Xbox: Assassin’s Creed Unity

Veteran’s Day saw the release of Assassin’s Creed Unity here in the States.  The long awaited next-gen and PC game installment in the franchise.  Does the game fall down or does it hit the ball out of the park?

Honest answer?  Neither unfortunately.  It does some things extraordinarily well and then it turns around and fails just as spectacularly at others.   FYI, we play on the XboxOne.

Let’s get the abysmal failures out of the way first. 

1. Frame Rate: the game can flat out freeze for seconds at a time or it can quickly become slide show theatre for a few seconds.  These don’t last very long or occur very frequently but the fact they occur at all is a problem.
2. Sound Cuts Out: this is annoying beyond words.  Walking along and boom Paris goes silent, or mid sentence all sound cuts off.  Again happens for seconds and then everything returns to normal but once again, not something that should occur period.
3. Story:  Massive, unforgivable story holes that if you’ve never played the franchise before would leave you confused and unclear what Arno was doing or why.  Also, since when did the Brotherhood Oath change?  There are just massive issues with the way the Brotherhood was written.  And since when did an Assassin become so well known that he is casually greeted walking down the street by strangers, commoners and noble alike?  The Templar vs. Assassin tension is flat out missing.
4. External Integration: AC Initiates is a complete mess as of this writing.  It fails to show whole games not being played and has lost levels compared to when AC IV was the new game.  AC Initiates also does not have new content ready to go for Unity despite the game being released which is just poor implementation.  Uplay is spotty in it’s connectivity and usefulness.  It too is missing games previously played.  The Companion App is wonderful, that is if it hasn’t lost your Nomad Brotherhood entirely.  The App works perfectly for me and is useless for hubby because his Nomads have proven their French heritage and gone on strike.
5. Micro Transactions: Really?  Just Really?  Pay to Win transactions for a game that doesn’t have true multiplayer and would be even worse if true multiplayer existed.
6. Co-Op: Failure to include split screen co-op or co-op similar to Diablo III is unforgivable.
7. Rebecca and Shawn:  They’ve been there for every game since AC II and now they are suddenly missing?  No seriously, where are they and why are these strange people talking to me about Abstergo?  Am I an Assassin or am I just some tourist in an amusement park ride?

Here are the things that AC Unity has gotten incredibly right.

1. Story: There is a story once again, almost worthy of the glorious story telling of the three AC II installments.  Yes, there are glaring holes and gaps in the story but by god there is a story.  I can run around Paris and meet people and help them out once again.  I helped Mme. Tussaud yesterday.  I actually like Arno, compared to my disdain for Edward Kenway. 
2. Companion App: Kudos to Ubisoft for offering the companion app on more than just a couple of devices and kudos for the app itself.  The rendering of Paris and real time updates are incredible.  The ability to read the database outside of the game at my leisure is something I truly appreciate.
3. Paris: The city is huge.  There are less viewpoints in this game but you can see much, much further on each and every viewpoint.  The streets are crowded, the crowds react to you and the environment, and the tension between the factions is evident.
4. Co-Op: It isn’t reliant on you having a friends list populated by friends also playing the game.  It utilizes the matchmaking system to let solo’rs play the co-op missions.  I haven’t tried it yet, but I undoubtedly will at some point.
5. Paris Throughout History: Helix rifts are a new type of game play that allow the player brief glimpses of alternate history of Paris throughout the ages.  Some of these are stunningly gorgeous.
6. No SAILING: no seriously, no sailing is a huge thing for me.  AC IV was unplayable for me because of all the damn sailing required.  AC Rogue might have a great story but it has sailing, so if we get it I’ll watch the story unfold as hubby plays.
7. Micro Transactions:  Kudos for Ubisoft for recognizing that fools and their money are soon parted.  We won’t be buying any of the micro transaction currency but hey if Ubisoft can make money from stupid people, go for it.

For me, the game is completely enjoyable.  I loose track of time.  None of the failures of the game have detracted from my enjoyment.  Sound and frame rate issues are hiccups but haven’t caused me to cuss or hurl my controller in frustration.

Overall, Ubisoft did well but not amazing.  They need to hire more QA staff and not release games until they are ready rather than sticking to the “every fall” time table.  Unity and the external companions could have benefitted greatly from another quarter or two of polishing.  Instead, Ubisoft rushed the game to market and risked customer goodwill.  They’ve earned some of my trust back with the story once again being present.  They need to vastly improve their customer communication about fixes and problems.  They are all over Twitter when it suits them but when there are problems they fall silent.  Silence in today’s market place will kill a game far quicker than bugs.

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Xbox: Upcoming Indie Games

 

The Fall/Winter gaming season is chock full of games on the XboxOne from AA publishers, also coming to PS4 consoles.  Games like Shadows of Mordor, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Halo: The Master Chief Collection (XboxOne only), Assassin’s Creed: Unity & Rogue, and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will all be released between now and the end of the year. 

However, the indie developers (other than Project Spark) get little to no love from either gaming “journalists” or console manufacturers prior to the release of the game.  Well, so far the tripe AAA titles have all been lackluster or vastly disappointing, Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition being an exception.

There are three games very high on my radar from independent developers that look interesting and worth the investment. 

Lords of the Fallen by Ci Games as gotten the most coverage from gaming press and websites and releases on 28 October 2014.  The game looks to have a decent story and challenging gameplay without the penalties found in Darksouls. 

Crimes and Punishment: This is Sherlock Holmes from Frogwares releases this month on the One, PC, and the 4.  I admit it, I’m always interested in game play of this type since I’m an avid reader of mysteries.  The game play looks immersive and interesting.  I will post our review after we’ve had a chance to play and experience Holmes and Watson on the One.

Styx: Master of Shadows from Cyanide Studios releases in October for PC and next-gen consoles as a digital releases.  Game play looks interesting and much truer to the origins of the Assassin’s Creed franchise than the last several releases from Ubisoft.  Besides who can resist playing as a Goblin?

What I find fascinating, is that all three indie game developers are located overseas (Poland, Lithuania, and France to be precise).  So, is the future of good, unique gaming coming from Europe while North American developers languish and turn out tried and true games that no longer push the envelope?

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Xbox: Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition

We tried the demo of Diablo III on the Xbox360 several months ago.  It was appealing, the ability to play together without a split screen was the extremely appealing.  Life intruded and we never pulled the trigger, until this week on the Xbox One when the Ultimate Evil Edition released.

The new game contains the expansion to the game and looks amazing.  Blizzard did an amazing job, and the ability to link to your existing battle.net account was a very nice edition to the new release.  I can see familiar themes in Diablo and Warcraft.  Witch Doctor models are very similar to trolls, spells and animations are familiar as well.  Familiarity isn’t a bad thing, it is comforting in it’s own way.

We got our first chance to play yesterday afternoon and late into the evening.  He rolled a Witch Doctor and I rolled a Demon Hunter.  We are still in Act I but have had a blast.  The Witch Doctor is an amazing class with creepy pets and spells galore.  He has zombie dogs, spiders, bats, zombies, and soon hex chickens at his disposal.  Creepy wonderfulness and fits the name of the class.  Demon Hunter is ranged damage that is mobile and a blast.  She looks like a grown-up Little Red Riding Hood out for vengeance.

We started together and now I’m three levels ahead because all the gear I got had +experience modifiers and the exact opposite was true for him.  I have also been the random beneficiary of gifts from my friends list, although I haven’t been able to return the favor yet.  The gifts have been amazing pieces of loot that have made my demon hunter that much more kickass.

I have no doubt that there will be more Diablo III today, so excuse me it’s time to go kick evil in the ass.

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Xbox: South Park: The Stick of Truth is …

South Park: The Stick of Truth is truly amazing.  It is a game that was well worth the delays and wait.  It is like being in an episode of South Park.

If you aren’t a fan of South Park then skip the game.  No seriously, skip it.  You won’t find foul mouthed, rude, fourth graders funny or the game enjoyable.  But if you enjoy the show, then you will enjoy the game immensely. 

You play as the ever silent New Kid in town who first meets Butters went sent outside to play by your parents.  You are then immediately recruited into Cartman’s human army against the Drow Elves led by Kyle.  What happens next is an old school RPG set in the South Park universe. 

The are some truly epic battles in the game.  Not epic because they are difficult or you are forced to make complex and difficult moral choices, but epic in the scope and breathe of the level of destruction wrought by fourth grade boys on the rampage.

The characters you know and love are in the game, unless they are already deceased in the series.  Always despise Principal Victoria or Mr. Garrison?  Have no fear, you can hit any character with your weapon without impunity, well unless they are an enemy, and they don’t get pissed off at you. 

The interface is simple and intuitive, not overly complex constant stat weighing and convoluted quest lines.  Weapons are clearly indicated to be an improvement or not, armor is a personal decision (although I highly favor the Friar’s and Bishop’s robes) and quests are go there and do that.

And as I girl, my inner nine-year old girl truly jumped for joy when the girls appeared.

The game is quite literally laugh out loud hysterical if you have a sense of humor and have learned to laugh at anyone and anything.  It is a game for you inner nine-year old to play and enjoy.  Indulge!  Life is too damn short and too damn stressful not to enjoy when the opportunity presents itself.

Quite easily this game is a 5 out of 5 for both of us.  I wouldn’t let children under sixteen play it however.  There are most definitely adult themes and situations that are in no way suitable for young children.  But for adults, the game is incredibly funny and a trip down memory lane.  Thank you Trey Parker and Matt Stone for making what is truly one of the best video games of 2014.

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Xbox: Fable Anniversary, Hit or Miss?

Yesterday we picked up Fable Anniversary, is it worth the $40 bucks?  Well, that is a matter of opinion but overall no, skip it.  Sure the graphics have been immensely improved from the original game released ten years ago but otherwise, the game is better suited to a phone or tablet.

Picture on the left is from 2004 and the one on the right is from Fable Anniversary.  There is no denying that the game is beautiful.  However, improved graphics and lighting cannot save simplistic and linear game play that is heavy with load screens.  I’m only a couple of hours in and I’m bored.  Bored with endless needless clicking on loot cards, through dialogue statements, and quests that are poorly written.

Sure, the interface changes are nice and the smart glass integration is the best done in any game so far.  But UI changes and tablet integration aren’t enough to keep you from falling asleep while playing.  So, take that same $40 and go have a dinner out with the one you love.

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XBox: Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD

Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD is  port from the PS Vita to the Xbox 360 and PS3.  Earlier this week I tweeted that I was undecided with the game being somewhere between utter crap and almost decent.  Now that I’ve completed the game, has my opinion changed?

Actually it is still middle of the road on the fence opinion.  Gut reaction is that the game should have been released on the consoles as a full game and ported to the PS Vita.  There was more than a sufficient  potential story line for a full game but Ubisoft failed to take a risk and release a full Assassin’s Creed game with a female protagonist.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The ugly first, the graphics are muddy and are very obviously retextured from a much smaller screen.  This is particularly obvious with the sequence involving Connor from Assassin’s Creed III. The game undoubtedly looked much better on a handheld device than it does our large screen television.

Now for the bad and there is a lot of bad to report unfortunately.  The story is all over the place and often times makes no sense.  There is no backstory on how Aveline came to be an assassin and that isn’t remedied as the game progresses either.  Story threads are often poorly written and incomplete.  Don’t get me started on the weird, uncomfortable, and awkward relationship with her “business” partner.

Then there is the whole issue with her triple personas. It is an interesting game play idea and it could have worked but it doesn’t unfortunately.  It forces Aveline into one of three roles in pre-American Revolution New Orleans: Assassin, lady, or slave. 

Time for some brutal honesty, it is incredibly unlikely that given her parentage and complexion Aveline would have been accepted as a lady in New Orleans social circles.  It requires a LARGE suspension of reality to believe acceptance of Aveline as a lady.  Now for the slave persona, really Ubisoft?  Slaves running around New Orleans with weapons visible and not one guard gets suspicious and citizens act like it’s no big deal?  Again, requires a huge suspension of belief to play.

Aveline, our heroine, suffers from the same caped crusader problem that Connor suffers from in AC III.   Game play is often frustrating and often I wanted to throw my controller across the room.  Invisible walls, sticking to stuff for no good reason, jumping when you don’t intend to and incurring notoriety for it, and desynchronizing more often than I ever have an any previous installment in the franchise.  The Assassin persona is always restrained because she can never lose twenty-five percent of her notoriety.  The male characters do not suffer from this same handicap so why does the only female character Ubisoft created? 

Now for the good, Ubisoft gets a lot of credit from me for making a mass market game with a female lead.  Yes, it is a highly flawed game but it is one of the few games with a female lead.  I’m by no means a raging feminist but it is so damn nice to play a female lead on a character not created by me.  There is lot of potential in the Aveline story and I hope the Ubisoft doesn’t relegate her to the dustbin never to be heard from again. The good is mostly potential however.  I wish it were otherwise.

Overall, I give the game a two and a half stars.  It isn’t so horrible that it is a two star game and it is too much of a mess to warrant middle of the road status.

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Weekend Activities: SWTOR and Xbox

SWTOR got a lot of play Thursday and Friday, easy stress escape and I got caught up in leveling my bounty hunter.  What is really irritating me is that since the last time I played the fine folks over a Bioware have for some unfathomable reason disabled the ability to take a screenshot during a dialogue scene with a NPC.  I’ve missed countless great shots of humorous lines or facial expressions as a result.  Hell, I’ve just missed great shots of my characters up close.

I have a plethora of screenshot for the wildlife or environment but not one of my character.  I am going to have to remedy that next time I log on.  I fell into the crafting trap this weekend, you know the one.  You spend more time logging in and out of various characters to craft items or send raw materials.  I wish they would release an app for one of the mobile platforms to let gamers do that stuff while away from their gaming rig.  I would definitely spend more free time in SWTOR or any game to be honest, that let me get some of the more mundane but vital activities, like crafting, accomplished while waiting at the doctor’s office or watching television.

I fired up the Xbox demo for Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD before I had my first cup of coffee on Saturday morning.  It left a bad taste in my mouth and I quickly moved on.  Hubby woke up and he tried it thankfully and I was instantly charmed.  So a couple of cups of coffee and a trial by hubby and AC: Liberation wound up on my game rotation for the week.  A full review when I am more than a couple of hours of game play in and more than one cup of coffee consumed.

Thanks to the fine folks at Gamefly I also played some Diablo III on Saturday.  I created a female barbarian and set off on my single adventures.  I got to New Tristam and learned that there was no way to link my battle.net account to my Xbox account and was instantly frustrated.  All those fine goodies from virtual Blizzcon tickets are going to go to waste because of my platform choice?  Seems like a oversight that should not have happened.  Diablo III never felt like a PC game to me and there is no way I’m paying PC prices for it when I can rent it or buy it from Gamefly.  The one thing I do really like about the port to the console is that cooperative game play isn’t fouled up by a split screen which drives us both bonkers.

Hubby fired up Mass Effect and started the ugliest character he has ever created on Insanity.  No seriously, the Shepard he created was so ugly I cringed every single time I looked up at the television and caught a glimpse of him.  He took pity on me and recreated Shepard as Sheldon Cooper and started over on Insanity.  All I have to saw is that Insanity is a difficulty setting I will never be attempting!

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2014 Gaming

2013 and 2012 I was a MMO tourist.  I couldn’t find and settle down in any one game for any length of time.  Instead, I’d play game X for a couple of months while “cheating” on it by playing a couple of other games on the side.  2013 isn’t going to be touristy for me.  I know what games I want to play and what games just hold no interest for me any more.

WOW is off of my SSD and my subscription cancelled once again.  I’m not going to jinx myself and say I’m never going to play it again but that’s how I feel.  BlizzCon left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth and I honestly don’t want to continue to support Blizzard economically via gaming.  I prefer my WOW lore in book format where actual stories can be told and finished.  I loaded up on several WOW novels when they were last on sale as an Amazon Daily Deal.  Raiding isn’t enough to keep me continually paying a subscription, hell let’s be honest it is as boring and trite as running the same five-man instance repeatedly.  End game boredom is the reason I first “cheated” on WOW and nothing has changed since I started playing the game back in 2008.  I’m a woman over forty-five who doesn’t enjoy raiding, clearly WOW doesn’t care about what interests me and thus I’ll spending my gaming dollars elsewhere.

Games that I’m “Quitting”

Guild Wars 2, Rift, and SOE games are definitely no longer on my radar. 

GW2 was a huge disappointment for me and every time I pop back in and retry it my initial disappointment is reconfirmed.  There is no one playing the game and thus the whole “events” theory of gaming is utter crap. 

Rift is still enjoyable but I still can’t stand my questing being interrupted by rifts.  I do thoroughly enjoy Rift’s PVP but that isn’t enough to keep me interested in playing the game. 

SOE has its own particular set of issues.  I love Everquest 2 but I do not love the artificial blocks they have established to character progression.  Also I’m not going to spend money on SOE games when the benefits of subscribing are constantly in flux and are detrimental to the gamer but highly beneficial to SOE.

2014 Games

This year, the MMO’s I am going to playing Elder Scrolls Online, Lord of the Rings Online, The Secret World and Star Wars: The Old Republic.  The one thing these games all have in common?  Fantastic story telling and characters I am utterly invested in. 

TSW is a game I can play for small doses at a time but I love every moment of that play time.  TSW has expanded my reading base and thus my knowledge and I cannot fault any game that pushes me to become a better read individual.

LOTRO may not be a perfect game and it may not be hundred percent pure for the lore purists, but it is more than reasonably close for me.  The cosmetic system and the stunning screenshots I get are worth minor inconveniences like purchases not being account wide from the cash shop for almost every purchase.  I admit, I lose complete track of time while playing LOTRO and that alone is an endorsement for me.

Elder Scrolls Online releases on 4 April 2014 and I am eagerly looking forward to the official release.  I fell in love with Oblivion on the Xbox360 and have been a fan ever since.  Elder Scrolls games will always hold a special place in my heart, with the exception of Skyrim, and based on developer statements and interviews ESO will be a game that perfectly fits my play style.  I will also admit the Skywind mod for Morrowind has me intrigued.

SWTOR is going to be my guilty pleasure this year.  I have characters with unfinished stories and I will admit that bothers me immensely.  I may pop in and out of SWTOR this year as a break from high fantasy games like LOTRO and ESO and I’m ok with that.  I will complete story lines and enjoy myself immensely doing so.  I am a complete sucker for anything Star Wars, Yoda slippers & Jaina Solo shirt I’m looking at you, so it shouldn’t be a complete shocker that unfinished stories in a Star Wars game is driving me bonkers.

Console & Mobile Gaming

I will still be playing games on the 360 and the One this year.  Fable Anniversary releases next month and I’m looking forward to it.  I still have several games to finish on the One purchased on release day.  I like the titles just fine, I’ve just been in the reading mood and not the gaming mood the last month or so. 

Mobile gaming caught my attention in the last couple of weeks.  Games like Dungeon Hunter 4 and Royal Envoy 2 have me engaged and interested.  It is safe to say that mobile gaming reviews and impressions will be forthcoming this year. 

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Xbox Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag released a month ago but we patiently waited for the arrival of our Xbox One before purchasing the title.  Digital copy downloaded and we’ve both played it.  Neither of us has yet finished the title, but hubby is well on his way. 

First things first, the game is beautiful.Colors are deep and rich and the lighting effects are superb.  It was worth waiting for a month because let’s be honest here, the 360 is quickly going to fall out of use here (even though I still have a ton of unfinished games).

I was immediately happy when I loaded up the game for the first time and realized that Ubisoft seemed to have taken all the best elements of previous games and rolled them into this title.  It gave me hope.  Gone was the caped crusader nonsense of Connor in AC:III and back were stealthy missions. 

All of that hope was quickly dashed however the longer hubby has played (he has more play time this week because he’s on vacation and I’ve gladly let him unwind with the controller).  The game isn’t an Assassin’s Creed game it is a naval simulation game with some minor Templar vs. Assassin missions thrown in as an aside. The starting mission and the beginning missions in Havana were all decent homage to games past but then, it all goes to hell when in order to progress you are forced into sailing around the Caribbean to do pirating.  Yes, I know, it’s a game about pirates but it is first and foremost, an entry into the Assassin’s Creed lore.  It is disappointing.

Ubisoft seems more content to develop lore for the franchise outside of the games then to tell actual stories any more.  The writing for the series has diminished with each new game released.  Gone are the days of Ezio and the rich world created for his story.  Now it is a random bunch of yahoos thrown together in some loose semblance of a story line. This game is not an Assassin’s Creed game, it’s a pirate game dressed up in Assassin’s Creed wrapping.

I think the ultimate downfall of the storytelling in the franchise has much more to do with the implementation of multiplayer in the game than anything else.  Single player game feels like it is tacked on to a multiplayer game that is the primary focus of Ubisoft.  If most players spend their time in multiplayer, than there is no reason for Ubisoft to concentrate on writing compelling and rich single player stories. 

I’m not quite ready to write off the franchise yet but Ubisoft and it’s creative team need to figure out if they want to tell stories in the Assassin’s Creed universe or develop multiplayer games.  Ubisoft’s story telling capabilities in this franchise are far, far below that of it’s competition.  I will struggle to complete this game only because of the constant need for sailing and pirating.  I am thrilled about how happy the naval simulation gameplay has made my husband but it has the exact opposite effect on me.

And lastly, the shimmering (flickering) in the game on larger television screens is annoying and frustrating.  The game doesn’t experience this problem on last generation console but both new generation console users are reporting the same issue.  Trees and foliage have this horrible shimmer affect that makes them shiny and sparkly in bright sunlight and bright blue ocean.  The issue is popular on the Ubisoft forums, and is of course being ignored by Ubisoft themselves (reminiscent of their failure of acknowledge problems with DLC for AC:III).  This is the only game that suffers from this issue on our Xbox One.  It may be the direct result of porting a game designed for the PS3 and the 360 to next generation consoles but whatever the cause, Ubisoft needs to step up and fix the issue.  Or at least admit there is an issue, even if the resolution is sorry but there is nothing we can do about it while trying to design games that fit on multiple platform generations.

All in all, I don’t think the game is worthy of all the high praise it has received from game sites.  Yes it is beautiful and fun, but it is in no way an Assassin’s Creed worthy game.  It is a naval simulation based around pirates.  The single player aspect of the game is poorly written, poorly conceived, and an after thought to the development team’s first love of multiplayer.  I will finish the game, although I can’t promise it won’t be with me handing the controller to my husband to successfully complete those annoying sea battles.  I give it a 2.5 out of 5.

 

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Xbox One: Our Review

Our Day One Edition arrived right on schedule a week ago and was easily installed in the entertainment center.  We were both impressed when the system was compatible with our audio receiver which is at least seven years old.  So, it honestly started off on a very good foot.

The system was also compatible with our cable provider, Cox.  The Xbox One now seamlessly controls the television, cable box, audio receiver, and the console.  The various remotes that used to clutter the sofa and family room tables have all been consigned to a drawer. 

The overall picture quality of our Plasma Samsung television has increased as well because the Xbox One is handling the 1080p upscale of television programs much smoother than the cable box ever did.  The shimmering has disappeared from television programs, although it does return for poorly optimized games on the One (forthcoming review of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will discuss this). 

The biggest complaint either of us has is that the One sometimes can’t hear us  We have tall ceilings, fifteen feet plus high, in a large room with stone flooring.  Voices can easily got lost in our family room and it appears that the Kinect doesn’t quite know how to deal with large family rooms.  The voice issue is most irritating when turning on the system, after that voice commands are rarely lost in our cavernous family room.

The Kinect is vastly improved over the Xbox 360 version.  It has no trouble picking up hand motions in games like Dead Rising 3, even when comfortably lounging on the sofa in the reclining position a good ten feet plus from the television.  True, facial recognition isn’t stellar when reclining but as soon as you sit up straight the Kinect has no issues with facial recognition.  Having owned both versions of the Kinect, the new version is miles ahead of where the technology started several years ago.

The system is whisper quiet, runs cool (even in an enclosed media cabinet with other devices running), and seamlessly integrated into our lives.  It was well worth the purchase price for the endless hours of entertainment it will provide in the years to come and personally, I don’t miss chasing remotes.

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Assassin’s Creed III: Gorgeous but Extremely Disappointing

Assassin’s Creed quickly became one of my favorite franchises this summer with the quality of the story telling in the Ezio trilogy and thus I was looking forward to Assassin’s Creed III.

The game is stunningly beautiful.  The landscapes are drop dead gorgeous and the weather effects are among the best I’ve ever seen.  However, a game can’t survive on looks alone and this installment doesn’t live up to its potential nor honor its past.

Bugs and holes are predominate throughout the game.  It isn’t like the game released last week, it is almost a year post release and the amount of bugs that exist in the game are mind boggling.  How is it possible that Ubisoft’s quality control department, and I use that term loosely here, let a game release with a bug that doesn’t update the protagonist's (Connor) outfit, in a cut scene, based on what the player has the character wearing at the time of any particular cut scene?  It isn’t like there are only one or two cut scenes in the game, the game is filled with cut scenes which makes this bug so infuriating and disconcerting.  After all, they managed to NOT have the bug in previous installments of the franchise.

Connor can fly through trees like a howler monkey with very little thought on the part of a player, but by god a group of three pine trees encountered on the forest floor completely baffles him and he stands there hands in the air helpless.  Connor also has the habit of getting stuck on every little obstacle he encounters on the ground, a situation made worse when he is on horseback. Seriously, these bug me almost as much as the bug above.  Controls are more fluid yes, but fluidity comes at too high a price when a pebble is enough to hang up a horse.  Hubby spent the weekend growling, at various volume levels, about “stupid gummy bear, care bear controls” as Connor would stick to anything and everything he ran into or across during a fight, chase, or tail. 

Whoever designed the crafting interface and game should be sent back to design school immediately.  Poorly implemented is a compliment, highly frustrating is an understatement.  And how did something so vital and new to the franchise make it into the game without a tutorial?  I liked the homestead missions and the interaction with the people Connor collects.  However, the implementation of crafting is so troublesome and frustrating it isn’t worth doing in my opinion.  Yes it is nice your crafters can craft upgrade but good luck understanding the stats on anything they craft because that information isn’t present.  Convoy got attacked?  Good, defend it yourself or send your assassin recruits.  Wait you did that but now your convoy is permanently attacked and nothing you try resolves the situation?  Again, another bug that should have never made it through quality assurance controls.

Now for the story, it is full of so many holes it looks like the practice target at the shooting range.  Random important people appear at the appropriate moment, Connor has a conversation and you are led to believe they have know each other for years.  Marquis de Lafayette case in point.  He appears in the story and greets Connor like an old friend and the player has never seen Lafayette in game before.  Where did they meet?  How?  And then we get to the players first view of Connor and his father, Haytham Kenway, meeting for the first time.  Somehow Haytham knows Connor is his son and knows him by sight.  Huh?  What?  How?  Gapping holes in the story you present in a video game are unforgiveable.  I don’t care that you have third party media out there they may or may not explain the holes, your holes in the media I purchased are glaring and wide enough for a herd of angry cattle to stampede through comfortably.  And this is coming from an individual that doesn’t mind reading books derived from video games!

Then we come to the game breaking bug husband ran into last night, one that Ubisoft has no solution for on it’s forums and no patch for months later.  Hubby began playing the Tyranny of King Washington Episode One: Infamy when he encountered the bug.  On the mission to Stalk the Guard Dogs at Benedict Arnold’s camp in Valley Forge, he couldn’t toss bait, run, or avoid detection.  He was unable to progress the story because of the bug.  This isn’t a minor or annoying bug, this is game breaking and it should have a response and fix from Ubisoft.  It happens across platforms and apparently only happened post release of Episode Two: Betrayal.

Connor is a very likeable and loveable character but is he truly as Assassin worthy of the Brotherhood?  I don’t think so to be honest.  He is brash, most of the time thinking with his heart and not his head and he has no ability to take long term views of his actions.  Case in point, his decision to inform Washington about the Templar plot to kill him.  Connor exhibits no understanding that his role is to work behind the scenes to counter plots and schemes of his Templar counterparts.  He is much less an assassin and much more of a caped crusader without a cape.

Overall, disappointment reigns in our house despite the games beauty and the love of the franchise.  We’ve been having the discussion about whether or not to invest time, energy and money into Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.  I’m willing to give Ubisoft the benefit of the doubt and play the game on the XboxOne when it arrives later this Fall.  However, if they screw it up and don’t honestly return to what made the franchise great in previous games then I’m done.  I want to play Assassin’s Creed games that are based on assassinations and honoring what Altair and Ezio established for the fan base.  I want an Assassin’s Creed game where there has been quality control done by competent individuals and no gaping holes in the story.  DO NOT DISAPPOINT AGAIN UBISOFT.

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Assassin’s Creed III

Assassin’s Creed III is amazing.  No seriously, it is amazing.  It is beautiful, the soundtrack is haunting, and the quality of the story telling is equal to that of the best in the industry.

We have burned through the franchise in the last couple of weeks, well ok hubby more than I, and have enjoyed the stories immensely.  I’ve skipped finishing Brotherhood and Revelations because I know how Ezio’s story concludes through hubby’s games.  I’m sure I will go back and finish them if time permits. 

The alternative and imaginative history telling is fascinating.  There have been many a sparked conversation around here about whether or not Sam Adams is a Templar or not.  I will also admit that there are all kinds of comments and discussions about parallels to modern day issues. 

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag releases October 29, 2013 in the US and we are both looking forward to it immensely.  We will be getting it for the XboxOne.  It will be worth the slight wait for the release on the new console. 

Now, excuse me, I need to go back to playing Assassin’s Creed III so I can do more homestead missions and find Daniel Boone.

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Gamescom 2013: EA Press Conference Gamess that Energized Me

 

DRAGON AGE INQUISITION … I cannot begin to say how much I am looking forward to the release of this game.  It is going to be a long year of patient waiting however since it doesn’t release until Fall 2014.  I am more than willing to wait for a polished, immersive game in comparison to the huge disappointment that was Dragon Age II.

Exclusive Boss Mode for XboxOne!  Boss Mode game play will be available via Kinect or Smartglass and is playable as Crazy Dave or as Dr. Zombot.

Titanfall new game play footage on new map looks engaging.

While I’m not interested in the game, FIFA 14 on XboxOne and PS4 does look bloody fantastic.

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Gamescom 2013: Fable Legends

Love Fable?  Love Multiplayer?  Then be prepared to be amazed for Fable Legends was announced this morning with the above stunning trailer.  You can play in multiplayer mode or in single campaign mode with three AI companions.  So rejoice, your return to Albion will be far more than just the anniversary addition of the original Fable game.  Oh did I mention you can play as the hero OR the villain? Our XboxOne will be getting quite the workout in the coming year!

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Gamescom 2013: Lords of the Fallen

Gamescon started today in Cologne, Germany and the first game that caught my undivided attention was not even on my radar: Lords of the Fallen.  The RPG is coming to PC, PS4, and XboxOne in 2014.  The video for the game can be seen here and it seriously has my full attention.

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Xbox One: Thief Release Date and New Video

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Thief fans rejoice, there is now and official release date for the next installment of the game: 25 February 2014. 

I love the atmosphere of the new video.  Must admit, we are both really looking forward to this new Thief adventure.

XBox: August Games for Gold Members

The free titles for XBox Gold Members for August are Crackdown, Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2: Case Zero.

Crackdown will be available on August 1st.  And both Dead Rising Games will be available starting August 16th.  Just a reminder, games are free for download and will remain a permanent part of your Xbox account, even if your Gold account lapses in the future.

Today, July 31st is the last day to download Assassin’s Creed II and to get the remainder of the Assassin’s Creed series and DLC on sale.

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XBox: Assassin's Creed II Completed

Yesterday I completed Assassin’s Creed II and immediately moved into Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. I loved the story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and am not at all sad to say that I have Brotherhood and Revelations to further enjoy Ezio’s adventures. I found the controls to be tighter than my limited tine playing as Altair in Assassin’s Creed I.
In everyday life, heights and I are incompatible. So I expected to run into issues playing the game knowing I’d be balancing on the top of a cross on a church steeple but the heights and dizzying views never got to me. However, they do get to me when Hubby is playing and is spinning around like a madman. I can only assume it has something to do with not being in control of the character.
I will admit I wish it were possible to capture screenshots on the 360 without resorting to using my cellphone which is just immersion breaking and honestly I forget. Thankfully that issue will disappear on the One and next generation games. Until then dear readers, you are stuck with stock photos.

XBox: Assassin’s Creed II

So I downloaded Assassin’s Creed II yesterday and fired it up immediately.  I played until it was time to turn over the control to hubby.  I loved the game play, the story line, and the intricate details placed in the little things (like fabric).  It was a pleasure to play and while I might not blow through the whole game in a day or two, I will enjoy my time spent with young Ezio Auditore. 

I usually don’t like games where I’m scaling heights for no reason but in AC II I’m enjoying the vistas from the incredibly high viewpoints scattered throughout the game.  The controls seem sharper than the first game, which I appreciate even though I never completed the first game.  I really enjoy the brief but detailed database of characters, places and things.  I take the time to read the database which undoubtedly slows down my overall game play.

My only complaint … too many games I want to play at the moment and not enough hours in the month! 

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MMO Burnout: aka Why I’m switching to Console Gaming

It finally dawned on me this morning why I’ve been so burned out on MMOs the last several weeks … they are like a mana bomb that exploded on my desktop and sucked the everyday joy from my life slowly over time the last several years.

Admittedly, the mana bomb Garrosh Hellscream dropped on Theramore was far more destructive and killed innocent Alliance citizens.  However, MMOs may be the ultimate time suck ever created in the last twenty years.  The grind for gear, the constantly expanding world, and if you are lucky, the compelling story are all designed to keep players coming back day after day, year after year.  There is a definitely appeal to MMOs, personally I like the story lines in the MMOs I play and have become attached to characters over the years.  But, honestly after a break the last couple of weeks I don’t miss the grind or the feeling of “oh crap I’m falling behind” that comes with in-game events and expansions.

When I power up my console and load up a game I know that it will have a story I’m interested in (or I wouldn’t be playing it) and I can easily pause the game to change the washer or bake cookies.  I’m not constantly having to look for a safe spot to log out and carry on with real life.  Admittedly, with DLC for games being so prevalent on consoles there is an argument to be made that there is still a gear grind or always waiting new content but that argument falls flat.  DLC is completely optional and most of the time doesn’t interest me and since I rarely, if ever, play multiplayer games on this generation’s console, I am competing against no one else, save my husband for gear.  Achievements are nice, and I admit I have on occasion been known to achievement whore, but for me achievements are not important to me overall in a titled.

Another added benefit of console gaming, is that I can enjoy the game’s story while my husband plays and I do something else.  More games than I can count have been experienced that way for me and I’m fine with that.  He gets to relax and immerse himself in a game and I can read or stitch and still know the story I was interested in without having to play through the game myself.  I suppose this benefit is helped because we both gravitate toward the same types of games in general.  And heck when he plays games I’m not interested in, I can always fire up my audible.com selection and listen to a good book while stitching.

I’m currently playing LA Noire and enjoying it.  I’m going to fire up Tomb Raider this morning for the first time since we purchased it while it was on sale last week.  When Assassin’s Creed II released as the free title for Gold Members on 16 July 2013, I will be powering through AC II, AC Brotherhood, AC Revelations, and AC III.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the first game from a player’s perspective, but I did enjoy the story.  After I tried AC III several weeks ago, I realized that the game play mechanics had improved significantly and I was enjoying the actual game play aspect. 

I’m not giving up MMOs, I’m simply checking in with ones I enjoy when the mood strikes me.  I’m not going to pay a subscription fee to MMOs any longer.  I’ve always been a solo player in MMOs for the most part and thus I’m going to treat them as single player games going forward.  Oh I’m sure the mood will strike me once in a while to run group content in an MMO and when it does, I will.  However, the other things I enjoy in life are far more important to me than the 1’s and 0’s that are the game and gear of a MMO.

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