Gamer's Outpost Press (archived)

by Wesley Yin-Poole

For Ready at Dawn, developer of PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order: 1886, it’s a matter of quality, not quantity.

Over the weekend a YouTuber called PlayMeThrough uploaded the entire game, including cutscenes, to the video site. Adding up the length of each video we get five hours and 30 minutes.

Last week I had a chat with Ru Weerasuriya, founder, CEO and creative director of Ready at Dawn, to discuss The Order’s length after a previous report indicated it could be completed in just a few hours.

“I know there are numbers out there,” he said. “I know why the question comes up. I know numbers have been put out there that are actually not right. It’s impossible to finish the game in that time, so we know the numbers are wrong.

“At the end of the day, we’re not going to comment on it. We can’t stop people from writing the things they do. And we’re not going to jump at every single mistake that is made out there. Every time somebody has the wrong impression of something we made, or somebody writes the wrong thing about what we did, it would be a full-time job to be like, oh no, that’s not right. We make games. We do what we do for the players. And, ultimately, that’s where I want to leave it.”

While Weerasuriya denied The Order, which leans heavily on interactive cutscenes and quick-time events as it blends third-person shooting, exploration and puzzle-solving with in-engine cinematics, can be completed in just a few hours, it is clear the game won’t be considered long by anyone’s standards.

But how long, exactly, had Ready at Dawn’s tests shown The Order to be? Weerasuriya wouldn’t reveal the average playthrough time, but he was willing to enter into the debate about it.

“Game length is important,” he said. “Every game has to take its own time to tell its story. Some games can be short. Some games can be long. I still remember the first time I picked up Modern Warfare, I finished the campaign in about three-and-a-half or four hours. And it was fun because they made that campaign work for that because they had something else.

“Any of these games need to pack in what it needs to to deliver the experience you were hoping to deliver when you first tackled it. For us that meant, it’s not going to be a short game, it’s going to be something that rewards you as you play through, that there is a storyline, that you have information there, and then also it opens the door to a lot of questions you might be able to answer either by what you find in the game, or hopefully by what you will find out in the future.

“Our industry is diverse enough that we need different games. We have to allow for different genres and single-player games like we do, multiplayer games, co-op games, social games, whatever it is.”

As the debate about The Order’s length rages on, most agree it’s one of the best-looking console games around. Its environments and characters are highly detailed, and its Neo-Victorian London vistas are stunning. In short, The Order is quite the looker.

I wondered whether creating a game with such impressive visuals meant Ready at Dawn, which is 120 people strong, simply didn’t have the time or resources to create a huge amount of content. But Weerasuriya said the development of the game wasn’t so black and white.

“It’s not the same people who go into both things,” he said. “It never was a question of, we’d put our efforts in art so we’re not going to create as much content.”

Rather, Weerasuriya insisted, it was Ready at Dawn’s focus on creating a variety of mechanics that meant there was more work to do than if it had made a straight up third-person shooter.

“If you want to talk about the number of gameplay mechanics, we probably have a lot more than normally any single game would have,” he said.

“Across the board, like the different melee systems, from the different gun systems, the breadth of guns you can use in the game, the different navigation stuff, even on the puzzle side, the interactive cinematics, all of that stuff, we actually probably, piece by piece, if you look at it, and the diversity of it, we built more content than a lot of games would.

“We didn’t rely on the same content. That’s one of the things we did. We didn’t want to be the one trick pony that went, all right, we’re making a shooter, so basically forget everything else, you’re just going to pick up a gun and you can go around and shoot at people. Not to sound like I’m putting anything down, it’s actually easier to do that and say, look, that’s all we’re going to do.

“The harder part was to try and figure out a way to build all these different mechanics and then through the thread of gameplay through the game, and the storyline through the game, put all of these moments together that made you feel like you’re going on a rollercoaster.”

The Order has raised eyebrows for the way it uses interactive cutscenes, which cannot be skipped, as part of the overall experience. The game often thrusts the player into action during or just after a cutscene with a quickfire QTE or melee fight, to name two examples.

This, Weerasuriya hopes, will keep players engaged throughout the entire campaign.

“When story is important we lessen the combat, but when combat is important we lessen something else,” he explained.

“Those spikes keep going all the way through to build an experience we felt was diverse. People would be always engaged. We’ll give you time to just watch and not do anything. Great. You can find that in the game. We’ll give you time to interact when you do that.

“But you better be careful, because as soon as an interaction is finished, you might have control of the player and you need to go forward, because if you wait, something bad might happen. That was the point. The point was, make sure people never felt like we were taking them for granted. We wanted them to understand there might be always something to do.

“Rightfully, some people just hate cinematics. Some people just hate certain types of gameplay. Some people hate navigation. The question for us was, we can’t just satisfy one group of people like that. What we want to do is give you an emotional ride. An experience. That was the long thread throughout the whole game.”

As The Order nears release, the length of its campaign is sure to play an important role in its success. But after a weekend of debate on gaming forums and social media, it’s clear some at Ready at Dawn are ready for the game to do the talking.

by Colin Campbell

This game is about real life. The main protagonist is you.

Called Reflections, the game is still in Greenlight mode on Steam. Even if the set-up sounds a little unusual, the game does look pretty interesting.

It’s another one of those walkabout games in which you explore your surroundings, pick up stuff, make decisions and move the story forward. You begin the game packing up your things to head out to college. The player explores and interacts. The story reacts to how the player moves objects around.

Developer Tristan Moore of Broken Window Studios explained to Polygon what else happens. “Interactions are all based around manipulating physics-driven objects, but we’re pushing hard to make each of these interactions meaningful,” he said. “You can do things like exploring your home, making repairs, cultivating the relationship with your friends and family, exploring your neighborhood or even just play games like basketball.”

As you complete interactions, objects become flushed with color. The player’s view of the world gradually changes from monochrome to vivid color.

Reflections was originally built at a game jam at around the time Moore was graduating from college. He wanted to try to make a game that spoke about real life, but decided to focus on other stuff, like open-world horror title Grave.

“Since then, a few games have come out with interesting experiences that were just about normal people,” he explains, referring to the likes of Gone Home and even more fantastical fare like Dear Esther and The Stanley Parable. “The value of that type of experience has been proven. Not every game has to be about action, combat or puzzles.”

So, why make a game about people pretty much being themselves? “We’re really pushing the idea that the you are ‘you’ in the game, so the elements of the story are designed to be general. We are setting up a couple of questions for you to answer at the start which may change some of the outcomes and characters. We want to leave the character of ‘you’ pretty open, so it’s more defined by your actions than a predetermined context.”

Reflections, due out in April, asks the question: “Where will your life take you?” If you’re interested, over to the Steam Greenlight page would be a good start.

by Jeff Grubb

Gamers are not afraid to let you know when they’re unhappy, and publisher 2K is learning that right now. People are slamming the Steam store page for the new 4-on-1 online shooter Evolve with damning reviews as a way of letting others (and 2K) know that they do not like many aspects of the game. The most common complaint is that Evolve has too much day-one downloadable content that players can pay to unlock as well as the premium-priced versions that include extra stuff that many people think should come included with every version of Evolve. We asked 2K to comment on the gamer response, but we’re still waiting on the company’s statement.

If you pay the $60 retail price to purchase Evolve, you get it with 12 of the hunter characters (some of which you unlock as you play) and three of the monsters. But you do not get immediate access to four additional hunters and the three monster skins that paying $80 unlocks. Or you could pay $100 to immediately have access to 18 hunters, four monsters, and four monster skins. 2K has eight different ways to buy Evolve — all of which come with various pieces of extra content that act as incentives to get players to spend more. While this may potentially increase the revenue the game generates, this price structure is also enraging some players who may enjoy Evolve but are eviscerating it in reviews because they think it’s not fair to pay $60 for what they feel is an incomplete product. It doesn’t help that Evolve is multiplayer-focused. Gamers are accustomed to paying $60 for releases that are brimming with single-player content as well as competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. Evolve is laser-focused on its 4-versus-1 mechanics — but many people think that even $60 is too much for that. But the game also had nearly a dozen cosmetic skin packs for characters available for purchase the moment it went on sale. All of these issues have led to a number of negative user reviews on the Steam store page for Evolve.

by Nicholas Holden

On Saturday, we reported that a popular YouTube streamer was raided by police in front of 60,000 viewers, as a result of a false police report claim, or “Swatting.” The ‘SWATer’ is yet to found, but in an unrelated case a Nevada gamer has been arrested, as he has been accused of orchestrating a “SWATting” attack on a video gamer over the summer.

Brandon Wilson, 19, known by some as “Famed God,” was arrested last week Thursday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Wilson falsely reported a murder to Naperville police in July 2014, resulting in armed law enforcement arriving at a victim’s address.

Brandon Wilson, 19, aka “Famed God”

Prosecutors working on the case stated that Wilson also threatened an attack on the victim’s banking and Social Security accounts. He told the victim that  he would put the victim’s father “in debt for life.” The threats will form as additional charges, of which Wilson can expect up to five years in prison.

Investigators found evidence of Wilson’s involvement in the SWAT attack as well as other similar incidents. He charges include; two counts of computer tampering and one count of intimidation, computer fraud, identity theft and disorderly conduct. The are said to be up to three other states currently after him who may proffer additional charges.

Most “swatting” related incidents come from gamers. The success of streaming platforms such as Twitch, which provide a live screening of victims being ‘Swatted’ could be the reason, as it provides the perpetrator with an audience. That being said, it looks like we are slowly but surely seeing these pranksters being punished for their actions. As a result, we may see swatting reduced over the next few years when more of these internet thugs land themselves behind bars.

Do you think Wilson’s five year jail sentence is too harsh? Remember Justin Carter, the teen jailed in 2013 over the League of Legends disagreement? His case is still under investigation. Carter spend a lot of time in jail and is still under house arrest, over a comment.

by Chris Reed

Superhero movies have been making a killing at the box office for more than a decade now, but all too often the video games based on these spandex-clad characters are a little lackluster (*cough* Superman 64 *cough*). Thankfully, we can find some diamonds in the rough. Here, in no particular order, are some of the best superhero video games ever made.

1. Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

When it comes to superhero Fighting games, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is about as good as it gets. Each player picks three fighters from a massive roster of Capcom characters and Marvel superheroes, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Hulk. Then you tag-team your way through your opponents, pulling off big flashy moves unique to each character.

To the untrained eye, the results might seem too chaotic. But once you get a little experience under your belt, you’ll find a game with all the depth and balance of Capcom’s best fighting titles.

2. Spider-Man 2

The 2004 game Spider-Man 2 was one of the better open-world games of the era, thanks in no small part to its swinging mechanic. It was great fun to web-sling through the skyscrapers of Manhattan, taking in the vistas and stopping to thwart the occasional crime.

Beyond that, though, the game sported voice acting from the cast of the movie, narration by cult hero Bruce Campbell, and plenty of fun side missions. Other Spider-Man games have come out before and since, but this one just might be the best of the bunch.

3. X-Men

In the 1990s, some of the most fun you could have with your friends was going to the arcade and crowding around the four sets of control inputs on the X-Men arcade game. Each player could jump, attack, and use a limited superpower against the hordes of Sentinels and other enemies the game sent after you. It was challenging as all get-out — which ensured you’d keep pumping in quarters — but the four-player cooperative gameplay was second to none.

4. Freedom Force

Everyone loves the Bioshock games, but before those were conceived, developer Irrational Games made Freedom Force, one of the best squad-based tactical games around. Before each mission, you assemble a team from a list of superheroes. Then you go out into the city and stop the bad guys before they can finish their bad deeds, whether that means thwarting purse-snatchers or fending off an alien attack. It’s all great stuff that’s clearly inspired by the early years of superhero comics, and it works fantastically in the game.

5. Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

The angry green giant hasn’t enjoyed the video game spotlight as often as Spider-Man or the X-Men, but he starred in one really fun game in the PlayStation 2 era. Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is an open-world game in which — as the title suggests — you can wreak havoc on the city.

Just about everything in the game is destructible, from the cars to the lamp posts, and even some of the buildings. Better yet, you can use pieces of the stuff you demolish to break other things and fight off enemies. If you enjoy the occasional unhinged rampage, this game’s for you.

6. Lego Marvel Superheroes