don’t agree at all, it’s down to preference
that’s why these overdone graphic effects should always be a setting.
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Assassin's Creed Mirage |OT| Basim, the Origin
- Thread starter cormack12
- Start date
that’s why these overdone graphic effects should always be a setting.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I like the pseudo open-ended nature of how to tackle the story in this, you're basically given a few investigations and it's up to you to tackle how to do them, and since there is no level caps, there are no artificial barriers to gate progress or guide you to one at a time.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
phant0m
Member
This, the lack of gear “score” and a 20h runtime are why this is the best AC since Syndicate.
DownLikeBCPowder
Member
Game looks great. So tempted.
Luipadre
Member
My eyes... and i like CA but this is just too much and the game benefits nothing from it. Look at cyberpunk for good CA implementation for example. Hopefully by the time im gonna play this there will be an option to turn this off on console
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I know what you mean, it's my only real complain with the games visual makeup. The CA is way too strong in most cases. I wish there was a toggle for it.
I know just a day after I finish the game, they're gonna put a patch out with a toggle, will just be my fucking luck lol.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Gave up. Game just isn't clicking for me. Feels like a massive over-adjustment backwards.
But glad others are enjoying.
Feels like it's short enough to power through if you've got a couple of hours, I'm at 6~ hours and the game says I'm already 60% complete.
-
Anyway, I think it's incredibly easy to become super OP in this game with just a couple of key upgrades.
Throwing Knife -> Light Blade + Corrode Body = longer range + bodies disintegrate when killed via headshots.
Trickster -> Knife Recovery = you recover knives used to kill enemies.
You essentially have infinite knives which disintegrate bodies with the above.
For open combat, just spec to the Counter Roll skill and you can roll over heavy enemies and just kill them by attacking their butts within seconds instead of needing to juke around their attacks.
Krappadizzle
Member
This is the biggest reason as to my lack of interest in this particular release. I like the series as a whole(warts and all) but I just don't care for the Middle-Eastern setting at the moment, feel like I've been their or some variation of it at least a half dozen times and I'm just not particularly interested right now in checking it out.
Topher
Gold Member
Good tips. I think part of it is the fact that this game is sandwiched in between so many good games. Enjoying Cyberpunk 2077......finally. Still have more Starfield to play when the update it a bit more. Spider-man 2 is almost here. I think this game would have been better off releasing in February. I might come back to it then.
In ways it feels like a remake of the first AC. I was definitely thinking hoping to relive more of the Unity/Syndicate vibes rather than og AC.
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adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I like the games lighting, I do not like how everything is visually marred like an old VHS tape because of the chromatic aberration.
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adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Finished the story, 13~ hours. Decent, nothing more or less. The ending, as you'd expect, tries to tie into Valhalla since this is a prequel but it's so ehhh ...
Some parting screens.
Some parting screens.
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
This is my current struggle lol. This landed right in the middle of my 2077 sesh and Spidey is right around the corner. I dont want to risk open world checkbox burnout by the 20th and Mirage has that checkbox action going on hard. Im at 37% trophy progress and I havent even taken out the first target yet. I get too ensconced in 100%ing each area of the map Im in just like every other fucking game of theirs. I have issues is what Im saying.
Eiknarf
Member
I'll pick up a used copy in about 30 days, so that if I don't like it I can return it.
saintjules
Member
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
This game is so freaking good. It'll be the first AC I'll platinum since AC2.
Kurotri
Member
Alright fellas, I have completed the game. Wall of text time!
I've been playing AC since its inception and to this day it has a special place in my heart. Mirage is an intended homage to the original, and I can say 100% that they have managed to hit every note and transport me back to the AC1/AC2 days.
- Beautiful 9th century Baghdad setting where the city is the focus and the star. While there is a "wilderness" section, it's not where you spend a lot of time during your gameplay, unlike the RPGs where I felt like it was the exact opposite. For instance I really didn't think Alexandria in Origins or the useless Cyrene had any staying power. That is not the case here. It's an urban focused experience, where AC belongs.
- Very stealth and assassination focused gameplay. Combat is possible, but definitely not encouraged. It's idiotic to stay in combat for too long, and the game really drives that point home. You really get the feeling of being an assassin, a blade in the crowd that gets in and out. That is, or should, be the DNA of Assassin's Creed. Just as advertised.
- Huge emphasis on parkour. They have an awesome city layout in here where there are tons of paths that you can take, a lot of them seemingly intentional. Can't imagine the amount of work that went into this aspect. If you can do it right, you can have some parkour moments that feel cool.
- Linear design, no dialoge options or choose your gender BS. You have a set character that you follow from beginning to end, and certain upgrades, tools and outfits are locked behind main story progression. There's a sense of progressing together with Basim since it's only after you kill certain targets, that he ranks up and tools get unlocked. Kiiiinda like Altair did after losing his status.
- City feels more alive due to a good amount of NPCs, not quite Unity level but much better than the cities in the RPG games. You have a pickpocketing mechanic which doesn't sound too exciting on paper but in practice is actually fun. I pretty much did everytime you could.
- City is more reactive than ever. It's not some insane high end stuff, but it's hilarious that it took them 20 games or something to finally have characters go "HEY! IT'S THAT GUY FROM THE WANTED POSTERS!" or "mfer stole my purse!". You can even see them reporting to guards, and the guards will actively look for you. After a while when they can't find you, they'll go back to the NPC and apologize: "Sorry, there's no one like that here".
- The missions are mostly actually well designed, there are some great ones towards the end which take place in some of the most beautiful places, like the Bazaar or the Palace. That also applies to some of the contracts on your mission board which are side missions.
- The music is insane and really elevates the experience. I'm a huge fan of their composer choice for this one.
There's some more stuff but that's off the top of my head. You can tell that this game OOZES love and respect for the original games. I saw someone say that it's basically like putting AC1/AC2 in Valhalla's engine. That's pretty much how it is. I have no idea how they managed to pull this off considering the assets they had to work with. Of course, it's because of that that it doesn't manage to reach the highs of the earlier games. Parkour is still a little wonky, for instance. However, it doesn't detract from the experience all too much. If you love the earlier games, miss them, want to get transported back, this is literally made for you. It's genuinely fantastic in what it wants to be.
Oh, and I'd have to say that it's very gameplay focused. While the story is important and is obviously the main driver behind everything that happens, it's not great. There's some cool beats here and there I thought, but it's not the star. For those that already know Basim's story due to Valhalla it'll be okay enough, for those that don't, I can't imagine how lost and disappointed they'd be by the time the credits roll. Still, amazing experience that doesn't overstay it's welcome, I have finished it with around 28 hours clocked in, most people probably have a few hours less than me.
8/10.
I've been playing AC since its inception and to this day it has a special place in my heart. Mirage is an intended homage to the original, and I can say 100% that they have managed to hit every note and transport me back to the AC1/AC2 days.
- Beautiful 9th century Baghdad setting where the city is the focus and the star. While there is a "wilderness" section, it's not where you spend a lot of time during your gameplay, unlike the RPGs where I felt like it was the exact opposite. For instance I really didn't think Alexandria in Origins or the useless Cyrene had any staying power. That is not the case here. It's an urban focused experience, where AC belongs.
- Very stealth and assassination focused gameplay. Combat is possible, but definitely not encouraged. It's idiotic to stay in combat for too long, and the game really drives that point home. You really get the feeling of being an assassin, a blade in the crowd that gets in and out. That is, or should, be the DNA of Assassin's Creed. Just as advertised.
- Huge emphasis on parkour. They have an awesome city layout in here where there are tons of paths that you can take, a lot of them seemingly intentional. Can't imagine the amount of work that went into this aspect. If you can do it right, you can have some parkour moments that feel cool.
- Linear design, no dialoge options or choose your gender BS. You have a set character that you follow from beginning to end, and certain upgrades, tools and outfits are locked behind main story progression. There's a sense of progressing together with Basim since it's only after you kill certain targets, that he ranks up and tools get unlocked. Kiiiinda like Altair did after losing his status.
- City feels more alive due to a good amount of NPCs, not quite Unity level but much better than the cities in the RPG games. You have a pickpocketing mechanic which doesn't sound too exciting on paper but in practice is actually fun. I pretty much did everytime you could.
- City is more reactive than ever. It's not some insane high end stuff, but it's hilarious that it took them 20 games or something to finally have characters go "HEY! IT'S THAT GUY FROM THE WANTED POSTERS!" or "mfer stole my purse!". You can even see them reporting to guards, and the guards will actively look for you. After a while when they can't find you, they'll go back to the NPC and apologize: "Sorry, there's no one like that here".
- The missions are mostly actually well designed, there are some great ones towards the end which take place in some of the most beautiful places, like the Bazaar or the Palace. That also applies to some of the contracts on your mission board which are side missions.
- The music is insane and really elevates the experience. I'm a huge fan of their composer choice for this one.
There's some more stuff but that's off the top of my head. You can tell that this game OOZES love and respect for the original games. I saw someone say that it's basically like putting AC1/AC2 in Valhalla's engine. That's pretty much how it is. I have no idea how they managed to pull this off considering the assets they had to work with. Of course, it's because of that that it doesn't manage to reach the highs of the earlier games. Parkour is still a little wonky, for instance. However, it doesn't detract from the experience all too much. If you love the earlier games, miss them, want to get transported back, this is literally made for you. It's genuinely fantastic in what it wants to be.
Oh, and I'd have to say that it's very gameplay focused. While the story is important and is obviously the main driver behind everything that happens, it's not great. There's some cool beats here and there I thought, but it's not the star. For those that already know Basim's story due to Valhalla it'll be okay enough, for those that don't, I can't imagine how lost and disappointed they'd be by the time the credits roll. Still, amazing experience that doesn't overstay it's welcome, I have finished it with around 28 hours clocked in, most people probably have a few hours less than me.
8/10.
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Team Andromeda
Member
Loving the game
Sushi_Combo
Member
So far I've clocked in about 14 hrs, inching towards the finale but I can still see myself continuing on getting the Platinum . Really enjoying this one a lot.
saintjules
Member
It's good to get differing opinions so thanks for this.
Skillup raised some interesting issues with the game. How do you feel about it as I am curious from someone's perspective on playing the franchise from day 1.
(timestamp 5:37 - 8:09).
Kurotri
Member
He's right. When it comes to the story, I didn't pay too much attention nor did I care too much about the characters, simply because the writing itself isn't great to begin with and because of the points Skillup already raises. The tech used is also not great, you've got janky looking "cutscenes" that just don't help in delivering memorable moments. I can count the amount of scenes that I found okay on one hand.
"I guess there was some revolution going on...and this character had ties to that one...ah who cares" was mostly my thought process. This was actually one of the main complaints for Valhalla. I have already seen some fans say that the only interesting parts are the beginning and ending, which is also how a lot of people in the fandom described Valhalla's story, me included. The fluff in the middle is just not interesting. I didn't care for Beshi, Ali or who the Head of the order was.
I only really cared/paid attention to Basim's own personal story, like how it will end up connecting to Valhalla and how he changes from beginning to end which got an "alright" out of me, considering what they had to work with. In the earlier games, I felt like I was way more connected to the historical stuff that was happening, like the Pazzi family in AC2. Not so much the case here.
In order for storytelling to improve in these games, they absolutely need to change this, as both Valhalla and Mirage show that it's not working, atleast not for Ubi.
saintjules
Member
Thanks. Sounds about right with the storytelling.
I was heavily into Origins. I felt the pacing, story and environments in that one felt amazing. Particularly getting into Alexandria and into the bathouse to assassinate Eudoros.
Just the city felt so amazing to traverse in. I am hoping Mirage has some of those moments.
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Thick Thighs Save Lives
Gold Member
Ubisoft has recently uploaded the OST for AC Mirage on their ubisoft music youtube channel (also available on Spotify and Apple Music.). I'll just say that it's yet another banger AC soundtrack!
Chuck Berry
Gold Member
I always felt that every single major assassination mission in this franchise should model itself after either the bathhouse in Origins or the hospital in Syndicate. Both areas were truly stealth focused. Creeping around corners. Planning movements. They were far more similar to something like Hitman before Hitman became the Hitman that we know today. Just all out excellent missions and they never hit that high again for me. And whats weird is that both of those missions are super early on, if not the first high end murders you commit. Its like they used up their best ideas for those initial areas and then just immediately sputtered out for the rest of the experience.
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DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
I decided to buy the game because I was just in the mood for old school AC and one of the things that I'm always reminded of when I play AC games that I hate is the amount of time you spend having to run away from guards when you're spotted. It's just so damn tedious. It's like you can't get a moment to breathe and take the game and setting in.
semiconscious
Member
it sucks, eh? i'd kinda forgotten about it, too. my newest irritation? when you use enkidu to do surveillance on a fortress, & an archer shoots at him, & you're then prevented from doing so until you kill that archer. not sure i remember this 'feature' being in any of the other games...
Sleepwalker
Member
This is how I feel.
I've played 15 hours, put in a good 5 hours today mostly doing all the contracts and some side stuff. Btw do contracts, you get hilariously OP by doing them lol.
Sleepwalker
Member
Just beat it, 17 hours and change. I liked it a lot, I didn't understand much of the ending because I didn't play Valhalla but overall a 8/10 in my book, bring on spiderman 
DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
For those who’ve played a good deal of this: is there a present day aspect of this game like other AC games? Or did they cut that out of this one? I haven’t played long enough to encounter yet.
John Marston
GAF's very own treasure goblin
I'm about 3 hours in and no "present day" so far.
Which I'm glad.
I never was a fan and sighed everytime the game switched to present day.
You're not cool Desmond I go through you to get to the good stuff
But that's just me.
Parkour remains a pain sometimes and still can't top Unity (From what I can remember).
Those "optional" objectives also need to go.
-Take no damage
-Don't touch water
-Juggle 5 oranges while running after your target.
But I'm having fun so far
DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
The reason I'm interested is because the end of Valhalla has some major Basim reveals, and I was hoping we would get more on that from this game since this game takes place way before that.I'm about 3 hours in and no "present day" so far.
Which I'm glad.
I never was a fan and sighed everytime the game switched to present day.
You're not cool Desmond I go through you to get to the good stuff
But that's just me.
Parkour remains a pain sometimes and still can't top Unity (From what I can remember).
Those "optional" objectives also need to go.
-Take no damage
-Don't touch water
-Juggle 5 oranges while running after your target.
But I'm having fun so far
If it doesn't it kinda feels like a waste.
John Marston
GAF's very own treasure goblin
In some reviews they mention Valhalla references to Basim although not sure if it expands on that.
Really like it so far. Two things, first as mentioned earlier the forced chromatic abberation looks horrible and the secondly the controls feel less fluid to me compared to previous entries.
It might be just me but i feel i have to fight it a little.... like getting stuck and sometimes he refuse to climb but when i press again it works.
Not a big deal, maybe i just have to learn to wait for the animations to complete...
It might be just me but i feel i have to fight it a little.... like getting stuck and sometimes he refuse to climb but when i press again it works.
Not a big deal, maybe i just have to learn to wait for the animations to complete...
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semiconscious
Member
finished yesterday...
really enjoyed it, & glad to see it's been successful. sure, i've basically seen it all before, but when all you really want from these games is stealth gameplay & the ability to hang out in & parkour around some gorgeous historic locations, i'm good with a little deja vu...
really enjoyed it, & glad to see it's been successful. sure, i've basically seen it all before, but when all you really want from these games is stealth gameplay & the ability to hang out in & parkour around some gorgeous historic locations, i'm good with a little deja vu...
Muffdraul
Member
IMO this is too vague to really be a spoiler but I'll mark it anyway:
Basically Mirage's ending is one big "Valhalla Basim" connection. It was pretty out of left field. I didn't care for Basim in Valhalla and that was one reason I was never that hyped for Mirage, but the eventual direct connection the writers made, well, I thought it was pretty cool.
DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
Interesting, I'll have to consider finishing it. I had to stop playing it was driving me nuts. It was enjoyable at parts, but it brought back all the stuff that I absolutely loathe about AC games as well, but this time around it was a lot harder to get through for me. The tediousness of some of the game structure are stuff I could tolerate 5-10 years ago, but not anymore. I'll have to play it in spurts.
Sleepwalker
Member
EDMIX
Member
Holy shit!
These guys do such a great job on environments! I can't wait to pick this up next year when I have more time.
Feel Like I'm On 42
Member
Where the Frick is the mother f'ing patch to fix Chromatic aberration Ubisoft?! CA usually doesn't even bother me but this is just so noticeable
Masterofchapter
Member
Skill up hates ac he claims everything looks same it's not really every district feels different, he literal ubisoft hater don't listen to that clown
TrebleShot
Member
platform? doesnt look this good on PCFinished the story, 13~ hours. Decent, nothing more or less. The ending, as you'd expect, tries to tie into Valhalla since this is a prequel but it's so ehhh ...
Some parting screens.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
These are from PS5 in Performance Mode.
saintjules
Member
I don't think what he's saying in that timestamp frame mentioned is false though. In any event, I usually decide for myself. I will wait to see if this comes down for Black Friday, then pick it up.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
No.
Outside of the few lines in the intro video, there is no present day stuff in this one at all.