The Order: 1886

[Brandon Storm]

Feel free to send some of those my way. My birthday was on the 9th, and you missed it, so you owe me.

Anywho, I just finished the game.

Really liked it.

I can understand the gripes some people/reviewers had with it, but they're blown way-the-fuck out of proportion (subjectively, of course). Definite mountains out of anthills. Every time I came across an issue that someone made a big deal out of, I always thought the same thing, "That's it?"

Took me over 10 hours to beat, without trophy hunting, so anyone worried about length can put those fears to rest. Provided you actually like to play games and not just run through them for the satisfaction of completing them quickly.

Some people complained that the story was too open and too many things were left unanswered. Certainly, the story was not wrapped up in a pretty little bow, but the tale was complete. Seems like there's a whole lot of stories to tell in this universe and rushing to cram them all into one game with absolute closure would be awful. However, if a sequel never comes about, then ask me again how I feel about this. I'm not sure if it's because I read a lot, but complete tales making up larger stories is something I'm totally comfortable with when it comes to narratives. But if reviewers have taught me anything, that puts me in the minority.

The actual game mechanics were very smooth. Shooting felt satisfying, the guns were a lot of fun, cover worked well but I will complain that getting out of cover seemed sticky (as with all cover shooters though).

There was a lot of cinematics, which was jarring at first, but once you got used to the type of marriage between them and gameplay, they were great.

I don't have to say much about the graphics. They speak for themselves.

The story was fantastic. Twists and turns, really great characters, but I regret that some I really liked weren't featured enough. But as I said, that's a tale for another time perhaps.

The soundtrack by Jason Graves was phenomenal. That guy is talented as hell.

As I said in another post, the world is so well realized that you can really feel immersed in it. You can definitely act the tourist within the game world and be perfectly entertained. I recommend everyone take some time to check out any hospital/medical areas you come across. The detail is fantastic. Also, any sewer/underground places you come across feel especially real as well.

Overall I recommend this game wholeheartedly. Fans of Victorian London, cool coats, and monsters (like me) will especially appreciate it.