Modern AC.. my thoughts (TL:DR Review)
Hi Ubi forum goers, staff and Devs
Firstly, I *never* thought I would play another AC game after ACII, in fact this is what I wrote when I returned to play a Ubisoft game (Far Cry 3) in 2013:
"A frenemy talked me into buying your game.. glad I did. I have enjoyed your game, especially the hunter-gatherer portions. I have not completed the game yet, but have most of what is to be done on the first island. I am not a fan or ..even willing member of the same species as Ubisoft employees.
I am Catholic and AC1 was the most wonderful game I think I have ever played, Lord Jesus teaches me to be peaceful, so I won't talk about how I *really* feel about Ubisoft, except to say, you made many Catholic/Christians and Muslims..( even atheists for the historical aspect) very happy then smashed a dream, like a monkey with a rock. After AC2 was released and digested you did not apologize, but instead added insult to 'hacke'd injury' by saying* 'why is everyone being so serious, its only a game!' but this is a serious subject for many people, close to their hearts.. you do not walk up to strangers and call their baby ugly, neither do you talk about bomb making at airport security. it was an immature comment and irresponsible to say the absolute least. when a sincere apology from a group of supposed adults would have sufficed.
Now *thats* out of the way."
I then go on to give my impressions of FC3.. 07-01-2013:
https://forums.ubisoft.com/showthrea...31#post9143831
So I played and enjoyed *all* the subsequent FC games.. completing everyone of them, and then I go and review them over on that/those sub-forums. I had hit a lull in my gaming and through various means had at times picked up some newer AC games (many times as part of a free promotion).. I started to consider playing through AC Unity, but had dismissed the idea. Then when I saw video on YT about AC Syndicate.. well I'm a Scottish Nationalist and the idea of running around London assassinating upper class English politicians really appealed to me.. I *was* worried it would 'all be English pomp + Union Jackary'.. I didn't own AC Syndicate, so I went and bought it, taking the chance.. what did I think?
Not bad! I was totally surprised it wasn't just some pomp to fluff English egos.. the use of the word 'British' was kept to a minimum, and we even got a secondary Scottish character who spoke Scottish Standard English with a little Scots mixed in (although I note the writer *was* trying for her to speak Scots!) brava!
I enjoyed the many styles, and even enjoyed hating the English ones.. the Irish ones were a bit of a treat, although I did wish for some Jacobite/Scottish ones.. the raggy tartan felt like a slight on the Scottish peoples.. like calling us dirty, which is an on going joke for the English, which Scots *do not find funny*.
The game itself was engaging, fighting was also a treat of an experience especially thanks due to the countering.
The map was.. well.. I hate the idea of being in London at all and have paid to avoid the place when travelling internationally.. and paid to avoid England in general, I'm not going to give some big revelation that it converted me.. but in a setting where I am killing English politicians etc.. I learned to appreciate the place slightly more.. from an outsiders point of view.
This was the first AC I had completed since ACII and I could really feel the weight of those many problems had been worked out.. the not falling problem, the not clipping problems, the 'why can't I climb this?' problems.. all seemed resolved. again brava!
Many of the missions were riveting.. enthralling. excellent!
Bad points.. erm.. I don't know if a bad point or.. but Alec Bell (Alexander Graham Bell).. I don't know what his personality was like in real life, but he seemed too English to me.. or I dunno.. something off about him.. ohw he was likeable and I did like him.. buuutt.. something not right there. Not all the squares were square & something was rectangle pretending to be square. Good to see he was included though!
I don't really have much in the way of criticism of AC Syndicate to be honest.. which is the *real* surprise, you'd think I would have hated it.. but I didn't hate this game, and that in itself is this biggest compliment I can give about a game based in London. brava!
I am using brava instead of bravo.. due to the fact I played as Evie for pretty much the whole game. It would have been nice if Evie and Jacob were Irish and Irish descendants.. it would have made the green they wear all the more involving. (Frye is an Anglo-Saxon surname).
So after completing AC Syndicate I moved on to AC Odyssey .. hoping for a mention of the Gauls.. The Scots, Irish, Welsh, French, Cornish (and a few others.. Catalans, Lombards, see here: https://scotspol.blogspot.com/2018/0...ent-gauls.html) are the remaining descendants of the Gauls.. I knew there wasn't much of a chance, but hoped some of Turkey would be included and perhaps a few Gauls in that.
This sadly didn't happen.. I would have <3 <3 loved to visit Galatia at its peak.. but we *did* get mention that I only found 2 days ago.. 'you fight like a drunk Gaul!' hehehe..
The Gauls are.. as far as we know the first major civilization to span Europe, not only this, but you would think the AC Dev teams would jump at the chance to incorporate the race that *invented* guerrilla warfare and assassination.. that would be the Pictish Gauls, the elite fighting force of the Gauls for 5000 years. We also invented shoes.. (not sandals) hehe
Gauls *could* fight.. but it was the Pictish Gauls who would take on whole armies with a small force and prevail. Like if a Marine walks into a rough bar.. all the drunks know, that marine is still walking out at the end of the night. This is why.. the whole roman empire couldn't conquer Scotland (Irish too but they tried a lot less with Ireland) the Pictish Gauls would win.
So what did I think? Overall.. again excellent experience, one I would and have recommend to others. I finished the main storyline and am now wrapping up the DLCs (no spoilers please).
The one major thing I didn't enjoy was the parry system, I like dodge/roll kind of thing, but even saying that.. AC Syndicate's counter imho was far superior!
The performance was awful in both games.. I have 2080ti and in AC Syndicate I was seeing 45fps and in AC Odyssey 30fps.. I have twin Xeon X5680's 12 core/24 threads at 3.46Ghz with 48GB of 1333mhz DDR3.. I couldn't play in 4k due it becoming a screen tearing distraction with avg frames being around 19fps for both games (iirc). I played in 2 and 3 k (2560x1600, 3200x1800).
Now with Valhalla coming up.. I don't know how to feel..from what I gather a huge chunk of my history is going to get cut out in place of putting a focus on the Anglo-Saxons.. which I suppose is fair enough if you are English.. and there *is* the Danelaw, which Scotland was a part of, but I am doubtful the Danelaw will be accurately represented and instead only include the English portion .. not sure. I'm pretty confused if I am excited for Valhalla.. Scots are related to the Norwegians through Kenneth MacAlpin, so Valhalla is set before this..but again, will Orkney and Shetland be included? again.. I am confused. The Danes are half Germanic half Scandinavian.. and the Danelaw is where we get both English and Scots.. don't know!
So I am 'back on the train' of Assassin's Creed.. little Evie and Jacob ref there.. to any Ubi Dev who reads this.. don't go hating Catholics again! or Scots in the future.. but the second one is more a personal thing hehe (thinking about the raggy tartan).. obviously I would love to see Scotland in a AC game.. flip, yous already have a huge chunk of the planet within the games.. well done.. if no one else says this.. well done for giving us a whole country (Greece)!!
Once I finish the DLC's for Odyssey I am off to Origins.. no idea if I'll enjoy it as much as I have AC Odyssey.. but maybe I'll come back and give my thoughts if all are so obliging.
peace
Dava