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Assassin's Creed - An Odyssey Through the Series
- Thread starter dex3108
- Start date
Recently felt like doing this as well. As much as I liked Odyssey and Origins, they didn't feel like Assassin's Creed games. They felt like traditional open world games. I really miss the Assassin feel that AC1 and the Ezio trilogy had, so I'll probably go back and play them all soon. Absolutely loved Brotherhood.
After Origins and Odyssey I'm not sure I could go back to the classic AC games. The appropriation of WRPG elements like quests and leveling elevated AC from a series I merely liked to being one of my all time favorite franchises, and I am pumped for (presumably) AC 2020.
I'm currently about 25 hours into Odyssey and haven't even made it to Athens yet.
Safe to say I have a long way to go?
I'm currently about 25 hours into Odyssey and haven't even made it to Athens yet.
Only just uncovered that whole Cult of Kosmos being run by my estranged sibling of all people!
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Finished first 3 sequences and yeah this is not best Ezio game but it is my favorite one. Game also introduced some interesting mechanics to the series. One of the best thing they introduced that i don't remember if they ever introduced again is automatic following of NPCs. You just need to walk by them for few seconds and then release controls. Camera will go to close cinematic view and you can enjoy conversation between characters.
They also expanded Assassins recruitment and training. You actually get to work with assassins you intend to promote to Den leaders. And that was really clever way to introduce MP characters too (MP characters are targets in those missions.). While we are at Dens they introduced Tower Defense mini game too that wasn't received that well. I personally think that it was nice way to expand game and introduce some variety.
They also introduced different "modern day part" that also split community. Instead of just talking with your companions this time we got bit more puzzle platforming while we were discovering Desmonds past. And AC Rev did this style before Control XD
And i really liked that they went and actually finished Altair story too in this game. On top of that AC Rev has one of the best dialogues and writing of characters in AC series, together with AC4 (they were written by same man Darby McDevitt).
And i will onec again mention how amazing atmosphere is in this game.
They also expanded Assassins recruitment and training. You actually get to work with assassins you intend to promote to Den leaders. And that was really clever way to introduce MP characters too (MP characters are targets in those missions.). While we are at Dens they introduced Tower Defense mini game too that wasn't received that well. I personally think that it was nice way to expand game and introduce some variety.
They also introduced different "modern day part" that also split community. Instead of just talking with your companions this time we got bit more puzzle platforming while we were discovering Desmonds past. And AC Rev did this style before Control XD
And i really liked that they went and actually finished Altair story too in this game. On top of that AC Rev has one of the best dialogues and writing of characters in AC series, together with AC4 (they were written by same man Darby McDevitt).
And i will onec again mention how amazing atmosphere is in this game.
The least I liked was the first, never finished it.
The most I enjoyed was the Ezio-trilogy, from time to time I feel nostalgy for AC II, witht Monteriggioni and the Battle of Forli DLC.
I am visiting Tuscany next week and will definitely visit Monteriggioni!
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
The most I enjoyed was the Ezio-trilogy, from time to time I feel nostalgy for AC II, witht Monteriggioni and the Battle of Forli DLC.
I am visiting Tuscany next week and will definitely visit Monteriggioni!
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
I didn't liked ACII-Revelation though the ending is fantastic.
Best opus for me
-Assassin's Creed VIII (Odyssey)
-Assassin's Creed III (story was awesome and the best)
-Assassin's Creed V (Unity, best looking game omg beside bugs, now the game run well and it's awesome)
-Assassin's Creed II-2 (Brotherhood)
-Assassin's Creed IV (Black Flag)
-Assassin's Creed VII (Origins)
-Assassin's Creed IV-2 (Rogue)
-Assassin's Creed II
-Assassin's Creed II-3 (Revelations)
-Assassin's Creed I
-Assassin's Creed VI (Syndicate)
-Assassin's Creed III Liberation
Yes Odyssey is best opus. It's the BOTW of Assassin's Creed and holy shit the DLC are awesome and ALL about the lore we discovered in Assassin's Creed II with the statues under Monterrigionni, or the "truth" video with adam and eve
Those saying "assassin's creed odyssey isn't AC anymore...it's a filler...etc..." omg it's the absolute contrary
Best opus for me
-Assassin's Creed VIII (Odyssey)
-Assassin's Creed III (story was awesome and the best)
-Assassin's Creed V (Unity, best looking game omg beside bugs, now the game run well and it's awesome)
-Assassin's Creed II-2 (Brotherhood)
-Assassin's Creed IV (Black Flag)
-Assassin's Creed VII (Origins)
-Assassin's Creed IV-2 (Rogue)
-Assassin's Creed II
-Assassin's Creed II-3 (Revelations)
-Assassin's Creed I
-Assassin's Creed VI (Syndicate)
-Assassin's Creed III Liberation
Yes Odyssey is best opus. It's the BOTW of Assassin's Creed and holy shit the DLC are awesome and ALL about the lore we discovered in Assassin's Creed II with the statues under Monterrigionni, or the "truth" video with adam and eve
Those saying "assassin's creed odyssey isn't AC anymore...it's a filler...etc..." omg it's the absolute contrary
Damn I REALLY forgot how amazing the art direction in Revelations was. Surprised you didn't mention that the game is filled to the brim with unique set pieces.Finished first 3 sequences and yeah this is not best Ezio game but it is my favorite one. Game also introduced some interesting mechanics to the series. One of the best thing they introduced that i don't remember if they ever introduced again is automatic following of NPCs. You just need to walk by them for few seconds and then release controls. Camera will go to close cinematic view and you can enjoy conversation between characters.
They also expanded Assassins recruitment and training. You actually get to work with assassins you intend to promote to Den leaders. And that was really clever way to introduce MP characters too (MP characters are targets in those missions.). While we are at Dens they introduced Tower Defense mini game too that wasn't received that well. I personally think that it was nice way to expand game and introduce some variety.
They also introduced different "modern day part" that also split community. Instead of just talking with your companions this time we got bit more puzzle platforming while we were discovering Desmonds past. And AC Rev did this style before Control XD
And i really liked that they went and actually finished Altair story too in this game. On top of that AC Rev has one of the best dialogues and writing of characters in AC series, together with AC4 (they were written by same man Darby McDevitt).
And i will onec again mention how amazing atmosphere is in this game.
It was in AC Revelations that you can be instakilled by assassin's , with that scary music, right?
I remember they'd literally peek around corners and point at you, making a stabbing motion with a knife in their hand. Which was a bit difficult to spot because Revelations had a lot of npcs onscreen at once.
it was a jumpscare everytime
seriously it was awesome because you feeled what you do to others in every games lol.
i'm glad there is no AC this year because seriously i would be in overdose after Odyssey
didn't finished it yet, i'm a 91% and no dlc done yet.
I even want AC to come back in 2021. I LOVE ODYSSEY so much but if the next one is as big, i will say "nope"
Im excited for the next AC because yay vikings and I'm extremely excited to see how they can push their tech even further.
Origins is a stupidly gorgeous game for it's size on PC.
Haven't heard of many attempts to add raytracing so I'd hop right in.
It's very pretty:
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In my opinion 3 AC games with best Art Direction have same Art Director. Unity is only game outside those 3 that has amazing Art Direction and different Art Director. Those 3 games are Revelations, Black Flag and Origins, and for all of those Raphael Lacoste was Art Director. And ACR has lots of variety, it has one of the best missions in entire AC franchise:
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And that is another AC game finished. As i said before this is still one of my favorite AC games. And it is nice final evolution of gameplay that AC2 started. It is first game in the series that combined 2 pillars of the franchise with hookblade (that explanation by Yusuf still puts smile on my face). It was also kinda big step up in animation department with many different finisher kills and additional animations needed for hookblade. On top of that animations in custscenes were improved and cinematography in general got improved. Game also introduces dome light choices in missions (you were offered few times to steal something however you want lethal or non lethal) and with whole bomb crafting system. And as it was said before this was the most cinematic AC game up until then with some amazing setpieces (both chariot chases at the beginning and in the end stand up).
All in all each game from Ezio trilogy has different meaning to me. AC2 was released in kinda different period of my life and it holds mostly sentimental value, Brotherhood is probably best game from the trilogy but Revelations is closest to my heart. And i really can't thank enough to Ubisoft for finishing Ezio story with short Embers movie.
And until next game (can;t wait to play AC3 Remastered this time) i leave you with few more screenshots from Revelations.
All in all each game from Ezio trilogy has different meaning to me. AC2 was released in kinda different period of my life and it holds mostly sentimental value, Brotherhood is probably best game from the trilogy but Revelations is closest to my heart. And i really can't thank enough to Ubisoft for finishing Ezio story with short Embers movie.
And until next game (can;t wait to play AC3 Remastered this time) i leave you with few more screenshots from Revelations.
I still don't know exactly why, but as gorgeous as Odyssey is, I still think Origins overall has better graphics. Obviously Odyssey surpasses it in several areas like water and character faces, but Origins still feels superior in some way during just general gameplay - I don't know if it's the quality of the assets, the lighting, or environmental density, or some combination of the three.
Material shaders and light bounces are way more advanced and natural looking in Origins, for some reason. Might be because they used NASA measurements to build their lighting model. I also feel like Odyssey has lower res textures due to memory limitations (The world is way bigger in Odyssey)
In my opinion 3 AC games with best Art Direction have same Art Director. Unity is only game outside those 3 that has amazing Art Direction and different Art Director. Those 3 games are Revelations, Black Flag and Origins, and for all of those Raphael Lacoste was Art Director. And ACR has lots of variety, it has one of the best missions in entire AC franchise:
I think AC I and II are up there too in art direction. And you're absolutely right about the quality of life improvements in Revelations (auto-follow NPCs) being absent in other games. I suppose they fell through the cracks when switching between lead teams and engine versions (just as puzzles, set pieces, and platforming did), which is a shame.
That's interesting, I didn't know that about Origins. And yeah, in particular the rock/mountain textures in Odyssey always stuck out as lower quality.
It's also interesting how Bayek actually climbs using handholds in walls/buildings, but Cassandros just glides along them.
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Auto-follow one really hurts. I really enjoyed in that bit more cinematic view during the conversations.
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My journey continues. Over the weekend I started Assassin's Creed III Remastered. I reached Sequence 7 so far.
First of all tutorial section is not that long after you play the game for the 4th time XD Haytham is still badass and keeping him as secret until release is one of the best things Ubisoft did in AC game to date. You spend playing 1/4 or 1/3 of the game (Story) and then boom reveal.
Moving on to Connor I still think that he is one of the best designed (visually) AC protagonists. Even though I like costume and thinner body from Target Footage more, character we got is still awesome visually (I would say character wise too if you go through Homestead missions).
Map(s) is most interesting one still because we got great cities and frontier. Climbing trees and going through the woods above enemies is still awesome thing to do that wasn't repeated in games that followed. Hanging enemies with rope dart in the woods is awesome mechanic even today.
Going back to cities, playing AC3 I realized I really miss modern cities in AC games. Boston from AC3 has really great atmosphere and even though layout is not the best for parkour it did the job. They expanded tunnel mechanic from Ezio trilogy and I like it, you actually need to go through tunnels that free masons built and solve light puzzles to unlock fast travel points. They also introduced various side activities throughout the cities like Mail delivery or fight clubs. Game also introduced long set of challenges better than Ezio trilogy games where you had to go to faction buildings to look what challenges you have.
But AC3 also introduced collectable that I hate the most, damn Almanac pages for old pervert Benjamin Franklin XD Man I forgot how I hated those things that they then tied to shanties in Black Flag.
But after playing modern AC games you really notice how crouch button is missing. It really is noticable.
Another thing that is noticable after Ezio trilogy is jump in animation quality, it is still ridiculous. Only AC Unity comes close to AC3 animation wise but I think that I still prefer AC3. They kinda managed to make Connor animated really good and with sense of weight but without compromising response time too much. To think how many animations they made for each weapon in game, for that time...
Also they did good job with Remaster on PC. Game does run better on modern hardware than original release and they did add enoug new assets to make a difference. That includes lighting that is way better. Character models are mixed and they range from really good to wtf they did to that person. But that mainly depends on angle of the camera in cutscenes.
That is all for now I will try to finish game this week and post more impressions and screenshots (my internet is down that is why there are no screenshots :( )
First of all tutorial section is not that long after you play the game for the 4th time XD Haytham is still badass and keeping him as secret until release is one of the best things Ubisoft did in AC game to date. You spend playing 1/4 or 1/3 of the game (Story) and then boom reveal.
Moving on to Connor I still think that he is one of the best designed (visually) AC protagonists. Even though I like costume and thinner body from Target Footage more, character we got is still awesome visually (I would say character wise too if you go through Homestead missions).
Map(s) is most interesting one still because we got great cities and frontier. Climbing trees and going through the woods above enemies is still awesome thing to do that wasn't repeated in games that followed. Hanging enemies with rope dart in the woods is awesome mechanic even today.
Going back to cities, playing AC3 I realized I really miss modern cities in AC games. Boston from AC3 has really great atmosphere and even though layout is not the best for parkour it did the job. They expanded tunnel mechanic from Ezio trilogy and I like it, you actually need to go through tunnels that free masons built and solve light puzzles to unlock fast travel points. They also introduced various side activities throughout the cities like Mail delivery or fight clubs. Game also introduced long set of challenges better than Ezio trilogy games where you had to go to faction buildings to look what challenges you have.
But AC3 also introduced collectable that I hate the most, damn Almanac pages for old pervert Benjamin Franklin XD Man I forgot how I hated those things that they then tied to shanties in Black Flag.
But after playing modern AC games you really notice how crouch button is missing. It really is noticable.
Another thing that is noticable after Ezio trilogy is jump in animation quality, it is still ridiculous. Only AC Unity comes close to AC3 animation wise but I think that I still prefer AC3. They kinda managed to make Connor animated really good and with sense of weight but without compromising response time too much. To think how many animations they made for each weapon in game, for that time...
Also they did good job with Remaster on PC. Game does run better on modern hardware than original release and they did add enoug new assets to make a difference. That includes lighting that is way better. Character models are mixed and they range from really good to wtf they did to that person. But that mainly depends on angle of the camera in cutscenes.
That is all for now I will try to finish game this week and post more impressions and screenshots (my internet is down that is why there are no screenshots :( )
Unfortunately, what I remember most from AC3 is Connor constantly exclaiming "Where is CHARLES LEE!?"
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The series is in the best shape it's ever been. I hope they continue this path, and not mess it up by following in the footsteps of Ghost Recom, and The Division with online only, and crazy micro transactions.
I'm fine with the cosmetics gear.
I regret jumping straight to Odyssey, and skipping Rogue, Syndicate. I'm not sure I'll be able to play them now. :0
I'd like them to add the ability to build settlements, recruit soldiers, form alliances with other factions, and buy/rent homes.
I'm fine with the cosmetics gear.
I regret jumping straight to Odyssey, and skipping Rogue, Syndicate. I'm not sure I'll be able to play them now. :0
I'd like them to add the ability to build settlements, recruit soldiers, form alliances with other factions, and buy/rent homes.
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I can't say that i agree. Story suffered a lot with new approach and going too big made games feel boring after a while because content repeats.
Yep. I love this thread, and it is great to see you experience what AC actually is.
The new games really don't do it for me...
Origins and odyssey are great games, but
- the questing and general lenght has seriously diluted the storytelling.
- the parkour has been simplified a lot.
- the combat, while better mechanically, is a lot more arcadey now. Not just because of all the crazy abilities but because of how spongey enemies are and how the hidden blade has been reworked to fit the RPG mechanics.
- the freeform gameplay results in incredibly simplistic, repetative objectives, leaving the player to experiment with whatever approach they like. This is good, to an extent. The older games were full of cinematic, handcrafted missions that were simply more memorable and varied.
If i just consider ORigins and Odyssey action rpg's, they're excellent, but as AC games, they feel really lacking and going back to older titles can be really eye opening.
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To me personally Unity was best base for new gen AC gameplay. They should have expanded that type of gameplay more. Main assassination should be set in complex levels with multiple approaches (like they did in Unity with Black Box approach but more complex). Side missions could tie to main missions and open new paths. Work on AI and fix some issues parkour had.
Definitely! They just rushed the game, but otherwise Unity was a very promising start for AC on next-gen. Paris was amazingly crafted, and felt like it was going back to its roots. It took inspiration from AC1 with the Black box approach, and of course from AC2 in every other way. The ideas could have been implemented better, but it was a start of something possibly great. The game even had co-op!
All it needed was to run a bit better, and not have useless filler which in my opinion even the new games do. The difference being that the map is pointlessly bigger (odyssey) so it is spread out more.
I sold Unity shortly after getting it, since it ran like crap on my base ps4. However decided to get it recently for like 2 euro, so I can play it on the ps5 (with BC)
All it needed was to run a bit better, and not have useless filler which in my opinion even the new games do. The difference being that the map is pointlessly bigger (odyssey) so it is spread out more.
I sold Unity shortly after getting it, since it ran like crap on my base ps4. However decided to get it recently for like 2 euro, so I can play it on the ps5 (with BC)
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Finished ACIII today. I still think that game is really good but with some big flaws. Biggest thing that sticks to me is that dev team tried to put too much story in in game to cover all real places and times of death for main assassination targets. I mean i was able to finish main story in 12 hours. It would really help if they went for 20+h story so they can flash out characters and motives better. Also it doesn't help that homestead missions that flash out Connor more are completely optional. And some more important story things are locked behind those optional missions.
Second big flaw is present day. We finally got to play as Desmond in more meaningful way but they didn't went far enough. Small glimpses we got are awesome but i wanted more. Not to mention what they did with Daniel Cross. And then that ending xD
Atmosphere in cities and Frontier, running on trees and animation quality are still highlights of the game. Animations go so much better compared to Ezio trilogy that it is kinda not fair XD Mission variety is ok in AC3. Side content is expanded compared to previous games too but i can't say that all of that content is more interesting. You have forts that are basically outpost that are basically region liberations from Exio trilogy, various missions around the city like letter deliveries, there is hunting too, collecting feathers and trinkets, chests are improved and they include various crafting receipts now instead of random money/resources, they added region liberations in cities that in the end give you new assassin's to use (they have various specialties)... Other side thing that i find interesting is unlocking fast travel points around the cities by exploring old tunnels and solving light puzzles. You also can collect trinkets for old pirate that gives you Kidd map in the end for special item, whole naval part (naval is kinda more intense in AC3 than in AC4 in my opinion, ships are slower and your options more limited), and then there are Almanac pages that are the worst collectible XD Also due to tech limitations they had to separate maps and loading screens were kinda annoying (making all maps from AC3 as one seamless map would be so much better).
All in all AC3 was really ambitious project that unfortunately never reached full potential because game had to be out before 21.12.2012. for story reasons. Great fire of New York, lakes freezing and ice on lakes, canoes and many other things got cut before launch for example. But game is still enjoyable experience that i like to return to.
Second big flaw is present day. We finally got to play as Desmond in more meaningful way but they didn't went far enough. Small glimpses we got are awesome but i wanted more. Not to mention what they did with Daniel Cross. And then that ending xD
Atmosphere in cities and Frontier, running on trees and animation quality are still highlights of the game. Animations go so much better compared to Ezio trilogy that it is kinda not fair XD Mission variety is ok in AC3. Side content is expanded compared to previous games too but i can't say that all of that content is more interesting. You have forts that are basically outpost that are basically region liberations from Exio trilogy, various missions around the city like letter deliveries, there is hunting too, collecting feathers and trinkets, chests are improved and they include various crafting receipts now instead of random money/resources, they added region liberations in cities that in the end give you new assassin's to use (they have various specialties)... Other side thing that i find interesting is unlocking fast travel points around the cities by exploring old tunnels and solving light puzzles. You also can collect trinkets for old pirate that gives you Kidd map in the end for special item, whole naval part (naval is kinda more intense in AC3 than in AC4 in my opinion, ships are slower and your options more limited), and then there are Almanac pages that are the worst collectible XD Also due to tech limitations they had to separate maps and loading screens were kinda annoying (making all maps from AC3 as one seamless map would be so much better).
All in all AC3 was really ambitious project that unfortunately never reached full potential because game had to be out before 21.12.2012. for story reasons. Great fire of New York, lakes freezing and ice on lakes, canoes and many other things got cut before launch for example. But game is still enjoyable experience that i like to return to.
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Yeah you can do some parkour but only in one row, streets are too wide to jump across.
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After few days of playing i reached Sequence 5 in Black Flag. That means tha i unlocked most systems in the game XD But no back to serious talk. Even 5 years later this game is something special. I will start from one of the best and most impressive things this game has to offer. That is artstyle and visuals. My God does this game look amazing even today thanks to that.
Those colors and water rendering tech are simply amazing. Even though many would say that Sea of Thieves has better water tech i still like Black Flag one more and to me it is still unmatched. Add to that great volumetric fog, better lighting than AC3 had and more lush vegetation and you simply get great looking game.
Now back to actual gameplay and other non graphics things :D In short this game still feels amazing to play. From simply roaming around the seas listening shanties and watching your crew work on deck to running around jungles on trees everything still feels great. Docking your ship near island and swinging on the rope to reach shore still feels awesome, same goes with boarding your ship. I mean this gif says everything
What other AC game made you feel this badass?
Ship battles get intense, especially when you are in the middle of the storm. Fluid animations from AC3 are here so parkour and combat still look great and i would say they feel better compared to AC3. Sense of progression doesn't feel good for Edward but upgrading Jackdaw feels awesome. Watching your ship getting stronger and stronger and slowly being able to tackle more and more powerful enemy ships is great, especially reaching high enough level to tackle Legendary Ships.
And now we come to first big issue with the game and probably biggest issue for many. Mission design. TAIL EVERYONE is basically in every mission. And i would argue that things wouldn't be that bad if actual stealth mechanics were there. Game is really missing manual crouch button. But not all missions are that bad, for example first time you meet assassins you basically go through level that looks and feels like Lairs from Ezio trilogy. But overall i would say that mission design is weakest part of this game. Side content while it is plentiful i would say that is not that good. But one thing always brings smile on my face are Treasure Maps. I simply love Treasure Maps in games.
Now back to great things about this game and that is characters and dialogue writing. They are probably best in the series and actors that voiced characters simply did amazing job. Everyone from Edward to Charles Vane, Blackbeard... is done great. Even if overall story is bit lackluster those characters and dialog carry whole game.
Other thing that i liked but i don't know how actually was useful (because it doesn't go in details) was rating missions after you finish them.
Idea was really great but actual implementation was kinda useless in my opinion. You couldn't tell what part of the missions were good or bad. And i don't know how much those ratings actually influenced mission design in future AC games.
That's it for now. I will write more as i continue playing the game :D
Those colors and water rendering tech are simply amazing. Even though many would say that Sea of Thieves has better water tech i still like Black Flag one more and to me it is still unmatched. Add to that great volumetric fog, better lighting than AC3 had and more lush vegetation and you simply get great looking game.
Now back to actual gameplay and other non graphics things :D In short this game still feels amazing to play. From simply roaming around the seas listening shanties and watching your crew work on deck to running around jungles on trees everything still feels great. Docking your ship near island and swinging on the rope to reach shore still feels awesome, same goes with boarding your ship. I mean this gif says everything
What other AC game made you feel this badass?
Ship battles get intense, especially when you are in the middle of the storm. Fluid animations from AC3 are here so parkour and combat still look great and i would say they feel better compared to AC3. Sense of progression doesn't feel good for Edward but upgrading Jackdaw feels awesome. Watching your ship getting stronger and stronger and slowly being able to tackle more and more powerful enemy ships is great, especially reaching high enough level to tackle Legendary Ships.
And now we come to first big issue with the game and probably biggest issue for many. Mission design. TAIL EVERYONE is basically in every mission. And i would argue that things wouldn't be that bad if actual stealth mechanics were there. Game is really missing manual crouch button. But not all missions are that bad, for example first time you meet assassins you basically go through level that looks and feels like Lairs from Ezio trilogy. But overall i would say that mission design is weakest part of this game. Side content while it is plentiful i would say that is not that good. But one thing always brings smile on my face are Treasure Maps. I simply love Treasure Maps in games.
Now back to great things about this game and that is characters and dialogue writing. They are probably best in the series and actors that voiced characters simply did amazing job. Everyone from Edward to Charles Vane, Blackbeard... is done great. Even if overall story is bit lackluster those characters and dialog carry whole game.
Other thing that i liked but i don't know how actually was useful (because it doesn't go in details) was rating missions after you finish them.
Idea was really great but actual implementation was kinda useless in my opinion. You couldn't tell what part of the missions were good or bad. And i don't know how much those ratings actually influenced mission design in future AC games.
That's it for now. I will write more as i continue playing the game :D
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I finished game earlier this week so it is time for me to write closing thoughts for Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag. After finishing story for me last 3 chapters are so good. And i think that Chapter 11 (Memory Sequence 11) in particular is one that hit me the most beside Epilogue Ending. Characters are written so good from Blackbeard to Anne Bonny. Listening Blackbeard speeches or that talk with Anne in Sequence 11 prove that.
Also when that ending hits you that is also proof how good characters are. Overall story is nothing special but i liked Edwards development throughout the game.
Gameplay stayed the same since i wrote about it in previous post. Only thing that kinda changed is last mission in the game that makes it bit harder to simply go through the story without "grinding". That final encounter is hard if you didn't do upgrades but it is doable. But this is first game in the series where you encounter something like that.
Missions are still biggest issues for me. I don't mind tailing in games that much but they went bit overboard with tailing here XD There was simply lack of variety in main missions. Side con'tent in't any better but there are lots of it so you feel less fatigue. Ship battles are still feel amazing and beside good characters and writing are best part of the game. I lied a bit there because shanties are great too :D On top of that i still love running around trees.
But i also can't imagine how good this game would be if it was released later this gen with every island explorable.
And i still stand by my opinion that this is AC game with one of the best art directions. Visuals are amazing from the first moment you start playing to the last.
All in all Black Flag is nice journey that breaks standard AC gameplay a bit (in a good way)without going too far from the core idea of the franchise.Modern day story is serviceable and it is just sad that whole Juno plot that started in this game was finished in comics. So even if you don't like AC games that much i would recommend you to play this game because to this date there is no better pirate simulator and i think that even Skull & Bones won't change that.
Also when that ending hits you that is also proof how good characters are. Overall story is nothing special but i liked Edwards development throughout the game.
Gameplay stayed the same since i wrote about it in previous post. Only thing that kinda changed is last mission in the game that makes it bit harder to simply go through the story without "grinding". That final encounter is hard if you didn't do upgrades but it is doable. But this is first game in the series where you encounter something like that.
Missions are still biggest issues for me. I don't mind tailing in games that much but they went bit overboard with tailing here XD There was simply lack of variety in main missions. Side con'tent in't any better but there are lots of it so you feel less fatigue. Ship battles are still feel amazing and beside good characters and writing are best part of the game. I lied a bit there because shanties are great too :D On top of that i still love running around trees.
But i also can't imagine how good this game would be if it was released later this gen with every island explorable.
And i still stand by my opinion that this is AC game with one of the best art directions. Visuals are amazing from the first moment you start playing to the last.
All in all Black Flag is nice journey that breaks standard AC gameplay a bit (in a good way)without going too far from the core idea of the franchise.Modern day story is serviceable and it is just sad that whole Juno plot that started in this game was finished in comics. So even if you don't like AC games that much i would recommend you to play this game because to this date there is no better pirate simulator and i think that even Skull & Bones won't change that.
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Because end of the year is nearing fast i had to pick u p a pace if i want to finish Creedathon before end of the year. So i took shorter break than usual and finished Assassin's Creed Unity over the weekend.
First thing that is different from other AC games is that Unity has only one Save Slot so i decided to just replay memories instead of copying my 100% save and starting new one. But that meant that i am playing all missions fully upgraded so missions were easier. But despite that missions really felt short and there were not that many missions per Chapter (Memory Sequence). While we are at this topic missions in general ranged from mediocre to good ones that never realized full potential. Those second ones are Assassination missions. They went ahead and gave you more freedom and introduced various side objectives that could help you during the mission or unlock unique assassinations. But in the other hand they could do much, much more with those. They could tie them to other side missions and add more variables, enemy placement could be better too. But all in all i still think that Unity Assassination missions were great baseline for future Assassin's Creed games, and i am really disappointed that technical issues overshadowed good things from this game.
Side content was kinda of mixed bag. Nostradamus riddles were really interesting but i must say that they were bit hard. Helix Rifts while set on interesting locations were kinda boring. Paris Stories were kinda more store focused side missions but without too many proper cutscenes and acting, most of the time you were reading documents to unravel the story. To me most interesting side missions were Murder Mysteries but again there was still room for improvement (more freedom and less waypoints would help). Other side content were collectibles that basically felt the same as Flags in AC1 XD
Gameplay and animation wise this was big step up from previous games. Parkour Up and Down are best additions to the movement system in AC games (even though ground movement had some issues). Being able to go up to the roof and down blazingly fast with great looking animations without breaking immersion is still unmatched and i am really sad that parkour is so simplified in newer games. Combat got some upgrades too but game again had issues with enemy types. The worst ones are those who toss stun bombs, they really break combat fluidity. But good thing is that enemies will attack you all the time, not waiting in line to attack you. Tools are more-less the same as we had in Black Flag but presented in but different way (Phantom Blade instead of Blowpipe for example). But we got better weapon variety. From swords to axes, there is a lot of customization in game. But i must say that from what i remember from my 100% playthrough there is a bit of grinding to get best weapons and max upgrades.
Another addition to the series is coop. And i must say that i liked coop even though there was still a lot of room for improvement. I like that they had backstory and introduced some interesting characters (even thou as in Pars Stories not much cutscenes and acting was involved) and some interesting challenges. But overall it was again another missed opportunity to expand on in future entries.
And now we come to the Story, possibly the worst part of the game in my opinion. Game really starts interesting and things develop at nice pace up until middle of the game when you find out who works behind your back. From that moment story really goes down and completely breaks at Chapter 10. And after that chapter nothing makes sense. It's like half of the game is missing. They just took what they had most polished (because next gen was coming) and they just put it in game. But even if we ignore that Assassin/Templar plot was bad, especially on Assassin's side. Even relationship between Arno and Elise, that is pushed front and center is disappointing and underdeveloped. And don't get me started on Present Day story that is basically nonexistent. I am very disappointed with story on all levels.
And to end things on good note Unity is still one of the best looking games ever made. Fixed ToD helps a lot because baked lighting is unbelievable sometimes. I still remember when first teaser trailer was released after game leaked and how people reacted and couldn't beleive that game will look that good.
I mean just look how this game looks even today
And these are not even the screenshots from best things that game has to offer. But also we can't talk about visuals without mentioning one of the best hairs in video games
And we can't skip talk about best facial animations and faces in general in the series (in my opinion that is still true)
All in all Unity was unfortunately victim of next-gen launch and many of the great ideas and templates that could be improved for future AC games got lost in the buzz about technical issues. And obvious rushing to release the game didn't help either.
With Unity finished i have Syndicate left before i declare Creedathon over. I will probably take bigger break and start playing Syndicate in December. And after i am done with Creedathon i can finally start playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey and use probably whole next year to finish it 100%, tradition needs to continue!
First thing that is different from other AC games is that Unity has only one Save Slot so i decided to just replay memories instead of copying my 100% save and starting new one. But that meant that i am playing all missions fully upgraded so missions were easier. But despite that missions really felt short and there were not that many missions per Chapter (Memory Sequence). While we are at this topic missions in general ranged from mediocre to good ones that never realized full potential. Those second ones are Assassination missions. They went ahead and gave you more freedom and introduced various side objectives that could help you during the mission or unlock unique assassinations. But in the other hand they could do much, much more with those. They could tie them to other side missions and add more variables, enemy placement could be better too. But all in all i still think that Unity Assassination missions were great baseline for future Assassin's Creed games, and i am really disappointed that technical issues overshadowed good things from this game.
Side content was kinda of mixed bag. Nostradamus riddles were really interesting but i must say that they were bit hard. Helix Rifts while set on interesting locations were kinda boring. Paris Stories were kinda more store focused side missions but without too many proper cutscenes and acting, most of the time you were reading documents to unravel the story. To me most interesting side missions were Murder Mysteries but again there was still room for improvement (more freedom and less waypoints would help). Other side content were collectibles that basically felt the same as Flags in AC1 XD
Gameplay and animation wise this was big step up from previous games. Parkour Up and Down are best additions to the movement system in AC games (even though ground movement had some issues). Being able to go up to the roof and down blazingly fast with great looking animations without breaking immersion is still unmatched and i am really sad that parkour is so simplified in newer games. Combat got some upgrades too but game again had issues with enemy types. The worst ones are those who toss stun bombs, they really break combat fluidity. But good thing is that enemies will attack you all the time, not waiting in line to attack you. Tools are more-less the same as we had in Black Flag but presented in but different way (Phantom Blade instead of Blowpipe for example). But we got better weapon variety. From swords to axes, there is a lot of customization in game. But i must say that from what i remember from my 100% playthrough there is a bit of grinding to get best weapons and max upgrades.
Another addition to the series is coop. And i must say that i liked coop even though there was still a lot of room for improvement. I like that they had backstory and introduced some interesting characters (even thou as in Pars Stories not much cutscenes and acting was involved) and some interesting challenges. But overall it was again another missed opportunity to expand on in future entries.
And now we come to the Story, possibly the worst part of the game in my opinion. Game really starts interesting and things develop at nice pace up until middle of the game when you find out who works behind your back. From that moment story really goes down and completely breaks at Chapter 10. And after that chapter nothing makes sense. It's like half of the game is missing. They just took what they had most polished (because next gen was coming) and they just put it in game. But even if we ignore that Assassin/Templar plot was bad, especially on Assassin's side. Even relationship between Arno and Elise, that is pushed front and center is disappointing and underdeveloped. And don't get me started on Present Day story that is basically nonexistent. I am very disappointed with story on all levels.
And to end things on good note Unity is still one of the best looking games ever made. Fixed ToD helps a lot because baked lighting is unbelievable sometimes. I still remember when first teaser trailer was released after game leaked and how people reacted and couldn't beleive that game will look that good.
I mean just look how this game looks even today
And these are not even the screenshots from best things that game has to offer. But also we can't talk about visuals without mentioning one of the best hairs in video games
And we can't skip talk about best facial animations and faces in general in the series (in my opinion that is still true)
All in all Unity was unfortunately victim of next-gen launch and many of the great ideas and templates that could be improved for future AC games got lost in the buzz about technical issues. And obvious rushing to release the game didn't help either.
With Unity finished i have Syndicate left before i declare Creedathon over. I will probably take bigger break and start playing Syndicate in December. And after i am done with Creedathon i can finally start playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey and use probably whole next year to finish it 100%, tradition needs to continue!
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I actually broke my promise and i went and finished Assassin's Creed Syndicate this week XD
I still have mixed feelings about this one. In one hand game has one of the best "levels" in entire series but in the other hand story is not that good or interesting to be honest. Interaction and dialogues between Jacob and Evie are fine for the most part but other characters, especially Templars are really mediocre. And game has nice supporting cast of characters composed from famous people, from Charles Darwin to Karl Marx. And they give you some really interesting missions but as the rest of the game they are presented less serious. And i won't even comment on modern day plot because what they did in Unity and Syndicate to that part of the game is blasphemy.
From the gameolay perspective game introduces some new and interesting mechanics. Zipline is somewhere between old and new (we had them before but now we can do it wherever we want). And while it does make you climb faster and cross wide streets it wasn't polished enough to offer fluid transitions between air/ground gameplay. Other new things include riding carriages (controlling them is nightmare), jumpong from and to moving boats and ships and trains (i really liked that your HQ is on the train), whole gang system that is mix of district liberation (introduced back in AC2) and Brotherhood system (introduced back in AC Brotherhood). And i must say that i didn't hate any of those new mechanics, but i didn't like all of them.
Mission variety was good, they really mixed things up so you are not doing same things too often. And game has in my opinion best level and mission in entire series. That is the one where you need to assassinate person in the vault of the bank. That mission felt really good and it felt like simplified Dishonored mission. I wanted more of that, i wanted to see things like those expanded and improved in later games. But unfortunately non of the other missions in Syndicate or in later entries didn't reached that high, let alone surpassed it.
Visually game really step down from Unity, but i would say that entire game felt "lower budget" compared to Unity despite Unity having a lot of performance issues. For example lypsync during cutscenes was worse, some of the textures too, animations looked less fluid... But there were some moments where game looked nice and atmosphere was top notch.
In my opinion train stations are kinda stars of the show, but mainly because game doesn't offer nearly as much interiors as Unity did. So these big, open spaces filled with NPCs felt closes thing to Unity interiors.
Syndicate same as Unity had so much potential to be something bigger but they never pushed it far enough. With introduction of 2 protagonists they missed opportunity to make entire SP pare playable in coop, they never expanded awesome black box missions, despite improving stealth compared to previous entries they didn't work enough on it...
All in all Syndiacte marked end of the era for AC games. And now that i went through all of mainline games again i will say what i was saying before, with new era of Assassin's Creed games series lost much more than it gained. From mission variety to memorable characters and everything between was lost with new games. series lost it's soul and it really doesn't feel as Assassin's Creed series anymore.
And with that my Odyssey came to the end. I really enjoyed revisiting different eras, characters and worlds of Assassin's Creed games. Series will always have special place in my heart, at least games before Origins. And I won't replay Origins because you can't play only main missions and i don't have time or will to "grind" levels to be able to finish game. I hope that i will now take some break for real and then start Assassin's Creed Odyssey that i intended to play for a long time but never had will to start it knowing what is in front of me.
I still have mixed feelings about this one. In one hand game has one of the best "levels" in entire series but in the other hand story is not that good or interesting to be honest. Interaction and dialogues between Jacob and Evie are fine for the most part but other characters, especially Templars are really mediocre. And game has nice supporting cast of characters composed from famous people, from Charles Darwin to Karl Marx. And they give you some really interesting missions but as the rest of the game they are presented less serious. And i won't even comment on modern day plot because what they did in Unity and Syndicate to that part of the game is blasphemy.
From the gameolay perspective game introduces some new and interesting mechanics. Zipline is somewhere between old and new (we had them before but now we can do it wherever we want). And while it does make you climb faster and cross wide streets it wasn't polished enough to offer fluid transitions between air/ground gameplay. Other new things include riding carriages (controlling them is nightmare), jumpong from and to moving boats and ships and trains (i really liked that your HQ is on the train), whole gang system that is mix of district liberation (introduced back in AC2) and Brotherhood system (introduced back in AC Brotherhood). And i must say that i didn't hate any of those new mechanics, but i didn't like all of them.
Mission variety was good, they really mixed things up so you are not doing same things too often. And game has in my opinion best level and mission in entire series. That is the one where you need to assassinate person in the vault of the bank. That mission felt really good and it felt like simplified Dishonored mission. I wanted more of that, i wanted to see things like those expanded and improved in later games. But unfortunately non of the other missions in Syndicate or in later entries didn't reached that high, let alone surpassed it.
Visually game really step down from Unity, but i would say that entire game felt "lower budget" compared to Unity despite Unity having a lot of performance issues. For example lypsync during cutscenes was worse, some of the textures too, animations looked less fluid... But there were some moments where game looked nice and atmosphere was top notch.
In my opinion train stations are kinda stars of the show, but mainly because game doesn't offer nearly as much interiors as Unity did. So these big, open spaces filled with NPCs felt closes thing to Unity interiors.
Syndicate same as Unity had so much potential to be something bigger but they never pushed it far enough. With introduction of 2 protagonists they missed opportunity to make entire SP pare playable in coop, they never expanded awesome black box missions, despite improving stealth compared to previous entries they didn't work enough on it...
All in all Syndiacte marked end of the era for AC games. And now that i went through all of mainline games again i will say what i was saying before, with new era of Assassin's Creed games series lost much more than it gained. From mission variety to memorable characters and everything between was lost with new games. series lost it's soul and it really doesn't feel as Assassin's Creed series anymore.
And with that my Odyssey came to the end. I really enjoyed revisiting different eras, characters and worlds of Assassin's Creed games. Series will always have special place in my heart, at least games before Origins. And I won't replay Origins because you can't play only main missions and i don't have time or will to "grind" levels to be able to finish game. I hope that i will now take some break for real and then start Assassin's Creed Odyssey that i intended to play for a long time but never had will to start it knowing what is in front of me.