I used to hate AC games
Bombjack·4 min read
Edited 12 days ago
Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018)
Since this is a game about history, let’s start off with my history with the Assassin’s Creed games. I own AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC4: Black Flag. I disliked all those games (well at least the first 3 anyway) because they force you to do stealth and it is game over if you don’t do it right. Trailing someone on your first mission is basically (in my head anyway) **NOT FUN**. Since I disliked the first few games, I did not bother with the rest up to now. To salve this apparent gaming slight (according to some of my pals), I read the books by Oliver Bowden (well most of them anyway) and I found them to be fun, if rather generic. Let’s call the books a good summer read over a pint, forgettable by the time you’ve got home. Since I am an avid reader of genre fiction, this seemed to be enough for me where the AC world was concerned. Spinning this out to with wider net, I have mostly avoided the Ubisoft identikit open world games that seemed to start with Far Cry 2. Yes, I played FC:5, but mostly because I could shoot my way through things. I also played GR:WildLands which was amusing multiplayer for sure, but mostly those open world games leave me stone cold. They become an exercise in painting a map more than playing a game. Anyway, back to AC:O. It turns out I have spent 147 hours on it (so far). I have bought the Season Pass separately, something I would never do as I’m old enough to believe that DLC has no place in the world. It took me 11 hours just to complete the prologue of this game, because I had to explore everywhere on the first island. But why? To be honest, I don’t know. If I was being unkind, I could just dismiss the game as Ghost Recon: Greece, since AC:O and GR:W share similar mechanics. There’s a story, that involves doing missions. When you find a base, or any area of interest, you spin up your device for viewing the map (a bird or a drone). You scope out the baddies, and then either go sneaky-sneaky or go loud to kill them all. Rinse and repeat (for apparently 147 hours) while the story revolves around you. That to me is about a 5/10 game at best. So why did this one grab me so much and thus become a 8/10 game? Is it the (now that I have a rig to run it on Ultra everything) absolutely stunning art design? Maybe. It is an undeniably wonderful looking game. It must be because I now understand why taking in game photos is a thing that should be applauded. Is it the overall setting, since I am a sucker for a good swords-and-sandals epic? Quite possibly. Let’s face it, ancient Greece is a fascinating time in human history. If nothing else from an architectural standpoint. I was listening to the No such thing as a Fish podcast the other day and learnt that the concrete they used around that sort of time is better than the concrete we use today (something about sea water). How can that era not be absolutely intriguing in real life, even if the plot of this game itself is fairly boilerplate? Is it because they have made it into a sort of RPG? More than likely, since it makes it more like Mass Effect 2. While the plot is mostly predictable, the fact that they have bolted RPG mechanics to it that affects how the plot unfolds deviates sufficiently from the formula to make me interested. The addition of cultist hunting is padding, as is becoming top mercenary, but it’s not arduous to do the side quests (though there is a bug which can prevent you some becoming top mercenary). To be honest, I think the reason I love this game (and I must do since I have just bought AC: Origins as well since apparently it’s similar) is because it’s quite like Mass Effect 2, it looks stunning, it plays well and it doesn’t penalise you for not doing stealth. It might have taken a lot of AC games to get it right, but I think this one is just plain right. It has taken something generic and now formulaic and made it better. All the others don’t really appeal and I won’t go back and play them. Yes, I might miss out on the over-arching plot, but to be honest I don’t care. I’m off to Greece to battle with the gods of Atlantis (the second DLC), much better than trailing someone for information. Well done Ubisoft, you’ve changed the formula and made a fan out of me again.
Other reviews of Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Token9/10Malaka, souring high like Icarus
tl:dr - A staggeringly vast and beautiful open-world ARPG game. Featuring some of the best combat, quests, and characterizations that I have played in a while. "Tell me where they are, or I'll shove my spear so far down your throat you'll be shitting iron at the gates of Hades!" Kassandra/Alexios, Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Bought on a whim after liking the art style and setting, 'Assassin's Creed: Odyssey' really grabbed me by the nuts from the get-go. It was when the opening title screen appeared after I had already been playing for nearly 4 hours that I knew I was in it for the long run. This ridiculously large and lavish action role-playing game was only just beginning, and I was loving every single second of it. I initially started the game playing as Alexios, the male hero of the story. But I quickly got tired of the voice acting, with him seemingly unable to do anything but shout at people. So, a quick restart later and I was following Kassandra on her journey through the, faithfully recreated, but a little smaller, Greek islands. The landscapes change depending on where about you are on the map. The height of the mountain or the city you are visiting have an effect on vista and even after nearly 100 hours in the game it never really gets boring. The main quest line takes you on a journey of self-discovery, telling you more about your family and their history. While the side quests help to fill in some gaps, get you more loot or just act as a little bit of light-hearted distraction. Along the way, you will get to meet a lot of NPC characters, some of which seem more fleshed out than others with decent backstories and quests. With actual relationships with these characters forming over a few hours. Yes, the quests do get a little samey and combat can become a bit repetitive, but nothing stops being fun. You continually want to explore, to find new mythical creatures to slay or to upgrade your hero's various abilities. This game can just go on and on, much like this review! So, what could I say to summarise? This Assassin's Creed game is easy to pick up and put down. A casual arcadey take on what used to be a stealth-em-up open-world. Think of this as the Forza Horizon to the Forza Motorsports! Kill your foes in open combat, or slay them from the shadows, it's your choice with zero repercussions.
KaipoNat9/10Comments
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