WILL BLOODBORNE BE SMEARED LIKE THE ORDER: 1886?

After the dust settles some of the cooler heads are prevailing to prove “major” sources like IGN jumped the gun on subjective reviews for The Order: 1886. So the single player story driven shooter has proven to be worth the price of admission for true SP lovers.

There can be no question though, the smear campaign against the game prior to release was gigantic and effective in undercutting its success and achievements. In ascertaining whether or not Bloodborne will receive the same treatment we have to examine the similarities and differences between the two games and how they are portrayed in the media.

Similarities: both were vying for the title of elite, must-play PS4 exclusive. Thus far no PS4 exclusive game on offer has been accepted as solidly 9-10 material. The new Killzone was mediocre, infamous: Second Son was pretty but dialed back franchise staples and variety, and Driveclub turned out just pretty good. Now The Order has dropped onto us and while riveting, still doesn’t scream must buy. Bloodborne now has a shot at the coveted spot, and with it the flood of sales and glory of potentially being a system seller.

One thing that stands in the way of this is its status as a Souls series successor from From Software. Souls fans are numerous and toothy but the bulk of gamers want nothing more than a minor challenge while these games are known to present a serious bout with the mental stability of the player.

On the one hand having the Souls following with it and the respect of critics from those previous games Bloodborne may well command enough respect to avoid the hate machine that targeted The Order. On the other hand if the game is tweaked to appeal to the aforementioned masses (and there is some indication it might) we could even see a revolt from fans and critics that kickstarts a grass roots hater rampage. That would be in opposition to the top-down hate approach that besmirched The Order, but would be no less effective. It would also offer something new to attack the PS4 exclusive with, a different kind of ammo to rationalize another pitchfork tour.

It will likely be essentially linear, which blew the hats off critics of The Order but there’s a kind of built-in RPG-ness to these games that dislodges that linear feeling so that could prove a non-issue. Bloodborne probably won’t be as short (especially with the deaths) as The Order so nobody can have a fit over a 7-12 hour campaign on its account. So far the odds are good that Bloodborne will avoid a smear campaign.

Coming at the end of March though, it will be riding the tide of releases by Sony that just haven’t fared all that well, putting extra pressure on the game to deliver something special. People are looking for a game to define the generation and what should be new about it, The Order proved that gameplay from last generation isn’t good enough. I fear the gameplay of Bloodborne won’t re-invent the wheel either. To their credit, From Software is playing their cards closer to their chest than Ready At Dawn. There hasn’t been a ton of footage of Bloodborne for crowds to begin to latch their claws onto.

When push comes to shove I think Bloodborne has enough going for it creatively and enough clout behind the developer to avoid the kind of smear campaign that Ready At Dawn was subjected to. If it doesn’t deliver on a lot of hopes though, it could earn post release hate tributaries throughout the gaming community.

OnlySP will keep you tuned in to what Bloodborne has to offer in its campaign, hate free.