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Preview: The Order: 1886

When The Order: 1886 was first revealed at E3 last year, it was somewhat of an enigma. All that was really known was that it had a Victorian-era steampunk flavour and dealt with the occult. Fast-forward a year later and through various previews, videos and now a hands-on and we have a stronger grasp on what to expect.

Unfortunately, for all its glitz and glam — the cinematic decision to remove the HUD and its very pretty graphics — The Order seems to be a very generic cover-based shooter. That doesn’t mean it isn’t any fun, nor does it mean that the finished game won’t blow our collective socks off. At this stage though, The Order seems competent yet bland. Even with its strong setting and unique aesthetic, something just doesn’t click.

It should be no surprise to long time readers — or listeners of the Friendly Fire Show — that I’m a massive fan of Sony and the PlayStation family. It takes a lot for me to remove my rose-tinted fanboy goggles when getting hands-on with a new IP. The Order has a lot of potential, but the demo I played just didn’t show it off; perhaps it still has a long way to go. In any case, I’m concerned about what is supposed to be one of the big PS4 exclusives of the future. If it can’t convince a self-confessed Sony shipper, how will it convince the doubters, the shruggers or the Xbox hardcore?

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It’s not all negative. The Order is a gorgeous looking game. Textures, lighting, particle effects and character models all look astounding. The way ash and smoke hang in the air after an explosion or the muzzle flash from the game’s strangely-out-of-time weaponry are sights to behold. The shooting has weight too. Weapons are appropriately chunky and noisy when fired. Bullets slam into enemies’ soft bodies with a satisfying thunk and their lifeless shells crumple realistically to the ground.

One of the more interesting weapons is the Thermite Rifle. In primary fire mode it functions like a semi-automatic assault rifle. Firing in barely accurate bursts, it peppers enemies with shrapnel and is effective at close range. Switching to secondary fire mode is where the gun gets exciting. Hitting R2 fires a cloud of thermite dust which can then be ignited with R1’s primary fire. It’s sickeningly rewarding to ignite the cloud and watch as the white hot cloud of flame burns your enemies to pillars of ash. Especially fun is using the cloud near a gas pipeline in order to clear some debris in a glorious eruption of fire, rubble and body parts.

Movement in The Order can be described as sluggish at best. The lead character is weighed down by the large Thermite Riflle and other assorted weapons and gadgets, so it makes sense he’s not entirely spry. Compared to Nathan Drake, Lara Croft or even the meatheads from Gears of War, moving through London in The Order is as if the characters stepped in one too many discarded pieces of gum. I’m hoping the movement speed is tweaked a little before the final release. It’s fine to want players to slow down and take their time, especially when trying to imbue a sense of weight and reality to the characters, but go too far and it’s a drag. Literally.

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Shown in video form only and not playable on the show floor was a demo revealing a much more deliberate, survival horror type of gameplay. The main character was being pursued by some form of hideous beast — somewhat like a werewolf — which seems far more interesting than blowing away scores of mindless goons. The scene was tense, scary and most of all interesting. For all the story, lore, steampunkiness (it’s totally a word) and action of the sequence I played I couldn’t help but feel “been there, done that.” It’s an awkward sense of deja vu especially because countless games have done exactly what The Order is attempting, only better.

I’m not ready to write The Order off just yet, and perhaps the extended development delays are being used to bring all the elements together into a cohesive and interesting whole. It feels wrong to complain about a new IP, especially one with the aforementioned occult and steampunk leanings, but it would be remiss of me to not voice my concerns on the basis of those alone. The Order has the makings of a thrilling experience, it’s just not there yet. Hopefully Ready at Dawn and Sony can get it over the line when The Order launches in February 2015.


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DeltaPhoenix08