Tag: Sony

I Didn’t Know You Were Called Dennis: The Order: 1886 Review

The Order’s story is too short. The Order’s cutscenes are too long. It is a Gears of War clone.

Blah blah blah.

The question I asked myself after finishing The Order, despite all the previous complaints from other reviews being true, did I have fun with The Order: 1886?

Yes. Yes, I did.

Alright. Good review. Thanks for coming.

In all honesty, some of the crap that has been heaped on The Order is founded. I would have liked less cutscenes and more gameplay. The story stops right when it gets to a good start. I will play devil’s advocate here and say that while these things irked me, they also had a somewhat positive effect.

The cutscenes are beautiful (like the rest of the game) and gave me time to appreciate what may be the best looking PS4 game yet. It is so much so that, more times than I care to mention, I would sit there for an undisclosed amount of time thinking the cutscene was still going when my character was standing there in gameplay wondering in his A.I. brain, “who the fuck is this artard that gets me shot in the face and doesn’t know when to move?”.

Playing as Galahad in a steampunk Victorian London for an order of knights that trace back to Arthur all while fighting werewolves has to be the most drug-induced game idea ever and since The Order was announced I have wanted to go to there. The story’s characters and plot are not the problem, pacing is. For the first two-thirds of the game The Order meanders around treating your playthrough like it is the first two hours of a twenty hour adventure. You should know that it is actually the first four hours of a six hour story.

Here’s the thing; the last two hours set up a sequel that I fucking want to play. I just wish the developers had known when to push the gas pedal down instead of puttering along like an elderly lady on a Sunday drive.

Gameplay is nothing new. By nothing new, I mean it is basically Gears of War. While some may mark off for this, for The Order, it is just enough. I am being shot at. I do not want to be shot in the dick, face or elsewhere so I need something to take cover behind. The mechanics and actual controls of the game are serviceable and can be expanded upon if there is a sequel.

When Sony unveiled The Order: 1886 over two years ago with a spooky trailer that made you wonder what was in the shadows, it made you think it would be Sony’s next big franchise. I was expecting more after such a long development cycle, but it turns out what was in the shadows wasn’t big and scary, just disjointed and underdeveloped.

The Order: 1886 might not be the game we expected, yet there is still a decent time to be had despite its shortcomings. A franchise is here somewhere. We may just have to wait until 1887 to get it.

March 2, 2015
Just For Pun: Rating The Order: 1886 Review Subtitles

Reviews for the PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886 have been middling at best. I will be reviewing the game when I pick it up and from what most reviews have said, it shouldn’t take me long to finish (it never does).

We will take a different approach to The Order since I have no review to offer you. I will review the taglines for the reviews for The Order, which range from brilliant to no effort at all. With the Victorian setting and Arthurian names the game is ripe for the subtitle picking.

“Gears of Yore”- NeoGAF

8.5/10

Starting off strong. Sterling wanted this one but GAF beat him to it.

“Short Order”- Jim Sterling

8.0/10

His backup was still strong and worth a good score.

“The Struggle Within”- IGN

6.5/10

Don’t forget, as all IGN commenters do not realize, that 6.5 is “good”.

“Uncompromising Cinematic Vision”- Game Informer

5.5/10

No pun intended I believe. Just there.

“There’s a word for games like The Order: 1886. Rental.”- Giant Bomb

8.0/10

Go right for the throat. I like it.

“7 hours out of ten.”- Eurogamer

9.5/10

Bringing it strong. This is how you do it.

“From hell”- Gamespot

8.0/10

Like the Johnny Depp reference. Gets a bump up for that.

“A half baked PS4 launch game…15 months late”.- EGM

7.0/10

Good enough to be memorable.

“Not enough chaos.”- Destructoid

6.0/10

No pun (or fun) intended.

“London calling”- Polygon

7.5/10

Should be higher but I am a Last of Us fan. If you get it, you get it.

“Ready at dawn, finished by the afternoon”- Videogamer

10/10

Winner, winner. Everyone see this? Do more of this.

February 20, 2015
Marvel And Sony Are Friends With Benefits. Spider-Man Coming To Marvel Movies.

Marvel and Sony have made a deal to bring Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony will still finance, produce and release the films with Marvel’s Kevin Feige producing. Spidey will first appear in a Marvel movie before getting a new film set for July 18, 2017.

This works out for both parties involved. Sony keeps Spider-Man and gets the push of having him be involved in the MCU that can shit gold. Marvel gets to use its most recognizable character in future Marvel movies, helping Disney further towards their plans of becoming a world-controlling shadow corporation.

My guess is that Spider-Man will appear in Captain America: Civil War because, read a comic. He will be (likely) recast so start your wagers now. If we do get a new Spidey, I do feel for Andrew Garfield who was a great Peter Parker, even though his second movie failed him. He is a lifelong fan and it showed.

To welcome the web-slinger back, Marvel has shifted dates to make room.

Thor: Ragnarok goes from July 28, 2017 to November 3, 2017.

Black Panther goes from November 3, 2017 to July 6, 2018.

Captain Marvel goes from July 6, 2018 to November 2, 2018.

Inhumans goes from November 2, 2018 to July 12, 2019.

On a side note: I would be perfectly fine having Alfred Molina return as Doctor Octopus.

February 10, 2015
Playstation Turns 20. Feel Old Accordingly

Playstation is celebrating their 20th anniversary today. The original Playstation went on sale in Japan on December 3, 1994. I would say it was somewhat a success, selling over 120 million consoles and taking the crown from “untouchable” Nintendo (which pains me to say as a Nintendo fanboy). The system would go on sale in America on September 9, 1995.

I remember playing the demo for Wipeout at Toys R Us and thinking “this is the f***ing future”. Then I played the demo for Battle Arena Toshinden and said “this isn’t fun, I’ll play Wipeout again”.

While I may hold on to the fact that Nintendo 64 was my console of choice, I always have memorable moments with my PS1. Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo. Hours of gaming that will never be forgotten.

Happy Birthday, Playstation.

December 3, 2014
Let’s Rate Sony’s Gamescom Announcements

Sony kept proving why they are the place to go for indie games during their press conference at Gamescom. They showed off a lengthy array of games as well as announcing substantial upgrades for the PS4 and a milestone for the system.

1. PS4 has sold 10 million consoles.

This was a self-high five announcement, but it was impressive anyway. The PS4 has only been available ten months and people have adopted it quickly.

Nerd Rating- 8/10

2. Where the hell is the Vita?

Self explanatory.

Nerd Rating- 0/10

3. Firmware 2.0 coming this fall

PS4’s Firmware 2.0 will not be a small affair when it releases this fall. Share Play will let players “loan” their games to friends on their PSN list to play co-op games even when one player does not own the game. The ability to load your gameplay videos directly to YouTube is also in the update

Nerd Rating- 8/10

4. DayZ coming to PS4.

The PC game that is so close to how human society will act during the apocalypse is coming to PS4. They didn’t announce a release time, but this is a good get for Sony.

Nerd Rating- 8/10

5. Trailers Galore!

-WiLD

-Until Dawn
http://youtu.be/SNZOlK81eKs

-Bloodborne

-Tearaway

-The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

-The Order: 1886

-Rime

-Hellblade

Nerd Rating- 10/10

August 12, 2014
Scott’s E3 2014 Predictions

Last year’s E3 is but a distant memory. We now have shiny new consoles in front of us and now we are like an addict needing a hit. E3 is here to give us a fix, if only for a brief moment. Here are my predictions of what I think will happen as the unwashed masses descend on Los Angeles to play new games and bitch about how long we have to wait on them.

1. Unlike last year, Microsoft will win the press conference war.

Let’s not sugar-coat it, Microsoft got their ass handed to them last year. It was a beatdown of epic proportions. One that is still being seen today with the PS4 outselling the Xbox One by a good margin. Microsoft had an unpopular message (always online, Kinect must be plugged in, limits on lending games) and then to make matters worse they didn’t have their ducks in a row on the company’s message. One talking head would say one thing about always online then another would say something conflicting to that. It was as bad as bad could get. Then Sony shows up, announces the PS4 will play used games, not require an online connection AND be $100 cheaper. You could just see Sony with their arms wide open saying “we will take you in wounded gamer”.

This year will be different.

With no console announcements this year, Microsoft and Sony will have to focus on the games and just looking at games we know are in the pipeline, Microsoft has a lot more to offer than Sony. Microsoft will be showing off games like Halo 5, the unnamed Halo collection (Halo: The Master Chief Collection most say), Sunset Overdrive, Project Spark, Quantum Break, Fable Legends as well as rumored games Ryse: Son of Rome 2, Forza Horizon 2 and a possible early look at the next Gears of War.

That’s a damn lot of games.

Sony, on the other hand, has Drive Club, The Order: 1886 (which was just delayed to 2015) and…give me a sec.

Yes, Uncharted may be shown, but with all the problems at Naughty Dog over the past few months that is not a guarantee. What else could set our panties on fire? God of War? After the sales of God of War: Ascension is that really something that will help Sony? Guerrilla is working on a new IP that could cause some excitement.

See where I am going here? I am stretching to find Sony’s big moments. I hope they prove me wrong.

2. Super Smash Bros. Wii U will get a release date.

Expect a lot of gameplay shown and a heavy emphasis on the fighter since it will be Nintendo’s main selling point for the Wii U this fall.

3. We will see gameplay from both Assassin’s Creed: Unity and Assassin’s Creed: Comet.

And they will look nowhere near as fun as Assassin’s Creed IV.

4. A new Battlefield will be shown.

I cheated with this one. Battlefield: Hardline was already leaked. The part of this I am predicting is that it will be looked down on because of Battlefield 4’s complete lack of being able to work. Ever. The fact that Visceral, not DICE, is handling developing duties will not make gamers forget.

5. Sony will show off more of Project: Morpheus

Let’s hope it is more innovation than the next Move.

6. Zelda Wii U is shown in some way.

Whether it is pre-rendered video or gameplay, we will see a new Zelda. Don’t expect a release till late 2015 or 2016 though.

7. Same for Gears of War.

The new Gears of War will at most get a teaser trailer, but like Link, it won’t see release till 2016.

8. Microsoft will make Games with Gold mean something.

Playstation Plus is worth so much more than the $50 you pay. My PS3 and PS4 are loaded with so many games that I will never be able to finish them. Microsoft introduced Games with Gold last year and while they get a participation ribbon for trying, it has offered up paltry efforts compared to Plus.

This year should change things now that free games will be coming to the Xbox One. Rumors are that Ryse: Son of Rome (which I liked) will be one of the free offerings. With Microsoft making an effort to bring newer games to the 360, Games with Gold should take a step in the right direction.

That’s all I got so far. Give us some of your predictions for this year’s E3. I will be back after the show to see how my list did. I am going to say I get 5 out of 8.

Games!

May 29, 2014
Sony Shows Off “Project Morpheus” VR Headset

Sony had a surprise for everyone at GDC 2014. They unveiled a VR headset codenamed “Project Morpheus” for the Playstation 4.

The Oculus Rift has been the big name in VR for the past year and it seems like Sony wants a piece of the futuristic pie.

Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president and great tweeter, Shuhei Yoshida, made the announcement followed by a video of the development process that has been ongoing since 2010.

The Morpheus is being devised to take use of the Playstation Camera, Move and Dualshock 4 to create a new sense of immersion in games. Demos of Morpheus were made available on the GDC show floor to give an idea of how far Sony has come.

My initial reaction is measured hope. Sony has promised many things over the years that have failed to garner much more than regrettable purchases. The Move still sits on store shelves for some reason with no support whatsoever and I have not purchased a Playstation Camera for my PS4 because there is no way to justify the purchase.

Oculus Rift has been getting people excited that VR could actually work and if Sony can make this accessible to a wide audience through the PS4, we may be entering the future promised to us in the 90’s.

Now we just wait patiently for Mattel to get that hoverboard working.

March 19, 2014
MLB 14 Releasing In May For PS4. Screenshots Make Your Eyes Bleed

Sony San Diego has announced that MLB 14 will release on April 1st on PS3 and Vita and see a PS4 release a month later in May. The real kicker here is the new screenshots that were shown from the PS4 version which should be met with proper use of profanity to show just how impressive the first next-gen baseball title looks.

The studio is promising over 50 new features and improvements including “quick counts” which will speed up game completion time by 50%.

Sony San Diego is promising even more looks at the game in the coming weeks but until then stare at these beautiful shots with your eye holes, starting with a comparison of Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli between the PS3 and PS4. The PS3 has always looked beautiful visually, but when put next to the next-gen version, the gap is clear.

February 13, 2014
Sony Announces Playstation Now Streaming Service. This Is A Big Deal

Sony spent $380 million dollars in 2012 to buy streaming service Gaikai which we all knew would become a way to stream Playstation games onto your PS4 and Vita but Sony has taken things a step farther.

The service is called Playstation Now and will be able to stream Playstation games (PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP) to you PS4, PS Vita as well as your television, smartphone and tablet. Playing The Last of Us on your Kindle is almost a reality. In fact, they had the Naughty Dog game running on a PS Vita using Playstation Now at CES. Sony also said that their 2014 line of Bravia televisions will support Playstation Now.

Talk about backwards compatibility. Being able to draw from the entire well of Playstation offerings over the past 19 years on a host of devices is indeed the definition of that.

Playstation Now will launch this summer with a limited amount of games including The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Beyond: Two Souls and Puppeteer. The library will no doubt grow from there. The service will be subscription-based or you can rent games one at a time. If they decide to bundle this with a PS Plus subscription I will be all over this. I would not mind paying $100 a year for PS Plus and the ability to stream games from PS Now. That is an easy sell.

January 8, 2014
Playstation 4 Sells Over 4 Million Consoles

Sony has announced that the Playstation 4 has sold 4.2 million consoles since December 28th. This comes one day after Microsoft announced that the Xbox One sold 3 million consoles.

One million PS4’s were sold in the first 24 hours of the system’s release and the last report had the sales at 2.1 million during the first weeks of December.

There is really nothing else to this news. So here is this:

January 7, 2014