Assassin’s Creed Shadows

[mmmark]

I’m 3hrs in and it looks like it’s just opened up (just left the place that helps you get back on your feet with the little chubby guy) but alas f1 qualifying is on in 5 hours so have to sleep a bit.

 

It’s really beautiful and I’m a bit crap at the combat so may turn the difficulty down later if I struggle. The music is also lovely. But yeah it’s taken 3 hours of linear gameplay to open up (maybe).

 

[one-armed dwarf]

I like samurai films a lot so was watching bits of this out of curiosity and was sort of shocked skipping through the archive at how much cutscenes there are in the beginning. Was a 3 hour archive as well. Hell of a commitment to get into it it seemed.

 

This will be a 'check it out on sale' one for me though I think, I like ubisoft games for that at least, they tend to make some of the most visually spectacular open world games this generation.

[mmmark]

2 hours ago, one-armed dwarf said:

I like samurai films a lot so was watching bits of this out of curiosity and was sort of shocked skipping through the archive at how much cutscenes there are in the beginning. Was a 3 hour archive as well. Hell of a commitment to get into it it seemed.

 

This will be a 'check it out on sale' one for me though I think, I like ubisoft games for that at least, they tend to make some of the most visually spectacular open world games this generation.

Yeah it’s like 2-2.5 hours until you’re truly free to go where you please. I’m 6hrs 30m in now. 
 

Enjoying it a lot. Just came across some mad looking warrior who proceeded to kill me instantly. Won’t be going back 😆 Also I keep scaring off things to paint as I gallop around 😞

 

 

My game came with free dlc which included armour, weapon and ride. I’m not using them tho because the armour and weapon are so fancy looking I don’t deserve them and the ride is a literal beast. It makes no sense for her to have it and just doesn’t fit the story at all.

 

[spatular]

I want to give this a go, but will be waiting for a price drop, might get it on pc depending if that version is any good/manage to upgrade the pc.

[Metroid66]

Took the plunge on this and managed about 40 minutes before I was called away. Looks good, feels good, and I'm quite excited to get going on it. 

 

I've enjoyed all the AC RPGs, with multiple plays on origins. And with the consensus (not withstanding the usual click crazy shit stirrers on YouTube - who I'm getting a bit fed up with tbh), being that this is every bit as good, if not better, than the other 3, I think I'm in for a fine ride.

[Metroid66]

Done about 5 hours and I'm very much enjoying the relaxed gameplay - although, having said that, when the action kicks in, it kicks hard.

 

But the truth is you can just wonder around exploring and finding places to explore and exploit. And stealth is great in this, just a cut above the others for me.

 

Like it.

[Maf]

@bellow lend me 45 quid 

[Metroid66]

That offer has gone, and was just for me anyway. Send me £145 and  I'll get you a copy.

[Maf]

I do you a deal you get me a copy and I’ll owe you the £145 and pay it later

[regemond]

Started this last night now that I've cleared Yakuza: Black Flag. When Rosie asked me how it is, my answer was "it feels like Valhalla in Japan". That's not an insult either. I've enjoyed the immersive RPG-style AC titles since they pivoted into that genre. The introduction seems nice and slow, giving me info about painting a furry thing in a SMB3 suit. Even if and when the things to do become overwhelming, I reckon I'm gonna enjoy this.

 

It might bump me back into finishing the run through of the series I started a while ago, too. I've done them all (including the shitty 2.5D titles) from 2 onwards and I'm half way through Unity now.

[Metroid66]

Done 15 fantastic hours. 

 

This is a game that's well worth the £145 Maf should pay for it. It's so well put together. Such a flow to it. I'm really liking it, especially after the lukewarm (though still enjoyable) Avowed.

 

One thing that's taken a bit of getting used to is the very 'natural' take on lighting. So if it's night it's fecking dark. Really dark, and the lighting from the period, candles and such, shed as much light as they would in the real world, and no more. It's Barry Lyndon with Katanas.

 

Luckily, your enemies seem to see as little as you, and, if course, there's always a bit of the old eagle vision.

[Maf]

Lend me £200 and I buy a copy 

[mmmark]

I’ve turned the difficulty down to story 🫣 I’m not great at the combat and I don’t want to keep dying and hate it.
 

[Metroid66]

You know there are things you can do to make the game have a more 'traditional' difficulty without actually turning it to story. For example you can switch to 'guaranteed stealth kill' so it plays more like the previous games and your not surrounded by enemies if a stealth kill falls short.

 

I'm not finding it too hard but might do this as playing the default way seems a bit off. I mean they'd still keel over with a knife thru the jugular even if they're built like a brick wall and are wearing a ton of armour.

[mmmark]

2 hours ago, Metroid66 said:

For example you can switch to 'guaranteed stealth kill'

Yeah I’ve done this already. When inside any building is the worst for fighting. Camera has no idea what to do/where to look.

[mfnick]

I’m a couple of hours in - still in tutorial and cut-scenes mode. & people complain about JRPGs being slow…

 

Anyway, so far I’m quite impressed. It’s a gorgeous game & the setting is really doing it for me as hoped. Got the immersive VA on too which is great. I loved the set piece with Yasuke through the burning village decapitating fools - loving the kill animations too. I wish they’d do a linear set piece action game like Uncharted like that, I reckon I’d love it. 

Which brings me to a negative, getting the box back as Naoe brought me crashing back down to AC reality. It was basically like capturing a base in almost all the exact same ways as I was doing 13(!) years ago in FarCry 3. Nothing has changed…

 

Still, it’s not yet asked me to pick berries off a bush so it’s already better than Valhalla. 
 

There’s enough I’m still liking about it so I’m not going to pack it in just yet & I’m looking forward to being in control of Yasuke again. The setting is doing a lot of heavy lifting too which will keep me interested for a long time yet too.

 

[mfnick]

Few more hours in. I’m done. These just really aren’t for me. Just find I all so tedious to actually play. I’m not enjoying the same old repetitive base stealth stuff at all. & the couple of towns I’ve visited are just so lifeless and pointless. Got all the hideout and scout shit going on too which I really can’t be fucked with. 

[Metroid66]

18 hours ago, mfnick said:

I’m looking forward to being in control of Yasuke

 

It is possible I'm turning into @shinymcshine, but I've done over 20 hours and (except for the brief intro scenes) haven't even clapped eyes on Yasuke.

 

Not that I'm complaining. Naoe is a stealth practitioner with all the bells and whistles (literally). If you like stealth I think this game has got it going on. Playing as the fragile Naoe you have to get it right - look at your target, see who's around, can you get him somewhere quiet? Can you manage a clean kill or has he got more in the tank than you can handle? Maybe a an initial approach and a smoke bomb recovery, or thin the herd and go for some sword play, because those heads aren't gonna fall off on their own🔪

 

Not that I want to tell anyone how to enjoy their own game, but I do think the slightly upped difficulty is making this game a cut above the others in the gameplay department. I can imagine it becoming rather stale to be just cutting thru fools without resistance. At least when playing as the balletic Naoe.

 

@mfnickyeah, you either dig this stuff or you don't.

[Maf]

@mfnick send the game to me and @bellow will give you £375 for it 

[Metroid66]

Just buy the damn thing will ya.

 

Even now we could be discussing the finer points of assassination.

 

For example, do you regard the full removal of a cranium as slightly ostentatious, perhaps even vulgar, for a practitioner of the stealthy arts?

 

Turns out Naeo doesn't.