Assassin's Creed Origins

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JaySevenZero
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Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions of Assassin's Creed Origins for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder to all that where feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but self-editing (brevity) is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mainly reading. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by Jon Cheetham »

This is an experience my inner 10 year old had been waiting two decades for, without realising it. As a kid I was completely fixated on Ancient Egypt, collecting books, guides and magazines on the place and culture. Now, I can be there.

Actually riding through the sand with the pyramids coming over the horizon before me, all exquisitely rendered in one of the most breathtaking game worlds ever designed, was amazing. Origins floored me repeatedly with its painstaking digital recreation of the ancient land, from the dusty tombs to the bustling cities and villages.

The designers even included a hidden area in the Great Pyramid of Giza that a French architect had speculated should be there, based on his analysis of the structure and theories about how it was built, but that hadn't actually been discovered yet. Months after release, the room was found. So you could enter that room in this game before anyone in the real world had set eyes on it - at least for thousands of years.

Details like this speak to how diligently the world was made. My favourite part however is the second DLC, The Curse of the Pharaohs. Where the base game and first DLC are faithful illustrations of the ancient world, the final piece of content sends Bayek to do battle with the ancient Pharaohs themselves and the game veers into historical fantasy. I would run out of superlatives if I tried to do justice to the art design in Aaru, Aten and the Duat; it's worth getting the game to experience this part. These are some of the most beautiful and creative modern depictions of Ancient Egypt's afterlife you can see, and you can actually walk through it. I say walk; I must have paused every 25 seconds or so to get a screenshot.

I think exploring Origins could be rewarding for absolutely anyone with an interest in the art and cultures of Ancient Egypt, and the presence of the discovery tour mode makes it much easier to recommend regardless of whether someone is into games.

Three word review: Remember to stargaze
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TheEmailer
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Re: 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by TheEmailer »

Ok Jay I'll keep it short!

Visiting the sights of ancient Egypt is thrilling and the world building is great. But AC is best for me in cities, exploring buildings, running across rooftops, stalking targets and infiltrating bases. I don't feel the combat and traversal lend themselves to traipsing through countryside in search of collectables or levelling up. I won't be a big AC fan whilst they are massive open world, it simply puts filler between the things I really like. Its a shame as they seem to be writing really good characters now on top of the fun on exploring their version of history.

Aside: I hated ship combat in AC3, I still hate it. Just siphon it off to a side series for those who like it!
And for the love of the creed, just give up on modern segments!
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dark aries
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Re: 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by dark aries »

Assassin's Creed was the very first game that I had on the 360 and I had followed the series religiously up until Rogue on the last gen consoles. It took me about 5 years to get a current gen console so I came into the series behind a number of games and I am glad that I skipped to this one after hearing nothing but negatives in between.

The first thing that I noticed was that I was actually getting damaged in combat. Gone was the invincible block counter strategy that had made me feel more like a god than an assassin in the previous games. That coupled with the sprawling and beautiful landscapes, the increased RPG elements and immersiveness of the ancient Egyptian setting and my sincere thanks to the developers for removing 100% synchronisation achievements, re-energised my love for the franchise. I have not yet played the DLC because the digital market in Australia has a ludicrous markup, but if it ever goes on sale it is definitely something I would purchase.
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Re: 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by ReprobateGamer »

Origins for me is a great game that I just don't have the time or drive to properly commit to.

The graphics are great, the world is beatifically put together and you can drive through on story missions or spend the time to explore all the corners or grind the loot if that's what you prefer.

The modern parts still seem a little out of place but are less of a distraction than in the Ezio era and seem to be keeping the ongoing lore moving.

I welcome the fact that Ubisoft have as well properly began to explore limits of dlc here. One continues the story past the base game, one explores the mythical aspect and the discovery tour is a wonderful and sadly neglected aspect where the actual work that goes into the game can be explored. I have seen comments (in other forums) that people don't see the point of the discovery tour; speaking as a father who has watched two children delight in being able to climb the pyramids, find out what's under the Sphinx and swim with crocodiles in the Nile and both being several years (or more) under the PEGI rating, I fully understand and support this game mode and hope that it continues to be included in titles

For all that I have a generally positive view of this game (and in fact the AC franchise), I have to say that there must be something missing for me to have consistently failed to finish or even get more than a third through any AC game since Brotherhood. In part this is due to a lot of other games with their demands on time but certainly there is a factor that the sheer size of the game is certainly a consideration. I suspect that it's a single player game is also a factor - most of the other open world games that I have sunk hours of play into have co-op in some measure (Ghost Recon, The Division, GTA Online - and I remain a little disappointed that after Unity (which I have never played), the multiplayer aspect has been dropped from this franchise.
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Steve Arran
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Re: 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by Steve Arran »

I can’t praise the world building of AC:Origins enough and could wax lyrical about the soundscapes, lighting design and historical accuracy (all near to brilliant) but, surprisingly, what really blew me away about Origins was the story.

I’d always been left slightly cold with previous instalments of AC when it came to central narrative. I’d felt that the way you brushed up against historical figures and the major events they participated in to be a bit like showing you a toy behind glass and letting you look but not play. You never actually ‘won’ the French or American Revolution, just wandered through it. It just seemed a bit of a shame to not go the whole hog and let you live an historical power fantasy to the full. True that wouldn’t have been historically accurate but are electric apples of Eden accurate either? Just let me win history!

However, Origins blew me away by telling a story so completely out of character that I couldn’t help but be genuinely moved. Whilst you do the obligatory meet famous person, kill mark, rinse and repeat, I was surprised that, at its core, Origins tells the story of the disintegration of a marriage as a result of the death of a child. I found the drifting apart of Byak and Aya deeply melancholic. The actors involved showed great skill in portraying a couple who wanted nothing more than to reconnect but over the course of the narrative found the distance growing between them too great to bridge. Of course you do partake in the overthrow of a dynasty, and involve yourself in Ubisoft's usual mumbo jumbo, but it was this very human tragedy that kept me hooked. I wanted to know if they’d make it. I can’t remember another entry in the series (and they all involve the death of family members in one way or another) that was handled so subtly and movingly; the denouement coming with a whimper rather than a bang, something that I don’t think over AC games have implemented intentionally.
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Re: 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by Gingertastic01 »

The Assassins Creed series like any other long running franchise you inevitably get fatigue, but what has impressed me over the years is that just when you think “Am done with this series” they introduce a new mechanic, change up the location or have a slightly different slant on the series structure that makes you reluctantly come back for one more adventure.

As a result I was pleasantly surprised coming into Origins as this is the largest shift the series has undergone since its inception, and for the most part it’s successful. Leveling up characters, hit point damage displayed on screen, enemy health bars, enhancing your weapons, emphasis on looting? what is going on? Is this the same series?

You could look at the world structure and take a slightly cynical view and say its very similar to other Ubisoft games such as Ghost Recon and Far Cry but I feel all the new systems are perfectly balanced within this new approach to the world design. I played this for nearly 150 hours and the gameplay loop never really got old for me, clearing out a massive camps without being spotted was very satisfying. Although combat has been greatly improved it is still perhaps the weakest part of the game but it is more challenging and engaging that what had gone before (some of those finishing moves are highly entertaining)

But the real star of the game is of course the location, the attention to detail and how well it is has been realized is just breathtaking. It is honestly one of the best looking games I have ever played and the DLC is just ridiculous, I have never used a photo mode as often as I did here. Additionally, the Discovery Tour was informative and well implemented.

Lastly, I just need to say that the story was actually pretty good and found myself invested in the characters. I was genuinely surprised and moved by some of the twists and turns it takes.

Overall, I love this game and feel its perhaps my favorite in the series. Highly recommended
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Re: Our next podcast recording (2.2.20) - 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by Nyx-Fontana »

Open world games are in a weird place for me when it comes to my preferences. Where at one time i would look at a game like GTA 3 or the original Assassin's Creed with a sense of glee at being able to explore and experiment as much as the game would allow me, nowadays i find myself stressed out and impatient in such gaming environments. More often than not i would find myself just traveling from mission to mission within these open worlds because i didn't find the environment to be dynamic enough to encourage a lot of exploration, or because the side activities that were offered were quite mundane. Assassin's Creed Origins took that perception of mine and turned it on its head ever so slightly. The world is beautiful and captivating, i think many people would agree on that, but it also feels so organic and inviting to the player that you can't help but explore all the sights you see on the horizon. I found myself deviating off the beaten path on pure instinct, choosing to explore deep basins in the earth, climb the highest peaks of pyramids, and dive deep into the sunlit waters of egypt, and i did all this not to get to the next mission or obtain a reward of some sort but because i wanted to. I felt the need to see more, to experience more of this world and its culture and its architecture. Assassin's Creed Origins is one of the few games that made me feel like a kid again, for all the curiosity i feared i had lost over the years came flooding back to me whenever i booted the game up. I even found myself using the photo mode to take pictures of my journey, just as a proper explorer would.

Just briefly i also want to give major props to Abubakar Salim and his stellar performance as Bayek of Siwa. I went into AC Origins years after its initial release and so i didn't really know what to expect from Bayek. What i found was a man deeply seated in grief in vengeance, as many AC protagonists are, but at the same time he has a very human element that i feel AC games try to develop in their protagonists way too late into their games. That's not the case with Origins, as we begin to see that Bayek has layers to him fairly early on in the game. We see him slip into his identity as a father whenever he interacts with children, we see the passionate and broiling side of him whenever his lover, Aya is on screen, and we even see him show tact and cunning as he uses his skills as a Medjay to investigate crimes and even go undercover as a gladiator for one mission. Bayek is simply a joy to play as because of his temperament as a character and his earnestness, and i found myself taking on side missions not so much for the rewards but rather to see how Bayek would react to the situation at hand. When Bayek is hurting emotionally you can feel the pain he's going through due to Mr. Salim's performance just as much as you can feel Bayek's joy whenever he jokes around or is sarcastic with people. I hope the protagonist of AC Odyssey is just as much fun to go on adventures with.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (2.2.20) - 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by Toon Scottoon »

Assassin's Creed Origins is the first open world Ubisoft game I’ve ever played. Previously I’d pushed these games into the same meat locker with franchises like Gears of War, Mortal Kombat, and Grand Theft Auto labeled “Too Bloodthirsty For Me.” However when I saw Cane and Rinse include this game in volume nine, I reconsidered, especially in light of Jay Taylor’s praise of the series last two entries during the Patreon exclusive episodes (well worth the money), and the fact that it had “Discovery Mode”, which made the ten dollars the game cost me at a local used game store seem like a bargain even if all the throat slashing put me off the campaign.

I did slash a lot of throats, but I also learned a lot about the Nile Delta. I owned one camel. I loved one woman, and sometimes I was that woman, who seemed to have once loved that man back; oh, and I was also one woman in the future (present?) who was both that man and the woman that the man loved. Sometimes I was a hawk. I was often confused by the larger story. I had a drunken brawl with an old friend still jealous about being bested for the love of that one woman. I rescued two enormous white crocodiles. I killed far more crocodiles, hippos, lions, leopards, and hyenas than I expected. I took corny photos in front of the Pyramids. I explored and looted old tombs. I chose to wear only the lioness headed Sekhmet costume once I got it. I helped overthrow Ptolemy and I helped murder Julius Caesar and I avenged my sons death though I took little pleasure in finally doing so. I wished I’d spent more time counting the stars with that boy. I was the “Flea of Cyrene” a hero to street children for my prowess as something between a circus performer and an Acapulco cliff diver. I was consumed by the games ability to make me feel engulfed by the sounds and textures of the world the way the desert might swallow a city. I had one hell of a good time.

Three Word Review: Siwan Power Couple
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Re: Our next podcast recording (2.2.20) - 404: Assassin's Creed Origins

Post by drushe1983 »

“Beware the easy path. Knowledge grows only through challenge.” – William Myles

I have always been a big fan of the Assassin’s Creed (AC) since its original launch in 2008. I loved playing as Altair in the middle east during the Crusades. It was incredible to see a triple AAA game set in a period of upheaval with the lead being of middle eastern origin. The rich blend of pseudo historical meets modern day sci-fi storytelling intrigued me, it's parkour inspired movement and balletic combat & metal gearesque stealth kept me gripped to my controller for tens of hours. The series offered me a chance to travel across continents and centuries, from the Crusades of the Middle East, to Renaissance Europe and to the high seas of the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. The series formed a central part of my play over the last decade, but despite it being my go-to gaming comfort food, recent entries had started to lose their flavour.

The series began to feel very formulaic. AC would morph from a unique game aiming to question the morality of murder (AC 1) to the videogaming equivalent of the James Bond film franchise. Every new entry had a similar structural loop; new gadgets from the great minds of the given era (Da Vinci et al), interactive cinematic set-pieces to captivate the player and new, often exotic locations (Victorian London notwithstanding) to explore. This structural loop for the increasingly popular series though would lead to a state of evolutionary stasis, as combat, though intentionally balletic, would feel repetitive. The typical quality-of-life improvements felt tacked on, even zeigisty; the tower defence mechanics in Revelations come to mind here.

In-time, the Ubisoft team could clearly see that this annualised franchise was suffering and that something had to change. For too long Ubsioft had walked the easy path.

After the glitch ridden Unity (2014) and disappointing sales of Syndicate (2015) Ubisoft took the unprecedented move to give the series a year off to get their house in order. The break was a welcome one. What would emerge from this hiatus was Assassin's Creed Origins; Ubisoft's gaming equivalent to James Bond's Casino Royale. This was a soft reboot the franchise was crying out for, bringing a new direction & new era to the Creed.

Jean Guesdon and Ashraf Ismail teamed up to take players on a trip to ancient Egypt, this was not simply an attempt to move the mainline series away the confines of the pseudo-historical Western consciousness, but an attempt to break the game free from the shackles it had found itself in since the success of Assassin's Creed II.

Set in ancient Egypt (circa 49dB) during the Ptolemaic Kingdom players take on the role as the Medjay known as Bayek and to a (shamefully) lesser extent his spouse Aya. Both protagonists seek to avenge the death of their son Khemu from the (forgive me) pyramid power structure of those involved in his murder. Origins would opt to replicate the blueprint of successful Action-RPG games in particular The Witcher III, placing an emphasis on main and side quest narratives for you to explore with a character ripe for levelling-up as you explore the world. As I type this it now seems like the most obvious thing in the world that Ubisoft could do.

Moving to this quest focused structure in the beautifully imagined ancient Egypt gives the player such great freedom to dictate the pace of the narrative and cement Bayek and Aya’s legend. From avenging their son’s murder to them establishing the Hidden Ones, the early precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood. Bayek and Aya are two passionate souls, whose love for one another is beautifully realised through the performances of Abubakar Salim (Bayek) and Alix Wilton Regan (Aya). Their honesty, sincerity and portrayal of the unconditional love that only a parent can know, rang true to me. I hope that I never have to endure the pain of losing a child, but I can empathise with them and their determination in righting this injustice. The character development of our two protagonists is the series strongest since Ezio, and considering his arc took three games to come to fruition, seeing Bayek and Aya develop in a single albeit much lengthier game, is a credit to the game’s writing staff who keep somehow keep the main narrative moving without the optional side-quests hindering the plot.

The open world is vast and stunning, one of the most varied landscapes I have experienced this generation. From the stunning pyramids of Giza, to the mysteries of the White Desert, these desolate yet seductive environments are juxtaposed with the rich and vibrant landscapes, filled with colour, life, flora and fauna. The well-researched and carefully crafted cities of Memphis, Alexandria, Thebes and Cyrene with their gladiatorial arenas and amphitheatres, are filled with a genuine sense of bustling life. Whether it is the spontaneous dancing, dress rehearsals for a play to religious processions, Ubisoft have created a perfect example of an open world as background to player agency. The architecture is awe inspiring, the statues for the gods are on a grandiose scale, yet despite the feelings of insignificance, the human scale balance cuts through. Unlike Red Dead Redemption 2 which attempts to bridge the gap between playground and interactivity, Ubisoft have opted for a more detailed version of the playground setting. The world exists and never feels like it gets in the way of the player.
The game is nuanced and filled with micro details. Walk in to courtyard home in the Apollonia Fields and you’ll see two men participating in wrestling practice. You can stumble across several dress rehearsals for a variety of upcoming plays at the Apollonion of Cyrene. Or witness the strange going’s on in the high temperatures of the Great Sand Sea as curious visions distort Bayek and your perception of the world. The score by Sarah Schachner is wonderful. The pace and tone of the music appear more considered than in previous games, perhaps a reflection on the reconfigured nature of the games structure, with the sporadic appearance of the Origins theme with its eerie and mysterious hook permeating throughout the games soundtrack to great effect, making it instantly recognisible.

I find myself walking through fields of flowers, channelling that iconic scene from Ridley Scott’s Gladiator when Maximus runs his hand through the wheat field in memory of his family. If I’m not walking, I’m climbing a nearby building or rock face to discover the wonders of this land and look to the horizon. You might find me exploring the depths of unexplored caves and forgotten ship wrecks with a forensic curiosity. Sometimes I’ll just take my horse and ride off around the world, still amazed that after so many tens of hours that new quests and locations are to be discovered. I did find myself getting emotional when out exploring I inadvertently stumbled upon the cave we play as Layla in, with Bayek exploring the area that would be the eventual resting place for his beloved Aya.

One particular moment that sticks with me is my encounter with Khaliset. After defeating her in the shadow of the pyramids of Giza I began to move off for my next quest. For some reason I felt this sudden urge to return to where we had just battled, probably to see if there was anything worth looting. To my amazement I saw one of her loyal followers carefully carrying her body away. I was so surprised to see this development. I began to follow him to see where he was heading. After a short period of time her lay Khaliset down in order to prepare her body for what I assume would be a formal burial / mourning of her life. It was such an unexpected detail as I have grown accustomed to not knowing the fate of a boss after they have been defeated. Unfortunately I got too close to this individual, triggering them in to a combat exchange and defeated them. I moved Bayek away and returned hoping to trigger the sequence again, but sadly no other follower was present to complete Khaliset’s journey. This cemented my love of the game. The proceeding hours that would follow would result in my love of Bayek and Aya growing, placing Origins high up in my list of favourite AC games.

Origins is an incredible technical and artistic achievement from Ubisoft. I have spent over 70 hours in the company of Bayek, Aya and Layla (the protagonist in the undercooked modern day section) and have enjoyed my time immensely with them. I would recommend Origins to anyone. It is ambitious, exceptionally executed and definitely worth the tens of hours you will inevitably spend with it. The world design, character development, narrative storytelling are the best since the series hit form in 2009 with the release of Assassin's Creed II. If Ezio’s first entry in the series was the benchmark from which other entries in the Assassin’s Creed lore would model themselves on, I hope that the exploits of Bayek and Aya; who deserve a second outing, are the new blueprint for Ubisoft to follow, ushering in the next decade for the Brotherhood’s adventures.

#CRTWR - More Aya Please
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