Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
Nah, she's the canonical character in the book timeline, but Alexios seems to be the canonical character in the game timeline.
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Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Review Scores
- Thread starter Humdinger
- Start date
I've been playing the first few hours. It looks good and plays exactly as Origins so far, including even minor details like the hilariously bad horse pathfinding running over everybody in cities. I enjoyed Origins, so it's good enough for me. The new additions are nothing to write home about, though. For example, the gender choice is just a palette swap (every dialogue so far has been gender-agnostic) and exploration mode is somewhat disappointing (you still get quest markers and on-screen Ubisoft icons for everything, except sometimes you'll get map directions and need to get closer to the designated area before the quest marker appears).
Compared to Origins, I could see this getting slightly better scores from professional reviewers (it's bigger, a bit more polished, has more bullet-point features) and a bit lower user scores, as people will get franchise fatigue and the new things don't do much.
Compared to Origins, I could see this getting slightly better scores from professional reviewers (it's bigger, a bit more polished, has more bullet-point features) and a bit lower user scores, as people will get franchise fatigue and the new things don't do much.
Humdinger
Member
Put down my pre-order.
I'm in the same boat. Haven't played an AC game since #2. That was nearly 10 years ago. I'm imagining a lot has changed, and that it will feel pretty new. I can't say for sure, because I haven't played it, but that's my impression. If you haven't played an AC game since #2, then all sorts of things should feel new, not just the setting and the story, but the RPG qualities, the combat, the sea battles, etc.
I'm in the same boat. Haven't played an AC game since #2. That was nearly 10 years ago. I'm imagining a lot has changed, and that it will feel pretty new. I can't say for sure, because I haven't played it, but that's my impression. If you haven't played an AC game since #2, then all sorts of things should feel new, not just the setting and the story, but the RPG qualities, the combat, the sea battles, etc.
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I think you should just play Black Flag which is the best AssCreed game, but this one has ship combat as well, so if you really haven't played since 2, this should feel fresh. Still think these games have some of most boring open worlds out there, but that could be partially fatigue.
WaterAstro
Member
Same. The story was so boring. Beating me over the head with this "dead son" story at every side collectathon when I don't even have an attachment to the character yet. I couldn't care less to play more of the game.
Still can't beat the King!Assassin Creed Oddyssey score better than previous 5 (MetaCritic) !
And AC4 is the Prince.
With how much money Ubisoft pours into the franchise, it should be in the 90s. Patrice Desilet left with the quality.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Same. The story was so boring. Beating me over the head with this "dead son" story at every side collectathon when I don't even have an attachment to the character yet. I couldn't care less to play more of the game.
Still can't beat the King!
And AC4 is the Prince.
With how much money Ubisoft pours into the franchise, it should be in the 90s. Patrice Desilet left with the quality.
I would argue AC:O is only boring if you have little interest in Egyptology, but the world, its characters, and how they structured it was all brilliant. The only issue I really have is a few pacing issues and the small cities. I wanted to explore a much larger Alexandria and Thebes. That is my one issue with much of the AC games past the Ezio Trilogy and that was how small the cities have become in comparison. Exploring Constantinople and Rome was AMAZING for me.
Humdinger
Member
Nah, I'll stick with this one, thanks. I'm more interested in the setting (always liked ancient Greece) and the fact that it's an RPG (I'm an RPG guy). You sound bored of the series and down on this game, so I don't think we have the same taste in games. Cheers, though.
Humdinger
Member
Assassin Creed Oddyssey score better than previous 5 (MetaCritic) !
Nice. So, AC: Odyssey is getting the best review scores for any AC game this generation. It's second to Black Flag in the graphic, but the Black Flag score is for the last gen PS3 version, released Oct 13, a month before the current gen launched; BF's PS4 score is 83).
Muffdraul
Member
AC2 became the model for all of the sequels to build on from that point on. It really wasn't until Origins last year that they finally really shook up the formula. Odyssey seems to build on Origins very similarly to how Brotherhood built on AC2. Too bad you didn't play Brotherhood, so that comparison wouldn't mean much to you. But yeah, safe to say this new AC will probably seem fresh to you.
though you might think "This is just Witcher 3 set in ancient Greece."
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
From what I've played, even before choosing Alexios is refered to.
Alexios seems to have more personality too
and Kassandra is Alexios baby sister
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WaterAstro
Member
No, it was boring because they forced motivation and character attachment on me, and I couldn't care less after the first dozen missions about doing anything in the game.
If I lost my son, then let me play that experience instead of stupid flashbacks.
Vawn
Banned
I can't imagine it. What would they call it? Elder Scrolls Morrowind? Maybe Oblivion? No too crazy to even picture.
Alexander DeLarge
Member
Ideally, Skyrim would've been that way but with enough information and notable world building given to navigate the world. Because the quest givers gave zero information about what I was doing, I had to rely entirely on the dumb magical quest arrow. This kind of over reliance on a UI element that should be optional is frankly bad game design and if they can't design dialog that gives enough information about where I'm supposed to go, that's just another symptom of bland open world design.
This highlights the absurdity of Assassin's Creed having more in common with later installments of Elder Scrolls games.
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Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Anyone else think it's odd that the game isn't about assassins anymore but is still using the name and the dumb parkour?
That Morrowind journal makes me sad. I miss when games did more than just have you running to the next flashing icon in the sky.Ideally, Skyrim would've been that way but with enough information and notable world building given to navigate the world. Because the quest givers gave zero information about what I was doing, I had to rely entirely on the dumb magical quest arrow. This kind of over reliance on a UI element that should be optional is frankly bad game design and if they can't design dialog that gives enough information about where I'm supposed to go, that's just another symptom of bland open world design.
This highlights the absurdity of Assassin's Creed having more in common with later installments of Elder Scrolls games.
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F0rneus
Tears in the rain
Not quite. There is a canon storyline, that's reflected in the novel. And Kassandra is the canon character. That's what was said.
The Shepard
Member
I wanted a open world pirate game after Black flag, which could have been excellent. I prefer the Combat in black flag and the older ones also. The new ones feel like "my first dark souls" and don't feel anywhere near as good as dark souls, was hoping they'd evolve it more but it seems the same as origins sadly, the Combat has no weight to it and feels odd.
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No, Morrowind had a fair bit of difficulty in navigation. Lots of quests would say something like "to the west and across the hills". The map was significantly more complex than Skyrim and you got lost quite often while looking for a quest location. Especially in the Bloodmoon expansion, where you had to pay very close attention to the directions you were given.
I'm fine with having toggleable quest markers. But they should design the game without quest markers first and foremost, and then add a quest marker toggle for those who want it. Not the other way around, because that never works out for those who want to play without them.
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MayauMiao
Member
Its a sin that you didn't give Black Flag a shot. I love that game.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
As said before there is no difference in Story with the characters but even before you choose a character, Leonidas refers to his son several times.
There is no if or buts, the game was setup for Alexios.
The Novel is PR to please people
Telling people to ignore the game and look to Novel? Really?
They made the game with Alexios as the main and they just backpaddling to avoid backlash.
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Exactly. There were many quests in Skyrim where you never got directions or hints on where to go because the game just assumed you'd let the magic marker lead you by the nose. The journal was absolutely useless in this regard too, because it would often just say something like "Speak to [person]" and nothing more.
I'm not against quest markers for those who want them, but we need to stop pushing the idea that they're necessary. They're 'necessary' because of lazy/bad game design. No other reason.
Exploration mode in Odyssey is nothing like the Morrowind journal. Every exploration quest will show a permanent, detailed on-screen description of the location (something like 'south of mount X in island Y') and you'll get a quest marker or an eagle hint when you get close. Sometimes that display will closely reflect what some NPC said to you in dialogue, or clues you got from scenery or pick-ups, but very often it's expanded with magical information you couldn't possibly know. It's not much better than having a magical quest marker, to be honest. Also, a lot of quests (specially secondary ones) don't work that way and will just give you the quest marker as usual.
It's an improvement, but if you hope for a more immersive world, I'd keep your expectations low. In Odyssey you can still pay little to no attention to NPC dialogue, pickup notes or other clues, and you can still complete every quest just fine with no need to refer to any log or journal.
It's an improvement, but if you hope for a more immersive world, I'd keep your expectations low. In Odyssey you can still pay little to no attention to NPC dialogue, pickup notes or other clues, and you can still complete every quest just fine with no need to refer to any log or journal.
Humdinger
Member
I've cued this up to the part where ACG/Karak mentions the exploration system. Sounds pretty good. He didn't want to go back to the other ways of playing the game afterwards. I'm also glad to see you can turn on/off all those individual HUD options, to customize it to your liking.
Pippelipeikko
Member
It really needs a 1080p (60fps) mode for the XB1X. It looks lovely on my 4K TV but 30fps is meh.
LaughingStock
Member
Maybe you need to spend more ability points in the assassin tree? I really don't know. I'm just guessing.
I picked Alexios. But he is so generic looking. And i think he is voiced by the same VA that did Rico in just cause 3. He has the same accent.
By the way, why have accents? It's not like these are greek people speaking in english. They are "speaking" in greek and with the magic of easy entertainment we can understand them.
I'm enjoying the game but i'll probably never finish it.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
I thought about it similarly, but stealth is a completely valid option. You just need to have a strong set of tools. Using bow, fire, and the environment. Knock someone off of a cliff, bring out the wolves from their cages, etc.
You just can't rely on one button assassinations.
Humdinger
Member
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Critical Consensus
Reviewers praise Ubisoft's latest as a series high, thanks to an engaging world and the completed shift to an RPG structure
[some excerpts; full article at link below]
"It's not just in the Greek tragedy-inspired story, the vast, vast map or the sheer number of hours you're going to sink into it. It's the journey. The journey from one Greek island to another, with dolphins and whales cresting the waves alongside your boat. It's about the journey across the stunning Grecian landscape, ranging from forests bearing autumnal hues, to the majestic white marble buildings nestled comfortably in the cities, and absolutely everything in between.
This is Ubisoft's greatest departure from the series formula to date. Building on the open-world structure of last year's Origins, Odyssey adds a dialogue system, romances, multiple endings and even more RPG mechanics. In fact, Twinfinite's Zhiqing Wan says it "barely even feels like an Assassin's Creed game" and stands up just as well as a "really strong, standalone historical fiction video game."
Eurogamer's Tom Phillips notes that even the franchise's traditional focus on historical events has "shifted effortlessly into a place where godlike powers and mythical artefacts are now a major part of its everyday parlance".
"The Assassin's Creed franchise has always been very self-serious, even with the more laid-back assassins like Ezio and Jacob Frye," Wan observes. "With Odyssey, however, Ubisoft isn't afraid to sprinkle a little humor into virtually every aspect of the game.
Williams adds: "When Assassin's Creed Odyssey is on point, you can tell that Ubisoft was looking at CD Projekt Red's The Witcher for inspiration. What you do in the quests isn't particularly novel, but the folks you meet are.
Billcliffe also draws this comparison, reiterating that side quests are more likely to throw up "quirky stories with fun and memorable characters" than the "filler from older [AC] games". Improved combat and a rewarding loot system help engage players with these additional missions, but even without these mechanics, there is a lot of praise for the accompanying stories Ubisoft is trying to tell.
Additionally, the introduction of choice - not just in how you tackle each situation but even the dialogue and ways you interact with characters - has been praised as a game-changer for the often heavily scripted Assassin's Creed series.
Wan warns that Odyssey's quest choices "might seem tacked on and very straightforward at first glance" but this improved over the course of the game: "I got to see more possible combinations and permutations of different scenarios that could've played out instead of the one I got. The game's branches get pretty staggering later on, and Ubisoft definitely did an excellent job with those story deviations on their first go."
With a metacritic score of 85, it's no surprise that most reviews for Ubisoft's epic are glowing. Shifting a typically action-centric series further into RPG territory was a gamble but, critically at least, it appears to have paid off.
"After 70 hours I've only just finished the main storyline and I still have plenty to see in Odyssey's Greece, and it's a joy to keep on exploring. No-one's made an open-world RPG with this much depth and brilliance since The Witcher 3. This really is the ultimate Creed."
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-10-03-assassins-creed-odyssey-critical-consensus
Reviewers praise Ubisoft's latest as a series high, thanks to an engaging world and the completed shift to an RPG structure
[some excerpts; full article at link below]
"It's not just in the Greek tragedy-inspired story, the vast, vast map or the sheer number of hours you're going to sink into it. It's the journey. The journey from one Greek island to another, with dolphins and whales cresting the waves alongside your boat. It's about the journey across the stunning Grecian landscape, ranging from forests bearing autumnal hues, to the majestic white marble buildings nestled comfortably in the cities, and absolutely everything in between.
This is Ubisoft's greatest departure from the series formula to date. Building on the open-world structure of last year's Origins, Odyssey adds a dialogue system, romances, multiple endings and even more RPG mechanics. In fact, Twinfinite's Zhiqing Wan says it "barely even feels like an Assassin's Creed game" and stands up just as well as a "really strong, standalone historical fiction video game."
Eurogamer's Tom Phillips notes that even the franchise's traditional focus on historical events has "shifted effortlessly into a place where godlike powers and mythical artefacts are now a major part of its everyday parlance".
"The Assassin's Creed franchise has always been very self-serious, even with the more laid-back assassins like Ezio and Jacob Frye," Wan observes. "With Odyssey, however, Ubisoft isn't afraid to sprinkle a little humor into virtually every aspect of the game.
Williams adds: "When Assassin's Creed Odyssey is on point, you can tell that Ubisoft was looking at CD Projekt Red's The Witcher for inspiration. What you do in the quests isn't particularly novel, but the folks you meet are.
Billcliffe also draws this comparison, reiterating that side quests are more likely to throw up "quirky stories with fun and memorable characters" than the "filler from older [AC] games". Improved combat and a rewarding loot system help engage players with these additional missions, but even without these mechanics, there is a lot of praise for the accompanying stories Ubisoft is trying to tell.
Additionally, the introduction of choice - not just in how you tackle each situation but even the dialogue and ways you interact with characters - has been praised as a game-changer for the often heavily scripted Assassin's Creed series.
Wan warns that Odyssey's quest choices "might seem tacked on and very straightforward at first glance" but this improved over the course of the game: "I got to see more possible combinations and permutations of different scenarios that could've played out instead of the one I got. The game's branches get pretty staggering later on, and Ubisoft definitely did an excellent job with those story deviations on their first go."
With a metacritic score of 85, it's no surprise that most reviews for Ubisoft's epic are glowing. Shifting a typically action-centric series further into RPG territory was a gamble but, critically at least, it appears to have paid off.
"After 70 hours I've only just finished the main storyline and I still have plenty to see in Odyssey's Greece, and it's a joy to keep on exploring. No-one's made an open-world RPG with this much depth and brilliance since The Witcher 3. This really is the ultimate Creed."
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-10-03-assassins-creed-odyssey-critical-consensus
Muffdraul
Member
I only got a chance to play about an hour last night. The Explorer mode seemed to be off to a good start, when I had to leave my home in the starting area and go on my first little quest, an NPC told me "So-and-so's place is over that way, just south of the huge statue of Zeus," and the camera panned to show me what they were referring to. I set out towards the statue, navigating with landmarks and NPC directions, exactly as I said I wanted yesterday.
But then when I completed that little quest and the next one started, an NPC said "...right there on the beach" and pointed and again the camera panned over in that general direction. But then all of a sudden there's a goodamn quest marker on my screen, showing me exactly where to go. WTF Ubi? Honestly, I hope it was a glitch. Wish I coulda played longer last night...
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Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
So why are they still calling this series Assassins Creed when you are no longer an assassin?
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
What little I have played, I really have enjoyed. I was a bit down on the game for how they would explain the two sexes decision as well as how they would explain the "super hero" mechanics. I think it works well with the time period - even if I am still not 100% excited about the Spear and its... abilities. The decisions to show two different strands of DNA where they were unsure as to which one was the "owner" or not was fantastic, even if (at least so far) there is nothing that differentiates the two narratively. But it is a good framing device as to how you can choose your character.
Excited to get back to it tonight.
Excited to get back to it tonight.
iorek21
Member
Nah, I’ve spent most of my skill points in stealth, special enemies are too overpowered still...
Overall combat is really bottering me, I wish they stick to the way Origins worked, it was great like that
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
The game is about the Assassin's Creed. Whether you are an early assassin forming the tenets of the creed (Bayek of Siwa) or you are a former Assassin-turned Templar trying to stop these tenets from harming innocents (Shay from Rogue). Technically you still can play an assassin if you want - even if you want to be more... seen. Hell, you can do this in Hitman if you wanted to. Run up to the guy, murder him in broad day light and run out.
Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
zeorhymer
Member
I'm not too invested in Odyssey. I did like Origins and the world building was really good, but everything just turned into a hack-a-thon and little stealthing. Odyssey is following the same formula which puts me off. Not to mention that the 2 protagonists are interchangeable like Shep in ME.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Leonidas is not your father. He is referring to his son, which is your character's Father. I think his name was Nicholas or some such?
Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
Yeah that's what I figured.
I put in a few hours today and I really like it. I didn't think it would be able to top Origins (I loved the Egyptian setting), but it's really exceeded my expectations so far. It's a lot more RPG than Origins was, so far at least.
I probably won't get to play again until the weekend, but it will constantly be on my mind until then.
The exploration mode is very poorly explained in-game and very misleading, unfortunately. I thought it was going to disable ALL quest markers, but it only disables some and you still get markers to show where quest-givers are. The map will also always show you markers for PoIs and the like. I'm not 100% sure on the specifics, but sometimes quests have markers, other times not. I can't figure out why some quests have markers and others just use directions.
The directions are usually things like "On the southern side of the island" or "the islanded is marked with a shipwreck on its coast". It's not as detailed or as cool as the directions in a game like Morrowind, but it is a nice little feature to have. It adds a bit of puzzle to many of the quests. I just wish they were more consistent with the system because it's jarring to complete one objective by finding the place yourself, just for the next objective to lead you where you need to go using a quest marker.
I saw multiple Reddit threads where people weren't even sure whether Exploration Mode was working or not, so the devs definitely did a very poor job of explaining it to players.
I probably won't get to play again until the weekend, but it will constantly be on my mind until then.
The exploration mode is very poorly explained in-game and very misleading, unfortunately. I thought it was going to disable ALL quest markers, but it only disables some and you still get markers to show where quest-givers are. The map will also always show you markers for PoIs and the like. I'm not 100% sure on the specifics, but sometimes quests have markers, other times not. I can't figure out why some quests have markers and others just use directions.
The directions are usually things like "On the southern side of the island" or "the islanded is marked with a shipwreck on its coast". It's not as detailed or as cool as the directions in a game like Morrowind, but it is a nice little feature to have. It adds a bit of puzzle to many of the quests. I just wish they were more consistent with the system because it's jarring to complete one objective by finding the place yourself, just for the next objective to lead you where you need to go using a quest marker.
I saw multiple Reddit threads where people weren't even sure whether Exploration Mode was working or not, so the devs definitely did a very poor job of explaining it to players.
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thief183
Member
I think you sold me to the game
SirKicksalot
Member
Does it still have the unskippable eagle prompt when you're near the objective?
Alexander DeLarge
Member
That's... Disappointing. Going forward, I hope it's mandated that each quest provides enough directional dialog to enjoy the game without the UI elements. If that's an unreasonable demand because of how voice acting works, that's just one more reason to hate voice acting in RPGs.
base
Banned
They used some other name back then for disguise.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Yea, that is what I had to do. Turned it all to Minimal with a few minor things (like keeping my abilities on screen). It definitely helped. Removed the compass, focused entirely on where the sun is, the directions from quests, and sounds (for stealth). Definitely improved the "Exploration" mode.
Humdinger
Member
Nice. Other people using Exploration mode should do the same -- tweak the HUD so you get closer to the experience you want.
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base
Banned
Please do not discuss any game spoilers in review threads...that content belongs in other game threads (and always ALWAYS tag spoilers unless the thread specifically states it's a spoiler thread)
Alexios, later known as Deimos, was a member of the Cult of Kosmos, a proto-Templar organization based in ancient Greece. The grandson of King Leonidas of Sparta, he was also the younger brother of Kassandra, who became an infamous mercenary. His biological father is even revealed to be Pythagoras himself.
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