Every new system thrives on new IP, and The Order: 1886 is the latest on PlayStation 4, from Ready at Dawn and Sony's Santa Monica Studio. With a unique gothic steampunk style, the world The Order: 1886 crafts looks very promising, but does it live up to the hype

When I was a kid, I remember watching my favorite movies over and over again. Repeatedly. I must have worn out my parents' original VHS tapes of the Star Wars trilogy growing up. Alright, let's be honest, it's not just the kid in me.

Superb cinematic presentation; The pacing is excellent; Fun gameplay that makes the experience immersive; Great story and characters

The never ending tutorials; Half-breed battles are boring; as their AI is terrible; Story ends abruptly; as if they lost the last third of the script

I didn't completely hate The Order , but I wanted to like it so much more than I did. The premise is amazing, the presentation is stunning, and the gameplay style has proven to give rise to some excellent games in the past. In this case, though, the total is less than the sum of its parts.

People have already made up their minds about The Order: 1886. They debate on arbitrary things like speedruns, graphical changes since E3, and whether the game's cinematic nature classifies it as a game. It's going to be hilarious watching those same folks eat their hat.

Absolutely amazing graphical fidelity; Rock solid framerate; Beautiful soundtrack and voice work; Solid cover-based combat; Tesla's toys are a real treat

Letterboxing may irritate some; Occasional odd NPC pathfinding

Playing through The Order: 1886, I couldn’t stop thinking about Resistance: Fall of Man. That comparison works on more levels than just the aesthetic similarity between Ready at Dawn’s PS4 blockbuster and Insomniac’s PS3 launch title.

Quick Take: The Order: 1886 is the first big PS4 exclusive of 2015 and looks right at home on Sony's powerful platform, even with the gameplay not rising to the occasion.

There was so much potential surrounding The Order, yet it hasn’t lived up to the expectations

We throw the gaming industry a lot of punches for over-franchising, but let The Order: 1886 stand as evidence that even an original IP by an up-and-coming development studio can feel just as rote as the latest Ubisoft release.

Its lack of trust in the player is best expressed in the The Order’ s dramatic final scene (no plot details ahead). As Galahad holds his antagonist’s life in his hands, the player is prompted to pull the trigger.

Execute The Order