The Order 1886 vs Bioshock Infinite

[sXeth]

Two short(ish... results may vary, but generally about the same length) shooters, set in steampunkish alternate histories, with supernatural elements. That also boil down largely to shooting samey looking average guys in predefined areas for most of the game.

B:I is relatively praised though, while The Order seems to be getting (IMO somewhat unfair) amounts of negativity. Is it the lack of the franchise weight to give it gravitas? Rabid Ken Levine worship? Cutscene QTE's just make people want to tear their eyes out? (I think Infinite did have a few though).

Spoiler: My long-winded opinions

For my personal opinion, the Order has a slight edge in gameplay, chest-high walls notwithstanding, with some basic platforming/minigame stuff to break up the shooting spree. Infinite kind of relied entirely on the Tear mechanic, which was fairly limited, and somewhat obtrusive (Everytime you see Tears, you know you're in a firefight zone) and Skyhooking (again rather limited by their infrequent appearance (and several that simply serve as transition mechanics to new areas).

The shooting is probably a no-contest for The Order. Infinite's was passable, but didn't feel like they put a huge amount into it. The Vigors give it some diversity that The Order doesn't have (outside of a few specific guns), but its a very basic effort.

Storywise, the Order does put more directly on the table, compared to Infinite. The story is very much in the course of gameplay, if a bit trailed off at the end. Its voicelogs are more dedicated to world building (probably to setup the likely inevitable Order 1887 or whatever it'll be called). Bioshock's story requires a bit more aimless searching to find some key voicelogs to really assemble, and still relies heavily on simply rewriting timelines a few times over to bring its conclusion about.

Character-wise, and I'm probably igniting the flames, but I'd give it to The Order as well. The four mains are well-developed, and get lots of screentime (Possibly a little too much, their is a bit of Kojima-style over-cutscening going on), along with steady banter in missions. Infinite gets a reasonable rapport with Booker and Elizabeth (although her later game brooding phase, and tendency to act as a plot macguffin to push you to a new timeline start to lose points), but leaves most other characters spread thin, even with its voicelogs.


I wouldn't necessarily put either of the games in my high favorites or especially rate one over the other, but its curious to see how two generally similar games get such radically different responses.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well the parts where people who like to play games might find problems:
- The Order is 5-7 hours long (B:I is 10-12h)
- cutscene, cutscene, cutscene, QTE, cutscene, QTE, cutscene, five minutes of gameplay, cutscene, cutscene, QTE,...
- "cinematic" 30 FPS lock, with areas where that drop further
- "cinematic" tight camera + "cinematic" letter boxing, makes the fast moving monsters insanely annoying

If you just go in to see moving imagery then I imagine none of that is an issue, people who want to take control of their game however will be more then annoyed, especially when they have been sitting idle for what feels like half of the short experience.

 

[ZiggyE]

Bioshock Infinite was more highly marketed, was multi-platform, had a cute girl you could escort for most of the game and managed to fool game journalists into thinking it was an "art game". At least Columbia was pretty though.

So, Sony's marketing division, if you want a mediocre game to be well received (by critics anyway), just be as pretentious as you can about it. That's how Bioshock Infinite did it!

 

[Casual Shinji]

Hey man, Bioshock Infinite reached for the sky! ;D

But seriously, even while not having played The Order I think I can safely say you can't really compare the two. The Order has the hefty aroma of 'launch game tech demo' all over it. Every piece of footage I've seen of this game is you trudging through the most narrow, darkly lit corridors in history.

B:I just seems to have more life and grandeur to it. And I didn't even like that game.

 

[Evonisia]

BioShock Infinite was a game that aimed high and (imo) failed catastrophically, but for many people the story was engaging enough to prevent the gameplay from tiring them, and some people even found the gameplay entertaining. Plus Ken Levine fanboys, or people who really liked BioShock 1 and wanted the magic back. Apparently Elizabeth is a good character, I'd say she's just an inconsistent ***** but there you go.

The Order was basically Sony's Ryse: Son of Rome for the PlayStation 4, a brief tech demo meant to demonstrate the power and potential of the PS4, with little regard towards the story or fleshing out the game to make it a great experience. Gorgeous to look at, I'm sure, but hollow and only meant for enthusiasts. What's so beautiful is that a tech demo for a 2013 console was delayed until 2015.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Uh no contest? Bioshock by a mile. For all the "oh, it doesn't measure up to my oh so elegant and refined tastes. Snarf snarf!" gamers and reviewers threw at it, BioInf has a strong and passionate fanbase, always ready to have it out with those who didn't like it.

The Order? I struggle to find a single review that was kind to it. gameplay? Characters? Plot? The Order seems notable for how utterly unnoteworthy it is.

 

[stroopwafel]

Both those games aren't really good but I give a slight advantage to Bioshock. I just played through The Order and that game is nothing but one long cutscene with QTEs and occasional pop 'n stop floaty shooting. Strangely the premise of The Order is really cool and so is the incredible sense of ambiance, but the narrative that actually unfolds is so boring it almost puts you in an artificially induced coma. Bioshock was a chore as well but atleast it wasn't all cutscene. The Order only had phenomenal graphics that look so detailed I'm not surprised they took 5 years making them. Graphics can certainly help, but unfortunately for The Order they don't make a game.

In the end though, both these games just reconfirmed to me that movies and games don't mesh. I wish the trend that Metal Gear Solid started would just go away. Environmental/dynamic storytelling makes for much better games.

 

[Alma Mare]

One is an extremely ambitious, incredibly well characterized and aesthetically peerless. The other is a PS4 tech demo.

 

[Inglorious891]

I've never played 1886, but I've only heard bad to worse things about it, and since it's only 5-7 hours long I doubt I'd like it much if I did play it.

On the other hand, Infinite was one of biggest letdowns of my gaming career (if not the biggest letdown), so in all honestly I'd probably enjoy 1886 more.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Cutscene QTE's just make people want to tear their eyes out? (I think Infinite did have a few though).

BioShock Infinite barely had any cutscenes, let alone QTEs.

And as far as I can tell, that's probably one of the biggest differences between the two. From what I've heard of The Order (I haven't actually played it), it tries to hard to be a movie. There are too many cutscenes, and much of the interactivity comes in the form of QTEs. BioShock Infinite was absolutely dedicated to being a game. You could probably count on one hand the number of cutscenes it had, even including optional ones, and most of these were probably over in less than a minute.

Infinite also tried to show what games were capable of as a storytelling medium. Heck, the whole story was basically a commentary on what games are and what they can do. It may not have been particularly unique in what it did, but it executed everything with a passion for the medium as a place to tell unique stories through interactivity. Most of what I've heard of The Order seems to indicate that it doesn't have anywhere near that same level of passion for games or interactive storytelling. If anything, many reviewers seem to think that it wants to be a movie but had to find some way to justify being called a game.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

i havent played the Order, but i can assure you Bioshock Infinite's cutscenes didnt last half of the freaking game

 

[SmallHatLogan]

I guess the difference is in how the story is told. Bioshock Infinite didn't have long cutscenes and QTEs. It did a good job at parcelling out information in small doses in such a way that it didn't really break the flow of the game. And never leaving Booker's perspective so that the game seamlessly transitions from cutscene to gameplay helps make the cutscenes less intrusive.

Frequently interrupting a game for long cutscenes that feel like they're completely divorced from the game can feel a bit tiring to some people. And don't even get me started on cutscene QTEs. I also find it can have an effect on the player's sense of agency. One of the reasons I hated Uncharted was that it felt like I was just being railroaded from one set piece/cutscene to the next with minimal input/effort from myself. (The other reason was the incredibly tedious cover based shooting. In fact I feel like Uncharted is a better comparison to make to The Order).

I won't bother talking about the gameplay. Bioshock Infinite was a mediocre FPS and by all accounts The Order is a mediocre cover based shooter so there's not really anything to be said.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I honestly haven't played The Order, but from what I've seen, the gameplay is extremely generic. The guns, abilities, and enemies are all a lot more interesting in Infinite IMO. Can't comment on The Order's story, but that's apparently one of its stronger aspects. I liked Infinite's story a lot. Sure there are plot holes, but that's the case with anything that deals with time travel and alternate dimensions. Personally, they weren't glaring enough for me to lose immersion.

Infinite also as the edge in gameplay due to the skyhook. Launching around on that, jumping from rail to rail while leaping off at enemies only to jump right back up never really got old to me. Any time skyhooks were involved in a fight, I took full advantage and the combat became a lot more fun.

Visuals is obviously subjective, but there's really no contest for me. The Order is yet another dark and dreary coloured game while Infinite looks like a painting come to life. Not to mention, if you're playing on PC, the graphics are probably on par or better even though The Order is newer.

Infinite was just about the perfect length. There was some padding, but overall, I was never bored. The Order sounds incredibly short.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Evidently, it's shared by many.

Honestly, I'd compare The Order more to Ryse. They both are short and they both have tons of QTEs. It's fine if you want to make an extremely cinematic game, but it doesn't mean you should cut corners everywhere else. It's why the Uncharted games are so loved. They're cinematic while still having exciting gameplay.

Anyway, versus threads are generally frowned upon since it just comes down to opinions and usually someone will start spouting passive aggressive nonsense and a flame war erupts. It's great that you liked it though. I'm glad you're enjoying your purchase OP. Just doesn't look like my cup of tea.

 

[Flammablezeus]

Even though it's by far the weakest of the series, Bioshock Infinite is still so much more than The Order 1886 from what I can see (although I haven't and don't plan to play the latter.)

 

[Azure23]

Am I honestly the only one who really enjoyed Bioshock Infinite's gameplay?

I hear people describe the gunplay and it's like we played completely different games. I was grabbing groups of people and tying them up with magic water tentacles so I could air dash into them and explode them with my skyhook. I used the handcannon and shotgun combo throughout the game and picked up a bunch of gear which made me a close range powerhouse who could siphon health and ammo with melee executions, recharge shields with skyhook dashes, and stack a damage multiplier which made my weapons glow redder with every enemy I killed in succession. I had a blast and appreciated the large combat arenas which encouraged verticality and many different approaches. And while I didn't particularly like the two weapon system at least there was a decent variety and you could always count on a favorite weapon being just around the corner because they did a good job of mixing up what weapons enemies carried.

I feel like a ton of people stuck with the machine gun and played it like they would any other shooter, which is kind of a disservice to themselves in my opinion. I felt like it was an incredibly enjoyable game with some really solid gameplay to back it up, it felt better than bioshock 2 and while that game caught some flak for it's relatively trivial story, no one impugned it's gameplay.

 

[Jak2364]

I haven't played The Order yet but from what I've seen the main criticism comes from other than it being too short, its story doesn't really go anywhere till the end. It just exists to set up a sequel. Bioshock Infinite was a complete, standalone experience. I'm pretty interested in The Order, but I'll definitely be waiting for it to drop in price.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

Cutscene QTE's just make people want to tear their eyes out? (I think Infinite did have a few though).

BioShock Infinite barely had any cutscenes, let alone QTEs.

And as far as I can tell, that's probably one of the biggest differences between the two. From what I've heard of The Order (I haven't actually played it), it tries to hard to be a movie. There are too many cutscenes, and much of the interactivity comes in the form of QTEs. BioShock Infinite was absolutely dedicated to being a game. You could probably count on one hand the number of cutscenes it had, even including optional ones, and most of these were probably over in less than a minute.

Infinite also tried to show what games were capable of as a storytelling medium. Heck, the whole story was basically a commentary on what games are and what they can do. It may not have been particularly unique in what it did, but it executed everything with a passion for the medium as a place to tell unique stories through interactivity. Most of what I've heard of The Order seems to indicate that it doesn't have anywhere near that same level of passion for games or interactive storytelling. If anything, many reviewers seem to think that it wants to be a movie but had to find some way to justify being called a game.

that being said, as as much as i like B:I, the game did have its issues in the story department

 

[Evonisia]

I feel like a ton of people stuck with the machine gun and played it like they would any other shooter, which is kind of a disservice to themselves in my opinion. I felt like it was an incredibly enjoyable game with some really solid gameplay to back it up, it felt better than bioshock 2 and while that game caught some flak for it's relatively trivial story, no one impugned it's gameplay.

I'd say BioShock 2's gameplay completely missed the point of the first game's tone and playstyle, but so did BioShock 2's story so what should I have expected? It wouldn't be bad, but the level design is clearly still based around the BioShock 1 style of play, making the heavy focus on fast paced combat redundant.

Plus I think the hacking system was much better in BioShock 1 (though not good), I often found great relief by rushing towards a machine turret to hack when splicers where at my heels in the first game.

 

[wooty]

I enjoyed Infinite as I enjoyed the society gone mad aspect of it, the social narratives and of course the rather intriguing ending that manages to link in the other games in the series.

I enjoyed The Order: 1886 because it looked gorgeous, gave us setting that hasn't been explored yet (at least to my knowledge) in gaming, it came at the perfect time following my recent Ripper Street binge and that....

Spoiler

it does leave the world and series open to expansions on the story. The colon just before the date does give that away, wouldn't be surprised to see other historical dates following after "The Order:" title.

Both have their own merits and failings. Infinite ends a running series, whereas The Order seems to set up what could become a running series. And this argument about game length doesn't stand with me, The Order took me about eight and half hours to finish, while Infinite took me around 9-10. Not much difference to me, I enjoyed both and I look forward to future ventures into both series'.

 

[ecoho]

Well the parts where people who like to play games might find problems:
- The Order is 5-7 hours long (B:I is 10-12h)
- cutscene, cutscene, cutscene, QTE, cutscene, QTE, cutscene, five minutes of gameplay, cutscene, cutscene, QTE,...
- "cinematic" 30 FPS lock, with areas where that drop further
- "cinematic" tight camera + "cinematic" letter boxing, makes the fast moving monsters insanely annoying

If you just go in to see moving imagery then I imagine none of that is an issue, people who want to take control of their game however will be more then annoyed, especially when they have been sitting idle for what feels like half of the short experience.

this so much this. Also the screen tearing when the game drops below 20 FPS which happens way more then it should, the lack luster gameplay, and finally the story isn't interesting enough to drive said lack luster gameplay.

now you have BS:I which first and foremost is a first person shooter and as such has tight controls, good pacing, and unique gameplay. Then it has a decent story with unforgettable characters you ether want dead or to keep alive.

so yeah side by side one is clearly made better then the other.