25.1.2019

I’ve been unfaithful. I spent the past 2 months of precious game time playing Red Dead Redemption 2, having enjoyed its first instalment quite a few years ago I thought this would be a healthy break from my subsequent years of Assassins Creed dedication. Well, as beautiful and imposing as RDR2 is.. I got it wrong. However, as this is an Odyssey review let’s leave it at that.And now that I’ve picked up Odyssey, I’m still overjoyed about 8 hours into the game. It instantly rekindled my joy in gaming given the AC series’ ability to immerse you through constructive storyline progress, well- balanced gameplay and variety of exciting challenges thrown at you in a stunning and fascinating setting.InstallationI got the game up and running relatively quickly.However I soon came across the option to select the game-language, disappointingly the choice was limited to English or Russian. And from the later settings menu there is a range of languages to choose from. But not .. Greek!! I prefer historical movies and games in particular in something close to historically correct language as I watch most content with subtitles anyway. So now the characters sound like my many Greek friends with their thick Greek accent. Ubisoft please give me a Greek language patch! AC III had a native Indian tongue it; it adds much to authenticity and atmosphere of the game.Following this initial disappointment I then progressed to the usual introductory opening video sequences. And was even more horrified.. does it really have to start off with the cliché Thermopylae fight?, as seen in the movie ‘300’ that was hard to surpass in spectacle. Ubisoft should have assumed that everybody playing the Odyssey game has seen 300. In particular since the game intro comes with a similar pointless morale-boosting speech that seems to even mimic Gerard Butler’s Scottish accent.. quite a turn off. After that you are asked to select whether you want to play the male Alexios or Kassandra female hero..PlayThe actual start of the gameplay is not that bad . It starts in Alexios’ home village with a little brawl and initial basic assignments. As I lacked proper armour and weaponry I found that I got killed a number of times in the first few playing sessions, probably because my character wasn’t developed enough for the challenges I took on. And that brings me to the point that Odyssey requires more frequent saving. With Origins whenever I got killed or shut down the PS4, I conveniently returned to the spot where I was last with all my equipment and collected stuff, here more active saving seems required, at least in the initial stages.For the rest the play is what you would expect in an Assassins Creed game; very fluent and a wide range or movements are possible. All menu’s and screens are very clearly organised. The fighting options and special moves functionality have been updated and now seem much more straight forward – the bottom left screen tells you what actions you can unleash on your enemies. The eagle Ikaros is very helpful with clearing the map and finding overlooked treasures, tasks ect. And as in Origins I constantly press the treasure-finding ability button to pick up anything value so that no chance to upgrade equipment is lost. Similarly, increasingly like role playing games, abilities and skill can be selected and updates as you gather experience points. I’m familiar with it by now following the previous AC games and have grown very fond of the controls. Like proper role playing games AC now include dialogue options that are pretty useless as (in my experience so far) most of the time it only allows you to change the sequence of the discussions while it won’t materially affect the story line.Perhaps there is one further gripe with respect to game play; the map and menu screens with quests/armour/contents/abilities – it loads somewhat slow on my PS4 Pro which leaves me less tempted to flip back and forth between the gameplay and menu’s/maps. Even worse, I experienced a couple of days where I was constantly treated on a promotion for extra AC downloadable content whenever I pulled up the map (which is frequent) and other menu’s – very annoying as I bought the super deluxe Odyssey version and expect to have the extra content include in package.. so why do I need to be exposed to promotions.. ??There has been muttering about a lack of multiplayer option, the Assassins Creed hasn’t supported since Syndicate – well the lack of it serves me well; because of my completist-‘disorder’ I personally don’t like online multiplayer modes – I hate it where there are trophies tied to multiplayer modes that keep me away from my desired 100% trophy score.. Moreover I just want to be challenged by puzzles, explore new beautiful environments without being distracted by endless fights with over-equipped avatars from people who have an excess amount of time on their hands..GraphicsOdyssey’s graphics are very impressive and stunning, bursting out of my sizeable high-end Oled screen. It’s just very pleasant to wonder around in the massive, vibrant Ancient Greek open wold. The engine however still hasn’t resolved the issue of body parts moving through /disappearing in mountains or a building structure, which takes a little of the magic away at times. The characters look detailed and impressive, although there is a whiff of a caricature/cartoon style. And certainly my main character Alexios is not as intimidating as say Bayek in Origins .. that was a particularly bad-ass dude.Either way, the graphic realism of the Peloponnesian islands largely marks a new high in the Creed series. So does it look like ancient Greece? I ‘ve only travelled extensively through the contemporary Peloponnesus. And yes, it’s not bad, but then again the mountainous sea-bordering region could have been anywhere. But I struggle a bit with the colourful and bright artefacts, dresses and towns. Greek temples and some dress was certainly meant that way. But in my view it’s all a bit too bright/colourful. I thought the more muted drab colour scheme in Egypt was more appropriate. What I definitely don’t like is the large Zeus or Poseidon statue that towers of over Alexios’ home island of Kephallonia - it would have been impossible to erect a structure like that. The colossus of Rhodos was a rare 7th wonder of the world.. Origins did have imaginative structures but generally limited to the Kuat, the after life.StorylineSo far reasonably good. 8 hours into the game I’m playing a slightly goofy looking Alexios, an orphan with an inexplicable loyalty to his even goofier friend Markos. Who knows, maybe his attitude improves throughout the game. And hopefully his appearance becomes a bit more intimidating. I can understand that people interested in the main story line will find themselves spending perhaps too much time outside of main missions being forced to level up. Luckily I haven’t seen much of the Animus so far.To concludeAs a history fanatic with a huge gaming interest there remains little better than to fill my self-imposed daily game-time allowance with Assassins Creed. As such the past decade I was spoilt by the increasingly enjoyable adventures in the Holy land, Revolutionary Paris, Industrial Revolution London and Ptolemaic Egypt – beautiful games, ever more stunning environments.Yet, when Odyssey was announced I had mixed feelings. First of all, while still in the midst of Origins I couldn’t imagine that it could be surpassed. Secondly, Ubisoft’s suggestions (not entirely justified in my view) that it would abandon the yearly Creed instalments kind of suited me. After all I’m a meticulous, slow-playing completist – it often takes me more than a year to complete these Creed games including all the add-on content that progressively increases in scope! So I felt Odyssey arrived too soon. In particular because I had a misguided desire to play RDR2. I just hope that Odyssey will be the last Assassin's Creed game for a while, and the next instalment won’t arrive before early 2020, albeit I would always welcome more single-player story line add-on content in the current game (not limited to the first 2 quarters following the qame release please). My third reservation was the choice of time period; previous Assassins Creed games stood out partly because of the less-downtrodden historical period depicted and chosen setting; Ptolemaic Egypt, Constantinople, renaissance Italy ect, but now .. ancient Greece – already subject of much pop-culture content and much historical literature.So I’m an obsessive ‘completist’ that aims to complete each challenge and storyline while exploring the full map, eventually completing all achievements. My crude rule to judge a game as ’adequate’ is whether it can be completed with all add-on content by playing for around 1 hour per day for a full year (yes it’s quite a self-serving and protective rule). Despite my enjoyment, Origins slightly challenged this principle, but I got it done.We’ll see how Odyssey stands up to my test, given that this AC instalment has the most extensive map so far.. in particular since I got the full set of add-ons through the Gold Edition. But all good so far, very pleased with the game and highly recommended.I will add updates if and when I change my mind.

23.7.2020

Overall this was a fantastic game and very good value for money. I'd give it 5 stars if it wasn't for the mandatory sea battles which I detest and have removed one star for. There is a lot of game for your money. I spent 240 hours playing and reached level 60. There were still more side missions available but I'd dealt with Deimos and most of the cultists by then and I didn't want to carry on with more sea battles which was the only way to uncover the Aegean branch and the lead cultist.Some of the game was repetitive, the caves especially, most of which had been cloned and were identical including things like where to expect loot of iron rocks etc. Same with the underground tombs,a lot of clones or near clones. Also you may find it necessary to fight your way through the same fort, fortress or limestone quarry several times, which gets tedious. First time you do it for the hell of it or for a quest, then later you have to come back again and go through it all again to hit the Captain or Leader then again after a cultist who is hiding out there.You can "cheat" to avoid much (but not all) of the sea travel (and sea battles) if you prefer. You can hop from one island to the next nearby one on a small boat, which may capsize part way across but you can swim the rest! Just synchronise on every island then you can teleport straight there in the future and summon your ship to you, including any ship's passengers, without you needing to sail anywhere or fight pirates etc. Some sea battles are mandatory to continue the odyssey and continue the game plot; the blockade of Paros and the subsequent battle are unfortunately necessary.The photo option L3 + R3 was a pain as I kept accidentally activating it while in the middle of a frantic melee; but thankfully you can disable this feature in the options.There are a number of bugs in the game and with some of the quests:1. Some animals were trapped in a white outline limbo bug. It wasn't possible to kill the main bear in a bear den as it was stuck inside a big rock! Also when getting the white bull there was a lion trapped inside a cart.2. There is also a bug with one of the forts if you access it via swimming in from an underground cave - you can "fall out of the game" and get stuck in a broken kaleidoscope of shapes showing both below water and the fortress, you can't move in any direction and just drown.3. A couple of the side quests also had bugs, I returned to the quest originator for my bounty and it was showing the ticked diamond box above them but they didn't respond to me; one was a soldier in a little camp and the only option was to assassinate him rather than "talk" to get paid! Another was a woman in a burned out village who completely ignored me. Tried bumping into her etc but she behaved just like one of the non-interactive characters elsewhere in the game despite the ticked diamond box above her head.4. A serious bug was trying to rescue Barnabas (my ships captain) from the bandit camp, where all the bandits were showing a blue diamond above them and I couldn't get any arrow locks on them but they attacked me just fine. The game couldn't make its mind up if the bandits were foes or friends. I ended up reloading a saved game from a few minutes earlier and bypassing this location completely. Barnabas turns up on the ship later anyway so it isn't necessary to complete that broken location.5. There is also a bug with the quests list, towards the end of the game some quests I accepted from the message board and from individuals just disappeared (immediately) and never showed on the list.6. There was also a bug close to the beginning of the game where I couldn't get my first set of gear from my house from the chest after beating up the two goons, it just kept bumping and refusing to open; I ended up playing the game from the beginning again including that opening battle but still the same problem - had to reboot the PS4 box, then I could open the chest.7. A number of the chunks of metal loot in the countryside were hovering above the ground! Some so high you can't reach them to loot! Also there was some buried loot you could ping but not see or access below ground in exactly the same location in the cloned caves.8. The "ping" to detect nearby loot stopped working for something like twenty hours or more of game play, then mysteriously started working again.9. There is a bug with the ship; if you stop short of the illuminated docking area the ship sometimes gets stuck and you can't row it in any direction, so you have to jump overboard, swim to the dock and summon the ship! Similarly when leaving port, if you stop to allow another ship to get out of the way the ship can get stuck requiring the same action or to dock again if that option is shown.Bugs aside, the game is well worth playing and the faulty quests were much less than 1% of the number I completed without issue; similarly you can live with the numerous minor bugs.In short, complaints and niggles aside, I recommend this game. It is very long and very open world. Lots of fun to be had.

3.10.2018

I have been playing Assassin's Creed since the first game way back when, and always look forward to the latest release. Sometimes I am hugely disappointed (cough: Unity) and sometimes I am pleasantly surprised (cough: Rogue Remastered on the PS4). Assassin's Creed Odyssey sits most certainly in the latter camp, based on my three hours of gameplay so far. I ordered the 'Gold' edition partly to get the early access to the game, partly for the season pass and the remastered editions of AC III and Liberation when they become available. It arrived yesterday and I played it as soon as I got home. Which isn't to say it's all gravy, but let's look at the good first:I'm loving the graphics,even better than Origins which leads me to think that Ubisoft has tweaked the graphics engine a little. On a 4K HDR TV it's truly stunning.I'm loving the usual expansive open world, although I am only just getting started. As the adverts say, Odyssey is all about the choices you make and one of them is in the type of mapping you get. I opted for the exploration version as recommended by the game (it's the way Odyssey was intended to be played, the dialogue box says) where the map opens up as you explore, as do the quests and side-quests, etc. In particular, this mode gives you clues to the quest objective and makes you explore the map in a more analytical way that RPG fans, including me, will love.I 'm loving that you can play as a male or female character, with the declaration that the gameplay will be different for both. Which means when I've finished playing as Alexios I can start again as Kassandra and double the value I get out of my not inconsiderable gaming investment.I'm loving the character dialogue choices, and the fact that decisions you take will influence the game both immediately and in terms of longer lasting consequence - making Odyssey even more of a RPG than the baby steps taken by Origins.I'm even loving the obvious Witcher 3 influences, not least as I've just finished playing that game again. If you are going to be influenced by something, that's not a bad one to pick.I'm loving the combat engine, with the almost endless customisation options available through the ability points you earn as you go. Your weapons etc are categorised by being either Assassin, Hunter or Warrior and there really is something for every situation.So, what am I not as taken by?I'm not loving the lengthy whitescreen pauses as certain flashback cut screens load. This didn't happen in Origins, and I'm pretty disappointed that it's happening in Odyssey. The first one took so long I thought the game had frozen (on my PS4 Pro) and was just about to reboot when it kicked in.I'm not loving the combat engine. Huh, didn't I just say I *was* loving it? Yep, but I mean that I'm finding the fight controls take a bit of getting used to as they have changed once again. I appreciate the move to a more RPG-like system for the game, but some consistency between episodes (for the sake of my sanity and my fingers) would be nice.And that's about it on the downside so far to be honest. I am really looking forward to getting into the game, to the point of planning days off work! I'm also really looking forward to the next episode, in a couple of years, and hope it is Ancient China or Feudal Japan...

31.1.2019

Love this game, if you played AC Origins, it's basically that game with a Ancient Greek skin. And it is HUGE. It took me the best part of 3 months to complete everything on the game, which does include the free DLC's one off missions Ubisoft kept adding.The fighting is much the same as Origins, except you don't have a shield, you have to have a broken spear in the the left hand and your choice of sword, dagger, staff etc in the right. You have 3 trees of skills you go down, Hunting, Fighter and Assassin. Each have their own pros and cons, and in the end you don't really have to choose one of the other, I generally did a hybrid. In each of the trees you have active and passive skills (skills you have to activate to use,

16.1.2020

I absolutely adore this game. Having looked back at my gaming stats from 2019 I learnt that I had put over 130 hours into this game; however, if you ask my partner it’s more like 30 hours. Our little secret.Ironically, when I first played this in 2018 I didn’t like it. Having just completed Red Dead Redemption 2 I was likely burnt out with the open world RPG genre; the horse animations felt clunky and it just didn’t stick. Luckily, I tried again in early 2019 and felt compelled to write this review having just cleared off the final Atlantis mission in the 2nd set of DLC that Ubisoft released.If AC Origins reinvented the AC franchise,

16.1.2020

I absolutely adore this game. Having looked back at my gaming stats from 2019 I learnt that I had put over 130 hours into this game; however, if you ask my partner it’s more like 30 hours. Our little secret.Ironically, when I first played this in 2018 I didn’t like it. Having just completed Red Dead Redemption 2 I was likely burnt out with the open world RPG genre; the horse animations felt clunky and it just didn’t stick. Luckily, I tried again in early 2019 and felt compelled to write this review having just cleared off the final Atlantis mission in the 2nd set of DLC that Ubisoft released.If AC Origins reinvented the AC franchise,

7.5.2020

Wow.That was my first reaction when seeing the graphics on this game. It was also my reaction when I saw the map, and lastly; that was my reaction when I realised how good it was after reading a tonne of negative reviews on this game. Don't worry, I understand people will review a game differently but simply not liking a game because it's not a re-skin of AC2 or "this isn't assassin's creed anymore" is an offence on the developers on this masterpiece. Change happens. This game is still definitely Assassin's Creed though, it delves more into the first civilisation and 'Isu' (artefacts of Eden) more than any other game and provides a solid basis for how those artefacts came into existence,

11.9.2019

I am a fan of the AC series but have never raved about any of the previous entries. That changes with Odyssey. I'ts exceptional.First off, this game is extremely fun to play, with highly addictive gameplay loops that have kept me occupied for hours on end. It controls well and always remains a challenge without being unfair. Infiltrating enemy bases is exciting and tense, the ship battles are tense too, the loot system is well done (although it's easy to stick with one gear set and just level up rather than always swap out) and the way the missions work is varied and fun.Then there's the story, which I think is the best in the series for actually engrossing you in what's going on.

1.11.2018

What can I say that isn't actually a game review, because there are loads on YouTube and throughout Google? Nothing except the preorder facility is great; it arrived on the day it was meant to, and I haven't played another game since getting it.Assassin's Creed is my favourite game franchise anyway, and I have to say I have NEVER been disappointed by any of them. The game format is much like 'Origins', only even more complex in the array of things to do. Along with that, the map is huge (apparently 65% bigger), but it has to be said that a fair chunk of that is open water. So if you liked AC4 - Black Flag, you'll probably love the sea battles just as much as on that.

21.10.2020

Assassin's Creed Odyssey belongs to the franchise of open world games and offers players an incredible world to explore full of mountains, forests and impressive architecture. The cities are large with back streets, and fortresses can tower over landscape providing impressive graphics on the Xbox one. The game offers an engaging storyline that develops around the decisions the character. This for instance, can lead to the discovery of how decisions can impact the game later on. These are usually made in the dialogue between characters and it can be engaging, conversations with such characters like Socrates offers the player the chance to talk about the good and bad of the other characters in the game.

22.1.2019

I had a lot of fun with this game.It loses one star because of how incredibly frustrating it is to Platinum it, the achievement 'Herme's Homie' is particular is poorly described, incredibly badly implemented and at the time of writing, it is the last trophy I need for Platinum and it will not pop, despite having revealed everywhere on the world map, as the text describes as a requirement.That aside, although the story of Odyssey is not exactly riveting and tries to do too much with too many famous historical figures, the open-world sandbox gameplay was top notch: I had great fun tracking down cultists, unmasking and killing them and clearing locations.The Mercenaries system was also a nice touch and some of the higher tier bounty hunters can be quite challenging.

5.12.2019

After a good 50 hours of playing as Alexios, I've got a good grasp of this game now.I'm finally at level 45 which is where things start to get interesting with your base abilities etc.This game is by far, the biggest open world game that I've seen, let alone played!The map is sprawling! And it actually does a good job of depicting the Greek isles all those years ago. The only noticeable thing for me, we some of the really narrow waterways between islands. So narrow that you couldn't even row through it.But there's endless things to do. I find myself bouncing around the map using fast travel to pick up missions in places I'd already been to.Not only is this a fantastic fighting game,

5.10.2018

When the game was announced, there was heavy criticism because of the optional dialogue, and many of the games fans believed this wasn't Assassin's Creed anymore....but they were wrong.Assassins Creed: Odyssey welcomes us to Ancient Greece, with an open world that's vibrant, immersive, and beautiful to gallop around. All of which is surrounded by the beautiful Aegean sea.You're able to play as Alexios or Kassandra, the game giving us the male or female playable option for the first time since Assassins Creed: Syndicate.Gameplay feels nice, combat feels improved, and whilst the dialogue options don't always entirely influence the story, they give you the option to be who you want to be.Of course this doesn't come without a few hiccups,

26.10.2018

Imagine the coolness and refreshed feeling of Origins... now add better fighting gameplay, upgraded light and shadow usage on a greater selection of textures and environments, improved and streamlined in game menu, decision based conversations, and an overwhelming sense of enormity in the map. That's Odyssey.It is HUGE. 40+ hours and I am yet to tire of exploring everything, indulging in an immense number of side missions, and just taking in everything Ubisoft have put such effort into improving.It's a joy to play, there is such thought put into how your story (Or Odyssey) evolves, how you can change so much about your character down to personality traits, even the interaction with NPC's is vastly improved.

26.5.2020

Having had the pleasure to play most of the AC games from the franchise, I must say this is perhaps my favourite, tied in with the Ezio's ones (ACII will always be a classic).The game has an extensive map, many, many challenges and best of all, you can select your character. Playing as both Alexios or Kassandra comes with joys of its own, but Kassandra, if you have a chance to play as her, will steal your heart and make the game even more enjoyable.The graphics are amazing, you have beautiful, can't-believe-this-is-a-game sights and tons of interactions to make the game a unique experience according to what you choose. No two plays are ever the same, and the game is tailored to whatever choices you make as you are playing.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - Reviews

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