ago

Hopefully playstation-5 will have a sequel to the order 1886.

FlavorLav01854d ago

Please let one of the big boys take a swing at it and slay us with an awesome game. Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, and Sony Bend could all do this IP justice.

Magog854d ago

Why would any of Sony's teams want to take their time and resources to work on another studios unsuccessful IP instead of their own unique ideas? Generally speaking Sony doesn't assign their top teams games to make they let them make what they want and are passionate about.

senorfartcushion853d ago

It’ll be just to hold on to the rights. They’re not making a new one. A remaster in 5 years is most likely, but until then, no.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 853d ago
FlavorLav01854d ago

If it had been marketed correctly as a strong narrative experience and sold for $30-40 instead of full price, the game would’ve big a huge success and we’d have guaranteed sequels. Loved the game, hope more from this IP is on the way.

Rhythmattic853d ago

It def cut corners though.. The Wolf fights where copy and pasted, the gun mechanics, decent... But the World was what made it... Maybe your standard gun mechanics, but never the guns....

The round table needs to be fleshed out....

ChasterMies854d ago (Edited 854d ago )

Short games are ok with me. Everyone loves the Titanfall 2 campaign and it was only about 5 hours. The issue is gameplay, and frustrating controls that did not need to be frustrating. Other than that, the look and feel was fantastic.

porkChop853d ago

Titanfall 2 also had an excellent multiplayer mode though. As excellent as the campaign was, no one would have paid full price for just that.

Ramboforlife854d ago

Totally agree. If it was a 20-30 hour campaign, it would have sold very well. It deserves another chance.

Livingthedream853d ago

Nah it had mediocre to terrible reviews. Don’t really know anyone who actually loved the game, but there was potential. They should give it another go same studio. Lol

Rude-ro853d ago

This is not that type of game.
I can not think of a single story driven game that does not have endless fetch quests in a forced open world type game that comes close to 20 hours.

Let’s be realistic…
Either way, the game had issues that can easily be remedied and make for an amazing sequel and I hope it happens.

senorfartcushion853d ago

It was good but had a terrible
Cliffhanger. An actual second half would have skyrocketed the game’s status. TLOU 2 was over 30 hours long for some people.

porkChop853d ago

It really just needed to be twice as long. I can put up with super linear, tightly scripted gameplay as long as I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. But the game was so short with little replay value. And the length prevented the lore from being properly realized.

I'm interested as long as they can flesh out the length. Possibly open up the gameplay slightly without detracting from the movie-like scripting.

-Foxtrot853d ago

Yeah I really liked the overall world and Sir Galahad

(SPOILERS)

Having Werewolves and then vampires opened it up to so many possibilities, who's to say other mythical beasts couldn't be introduced.

EmperorDalek853d ago

The story was good until it ended on a cliff hanger, I wouldn't call it incredible. The gameplay was dreadful. I would like to see an improved sequel however.

itsmebryan853d ago

@zsquare

Maybe I'm missing something but, wasn't that game panned after much hype as not very good and poor gameplay? Metacritic is 63% and user rating of 6.7 and by no means consider a hit.
Actually a new developer could be good for the game.

Flewid638853d ago

Limited gameplay mechanics too but I REALLY enjoyed what was there.

alb1899853d ago

Yep, I always liked the atmosphere and characters of this game. I think it can be a really good game if they put emphasis on the gameplay.

DarXyde853d ago (Edited 853d ago )

I don't know if I would say the gameplay was "incredible." The lore was fine and the weapons were awesome (and truly a standout visually, no questions asked). I'm impressed they got a game looking this good to run in such a stable condition when you consider the tech last gen. I only played it on base PS4, and that was really a marvel.

But that all said, the gameplay didn't stand out for me at all. Felt like a pretty standard affair and, as you said, the length was pretty short. Granted, I got it on sale for $12, so I don't feel bad about that purchase. It didn't really linger so the point was really to tell the story they wanted to tell, which I can respect.

I also hope they give it another chance, but I would prefer if they really made it stand out. There's a ton of creative talent over at PlayStation, so if Ready at Dawn had learned from the shortcomings of the first game and they're willing to solicit feedback from PlayStation studios, it has great potential.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 853d ago
NovusTerminus854d ago (Edited 854d ago )

I really want another one, I bought it day one zero regrets. I enjoyed it a lot and has lots of room for a sequel.

HOWEVER

USPTO policy is that a trademark only be updates with visual proof once every ten years after initial filing, and since the game is still for sale on the PlayStation Network it is likely just a paper work error that will be corrected so that they can continue selling the game digitally.

RaidenBlack854d ago

Yea ... I initially though this might be for a near-future res+fps boost and/or a PC port, paving way for 1887.

GhostofHorizon854d ago

It was a really good game but there was a ton of room for improvement all around. If they had another crack at it, it could be something special.

Eidolon853d ago

A lot of games before and since have made absolutely shameless attempts at making a great experience that ended up falling short. This game gets the worst of it because of hype. And it's actually has really good narrative and gameplay. Tell me one thing NOW that it did wrong that other games aren't doing. Tell me.

BenRC01853d ago

I really like it, bought the special edition years after release, expecting an average game but was very pleasantly surprised

Relientk77854d ago

I really liked the concept, but the game wasn't perfect. It definitely had some flaws. The graphics not being one, they were insane. The coolest guns in the game were only usable for a short period of time. I believe there were like 2 werewolf fights that were basically identical which people pointed out. I'd love for the series to get another shot.

masterfox854d ago

hope there is a sequel, first one was and still is stunning from every aspect, from gameplay, visuals , music, etc, you name it, it literally the whole game is realtime cgi!, imagine what a PS5 can do to it!

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