Assassins Creed Odyssey – Official Review

44 Hours In…

By now I’ve found a missing person I’ve been looking for, killed a few “Templars,” found the lost city of Atlantis (sort of), and now have to win a war and compete in the Olympics. That’s right, I have four main quests to play on top of all the side quests I’ve been accumulating. The islands you can sail to in this game always have great side-stories that are totally optional. Now that I’m 44 hours in, I can safely say I might be done with one third of this game. Maybe. It’s possible. Give or take. The unfathomably popular Stealth/RPG (stealth optional) series developed and published by Ubisoft is now at its tenth main series game. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey adds even more elements to make it an even further evolution from the roots of the franchise.

GRAPHICS: 2/2

This game is absolutely stunning, even on my sub-par Xbox One S. Stable frame rate, great coloration, variety, it’s all there at the baseline for a good looking game. What makes it look better is the sheer marvel of the whole thing. Ubisoft didn’t just make a few cities in Greece for their game. They made ALL OF IT. And it feels like they did, too. Everywhere you go there are gorgeous busts and statues, temples, altars, and residences that are all fully realized. I want to know where they got the time machine so they could take photos of Ancient Greece and use it as references for the designs. It’s the empire in all its glory. An absolute marvel to stand at the top of a mountain and look in every direction. In the distance, you can see all the ships in the water going about their business in real time. You can see other landmasses across the water and know that if you can go there if you want to. There… might be a few minor hiccups and glitches in some of the animation, but that is literally the only bad thing I can think of. And the sheer beauty and aesthetics more than excuse that.

STORY:2/2

I admit, at the beginning of the game, it’s hard to get into the plot. You are not really sure what you are supposed to be doing. The grand scheme of things is boiled down to simply leaving your home island to go on an adventure because you’re sick of being at home. There’s a goalpost, sure, but it’s far and not too tantalizing. This is definitely the type of game that you have to spend time with to get into the swing of things. The overarching narrative becomes far more clear well towards the 15-hour mark of the game. Once it does hit, it does so with ruthless efficiency. The way the game’s campaign works is the prime form of dangling the carrot in front of the player. It’s hard to imagine you would run out of things to do after being far enough in the game to really open up to the “go wherever you want” phase. Four main storylines. Every location story has its own stuff going on. I was on an island where I helped a young child make some friends while also meddling in “The Bachelor: Greece Edition”. Then I had to overthrow an evil ruler running another island ragged while hooking up with the sexy leader and her boyfriend if I so pleased. Hell, I had to take part in a gay orgy with a goat just to advance the plot. I’m not even remotely joking. A goat was involved. And Sokrates turns out to be the world’s first internet troll. Good times.

AUDIO: 2/2

I’m going to mention one prevailing bug in the game that hurts the audio quality in a way. On a regular basis, around twice or more per hour, when you talk to an NPC,  you or the character will interrupt each other mid-sentence and say lines on top of each other. It’s annoying. Some of the secondary characters don’t seem really committed to their parts, while other characters go full ham. The voice actress for the soundtrack gets old really fast. With such a big scope, I really, REALLY get tired of hearing the same music every time I open the menu. And the main “Assassin’s Creed Theme Leitmotif” is sprayed over every other song too. It gets old fast. I may eventually have to turn the music off and just play my own tunes or a podcast over it instead. Which would be great because I’m in the perfect setting to put my ｖａｐｏｒｗａｖｅ collection on full blast. But still, this is just the soundtrack I take issue with. The actual sound FX and quality of sound is tremendously satisfying. I will give the full grade because I’m being too personally harsh on the OST, even though it’s objectively decent.

GAMEPLAY: 2/2

There are many on the internet who say this game has become too action oriented. Sure, the formula has been changed, but it’s been heading this way for a while now. The fact is, you can still play this game stealthy if you want to. There are just more rules to it because you can’t assassinate people who are at a higher level than you. The majority of the EXP you earn will be from completing quests, not kills. So if sneaking in and out of an enemy base is your idea of fun, there’s plenty of that to be had. Yes, open conflict is a bigger part of the game now. It’s the play-it-your-way model that prevails. But everything in the game works and does accommodate for all play styles. Shoot everyone with a bow, bludgeon people with a hammer, death from above, and Sparta-kick your enemies of a cliff. There’s plenty of gameplay to be had here, as iterated above.

Ship combat makes a return to the game and I boldly welcome it as a delicious appetizer to sate my hunger for a good pirate game until Skull & Bones arrives. But that said, it’s a bit more minimalist than it’s predecessor, as there was less maritime war tech in this setting. They have also implemented a mercenary hierarchy that mimics Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system, but it is also bare bones by comparison. Hunting down a devious death cult is the replacement for the assassination quests, but you have to put in the legwork to identify who they are. There’s also a conquest mode where you can take part in a big fight between the Athenians and Spartans. You can also change whichever team you’re on for every battle. You can also fight mythical beasts from Greek folklore, because hey, why not? This all may make it sound like it’s quantity over quality. And to an extent, yes it is. But set in this game, it’s actually not a big issue, it just works.

FUN: 2/2

And now for a bit of controversy. Ubisoft has no problem putting expensive microtransactions in their fully priced games. It gives them big money, they have a right to. However, as an experience, they nearly broke their goodwill on a portion of this game. That’s the progression system. In order to level up or afford things, you have to do more than just missions to get enough EXP to progress. You’ll have to do a lot of mundane-out of the way stuff like exploring caves and attacking small camps at question marks dotted all over the map. I found myself in a position where I was two levels too low to progress through the game because the game is harsh if you are under-leveled. Ubisoft remedied it by offering a buff that will get you 50% extra EXP and money for the whole game, including new games. You have to at least buy the 20 dollar helix credits pack to get this. If you don’t, the game can get very grindy. Plenty to do is one thing, being forced to do everything is another. I caved and bought this buff, and it feels like this is the way the game was supposed to be played. It seems as though this was intentionally done to goad extra cash from the player.

I am willing to forgive this transgression because it was on me to make that choice in the end. I could have bucked up and cleared out every single icon on the map to take the game nice and slow. But, be that as it may, I cannot stop playing this game. Even with the buff, I did manage to get myself into another situation where I was under-leveled. But I kept playing and playing and playing. I told myself I had to stop at 11 PM, then 2 AM rolls around and I’ve conquered another city. I am willing to accept that the price I paid to make this game more enjoyable is worth it because of the amount of fun I’m having with it. Before tax, I paid a total of $68 for the game with the helix credits. That is an acceptable price for this game. I don’t know if I will finish any time soon, and I’ve had plenty of time to play.

SCORE: 10/10

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Shadow of War – Official Review

Shadow of More More More

Shadow of War is the sequel to Shadow of Mordor, from Monolith Studios and Warner Bros. The setting remains in Mordor, with the time period being in between The Hobbit and Return of the King. After the wraith combo of Talion and Celebrimbor forge their own Ring of Power, they must combat the evil supreme being Sauron’s, forces, and essentially keep his influence within Mordor’s borders.

GRAPHICS: 2/2

There are many visual cues and landscape setups that are appealing to the eye, especially from the sky. Talion has a facial animation update, that is neither better nor worse than his original look. Celebrimbor who is seen when utilizing his talents, is also fluid, albeit way more aged and “ghost-like” than before. The fact that his lifeforce has been poured into his Ring of Power is evident in his aged visage. The movement patterns of living things are very believable, from the caragors, to the dragons, ranger, and even from the elf inside the ranger, such as when a simple double jump becomes the starting point of a three orc headshot combo as time slows perfectly to achieve the goal. Not only are the movements ideal but attention to detail when standing still is also a feat well captured. The orcs you encounter within the army all seem very distinct and unique from each other, even Orcs within the same tribe, such as “Dark” and Mystic”.

STORY: 1/2

The story follows the tradition of letting one play as they see fit. The progression of the game is very linear, however the open world allows for “grinding” which one might find necessary in between certain story missions. New allies enter the stage, and one familiar face is also seen lurking around stone passes inside Mordor. Certain Orcs including your “Nemesis” will follow you throughout the story. Your progression of the game will actually matter when considering the online content. In fact, online isn’t suggested until the latter part of the game, as your in game player level will directly matter when defending and attacking online player’s forts. Not only will your level matter, but the Orcs in your army will as well. Elements of the game that are emphasized in the latter half such as Orc pit battles, are introduced with subtlety, and each layer plays an important role within the game.

AUDIO: 2/2

SOW uses the controller speakers to great effect during cutscenes and other appropriate times such as domination. Whether flying on an orc, riding a caragor, or even during a dramatic cutscene, the sound effects and overall tone will be appropriate. Discussion of your exploits within Mordor will also be noted by grunts and captains alike, which makes for a realistic setting.

GAMEPLAY: 2/2

This game has a very good blend of its elements. When first starting, less powers means you will most likely use stealth and environment aids such as bait and Morgai fly nests. All throughout the game it does feel like an honest war. Only unlike its predecessor, you eventually feel like you have the command of an army. Each fort has its challenges, and because the captains all have different weaknesses, one will find themselves planning for those weaknesses. In one instance a target I came across had several immunities: fireproof, poison-proof, etc; but only one weakness: ranged attacks. The allied Orcs I had recruited died one by one in battle, and in fact I suffered a betrayal on the battlefield by my personal bodyguard. All of this had to be assessed with in real time, and that was one of my most enjoyable experiences because of the versatility. After sinking some hours into it, one will truly feel more powerful as skills become unlocked in later levels.

FUN: 2/2

In an age when gamers need to immediately achieve something, this game is refreshing. Playing on Nemesis mode, where all your combatants evolve, remember, and in some case even return from the dead, makes battle preparation an actual necessity. Although even then you can still be caught off guard by a betrayal or enemy reincarnation. Plans were executed well; improviations were also executed.

The Wyrms, (conquerable dragons) made traversing a map or battlefield faster and much more enjoyable as it basically worked like a helicopter would in your favorite shooter. The dragons breathed fire, and nothing says ouch more than live cooking your worst enemy on the battlefield.

Pit battles were a unique element added to help facilitate the growth of your army, while also allowing you a space to get a better orc if yours is defeated in combat. Watching your favorite orc win rounds at the pit is oddly satisfying. While level is a strong indicator of a potential victor, it is not always the deciding factor; in fact I saw some eye-raising battles where the victor was not expected at all.

This game is blended well. One thing I did not mention was the microtransactions, and I mention them now because is in no way shape or form do they deter you from any fun. Having boosters or extra Orc followers helps more for the multiplayer than anything. There are those that argue they wouldn’t want to spend over 70 hours to beat a videogame. For those who feel they need to immediately finish something, either play on easy or pick a different game.

SCORE: 9/10

Posted in Reviews Tagged with: action, adventure, editorial, lord of the rings, middle earth, mordor, return of the king, review, shadow of mordor, shadow of war, the hobbit, video games