Assassin's Creed Origins - it's an RPG now

[Somberlain]

Holy Shit, Ubisoft

You can ride a unicorn in Assassin's Creed: Origins, just like the ancient Egyptians did


While skulking around ancient Egypt looking for people to neck-stab in Assassin's Creed: Origins (our review in progress is right here), you'll note that most people's transportation of choice are either horses or camels. Well, there's no need to succumb to peer pressure. You've already got a magical eagle, why not a mythical unicorn mount, too?

The unicorn mount is an upgrade you can purchase from the Ubisoft store using 500 Helix Credits. As the video above from GamesRadar+ demonstrates, you can acquire the virtual scratch in one of two ways: either by reaching into your real-world wallet and buying credits from Ubisoft, or by earning them in-game through various activities and challenges. The mount will run you 500 credits, so if you've always dreamed of riding a very pointy horse, you'd better start saving now.

http://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-ride...-origins-just-like-the-ancient-egyptians-did/

Well, this IS an RPG.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

but the area design looks great.

Area Design and World Building has always been the AC series stong point since the first one. To bad they seem to be unable to make good exploration and quests from that.

 

[Blaine]

That's not what world building means around these parts.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I mean "area design" in a more concrete sense - the environments, indoors or outdoors, the landscapes. I also liked DA:I's area design while the game itself was unbearable, both if seen as a game and as an interactive movie. Unfortunately the environments were the only thing to it where talent had been invested.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

That seems to be the norm with most AAA productions.

 

[flyingjohn]

So how bad is the ubisoft syndrome for this game?
Cause i am hearing there there are no collectibles whatsoever and the side content are side missions with actual story.

 

[AwesomeButton]

So how bad is the ubisoft syndrome for this game?
Cause i am hearing there there are no collectibles whatsoever and the side content are side missions with actual story.

Missions, yes. Quests, no. In Witcher 3 you had dialogue and some C&C. These are more GTA style of missions, where you use the usual set of popamole features - twitch combat, shooting, climbing, interactibles highlighting, riding:

 

[Suicidal]

WE WUZ RPGS N SHIET

 

[Kitchen Utensil]

So how bad is the ubisoft syndrome for this game?
Cause i am hearing there there are no collectibles whatsoever and the side content are side missions with actual story.

Missions, yes. Quests, no. In Witcher 3 you had dialogue and some C&C. These are more GTA style of missions, where you use the usual set of popamole features - twitch combat, shooting, climbing, interactibles highlighting, riding:

You make that sound as if following glowing shit using your "witcher senses" would be any better. lol

 

[Shackleton]

So how bad is the ubisoft syndrome for this game?
Cause i am hearing there there are no collectibles whatsoever and the side content are side missions with actual story.

Yeah, I was hoping they'd moved away from cluttering the map with shit that you checklist off, but then I saw THIS:

Oh dear, serious Witcher 3 flashbacks. That looks almost like exact same ? icon. But of course this map is better as it has ! as well.

I was actually getting sorta tempted until I saw that screen, and then it all came flooding back why I find Ubisoft open world games such a chore to play.

 

[AwesomeButton]

You make that sound as if following glowing shit using your "witcher senses" would be any better. lol

In and of itself, it wouldn't, but it has the potential to be better if following the glowing shit progresses a story where you find the characters engaging, and there is some reactivity, even if most players will make the same choices in every playthrough.

I've always said the Witcher 3 is unremarkable if you take its features separately - neither the combat, nor the story, nor the character progression, nor the "witcher senses" gameplay are anything to write home about. But together, along with the quest premises, backstory and the world which convinces you to take it seriously, it can catch and keep interest.

These are the areas where Origins can't match Witcher 3. It will be immeasurably below that level in terms of narrative. And at least for me it was the narrative that made me want to scour the open world and find out more about it. Origins expects the open world by itself to make the game engaging.

 

[flyingjohn]

Origins expects the open world by itself to make the game engaging.

This is the key to understand why modern open world games fail.
There is a difference between sandbox like mine craft and open world games like gta,witcher3,etc..
A sandbox by definition focuses on the sandbox and the game play comes naturally from the interactions that can happen.
Open world by itself is empty and requires you to populate it with meaningful activity.
AAA devs fail to understand this.

 

[AwesomeButton]

So how bad is the ubisoft syndrome for this game?
Cause i am hearing there there are no collectibles whatsoever and the side content are side missions with actual story.

Yeah, I was hoping they'd moved away from cluttering the map with shit that you checklist off, but then I saw THIS:

Oh dear, serious Witcher 3 flashbacks. That looks almost like exact same ? icon. But of course this map is better as it has ! as well.

I was actually getting sorta tempted until I saw that screen, and then it all came flooding back why I find Ubisoft open world games such a chore to play.

I would be satisfied if I can customize markers on the map in order to turn that shit off.

What's irreparable damage to my experience is anachronisms in the logic of the world and the motivations of its inhabitants. Those are usually manifested in the way every sidequest and especially the main story have an overt SJW spin. It wouldn't have been any less annoying if the modern spin was of some other flavor, but I suppose that was the level of writers' skills and their inclination, as well as narrative direction. Ubisoft's Assasins's creed, business as usual.

 

[AwesomeButton]

The best way I can think of to explain the difference between Witcher 3 and this game - both games' stories feature the theme of a backwards, poor, rural population, the life of which is made even more miserable and wretched by a passing or invading army. Take a look at how Witcher 3 tells you this, the means through which it portrays this situation, and then take a look at how the 30 mins LP episode 1 portrays the same situation.

 

[Ash]

What is with these tedious modern open world games? Sad thing is open world action games two generations ago were on the right path. Did nobody play Vice City? San Andreas? GUN? STALKER? Mercenaries? Destroy All Humans 2? As well as to tread into action RPG with Gothic and Morrowind? Few of these were revolutionary or true classics but they at least had the basics of gameplay down, made USE of the open world concept in a meaningful way, and weren't boring as fuck.

 

[flyingjohn]

What is with these tedious modern open world games? Sad thing is open world action games two generations ago were on the right path. Did nobody play Vice City? San Andreas? GUN? Mercenaries? Destroy All Humans 2? As well as to tread into action RPG with Gothic and Morrowind? Few of these were revolutionary or true classics but they at least had the basics of gameplay down, made USE of the open world concept in a meaningful way, and weren't boring as fuck.

Not to mention they hide game play elements behind these boring unlockables.
I quit far cry 4 when i had to skin wolves to unlock the ability to use a second weapon,in a fps game.

 

[Kitchen Utensil]

You make that sound as if following glowing shit using your "witcher senses" would be any better. lol

In and of itself, it wouldn't, but it has the potential to be better if following the glowing shit progresses a story where you find the characters engaging, and there is some reactivity, even if most players will make the same choices in every playthrough.

I've always said the Witcher 3 is unremarkable if you take its features separately - neither the combat, nor the story, nor the character progression, nor the "witcher senses" gameplay are anything to write home about. But together, along with the quest premises, backstory and the world which convinces you to take it seriously, it can catch and keep interest.

These are the areas where Origins can't match Witcher 3. It will be immeasurably below that level in terms of narrative. And at least for me it was the narrative that made me want to scour the open world and find out more about it. Origins expects the open world by itself to make the game engaging.

Thanks for explaining. That makes sense and I tend to agree, even if the reactivity and narrative in the Witcher 3 didn't help me much with enjoying it; I'm simply no storyfag I guess. On the other hand, at least I played through the main story once while I won't even buy Origins. So there's that.

 

[Shackleton]

I'm waiting for someone to mention how 'the kidnappers ship has a colourful and distinctive sail' because, if you were a bunch of kidnappers, of course that's what you'd want to put on your ship. Not that it would matter one bloody jot as 'detective vision' would highlight it in case you didn't know what 'distinctive and colourful' meant, (or couldn't read.)

 

[Ash]

What is with these tedious modern open world games? Sad thing is open world action games two generations ago were on the right path. Did nobody play Vice City? San Andreas? GUN? Mercenaries? Destroy All Humans 2? As well as to tread into action RPG with Gothic and Morrowind? Few of these were revolutionary or true classics but they at least had the basics of gameplay down, made USE of the open world concept in a meaningful way, and weren't boring as fuck.

Not to mention they hide game play elements behind these boring unlockables.
I quit far cry 4 when i had to skin wolves to unlock the ability to use a second weapon,in a fps game.

Far Cry 4 is actually one of the better modern open world games because you can do things like turn off loot markers on the mini-map with the intent to make natural exploration slightly more rewarding and not a case of running to icons on the mini-map over and over, but it's still a bit shitty, yes. I can't think of any other open world games even worth a glance beyond New Vegas. But if you really must have modern open world straight action, I'd say "eh...Far Cry 4...I suppose". But not 3 or Primal. Primal in particular is truly shit except some of the caves where you actually have to use your brain.

 

[Paul_cz]

I usually enjoy AC games for the virtual tourism aspect of them, everything else is mediocre to bad.

But in this even the tourism seems boring as fuck. Sand. Sand everywhere. Pyramids are cool I guess.

 

[Ash]

I usually enjoy AC games for the virtual tourism aspect of them, everything else is mediocre to bad.

But...why? In that regard, shouldn't you watch a documentary on Ancient Rome/Egypt/whatever for a more accurate, more informative and more interesting depiction of those times, that also doesn't waste your time with filler bullshit?

I would say please don't support these games, but it's far too late for that.

 

[fantadomat]

The game is a well polished shit.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I usually enjoy AC games for the virtual tourism aspect of them, everything else is mediocre to bad.

But in this even the tourism seems boring as fuck. Sand. Sand everywhere. Pyramids are cool I guess.

You've bought it, or you just say this based on LPs?

 

[Markman]

Watching some streams and lps on Youtube and besides some retard playing them I am not as hyped as i thought.
Game feels a bit meh and witcher 3 influenced.

Still am amazed how people are bad at playing the game.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

I can't think of any other open world games even worth a glance beyond New Vegas.

It's true.

Still there's have been some incline this year. Zelda BotW, Divinity Original Sin 2, Grimoire and in 2016 the total conversion mod for Skyrim Enderal.