Home Gaming E3 2014 – Hands on with The Order 1886

E3 2014 – Hands on with The Order 1886

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The-Order-1886

It’s a great year for new IPs. Thanks to some new hardware arriving, the time is ripe to build new franchises and gameplay experiences. One such game is The Order 1886, a fusion of action and narrative. It just might be the prettiest game in the PS4. But it does, unfortunately, feel rather..mediocre in other departments.

We got a chance to see some extended footage of what was shown at the Sony press conference at E3, before I legged it to go and get some hands on time.

The game looks simply incredible, and any amount of hyperbole dished towards it is well deserved. What Ready at Dawn has managed to do is revolutionary, with characters looking like they’ve stepped out of a high quality CGI animated movie. Ready At Dawn wants to blur the lines between interactive combat and immersive storytelling, and they just might be onto something here. The world of The Order 1886 is rich, there’s a deep mythology being developed and the characters ooze personality that feels natural.

The transition between cut-scenes and gameplay is seamless, making it feel as though you’re playing highly detailed, sumptuously sculpted movie. The weapons are interesting, with Galahad sporting a thermite rifle that fires off explosive flares. There’s a certain thrill in watching everything explode in particle-effect laden cinder.

But the combat feels rather…average. Galahad, the protagonist of the game, can roadie run and hide behind crates with the best of them. There’s a combat sense of sorts, but otherwise nothing about the game segment that we played felt special. It was paint-by-numbers action. To be fair, this could be because we were fighting revolting peasants, in a stage that was devoid of any of the big Lycan threats. Ready At Dawn teased us with hints that these werewolf foes would be nasty business when unleashed in The Order, so maybe some hope still remains.

It’s scripted and linear, and heavily narrative driven, and that – when fleshed out – could help propel it beyond being a simple action.  But if The Order 1886 wants to be remembered for being more than just a pretty face, it’s going to need to step up its game in the section that matters the most: Gameplay. Right now, based on what we’ve played, it just doesn’t.

Last Updated: June 12, 2014

62 Comments

  1. The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

    June 12, 2014 at 09:19

    Lol and people got upset at me for calling this game out. Seriously, I’m amazed at how few people looked past the graphics and just took in the gameplay. It was clear from the first gameplay GIF this game had some pretty generic action…BUT NOOO, what does lil ol jrpg lover here know, all your games involve a menu and an extended index finger, WELL SHUT UP!….This game looks generic, and so does Assassin’s Creed Unity and CoD AW and Hardlined

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      June 12, 2014 at 09:21

      Agreed, it’s kinda sad as well. We know what to expect from the other yearly releases for the most part but for a new IP not being able to blow us away is not good news.

      Reply

    • Rinceinantici

      June 12, 2014 at 09:26

      Ya, cus when you call things they always happen #believe *runs!

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        June 12, 2014 at 09:27

        Don’t be mean because he still hopes to be amazed. #StayStrongUmar

        Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        June 12, 2014 at 09:27

        XD

        Reply

      • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

        June 12, 2014 at 09:28

        LOL Hey , TLG can still happen! Run away coward!

        Reply

        • Rinceinantici

          June 12, 2014 at 09:30

          I am sure it can! As can Half Life 3! Tehehehe

          Reply

      • oVgeeeeee Comet Drop

        June 12, 2014 at 09:30

        You got to believe.
        I cant believe he stole this tag from PARAPA THE RAPPER.

        Reply

        • oVgeeeeee Comet Drop

          June 12, 2014 at 09:32

    • Brenz

      June 12, 2014 at 09:36

      Totally agree with you.
      Ass Creep Unity is gonna be as boring and samey as the last 10 in the series, with that oh so boring combat system.
      CoD – Same game new age weapons.
      etc… There is only so much you can do with a franchise before you need a new idea.
      I hope the Order turns out to be different though, such a waste of a beautiful game if they dont pay attention to the rest of it.

      Reply

      • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

        June 12, 2014 at 09:42

        True, but far too often we see games focus sorely on graphics and the gameplay get’s ignore

        Reply

        • Brenz

          June 12, 2014 at 09:44

          Thats because the majority of the population are idiots who get blinded by shiny things and eye candy, an ignore the rest.
          Hence why they are still making Transformers and other Michael Bay movies.

          Reply

          • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

            June 12, 2014 at 09:46

            LOL Evident by the endless cheering at these conferences for shiny things

          • Brenz

            June 12, 2014 at 09:50

            #Americans

          • Rinceinantici

            June 12, 2014 at 09:52

            Shhhh, Zoe is about!

          • Brenz

            June 12, 2014 at 09:53

            Fair enough, not all of them.
            #99%Americans

    • silverscorpio

      June 12, 2014 at 11:06

      A game today needs something special in game play for it to stand out. Nice graphic is a must with the present hardware. All the consoles out there will have good graphics, so for it to stand out it needs exceptional game play. Another generic shooter wont cut it thanks to Call of Duty clones and Call of Duty itself.

      Reply

    • Guest

      June 13, 2014 at 05:20

      They will show more gameplay variety soon.

      Reply

  2. Hammersteyn

    June 12, 2014 at 09:20

    So it’s not Amazing?

    Reply

    • FoxOneZA

      June 12, 2014 at 10:10

      It could do with some Technicolor.

      Reply

  3. Rinceinantici

    June 12, 2014 at 09:28

    Let’s hope it’s only because it isn’t fully developed yet. That being said, why show off a boring combat system at a show that can make or sink a game?

    Reply

    • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

      June 12, 2014 at 09:30

      What must they show off then?

      Reply

      • Rinceinantici

        June 12, 2014 at 09:36

        A game that doesn’t suck donkey dick.

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          June 12, 2014 at 09:38

          I’m amazed that isn’t a mod for goat sim yet.

          Reply

          • Rinceinantici

            June 12, 2014 at 09:38

            #yet #believe

      • Brenz

        June 12, 2014 at 09:38

        Innovation, new ideas, more than shiny graphics

        Reply

        • Rinceinantici

          June 12, 2014 at 09:39

          What you said. Would think they would pull out all the stops for the little gameplay that people will get with the game.

          Reply

          • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

            June 12, 2014 at 09:41

            There’s nothing they can do with the gameplay now in anycase. Rather see it now than when you buy the game. Devs can’t hide the gameplay forever

          • Brenz

            June 12, 2014 at 09:42

            Yes but they shouldnt have to hide it. It should be something they are proud to show off, because they put thought and care into it.

          • Rinceinantici

            June 12, 2014 at 09:42

            Nah, you can always do something

          • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

            June 12, 2014 at 09:44

            Well the game is delayed so maybe they can , but I highly doubt they can change the core of the game sop late into production

          • Rinceinantici

            June 12, 2014 at 09:45

            Well this is their own engine, so they could technically go and change the core in that. But as you said, I highly doubt it. MS tried doing it with Ryse when they got all the negative QTE feedback, game still sucked more than a White House intern.

          • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

            June 12, 2014 at 09:47

            Hmmmm…Monica….I mean, yeah! I agree
            Well in anycase, this is another Ryse. Looks great, but plays like doodoo

          • Rinceinantici

            June 12, 2014 at 09:48

            Lol. Yeah man. Sad! At least the Lagz reporting is on the ball and don’t just say ‘OMG FML It’s AMAZEBALLS/

          • The Fires of Suzaku Burns!!

            June 12, 2014 at 09:52

            True dat, in LG we trust

  4. oVgeeeeee Comet Drop

    June 12, 2014 at 09:29

    Its been in dev hell for 128 years. It should be AMAZING!!!

    Reply

  5. Alien Emperor Trevor

    June 12, 2014 at 09:37

    Hmm. No. I don’t agree that you can strip away the graphics & story to focus solely on the game play & then call the game average because of that. Each part informs the whole. It’s what a lot of people have said about Bioshock Infinite (after a while). I just finished it & while the shooting was stock standard, the experience as a whole was amazing because the other parts lifted the entire game.

    Reply

    • Rinceinantici

      June 12, 2014 at 09:37

      Door 1 open. May be one of those days 0-O

      Reply

  6. Pieter Kruger

    June 12, 2014 at 09:38

    When is this due for release? Maybe they can listen to the feedback and still fix it? Would hate for this to become another Ryse? ????

    Reply

    • Rinceinantici

      June 12, 2014 at 09:39

      Agreed. That’s what I am hoping. Although I was dubious about Ryse from the first mention of QTE it looked stunning.

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        June 12, 2014 at 09:43

        This is also QTE sadly, not a fan either! But Ryse was a must buy so early on just for the next gen graphics, The Order have no such luck, too much competition now….

        Reply

        • FoxOneZA

          June 12, 2014 at 10:04

          The (B)Order is one gen too late. Look at say Gears vs the (B)order. Gears was also generic but it had that fun factor with weapons and gameplay that made the game such a hit.

          Reply

        • Guest

          June 13, 2014 at 05:22

          They will show more gameplay variety soon. It will be a good game and sell well.

          PS4 has plenty of AAA games and will continue to dominate Xbox in sales. 3.5 million ahead and growing.

          Reply

    • Brenz

      June 12, 2014 at 09:40

      There is chance it might not turn out like that cos its not an Xbox exclusive.

      Reply

      • Rinceinantici

        June 12, 2014 at 09:41

        LULZ

        Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        June 12, 2014 at 09:43

        Before I forget…..
        Launched at E3, it allows PS4 players to imagine fun games……

        Reply

        • Rinceinantici

          June 12, 2014 at 09:46

          Like Ryse?

          Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          June 12, 2014 at 09:46

          lol well played. Maybe that should be their new slogan: Imagine Amazing

          Reply

        • Brenz

          June 12, 2014 at 09:46

          Still not worse than the Kinect spy toy

          Reply

          • Pieter Kruger

            June 12, 2014 at 09:54

            Not the end of the world, you can still count on those tons of other new exclusive AAA IP’s coming from Sony, Bloodborne, and……..plus…ehhhhhh, what’s that other one…? Help me out here please……
            ???????????????????

          • FoxOneZA

            June 12, 2014 at 10:09

            BloodBoner looks like another generic last century game namely The(B)Order 1866.

          • Anon A Mouse

            June 12, 2014 at 10:12

            Uncharted 4, The Last of Us (Remastered), No Man’s Sky, Little Big Planet 3, Entwined, Abzu (2016 only), Magika 2, Let it Die, Grim Fandango, Infamous:First Light, Batman: Arkham Knight, Diablo 3, Destiny. Sure a few of those will be cross platform, but PS4 gets them first.

          • Pieter Kruger

            June 12, 2014 at 12:16

            You’ve just proven my point! ????

          • Guest

            June 13, 2014 at 05:22

            PS4 has plenty of AAA games and will continue to dominate Xbox in sales. 3.5 million ahead and growing.

          • Guest

            June 13, 2014 at 05:21

            Another rotten microsoft troll.

            PS4 games not on Xbox One revealed at E3 2014: LittleBigPlanet 3, Entwined, Bloodborne, The Talos Principle, Let It Die, Rachet & Clank, Infamous First Light, Kingdom Under Fire 2 and tons of indie games. No Man’s Land, Grim Fandango, and ABZU timed exclusive.

            For the rest of 2014 PS4 has the best visuals on every AAA multiplatform console game, TLOU Remake, Driveclub, LittleBigPlanet 3, Infamous First Light, Oddworld, Natural Doctrine, Tropico 5, Guilty Gear Xrd, Samurai Warriors 4, and other indie games (Hohokum, Entwined, Helldivers, Guns Up!, etc.)

            PS4 has the superior visuals on all console AAA multiplats, more dev support including indies, a large number of first party studios, free to play games and MMOs like FFXIV and War Thunder, and unannounced 1st party games. Titanfall 2 and future 3rd party games will almost certainly be on PS4.

            1st-2nd party studios include Media Molecule, Quantic Dream, Guerilla Games, Sony London, Bend, San Diego, SOE, Santa Monica, Polyphony Digital, Naughty Dog, Japan Studio, Ready at Dawn, Evolution Studios, etc.

            PS4 games not on Xbox One: Killzone, inFamous Second Son, Dynasty Warriors 8, Final Fantasy XIV, War Thunder, DC Universe, Yakuza Isshin and other Japanese games, MLB 14 The Show, Bound by Flame, Injustice Gods Among Us, Knack, Natural Doctrine, Transistor, Uncharted, Planetside 2, Dragon Ball Z, MotoGP, Deep Down, Driveclub, The Last of Us, The Witness, The Order, LittleBigPlanet 3, Bloodborne, Let It Die, Rachet & Clank, and a ton of indies including Resogun, Rime, Transistor, etc.

            PS4 has the superior visuals on all console AAA multiplats, more dev support including indies, a large number of first party studios, free to play games and MMOs like FFXIV and War Thunder, and unannounced 1st party games. Titanfall 2 and future 3rd party games will almost certainly be on PS4.

            1st-2nd party studios include Media Molecule, Quantic Dream, Guerilla Games, Sony London, Bend, San Diego, SOE, Santa Monica, Polyphony Digital, Naughty Dog, Japan Studio, Ready at Dawn, Evolution Studios, etc.

            PS4 games not on Xbox One: Killzone, inFamous Second Son, Dynasty Warriors 8, Final Fantasy XIV, War Thunder, DC Universe, Yakuza Isshin and other Japanese games, MLB 14 The Show, Bound by Flame, Injustice Gods Among Us, Knack, Natural Doctrine, Transistor, Uncharted, Planetside 2, Dragon Ball Z, MotoGP, Deep Down, Driveclub, The Last of Us, The Witness, The Order, LittleBigPlanet 3, Bloodborne, Let It Die, Rachet & Clank, and a ton of indies including Resogun, Rime, Transistor, etc.

        • Guest

          June 13, 2014 at 05:21

          Another rotten microsoft troll.

          PS4 games not on Xbox One revealed at E3 2014: LittleBigPlanet 3, Entwined, Bloodborne, The Talos Principle, Let It Die, Rachet & Clank, Infamous First Light, Kingdom Under Fire 2 and tons of indie games. No Man’s Land, Grim Fandango, and ABZU timed exclusive.

          For the rest of 2014 PS4 has the best visuals on every AAA multiplatform console game, TLOU Remake, Driveclub, LittleBigPlanet 3, Infamous First Light, Oddworld, Natural Doctrine, Tropico 5, Guilty Gear Xrd, Samurai Warriors 4, and other indie games (Hohokum, Entwined, Helldivers, Guns Up!, etc.)

          PS4 has the superior visuals on all console AAA multiplats, more dev support including indies, a large number of first party studios, free to play games and MMOs like FFXIV and War Thunder, and unannounced 1st party games. Titanfall 2 and future 3rd party games will almost certainly be on PS4.

          1st-2nd party studios include Media Molecule, Quantic Dream, Guerilla Games, Sony London, Bend, San Diego, SOE, Santa Monica, Polyphony Digital, Naughty Dog, Japan Studio, Ready at Dawn, Evolution Studios, etc.

          PS4 games not on Xbox One: Killzone, inFamous Second Son, Dynasty Warriors 8, Final Fantasy XIV, War Thunder, DC Universe, Yakuza Isshin and other Japanese games, MLB 14 The Show, Bound by Flame, Injustice Gods Among Us, Knack, Natural Doctrine, Transistor, Uncharted, Planetside 2, Dragon Ball Z, MotoGP, Deep Down, Driveclub, The Last of Us, The Witness, The Order, LittleBigPlanet 3, Bloodborne, Let It Die, Rachet & Clank, and a ton of indies including Resogun, Rime, Transistor, etc.

          PS4 has the superior visuals on all console AAA multiplats, more dev support including indies, a large number of first party studios, free to play games and MMOs like FFXIV and War Thunder, and unannounced 1st party games. Titanfall 2 and future 3rd party games will almost certainly be on PS4.

          1st-2nd party studios include Media Molecule, Quantic Dream, Guerilla Games, Sony London, Bend, San Diego, SOE, Santa Monica, Polyphony Digital, Naughty Dog, Japan Studio, Ready at Dawn, Evolution Studios, etc.

          PS4 games not on Xbox One: Killzone, inFamous Second Son, Dynasty Warriors 8, Final Fantasy XIV, War Thunder, DC Universe, Yakuza Isshin and other Japanese games, MLB 14 The Show, Bound by Flame, Injustice Gods Among Us, Knack, Natural Doctrine, Transistor, Uncharted, Planetside 2, Dragon Ball Z, MotoGP, Deep Down, Driveclub, The Last of Us, The Witness, The Order, LittleBigPlanet 3, Bloodborne, Let It Die, Rachet & Clank, and a ton of indies including Resogun, Rime, Transistor, etc.

          Reply

    • Guest

      June 13, 2014 at 05:20

      They will show more gameplay variety soon. It will be a good game and sell well.

      Troll.

      Reply

  7. Anon A Mouse

    June 12, 2014 at 09:41

    It’s amazing to me that after all this time the game hasn’t got anything amazing in it. It should have been an amazing experience at E3 already. Maybe that’s the amazing thing about it being held back until 2015 then?

    Reply

  8. CypherGate

    June 12, 2014 at 13:42

    Im not bothered by innovation and graphics much. Yes its looks amazing, but I believe as long as a game has great playability, great story and great lastability then that will be a game id love to play. People concentrate way too much on wanting innovation and new elements to wanting a game that plays great, that has great storytelling and that the game can be repayable in more ways than one.

    Reply

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