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Onearmedcookie (6 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Assassin's Creed: Origins in Video Games
Feb 10, 2018
Yet since the second game appeared, and introduced us to the charming Ezio, I have been hooked. The latest installment – entitled Origins has seen Ubisoft go back to the drawing board redesigning some of the games mechanics. Hoping to breathe new life into the series, whilst spinning another tale in history. I have to confess for the most part it has proved to be rather successful.
I have rather enjoyed this series, playing through all of the different historical places. The last in the series though, Syndicate was superb. Instantly my favourite so far so for me Origins – had a lot to live up to! I was worried initially when, Ubisoft had decided to delay the next instalment for a year whilst they looked at redesigning elements that for me had previously worked fine.
With this in mind, I loaded the game into my trusty PS4 and began my journey! Origins takes place in ancient Egypt just as Cleopatra is fighting for the throne. The game centres around a Medjay named Bayek and his wife Aya who find themselves thrust into the fight for Egypt between Cleopatra and the new Pharaoh – her brother - Ptolemy XIII. This is the birthplace of the assasins guild and the beginning of their fight against the knights of the templar!
The story is captivating, well thought out and the characters soon jump from the screen making you want to push forward to see what happens to them. In fact the characters are some of the best in the series, they have been developed well with real character development making them seem even more real. You can’t help but feel immersed in this new word as you discover more of Egypt. I also want to point out how well the characters are voiced, the voice acting in Origins is top notch. Fuelled with emotion and true grit, this only opens them up more. Making the game feel deeper than any before in the series. This is tory telling at its best.
I mentioned that Ubisoft went back to the drawing board on this one, changing some of the formula that we’ve all become used to. This is a bigger world to explore than any before it, Egypt is epic in scale and lovingly recreated. The world is brimming with life and it certainly feels like a more open world adventure than the previous instalments in the series. You can backtrack revisiting other areas or totally bypass them – the choice is yours.
There also seems to be a bigger range of side quests, helping you level up the character – unlocking handy upgrades as you go. Crafting is even present albeit in a simpler format than in most RPG’s. Similar to the Farcry series you can now hunt the wildlife in the area to help craft better equipment.
One of the biggest changes for me though, was the Eagle vision! Gone is the yellow vision highlighting heat signatures in red, with targets in gold allowing you to see through walls. Now you get to fly a real Eagle above you in the sky – tracking enemies and other areas of interest. It adds a whole new dimension to the game, casing an enemies camp from the sky – tracking their movements from up above really adds to the feel of the game. As you level up you can also have the Eagle attack and distract enemies allowing you to sneak past areas unseen. I love this idea and could quite happily fly Sensu around the environment for hours on end.
Combat has also been overhauled. Alas, for me this is probably the weakest part of the game. You can now block with your shield by pressing the L1 shoulder button. Heavy and medium attacks are found on the R1 & R2 buttons. For ranged attacks you press L2 to equip your bow! Sounds okay, but in practice I have found this new layout a trifle irritating. Imagine three guards are rushing you, you hit one and then go to block a blow with your shield – darn it you accidently hit L2 instead and suddenly you have your bow in your hand, getting cut up by two other guards! Frustrating isn’t the word. Especially when you get to some of the higher level guards with better AI.
Other than the combat though this is a solid game, with a very in depth strong story and well developed characters. If you got a little bored with the series, then this is the game to get you back in. It’s bold, with a beautifully crafted world to explore. Assassin’s Creed is back and it’s about time!
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