It reminds me how rabid and inconsistent the gaming media can be. It would not surprise me in the least if Publishers slowly stop sending out review copies of games pre-release.
Reviews are fine as long as they are dishing out acclaim to Naughty Dog and Media Molecule. As soon as they step out of line then it's corrupt media and "real gamers don't need reviews!"
You can't have it both ways, you cannot drum on about the 300 goty awards that TLOU got and then turn around and accuse the very same media that dished out those awards for being rabid and inconsistent.
Plenty of games get low review scores, metacritic is riddled with them but only when the media disagree with you on a game you have unnatural feelings of love for do you zealots start pitch forking.
No I lost faith in reviews long ago, and the final nail in that coffin wasn't bad reviews for a game I loved, it was good reviews for a game I couldn't stand.
Just makes TLOU that much more amazing right? Doesn't mean that other good games dont get crapped on. The weather report is almost always wrong.. but I check it because it at least gives me a general idea and a second opinion. I think attaching numbers to games is more harmful than good in most cases.
look at the content of the review. They're bashing the order because it doesn't fit their narrow criteria for what a game should be. TLoU, Legend of Zelda, Uncharted, Smash, and such do fit that mold and they do deserve the praise they get but reviewers can be trusted on very few sub-genres to actually get things right and undoubtedly favor older franchises. If the Order gameplay had been in Gears it would be "more of what we love" rather than "stale Gears like gameplay"
I agree with what you're saying but when you see games score below 5/10 the review score is just exaggerated. Example, to me anything below that would mean the game is unplayable/broken with glitches and what not. I think it's best if scores will just go away and leave the explanation to represent the review alone. Scores aren't taken as serious. It's just a number with no meaning behind them. This is aim to the scores that go to as low as 1 to the ones that reach 21/20 -_-.
There is truth to what you are saying. Many people are hypocritical and inconsistent and only flaunt review scores when it suits them.
Nevertheless, I genuinely don't care much what critics think. I've been this way most of my life. I just find that critics--whether of film, books or games--often don't share my tastes. It's not that I don't pay any attention to them, it's just that I ultimately make up my own mind and don't much care what a few dozen critics think of something.
I've been playing The Order 1886 for a few hours today and so far I honestly like it more than a lot of the reviewers did. No, it doesn't blow me away with incredible gameplay innovation, but it does have solid gameplay along with amazing visuals and strong storytelling. All of that adds up to a good game for me.
50% subjective 50% objective would be my ideal review, game reviews nowadays are 98% subjective 2% comparing it to other games ( or vice versa) .Needless to say, I lost faith in reviews a long time ago regarding rather I purchase a game or not.. I still like to read the opinions though.
@Torque_CS_Lewith I just don't understand this thinking process. Generalization has its use.Using it to point out some type of hypocrisy or irony or inconsistency by the masses is not one.You can't just assume that the same people that praise goty awards are the same people that hate media... I guess your comment may have been aimed toward that minority.. but the way you stated it was like you just put everybody in one basket and call them all hypocrites for not having unison thought... I don't brag about reviews scores or GOTY, because its essentially bragging that other people agree with you.. which is very douchey. I think deltron 3030 said it best. The truth isn't the truth just because you say it is, its the truth because thats just the way it is.Don't quote me on that, I haven't heard the song in a long time :)
The hate this game is receiving is disgusting. In my 20 years of gaming, I have never seen such a vicious act of hate, trolls and biased reviews towards a new IP. And this has been on since day one. I wonder what people get out of bashing The Order? If this game had been multiplatform, a couple hours longer and couple pf QTE`s lighter, people would have been praising it through the roof.
The game is good. It is really really good. If your`e a fan of story driven games in the vein of Uncharted, The Last Of Us, Heavy Rain and TellTale`s The Walking Dead, you`re in for a treat. everything works great as a whole in this game, and everyone has to remember, it`s a new IP. Everything will be bigger and better in the next installment. I hope there is The Order 1887 in the horizon, despite some petty people trying to ruin everything.
Graphics are great, setpieces engaging, the setting marvellous. QTE`s are a bit on the heavy side and the story and it`s conclusion somewhat lacking. And the game could be unboubtedly a little longer. Other than that, it`s all good.
@lemoncake - "if this game had been a multiplaform game from a random company do you really think that you would have even bothered to come here and take the time to write all that to defend it, I really don't think so."
I would have. I've defended multi plats before and I'm sure I'll do it again.
Short gameplay, lots of qte, and "cinematic gameplay" doesn't really sit well with the masses... In fact, i'd wager they prefer the opposite. Like I said before, the game is targeted towards a specific audience, I don't think it was meant to be a generic blockbuster video game.I don't think its bias or even that the hate is over the top.What I do hate is all the "I told you so" trolls that haven't even played the game gloating because they have a popular opinion.Maybe hate is a strong word.. it just annoy me.
They've almost done so already. Reviewers that ordered The Order (ha!) online were the first to review them this time around because of the embargo. That and the leaks.
This article, and the posts here, are absolutely laughable.
Aww... your poor PS4 exclusive that you were harping on about for months turned out to be a pile of crap, and now it's the medias fault. You guys sound like Michael Jackson.
I agree. I played the first 20 min or so of The Order last night and I can see why some people are not happy with it. It has the some of the same type of vibe as Heavy Rain, gameplay wise in some segments from what I saw. I personally really am enjoying it. But, I happen to enjoy these types of games quite a bit and I don't mind if it's a bit on the short side.
You realize reviewers get to play multiplayer games days or weeks early in lobbies with other reviewers right? That's why the multiplayer isn't broken to them since the servers aren't hit with everyone trying to play the game yet.
If anything you're just highlighting the idea that reviewers shouldn't get multiplayer games early anymore. I know Bungie did that with Destiny and the reviews actually gave a good representation of the game imo.
I haven't played Assassin's Creed Unity but that's even the lowest rated main entry in the series.
Are reviewers terrible? Yes. We've established that for years.
But why are they suddenly extraordinarily terrible when it comes to the Order? A mediocre/average game is getting mediocre/average reviews. Finally the ratings scale is being used properly and everyone is throwing a fit.
I also recall Ryse getting this treatment, which is a game in the same vein as The Order. And a quick look shows me that it also has a bunch of average deserved review scores at metacritic.
I said this previously on a different article, a broken game can be fixed but gameplay cannot. One of the reason for such mediocre reviews is the "lacklustre" gameplay implemented in The Order 1886.
You're just doing the same thing, hating on games with faulty reasoning. AC Unity is not, and never was, broken. It was glitchy to be sure, but nothing game breaking and most of that has been patched out anyway. The game is good, in my opinion.
I can accept a game has trouble as long as they eventually fix them so they function well. In my case a good example would be BF series. I always cut them some slack because they always take a lengthy time to get the bugs ironed out. I can'y comment on the other titles you mention though.
"Broken games get high marks because of the amazing gameplay?"
You are only picking and choosing one aspect of the game these reviewers are talking about and not the many others they have criticized.
AC:U, MCC and BF4 may have had bugs and online issues, but they were still feature complete, with tight controls, a good story, and extra options including multiplayer as well as co-op. From what most reviewers are saying is they weren't impressed with the story, the gameplay and the length not to mention it didn't have anything extra.
Just because technically and graphically it was amazing doesn't excuse all the other aspects that make a game complete and fun to play.
Stop trying to drag other games into this trying to prove why The Order should get a higher score.
The game is mediocre and is a ripoff . It's a reason the Order getting so much hate.
Now people on this site are saying Gaming journalist's of this era is bad. They have been telling us that this game is boring,mediocre, and joyless for the last few months but you guys didn't Believe them you all thought it was clickbait article
I don't agree at all. Playing the game I'm reminded of Destiny, not from the gameplay obviously but the fact that people seemed to be surprised at what the game is when that info has been there all along for anyone paying attention.
I like different experiences. Last generation I loved Demon's Souls, Red Dead Redemption, Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid 4, Flower, Journey, Uncharted, Everyday Shooter, Diablo 3, Far Cry 3, Endwar, Oblivion, Civilization Revolution, SSX, Little Big Planet, Kingdoms of Amalur, Dragon's Dogma, Warhawk, Borderlands, MAG, RUSE… you get my drift… and to me The Order is a game that's different from the norm. I don't want every game to do what The Order does, but I can say the same about all those games I listed above.
Bottom line is I'm enjoying The Order very much, and I already know I'll be playing through it again so however long my play time is it will be doubled.
I completely agree. There is room for many different types of games. I don't like this attitude some people have that games have to follow certain prescribed rules.
I like many different kinds of games and I enjoy the diversity that modern gaming offers. The Order 1886 has been an enjoyable experience so far.
Excuse me, nobody tells me what I will or won't like, certainly not a bunch of people who get games given for free meaning straight away value is a non issue. I am a few hours into 'The Order' and whilst it's not the best game ever created its certainly not worth some of the stupid scores these so called gaming sites are giving it and as for the site that gave it 1/5, well after playing myself it makes me quite angry that a review like that can be thrust onto so many easily influenced people. The amount of articles relating to this game is way over board and down right unacceptable. There are worse games out there guilty of far worse than just being linear or short but as they are non exclusive to many of them get free pass. The video game industry is easily becoming the industry of double standards right across the board and I for one am beginning to get tired of it.
Never understood this mentality of some people bashing games just because you have a 'dislike' for that console or genre. If you do not like the game because its not to your tastes, do not play it.
Nearly every review I have read has hammered The Order 1886 for being too cinematic....but wait a second! Cinematic story-telling is exactly what Ready At Dawn said they were doing with this game! Review a game on its merits not WHAT you want the game to be i.e. UnChar-Geared-Solid-Duty 9!
Never ever in my 18plus years of gaming, i let myself influence purchases cz of a review (i.e. opinions of others). i buy things that look like my cup of tea and guess what? Still waiting to be disappointed. Gaming journalism is a joke these day. Since well-known and new websites use bad review score to lure in the haters/fan boys which is 100% guaranteed to reach the top of n4g vs well thought out review, which will get thrown under the rug.
Gaming Journalism isn't a joke because they use bad reviews to lure in readers. I really disagree with this especially with the more mainstream publications as they use tag lines/crap headers for that (a click is a click). Its the reluctance to go against things that do not follow the norm yet complain about how games rehash the same ideas over and over again which makes gaming journalism a joke. They are creating the problem they complain about.
With the Order example it is not a great game but it is not a bad game. It tried a new angle which I felt wasn't explored properly and hindered this game becoming a great game. But did it deserve the backlash it got. God no. Games media are just giving publishers more ammunition to keep pumping out the same old stuff time and time again because the reviews still matter as we still talk about it
The order is a excellent game with top notch production values. I haven't heard voice acting and music like it since the last of us. Everyone should try the order.
Are you all f%&king serious!? The game is BORING, can't interact with anything, short as hell, and NOT worth $60... DO NOT set a standard for this crap for future developers.
The Graphics are AMAZING and the best out, Music and overall tone of the game is great, but it's not worth $60 for a game that you can beat in a day with 0 replay value people. I would pay $30 tops for this
People determine what is valuable to them. You don't get to dictate that to others. This is why many got a lot of value out of MGS Ground Zeroes and others did not. Also replayablity is dependent on the individual too. I may love running through the story several times while you may not. Some games have so much in it but I may find I don't have an interest in it while you may.
There is no standard to be set here. [email protected] said upfront that they were going for a cinematic experience game. Now they're being crucified for achieving what they set out to do. The game is damn good and even if you're not into story-driven games you're kidding yourself if you look at this game and say 1/5 in my opinion.
Is it a disappointing game? yes, due to the sheer amount of QTEs and restricted freedom. That being said, the presentation is top notch, the story is intriguing, the visuals are the best I've ever seen, the sound effects are amazing and the combat mechanics are solid.
So far after an hour and a half or so of playing, I'd give this a 7-8.
Where were all these "we can't trust reviews" article when Ryse was released and got the same low scores as The Order?
All of a sudden all the articles about having concerns for reviews suddenly appears after the underwhelming reviews from most legit reviews when it wasn't there before for another game with a similar fate.
I don't know about ryse but review questioning started happening the most on this site when the following released...battlefield 4, destiny, assassin's creed unity, little big planet 3, driveclub and halo mcc
Yep there has been a huge discrepancy with reviews Blackleg. Its baffling.
LBP3 got panned for not innovating...WTH is that about!? The game is all about innovation and creativity. Its got slammed for a few bugs, but I recall games like Assassins Creed, Call of Duty and Battlefield releasing with several bugs yearly which are 'worshiped.'
"Where were all these "we can't trust reviews" article when Ryse was released and got the same low scores as The Order?"
Those articles were written, and people who enjoyed Ryse agreed with those just like people who are enjoying The Order agree with this one and others like it.
The game got slammed AFTER it came out. The Order was getting hammered before it even hit the shelves.
I don't want to hear ANY gamer whining about how we get the same freaking games every year. It's pathetic when a game as interesting as this one gets thrown to the ground and trampled on.
That's not true. Ryse was getting plenty of hate well before it came out. And then it got more hate after it came out. No different than what we've seen with The Order 1886.
And you know what? I liked that game too. It isn't amazing, but it is a decently enjoyable experience.
In my opinion, both The Order 1886 and Ryse were unfairly criticized for some things (at least from my point of view). Not that everybody has to like those games, but I do feel that some reviewers were unfairly harsh on them. Maybe because they look so good? I don't know, but I definitely think both games are better than their metacritic average would lead you to believe.
I think the review scores for Ryse and The Order are pretty accurate for the most part. Ignore the outliers and you have what would be a fairly proper score on the averages of the rest of the reviews.
So, I don't think reviews are anymore problematic now than they were a decade ago. Same ole same ole. I'm still going to do my best to not determine whether I get a game based on score and instead do my best to see what people actually like/dislike about a game first.
I find it hilarious there's a Trusted Reviews. It's funny many people fail to see why there's such an unanimous verdict. Granted the game probably deserved some of the critique and it's justified. There's that momentum though that's totally convenient for the media.
This is not even specifically aimed at a certain title,it's 2014 VS 2015. Remember the backlash they have endured in 2014?.
is it really unanimous though? I have seen plenty of really high reviews for this game as well as really low. most of the big game sites gave it lower middle review on the scale, but I wouldn't say unanimous at all.
You know who else you can't trust? Game store employees. I was in a Game Stop the other day looking at used games, and the guy asked me what games I had so he could make a recommendation. So far so good, but he brought up Evil Within and proceeded to tell me that "The guy from Heavy Rain was part of making this game". I looked at him and said "David Cage?", and he said "Yeah that guy!". Then he mentions Lords of the Fallen and says that it was "made by the same people that made Demon's Souls and Dark Souls". I acted like I didn't know he was wrong but inside I was shaking my head.
By all means, correct me if I'm wrong and he was right, but as far as I know both of those claims were dead wrong.
Both Evil Within and Lords of the Fallen are games I'll most likely play eventually, but I walked out of there without giving them a dime.
As a former employee... Yeah, the gaming knowledge has certainly fallen off. Went into my local store the other day and the guy ringing me up knew just a bit more than my eight year-old nephew. Not as bad as the last boss I had, but still not good enough. About to go in now to get my copy of The Order.
Home now, where I'll let my experience be the judge. The store got broken into through the AC system yesterday, so they were closed. Idiots stole just one pair of headsets, but apparently two other stores got hit at the same time.
Has anyone actually sat and thought perhaps this game is getting bad reviews simply and only because it isn't a good game? We're so quick to attack the reviewers and call them bias and trolls etc. but they've been doing their jobs for a long time, I trust them to notice when a game isn't very good and review it accordingly. The truth is that the order was overhyped which in fair was partially sony's fault so everyone was expecting a 10/10 game but that simply isn't the case. Stop trying to pick holes in the authors' reviews and just accept this game isn't the blockbuster AAA giant many hyped it up to be. /Period
Those 1 and 2 out of 10 scores are just pure hate! Scores like that mean a game is completely broken and nigh on impossible to play! Gaming journalism is truly showing its 'click-bait' side with this game.
I wonder which game is next for a few flames....I cannot for the life of me see reviewers hammer Bloodbourne as that game is made for those of us who enjoy super hard, gritty games....but then again....these are the fickle game journalists I am talking about....they'll probably have a go and say the game 'lacks colour' for all we know...
this is why i can't stand review scores. its mostly just a random number attached to a score most of the time and the actual content of the review is by far more important then just some silly little number cause even if the reviewer gives a game a good score it might not be for you. cause with The Order it does so many things i personally can't stand in games (QTE fest, forcing you to slow down and walk a lot with no action, long unskippable cutscene's, short as hell game with little to no replay value.) if you can tolerate or even like these things then The Order is for you but personally for me its a game i will probably hate the moment i put into my PS4 and would rather not waste 60 bucks on it.
This is reminding me of Final Fantasy 13. Launches and gets unjust hate but after a while the hate turns to something else, real fans speak their mind saying how it's actually a good game and it sells pretty well.
The Order is good, it's not by any means perfect but it's good and importantly fun. There is literally no reason for the hate.
There's only a real "problem" with review scores if you dont agree with them. I was in the minority with Ryse for instance (i enjoyed it a lot) and i didnt agree and got a bit angry.
Read the reviews if you want them to help you make a decision, but i would ignore the actual score. The score itself is based on opinion, and is subjective, but their general thoughts (WORDS, not NUMBERS) may give you some insight.
As for this game, i'll be picking it up on the way home from work today to try for myself. Hopefully beating it and trading it back in next week to soften the $ hit. I'm hoping to enjoy it for what it is.
Dammit I hit disagree. Reviews have gotten to be like cable news networks. Less facts and more opinions. Unfortunately it's the public's fault in both cases, because dry facts don't get ratings/clicks like polarizing opinions do.
There's nothing wrong with reviews if they remain consistent throughout. A game like the Order should not be getting scores of 1/5, or 3/10 since those are numbers for broken, unplayable games.
The Order sure may not be a 'good' game but it is far from broken & unplayable. If the reviewer does not like the game it is their opinion but at least give an objective non bias piece.
Take for example the Digital Trends review. They gave the game a 1/5. The actual terrible COD:Declassified & Escape Dead Island were rated higher. That is just wrong & poor reviewing.
These are the types of review that we should be getting rid off. The no justification & just hating on it without giving just cause or poor examples.
I firmly believe in trying a game for yourself and not caring what other people say about it in terms of your personal enjoyment.
That being said, the whole "this game that I like/want to like isn't bad - reviews are what's bad" narrative is BS. OF COURSE some people will love poorly reviewed games and hate well received ones. That goes for pretty much any form of media that is reviewed, from books to movies to music to, yes, video games.
The purpose of a review FOR A CONSUMER isn't to have a definitive answer as to whether or not they will like a product - it is to relay the personal experience of somebody who uses similar products for a living. The consumer then has the option to buy or not buy the product based on the review, or seek other reviews if they are still on the fence.
Whenever I see people complaining about reviews, I see callouts of everything from conspiracy to hypocrisy to just about anything else you can say. But the fact is, it's almost all of the time dissent with the critic's opinion. I'm sorry, but they are entitled to their opinion just as we all our entitled to our own. If they think a game is too short, then it's too short for them. If they don't like the controls, guess what? Their opinion is valid because it's their personal assessment of the controls. If they are bored playing the game, no matter how much hate mail or tweets you send them, they're still going to have been bored with the game.
The hilarious thing about all of this is that a lot of the same people who complain about a poor review have absolutely no problems whatsoever speaking their mind against games that they dislike or haven't even played. You want hypocrisy? It's staring at you in the mirror.
tl;dr Reviewers are entitled to their opinion. Either write your own review or shut up.
It reminds me how rabid and inconsistent the gaming media can be. It would not surprise me in the least if Publishers slowly stop sending out review copies of games pre-release.
Why you can't trust reviews in 46 words...
Assassin's Creed Unity - broken
Trust Reviews - 9/10
Games Radar - 4/5
IGN - 7.8/10
Meta Critic - 3.5/10
Halo MCC - broken
Meta critic 4/5
IGN 9/10
Games Radar 4.5/5
Trusted Reviews 9/10
Battlefield 4 - broken
Meta Critic 4/5
Gamespot 8/10
Games Radar 4.5/5
Trusted Reviews 8/10
Broken games get high marks because of the amazing gameplay?
The game is mediocre and is a ripoff . It's a reason the Order getting so much hate.
Now people on this site are saying Gaming journalist's of this era is bad. They have been telling us that this game is boring,mediocre, and joyless for the last few months but you guys didn't Believe them you all thought it was clickbait article
Never ever in my 18plus years of gaming, i let myself influence purchases cz of a review (i.e. opinions of others). i buy things that look like my cup of tea and guess what? Still waiting to be disappointed.
Gaming journalism is a joke these day. Since well-known and new websites use bad review score to lure in the haters/fan boys which is 100% guaranteed to reach the top of n4g vs well thought out review, which will get thrown under the rug.
The order is a excellent game with top notch production values. I haven't heard voice acting and music like it since the last of us. Everyone should try the order.