AC has pretty much always let you just run in and fight everyone face-on, especially when it was letting you chain kills (I think from Revolutions to Rogue).
That said, I've been getting a lot of satisfaction in full-stealthing entire forts in Odyssey. I did pretty much all of Elysium without getting into open combat apart from being forced into it by story.
Black Flag's ship to ship had a LOT going for it, some of those ships were freakin' ginormous and the rolling ocean and sea shanties really added to it all.
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Dr. ChaosPost nuclear nuisanceRegistered Userregular
Ubisoft: We'll explore every other inch of the world before we let you see China or Japan.
AC has pretty much always let you just run in and fight everyone face-on, especially when it was letting you chain kills (I think from Revolutions to Rogue).
That said, I've been getting a lot of satisfaction in full-stealthing entire forts in Odyssey. I did pretty much all of Elysium without getting into open combat apart from being forced into it by story.
It's not the same though. In 1 and 2 I was slowly stalking through crowds, hiring courtesans to mask my movement, throwing coins to distract guards, scaling huuuuuge buildings to find an open window or finding the best rooftop pathway to get to my target. If you were caught the fights were pretty tough. They were supposed to be! That was the point. You were a stealthy assassin trained for speed. When they introduced countering it became easier but you still had to time it right. It encouraged you to run and you could zip though streets and alleys or vault over tables and grab clothes lines and hide on benches in plain sight.
Even my least favorite one Unity had a multiple ways to get to your target including an awesome level where you can sneak into a church, hide in a confessional booth and shank him secretly.
I never felt in danger in Odyssey. Maybe if I took on a mercenary higher than me. Yeah you could stealth kill but you were literally teleporting from one guy to the next. If I got caught I was just like oh well I guess I'll just slaughter everybody with my flame sword again.
And again that's fine if they want to make their series like the Witcher. It's just overwhelming for me.
It's not the same though. In 1 and 2 I was slowly stalking through crowds, hiring courtesans to mask my movement, throwing coins to distract guards, scaling huuuuuge buildings to find an open window or finding the best rooftop pathway to get to my target. If you were caught the fights were pretty tough. They were supposed to be!
I do a lot of that in Odyssey (and the Atlantis DLC specifically adds some objectives like getting through a fort without killing or being spotted). But the fights were never that tough in 1 or 2. Only early on where they kept certain abilities back specifically to force you into running. The bit before they give you countering is practically still the tutorial.
SnicketysnickThe Greatest Hype Man inWesterosRegistered Userregular
It's stepping towards a pretty big curveball, whether or not you think is still trash I can't say because I've always thought it was fine or at least interesting.
I actually spent most of my time in Elysium pummeling people into unconsciousness rather than stabbing them, which did occasionally ... complicate things.
Did they ever salvage the modern day story line or is it still trash?
I'm still the guy that doesn't get why people hate it.
I loved the series having an overall arc and mystery that you could follow from game to game.
Also I miss the database so bad. I don't know jack shit about history.
By that I mean it was the part of the story I was MOST invested in until AC3's last act, where it all fell apart. Personally I think killing Desmond was the worst mistake the series ever made. How hard would it have been to keep him alive after his Abstergo rampage? You HAD a character you were mostly invested in that was a clear link to follow game to game. Just, recast his voice actor if they couldn't keep Nolan.
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DeadfallI don't think you realize just how rich he is.In fact, I should put on a monocle.Registered Userregular
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
I don't hate the modern day stuff, I just kind of don't care. It existing is pretty critical to a cool moment in Odyssey but other than that it barely matters.
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
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DeadfallI don't think you realize just how rich he is.In fact, I should put on a monocle.Registered Userregular
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
Yeah sorry these did nothing for me.
Every time I had to walk around a goddamn office building hacking emails I just wanted to go back to assassinatin'
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
As much as I love Revelation's ending for Ezio, you could also have ended his story at 2 and it would have been perfect. He gets to the end. He gets to speak to an ancient! And he's told to shut up while they speak to the guy reliving his memories. His entire life up to that point means nothing, he's just a damned messenger boy. He's left with nothing. Just "...The fuck's a Desmond?!" (but I love Revelations and him coming to terms with it, "I am nothing more than a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding). To say nothing of the overall "What the fuck" moment the entire thing is, both in-game and out.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
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DeadfallI don't think you realize just how rich he is.In fact, I should put on a monocle.Registered Userregular
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
As much as I love Revelation's ending for Ezio, you could also have ended his story at 2 and it would have been perfect. He gets to the end. He gets to speak to an ancient! And he's told to shut up while they speak to the guy reliving his memories. His entire life up to that point means nothing, he's just a damned messenger boy. He's left with nothing. Just "...The fuck's a Desmond?!" (but I love Revelations and him coming to terms with it, "I am nothing more than a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding). To say nothing of the overall "What the fuck" moment the entire thing is, both in-game and out.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
Ehhhhh kinda. I'd say it's more like delicious garlic bread with a side of Brussels sprouts (I hate Brussels sprouts.) I can safely push that aside and get back to the good parts. Which I do every game.
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
As much as I love Revelation's ending for Ezio, you could also have ended his story at 2 and it would have been perfect. He gets to the end. He gets to speak to an ancient! And he's told to shut up while they speak to the guy reliving his memories. His entire life up to that point means nothing, he's just a damned messenger boy. He's left with nothing. Just "...The fuck's a Desmond?!" (but I love Revelations and him coming to terms with it, "I am nothing more than a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding). To say nothing of the overall "What the fuck" moment the entire thing is, both in-game and out.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
Ehhhhh kinda. I'd say it's more like delicious garlic bread with a side of Brussels sprouts (I hate Brussels sprouts.) I can safely push that aside and get back to the good parts. Which I do every game.
I think it's more important that the thing being removed is fairly integral to the whole dish. Maybe a better analogy would be the dreaded hawaiian pizza. All potential jokes/arguments aside, one can easily pick off the pineapple and have a perfectly delicious pizza. It ain't no hawaiian pizza though after that.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
As much as I love Revelation's ending for Ezio, you could also have ended his story at 2 and it would have been perfect. He gets to the end. He gets to speak to an ancient! And he's told to shut up while they speak to the guy reliving his memories. His entire life up to that point means nothing, he's just a damned messenger boy. He's left with nothing. Just "...The fuck's a Desmond?!" (but I love Revelations and him coming to terms with it, "I am nothing more than a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding). To say nothing of the overall "What the fuck" moment the entire thing is, both in-game and out.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
Ehhhhh kinda. I'd say it's more like delicious garlic bread with a side of Brussels sprouts (I hate Brussels sprouts.) I can safely push that aside and get back to the good parts. Which I do every game.
I think it's more important that the thing being removed is fairly integral to the whole dish. Maybe a better analogy would be the dreaded hawaiian pizza. All potential jokes/arguments aside, one can easily pick off the pineapple and have a perfectly delicious pizza. It ain't no hawaiian pizza though after that.
That's just it. Many of us don't see the modern stuff as integral. It just (for the most part) gets in the way.
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
As much as I love Revelation's ending for Ezio, you could also have ended his story at 2 and it would have been perfect. He gets to the end. He gets to speak to an ancient! And he's told to shut up while they speak to the guy reliving his memories. His entire life up to that point means nothing, he's just a damned messenger boy. He's left with nothing. Just "...The fuck's a Desmond?!" (but I love Revelations and him coming to terms with it, "I am nothing more than a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding). To say nothing of the overall "What the fuck" moment the entire thing is, both in-game and out.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
Ehhhhh kinda. I'd say it's more like delicious garlic bread with a side of Brussels sprouts (I hate Brussels sprouts.) I can safely push that aside and get back to the good parts. Which I do every game.
I think it's more important that the thing being removed is fairly integral to the whole dish. Maybe a better analogy would be the dreaded hawaiian pizza. All potential jokes/arguments aside, one can easily pick off the pineapple and have a perfectly delicious pizza. It ain't no hawaiian pizza though after that.
That's just it. Many of us don't see the modern stuff as integral. It just (for the most part) gets in the way.
And I argue that it is integral, in so much as it was in the series from the get-go and sold as such. Well... ok you can argue on AC1 as they purposefully kept all the modern stuff out of previews. After that, all bets were off, and Assassin's Creed was sold as "the game where modern people relive ancient memories of assassins to find precursor artifacts".
Anyone who wants to ignore that bit and just enjoy the ancient memories bit, that's cool. I will fight against any active removal of the modern/precursor stuff though, because... that's the whole series, and has been always.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
I liked the old modern day stuff, but I just can't muster a single care about the isu stuff
I read the comic stuff.
It was real bad!
I have real fond memories of the series up until 3 (and I mostly really liked 3), but I fell off after that. I've heard there's tons of individually good games, but without that thread tying them together, for me it kind of falls apart.
I'm the guy that hated the modem story from day one. It's so convoluted at this point I just ignore it the best I can.
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
As much as I love Revelation's ending for Ezio, you could also have ended his story at 2 and it would have been perfect. He gets to the end. He gets to speak to an ancient! And he's told to shut up while they speak to the guy reliving his memories. His entire life up to that point means nothing, he's just a damned messenger boy. He's left with nothing. Just "...The fuck's a Desmond?!" (but I love Revelations and him coming to terms with it, "I am nothing more than a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding). To say nothing of the overall "What the fuck" moment the entire thing is, both in-game and out.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
Ehhhhh kinda. I'd say it's more like delicious garlic bread with a side of Brussels sprouts (I hate Brussels sprouts.) I can safely push that aside and get back to the good parts. Which I do every game.
I think it's more important that the thing being removed is fairly integral to the whole dish. Maybe a better analogy would be the dreaded hawaiian pizza. All potential jokes/arguments aside, one can easily pick off the pineapple and have a perfectly delicious pizza. It ain't no hawaiian pizza though after that.
That's just it. Many of us don't see the modern stuff as integral. It just (for the most part) gets in the way.
And I argue that it is integral, in so much as it was in the series from the get-go and sold as such. Well... ok you can argue on AC1 as they purposefully kept all the modern stuff out of previews. After that, all bets were off, and Assassin's Creed was sold as "the game where modern people relive ancient memories of assassins to find precursor artifacts".
Anyone who wants to ignore that bit and just enjoy the ancient memories bit, that's cool. I will fight against any active removal of the modern/precursor stuff though, because... that's the whole series, and has been always.
I was a late adopter and didn't jump in until... sometime before Origins? I had heard that there was some story pretense to tie it to the audience, but nothing about it being integral to the story. And once I did jump in, I ran through the first several games, I never saw the modern day stuff as anything other than a weak limb to hang the real story from.
The modern/precursor stuff matters if you want it to, but it is not the game, like, at all.
Hot take: The only thing that matters is the modern day stuff. Everything else is just filler. A lot of filler. It's like a Thanksgiving turkey. The stuffing is just there to support your meat. But the meat is the reason. Not the filler. Not the stuffing. The stuffing might be good. It might even be tasty. Hell, maybe you want to stuff YOURSELF with the stuffing. Maybe you won't even buy a turkey one year. Maybe two. Maybe three. Maybe you'll shit all over your turkey by nonsensically tossing everything you built over the course of four previous turkeys in the fucking incinerator. And then maybe you don't even bother anymore, with random smatterings of turkey sandwiches in future thanksiving meals. But it's always been about the turkey. And also maybe cranberries. And now I'm hungry.
Oh and don't believe me? Ask yourself why turkeys are the most dangerous game in Far Cry, another Ubisoft property. That just PROVES my insane troll logic. (Except for the fact that honey badgers are the deadliest in - I think? - Far Cry 3.)
I don't hate the modern day stuff, I just kind of don't care. It existing is pretty critical to a cool moment in Odyssey but other than that it barely matters.
I don't hate the modern day stuff, I just kind of don't care. It existing is pretty critical to a cool moment in Odyssey but other than that it barely matters.
Wait, there was modern day stuff in Odyssey?
It opens with Layla digging up the spear and every couple dozen hours goes back to her for five minutes.
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-Loki-Don't pee in my mouth and tell me it's raining.Registered Userregular
Black Flag's ship to ship had a LOT going for it, some of those ships were freakin' ginormous and the rolling ocean and sea shanties really added to it all.
I adored the ship combat in Black Flag but I couldn’t get into it at all in Odyssey.
Black Flag's ship to ship had a LOT going for it, some of those ships were freakin' ginormous and the rolling ocean and sea shanties really added to it all.
I adored the ship combat in Black Flag but I couldn’t get into it at all in Odyssey.
Having just finished Odyssey, the ship combat was so dull by comparison to Black Flag and Rogue, and upgrades so meh in general.
Arrows! Shoot more arrows! Shoot arrows that do 5% more damage! Shoot arrows but they're on fire! Now 5% more fire damage! Javelins! more javelins! etc etc.
Also, one of the most satisfying things in Black Flag was buying new cannons or something and then you get this cool wireframe view of the Jackdaw being rebuilt. Odyssey didn't have that though I guess your ship did change visually if you bought a better ram. Did the ship even have a name?
The modern plot actually advanced slightly with the Atlantis DLC.
Killing/crippling Abstergo's main enforcer guy.
I'm not super invested in the modern day stuff, but I do notice when it isn't there, or minimised. That it gets squeezed into maybe five minutes of material in Unity and Syndicate wasn't great, and the whole period of where they tried to say the modern protagonist was 'you' (and therefore nameless, bodyless, voiceless, genderless and personality-less) just made it harder to give a shit.
I'd prefer it if they gave it more actual content. Pulling you out from your cool pirate/explorer/mercenary adventure to jump around some empty dangerless ruins and/or check your email for five minutes isn't high on anyone's want list, but how about more things where you explore some ruins as Viking guy, then go to the same place as Modern Assassin to get to the Important Plot Device? They did a little bit of that with the Heir of Memories quest they added to Odyssey, and it wasn't bad. They could expand on that.
Also bring back Shaun's History Lessons. I've always absorbed history better with sarcasm.
I don't hate the modern day stuff, I just kind of don't care. It existing is pretty critical to a cool moment in Odyssey but other than that it barely matters.
Wait, there was modern day stuff in Odyssey?
It opens with Layla digging up the spear and every couple dozen hours goes back to her for five minutes.
.......In Odyssey?
I literally just finished Odyssey a couple months ago and I don't remember ever getting out of the animus.
I don't hate the modern day stuff, I just kind of don't care. It existing is pretty critical to a cool moment in Odyssey but other than that it barely matters.
Wait, there was modern day stuff in Odyssey?
It opens with Layla digging up the spear and every couple dozen hours goes back to her for five minutes.
.......In Odyssey?
I literally just finished Odyssey a couple months ago and I don't remember ever getting out of the animus.
You go scuba diving!
FFXIV: Agran Trask
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
I don't hate the modern day stuff, I just kind of don't care. It existing is pretty critical to a cool moment in Odyssey but other than that it barely matters.
Wait, there was modern day stuff in Odyssey?
It opens with Layla digging up the spear and every couple dozen hours goes back to her for five minutes.
.......In Odyssey?
I literally just finished Odyssey a couple months ago and I don't remember ever getting out of the animus.
You go scuba diving!
And meet Alexios/Kassandra in modern times.
No matter where you go...there you are. ~ Buckaroo Banzai
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Dr. ChaosPost nuclear nuisanceRegistered Userregular
Black Flag's ship to ship had a LOT going for it, some of those ships were freakin' ginormous and the rolling ocean and sea shanties really added to it all.
I adored the ship combat in Black Flag but I couldn’t get into it at all in Odyssey.
It still baffles me how bad the ship combat was in Odyssey.
I had no interest in ship combat going into Black Flag but it turned out to be one of the masterfully implemented gameplay systems I ever experienced. Ubisoft absolutely nailed it on the first try, what I thought would be a cumbersome and annoying addition felt smooth, fast and natural to control. It was a joy to slip in and out of.
In Odd, it feels like a prototype for Black Flag. I don't know how they managed to make it feel that bad considering what came before. The whole stop, guard and shield the arrow system was boring too.
SnicketysnickThe Greatest Hype Man inWesterosRegistered Userregular
I found the secret to making the ship combat fun is to really embrace ramming everything, that plus the drift turns you can do via sprinting made it a lot more dynamic.
DeadfallI don't think you realize just how rich he is.In fact, I should put on a monocle.Registered Userregular
The ship angered me so much in Odyssey. Ship combat in 4 was my jam. I got all the elite ships. It was difficult but nothing you couldn't handle with practice. Upgrades were expensive but you could get them all just by playing the game.
My final upgrades in Odyssey clearly are trying to get me to spend money. They last upgrades will take millions of drachmaes. There's no way I'm ever going to get that.
I was okay with the modern story until they killed off Lucy--it's not a plot twist if you don't set it up at all, it's just rocks falling. Then everything with Desmond in 3 was as confused and meandering as...the rest of 3.
After that, I ignored it. It's a neat concept, but you could cut the entire modern-day plot and 95% of the series remains exactly the same. That might've been better, actually. Imagine watching the conspiracy unfold across the games with no real idea what was happening in the modern world.
I mostly treat the modern-day stuff as an excuse for some of the more ridiculous stuff in the past -- Medusa? Real cyclops? Using a falcon as a Predator drone? Sniper sights on the bow? It's because I'm not "accessing genetic memory" -- I'm inside a giant digital simulation of the past.
I was way into the modern day timeline and conspiracy stuff. Then AC3 happened.
I still enjoy the games, but I'm not as into them as I used to be. I think Rogue was the last one I bought and played at release. Unity and every subsequent release I've waited a bit on.
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That said, I've been getting a lot of satisfaction in full-stealthing entire forts in Odyssey. I did pretty much all of Elysium without getting into open combat apart from being forced into it by story.
It's not the same though. In 1 and 2 I was slowly stalking through crowds, hiring courtesans to mask my movement, throwing coins to distract guards, scaling huuuuuge buildings to find an open window or finding the best rooftop pathway to get to my target. If you were caught the fights were pretty tough. They were supposed to be! That was the point. You were a stealthy assassin trained for speed. When they introduced countering it became easier but you still had to time it right. It encouraged you to run and you could zip though streets and alleys or vault over tables and grab clothes lines and hide on benches in plain sight.
Even my least favorite one Unity had a multiple ways to get to your target including an awesome level where you can sneak into a church, hide in a confessional booth and shank him secretly.
I never felt in danger in Odyssey. Maybe if I took on a mercenary higher than me. Yeah you could stealth kill but you were literally teleporting from one guy to the next. If I got caught I was just like oh well I guess I'll just slaughter everybody with my flame sword again.
And again that's fine if they want to make their series like the Witcher. It's just overwhelming for me.
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
I do a lot of that in Odyssey (and the Atlantis DLC specifically adds some objectives like getting through a fort without killing or being spotted). But the fights were never that tough in 1 or 2. Only early on where they kept certain abilities back specifically to force you into running. The bit before they give you countering is practically still the tutorial.
I loved the series having an overall arc and mystery that you could follow from game to game.
Also I miss the database so bad. I don't know jack shit about history.
D3 Steam #TeamTangent STO
I miss Shaun's comments in the database. AC3 especially.
By that I mean it was the part of the story I was MOST invested in until AC3's last act, where it all fell apart. Personally I think killing Desmond was the worst mistake the series ever made. How hard would it have been to keep him alive after his Abstergo rampage? You HAD a character you were mostly invested in that was a clear link to follow game to game. Just, recast his voice actor if they couldn't keep Nolan.
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
The best WTF moments of the series came from that setting though, AC1's mural painted with 16's blood, AC2's glyphs revealing the depths of the conspiracy back to Adam and Eve. It was great. And Desmond/Lucy pre-Juno-tweest were pretty fun characters that kept the story moving.
Yeah sorry these did nothing for me.
Every time I had to walk around a goddamn office building hacking emails I just wanted to go back to assassinatin'
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
2's ending is probably one of the best endings ever.
That's sort of why I also don't understand people saying they hate it. I mean, I understand if you hate it. But this stuff has been in here since day 1. It's a bit like saying "I sure do love this garlic bread. If only it didn't have this garlic in it, blech.".
Ehhhhh kinda. I'd say it's more like delicious garlic bread with a side of Brussels sprouts (I hate Brussels sprouts.) I can safely push that aside and get back to the good parts. Which I do every game.
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
I think it's more important that the thing being removed is fairly integral to the whole dish. Maybe a better analogy would be the dreaded hawaiian pizza. All potential jokes/arguments aside, one can easily pick off the pineapple and have a perfectly delicious pizza. It ain't no hawaiian pizza though after that.
That's just it. Many of us don't see the modern stuff as integral. It just (for the most part) gets in the way.
Steam: MightyPotatoKing
And I argue that it is integral, in so much as it was in the series from the get-go and sold as such. Well... ok you can argue on AC1 as they purposefully kept all the modern stuff out of previews. After that, all bets were off, and Assassin's Creed was sold as "the game where modern people relive ancient memories of assassins to find precursor artifacts".
Anyone who wants to ignore that bit and just enjoy the ancient memories bit, that's cool. I will fight against any active removal of the modern/precursor stuff though, because... that's the whole series, and has been always.
I read the comic stuff.
It was real bad!
I have real fond memories of the series up until 3 (and I mostly really liked 3), but I fell off after that. I've heard there's tons of individually good games, but without that thread tying them together, for me it kind of falls apart.
I was a late adopter and didn't jump in until... sometime before Origins? I had heard that there was some story pretense to tie it to the audience, but nothing about it being integral to the story. And once I did jump in, I ran through the first several games, I never saw the modern day stuff as anything other than a weak limb to hang the real story from.
The modern/precursor stuff matters if you want it to, but it is not the game, like, at all.
Oh and don't believe me? Ask yourself why turkeys are the most dangerous game in Far Cry, another Ubisoft property. That just PROVES my insane troll logic. (Except for the fact that honey badgers are the deadliest in - I think? - Far Cry 3.)
Uh...QED?
Wait, there was modern day stuff in Odyssey?
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
It opens with Layla digging up the spear and every couple dozen hours goes back to her for five minutes.
I adored the ship combat in Black Flag but I couldn’t get into it at all in Odyssey.
Having just finished Odyssey, the ship combat was so dull by comparison to Black Flag and Rogue, and upgrades so meh in general.
Arrows! Shoot more arrows! Shoot arrows that do 5% more damage! Shoot arrows but they're on fire! Now 5% more fire damage! Javelins! more javelins! etc etc.
Also, one of the most satisfying things in Black Flag was buying new cannons or something and then you get this cool wireframe view of the Jackdaw being rebuilt. Odyssey didn't have that though I guess your ship did change visually if you bought a better ram. Did the ship even have a name?
I'd prefer it if they gave it more actual content. Pulling you out from your cool pirate/explorer/mercenary adventure to jump around some empty dangerless ruins and/or check your email for five minutes isn't high on anyone's want list, but how about more things where you explore some ruins as Viking guy, then go to the same place as Modern Assassin to get to the Important Plot Device? They did a little bit of that with the Heir of Memories quest they added to Odyssey, and it wasn't bad. They could expand on that.
Also bring back Shaun's History Lessons. I've always absorbed history better with sarcasm.
.......In Odyssey?
I literally just finished Odyssey a couple months ago and I don't remember ever getting out of the animus.
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And meet Alexios/Kassandra in modern times.
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I had no interest in ship combat going into Black Flag but it turned out to be one of the masterfully implemented gameplay systems I ever experienced. Ubisoft absolutely nailed it on the first try, what I thought would be a cumbersome and annoying addition felt smooth, fast and natural to control. It was a joy to slip in and out of.
In Odd, it feels like a prototype for Black Flag. I don't know how they managed to make it feel that bad considering what came before. The whole stop, guard and shield the arrow system was boring too.
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My final upgrades in Odyssey clearly are trying to get me to spend money. They last upgrades will take millions of drachmaes. There's no way I'm ever going to get that.
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After that, I ignored it. It's a neat concept, but you could cut the entire modern-day plot and 95% of the series remains exactly the same. That might've been better, actually. Imagine watching the conspiracy unfold across the games with no real idea what was happening in the modern world.
I still enjoy the games, but I'm not as into them as I used to be. I think Rogue was the last one I bought and played at release. Unity and every subsequent release I've waited a bit on.