Ubisoft had AC Unity on sale last week, so I ended up grabbing it for 5 bucks. By far the most controversial AC game, this was supposed to be the big jump to next gen AC back in 2014. The game shipped unfinished with a variety of game-breaking and downright hilarious bugs, which is a real shame, as I think that chain of events is what sent the IP in the terrible direction that brought us the most recent string of bad Witcher III clones.
In 2021, with most of the bugs patched, this game is excellent. It brings together much of what defined the series up until Unity was released, but with a slick and much-improved parkour system and a fantastically detailed open world style Paris that is a blast to explore and play in. Comparing this to later titles, I can't for the life of me figure out why they got away from this style of parkour. It's easily the most fun of all the AC games I have played, with more moves and animations, including a dedicated parkour-down button that adds an entirely different set of moves on descent, which I don't think has been in any other AC game. Honestly, I have spent much of my play time so far just flowing around the city doing parkour, because it is so, so much better than than totally dumbed down, almost automatic systems they have in the more recent titles. The stealth is better, the motion capture and voice acting is better, and Arno is an actual character (albeit, kind of a douchey one) in pursuit of knowledge and missions actually related to the assassin's creed - you know, the thing these simulation-style assassination games are supposed to revolve around? Somehow, in AC Odyssey I was hunting the golden fleece and trying to locate Medusa. If only Ubisoft had waited another year on Unity until it was stable and polished...
As it is, it is pretty stable now, but still has its problems. There are still some bugs here and there with pathing and world interaction, and the gunners are overpowered and annoying in places, but out out of the titles I have played in this franchise, this is one of the better ones. It's not the best! That still goes to Black Flag, as far as I am concerned - it's a pirates life for me! Keep in mind I haven't played Brotherhood or Revelations, which many hold as the best in the series.
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.”― Thomas Sowell
What about Valhalla? I heard that one was pretty badass.
I stopped playing the franchise about 2 hours into the first game. Played 2 hours of AC3 as well. If you've played 2 hours in one you have played them all. Just not my cup of tea.
__________________ "This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined."-Baruch Spinoza
What about Valhalla? I heard that one was pretty badass.
I stopped playing the franchise about 2 hours into the first game. Played 2 hours of AC3 as well. If you've played 2 hours in one you have played them all. Just not my cup of tea.
It depends on what you are looking for. The more recent AC titles are pseudo-RPGs. Constant loot drops that offer tiny incremental upgrades, crafting materials, and absolutely massive worlds that are extremely repetitive in their offerings as far as gameplay is concerned. I understand AC has always been fairly repetitive, but a game like Odyssey takes it to the extreme in that it has what appears to be hundreds of hours of said gameplay, with an abysmal story centered around a character that is sort of a non-person, with zero personality and dialogue choices that rarely, if ever, line up with whatever anemic attempts at characterization are present. None of your choices or actions have any impact on the story etc.
AC started off as simulation game that featured a guy who works at a tech company reliving memories of figures from historic eras of the past, with well drawn stories about characters with specific ambitions, which in the case of AC 2 or Black Flag, were engaging from start to finish, featuring excellent character development and logical story beats. The game play did get repetitive, but the games were fairly short and in the case of Black Flag, had an entirely different mode in its naval exploration and combat that broke it up enough to keep it fresh until the game's conclusion.
Valhalla may be different. I haven't played it, but it looks to be on the same systems and perhaps an even bigger world? I am thinking it would be a slog, but I could be wrong!
I'm spending the week at my dad's babysitting my nephew for the week while the adults are on a cruise. We do this once a year but the Covids stopped their trips for the past two years. Anyway. The kid has an xBox One (I think?) and we stayed up playing Madden.
It's been on the Sega Genesis since last I played that title so it was a bit of a struggle catching up. Add to that I play PS4 controllers and his xTrash was just wonky where "X" is on the left of the button cross but on the bottom of my PS4 controller. I would see a play for "X" and automatically tapped the bottom button forgetting it was actually one to the left. Of course I'm getting guidance from a 16-year old kid as we're playing in the dark too, so I had no idea what was going on. By half time we were 0-20 with a touchback, thanks to me not knowing how to return a kick. By third quarter I figured the timing of the passing game and got several out and by end of game I managed two touchdowns. No field goals, unfortunately, as I tried to run it in both times. Oh well.
I feel that tonight I might be a tougher opponent.
Poor kid though. For years we would play Call of Duty maps and I would destroy him. He did get better, but could never score more wins than I did. For that, I get his excitement with Madden but, considering I've not played this since the early 90s and was able to grab 12 points, I think his high may soon be anchored back down to reality.
Odd how the only real things that have changed are the graphics. Play options are mostly in the same order/menu structure, weather was already a thing way back when, and the controls are mostly the same. Yeah, there is a fourth passing target option as the old Genesis controller only had three buttons, and there is an on-the-line Rushing option for the defense, but really, it's mostly the same. Graphics, audio, and playbacks, are of course much improved and I will admit it's neat now to see refs discussing calls. I picked up a fumble but, on replay, they overturned it. That was pretty cool. Maybe there are manager level games now? Dunno. Doesn't matter. The kid is going down faster than concrete shoes in a cold river at midnight.
__________________ "My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel
"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel
"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear
I understand AC has always been fairly repetitive, but a game like Odyssey takes it to the extreme in that it has what appears to be hundreds of hours of said gameplay, with an abysmal story centered around a character that is sort of a non-person, with zero personality and dialogue choices that rarely, if ever, line up with whatever anemic attempts at characterization are present. None of your choices or actions have any impact on the story etc.
yikes. I'm glad I read this! The nephew was showing off Odyssey last night and it looked interesting enough to check prices next week when I'm back home. What you describe makes total sense with what I saw last night but I don't know the game enough to make such connections. Thanks!
yikes. I'm glad I read this! The nephew was showing off Odyssey last night and it looked interesting enough to check prices next week when I'm back home. What you describe makes total sense with what I saw last night but I don't know the game enough to make such connections. Thanks!
This is the trap I fell into. Don't do it! Not all that glitters in gold, as they say...
The big one I've been playing these past few months has been Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (which finally got ported over to consoles a few months back). Been taking my time with it for a variety of reasons, but I did finally finish it the other day and it's definitely been one of the most enjoyable games I've played lately. A lot of that is down to its distinctive approach to role-playing - the combination of bizarre skill tree and inscrutable "thoughts" to guide your navigation of areas and conversations, the sheer density of lore and characterisation (especially in regards to how your skills effectively become characters of their own), the deft interplay of emotional and political content that makes for a generally rich experience. Have to admit that I did resort to quite a bit of quick-saving to ensure that I got as many desired outcomes as possible, though this is the kind of game where failure is not only frequent but almost encouraged at times. Still, it's good to have a game where so much is contingent on solving mysteries (then again, it is a detective game) and, while I think I did pretty well as far as an initial playthrough goes, I do like how it offers such a wide array of options in every regard that you can play through the whole thing in so many different ways, which is definitely the sign of a strong RPG (definitely funny to try searching the thread for mentions and see it get referenced around the same time as The Outer Worlds, a game that I've since bought DLC for but can never work up the urge to revisit).
Other than that, I've still been playing a lot of Mortal Kombat 11 even though I can feel myself starting to tire of it a little - I only really sign in for Kombat League these days. I've tried looking out for other online games to justify a newened PS+ subscription. Predator: Hunting Grounds came up as a free monthly game and I've found it an enjoyable enough diversion where I can just jump in whenever, though I'm not entirely convinced that it's all that great a game. Likewise, I've recently started Fallout 76 since I figured that I'd have to give it at least one shot as a series fan even though MMORPGs have never been my thing. It's playable enough now that the initial waves of bugs have been minimised, but without the same guiding thrust of the franchise's single-player narratives (even the flimsier ones of 3 and 4), I'm not feeling too much compulsion to get on with it (and also the lack of a defined endgame objective does make me wonder how much point I'd see in playing it). I guess we'll see how I go on with it.
The big one I've been playing these past few months has been Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (which finally got ported over to consoles a few months back). Been taking my time with it for a variety of reasons, but I did finally finish it the other day and it's definitely been one of the most enjoyable games I've played lately.
Yup. I noticed that game just a few months before release, and immediately thought "this sounds right up my alley, why on earth haven't I heard of it?" But that's what happens with mid-budget games more and more. Anyway, I dove into it immediately on release and within a day I was telling everyone I knew in a gaming community I'm part of (for a totally different kind of game!) they had to get it immediately. One of the best games I've played in the last decade, easily.
I wish I'd taken my time with it, but the need to progress through the story is so strong that I wasn't really able to. I started another play through but life got in the way, but they've added some new easter eggs recently (and the voice acting) so I might give it another go.
Anyway, yeah, really well-written, funny, gorgeous to look at, melancholy, surprising, delightful at times, all of it. I still listen to the game's soundtrack in my car. Immediate, highest, and unqualified recommendation to anyone who likes RPGs, particularly those who feels their best days came and went awhile ago. It's such a great throwback, with enough new ideas and systems to refresh the genre. In fact, I feel like this game has maybe three separate ideas, all of which by THEMSELVES would make for an impressive addition to RPGs in general (the skills being characters obviously being the best one).
Yup. I noticed that game just a few months before release, and immediately thought "this sounds right up my alley, why on earth haven't I heard of it?" But that's what happens with mid-budget games more and more. Anyway, I dove into it immediately on release and within a day I was telling everyone I knew in a gaming community I'm part of (for a totally different kind of game!) they had to get it immediately. One of the best games I've played in the last decade, easily.
I wish I'd taken my time with it, but the need to progress through the story is so strong that I wasn't really able to. I started another play through but life got in the way, but they've added some new easter eggs recently (and the voice acting) so I might give it another go.
Anyway, yeah, really well-written, funny, gorgeous to look at, melancholy, surprising, delightful at times, all of it. I still listen to the game's soundtrack in my car. Immediate, highest, and unqualified recommendation to anyone who likes RPGs, particularly those who feels their best days came and went awhile ago. It's such a great throwback, with enough new ideas and systems to refresh the genre. In fact, I feel like this game has maybe three separate ideas, all of which by THEMSELVES would make for an impressive addition to RPGs in general (the skills being characters obviously being the best one).
Yeah, I knew I was in for something very different when the skill tree wasn't so much the usual "strength" or "melee weapons" or anything but all these oblique-sounding ones like "half light" or "inland empire" (which I ultimately chose as my special skill because it sounded like a good pick if I wanted things to get weird, which - having virtually no idea what to expect from the game - seemed like a good idea at the time). So many of the game's systems come together to make for a satisfying experience - the "thoughts" are an interesting twist on Fallout-style perks and I somehow gamed my way into getting the ones that gave you XP/morale/money for passing conceptualisation/encyclopedia checks, which did prove useful. At the same time, there's also a reluctance to spend points on skills so by the time I hit a certain point of no return in the main quest I had stockpiled about eleven of them because I felt I could get away with not using them (and also saving them for white checks).
Incidentally, what kind of character build did you use on that initial playthrough? I ended up favouring the intellect skills myself (as noted, they can grant some good bonuses under the right circumstances) but there were definitely times where it felt like I should have put more points into physics. Maybe on the next run.
Incidentally, what kind of character build did you use on that initial playthrough? I ended up favouring the intellect skills myself (as noted, they can grant some good bonuses under the right circumstances) but there were definitely times where it felt like I should have put more points into physics. Maybe on the next run.
I think mostly the perception-style stuff. I really enjoyed leaning into the detective aspect. So probably similar to you, then. First time through any RPG I tend to try to play as some aspirational version of myself, and then maybe experiment after (when I started the second playthrough I went heavy on strength specifically for one of the early game encounters/roadblocks, you can probably guess which one).
They clearly put a lot of time into making sure you really could advance reasonably well (and see a lot of stuff you couldn't see otherwise) with basically any mix of skills, though, which is something a lot of RPGs don't really bother with, because they just care about making a good impression on that first playthrough, even if they have to funnel (explicitly or indirectly through imbalance) people towards a certain approach.
I've had Disco Elysium on my Steam wishlist for months but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Sounds like I might want to revisit that clearly wrong choice. Steam tells me there are 20 games on my wishlist that are currently on sale. Every year-end this happens to me... Time to spend some money, I guess.
I've had Disco Elysium on my Steam wishlist for months but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Sounds like I might want to revisit that clearly wrong choice. Steam tells me there are 20 games on my wishlist that are currently on sale. Every year-end this happens to me... Time to spend some money, I guess.
As my aunt and uncle say, you buy what you want. Can't take it with you.
Bought seven games on sale. Happens every December, it seems.
Yeah =\ I justed subbed a year to EA Play for some reason and ended up with Madden 21. Also picked up MLB The Show. I haven't touched Madden since the mid-90s then the nephew pulled it out. I don't think I've ever played a baseball game. Both are kind of surprisingly addictive. As to Madden, my nephew beat me two for two. The kid has to suffer for that next time I go over.
I bought Darq, Disco Elysium, Myha, The Pedestrian, Creaks, Linelight, Just Die Already, and The Unfinished Swan.
Oops, I ended up with eight games because Darq was part of a bundle with Creaks and The Pedestrian. Wasn't all that interested in Darq but it was cheaper to buy the three-game bundle than to buy the other two separately. Go figure.
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