Well, Ubisoft finally gave AC fans what they asked for...

The little bit of gameplay I've seen so far looks really good.

I considered getting it for PC. As acclaimed as it is, I've never actually played GoT. Maybe I should get that out of the way first.

 

I can't sing GoT's praises enough. I used to jokingly call it the best Assassin's Creed game ever (it was a more satisfying combat version and even storywise, a close cousin). They just elevated the format. They set the bar very high. AC Shadows has huge shoes to fill. So far, at the very least, they haven't embarrassed themselves.

And the sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is coming either later this year, or early next year. Definitely give it a try.

But if the engine that AC Shadows is using is the same engine that they're remaking Black Flag with, that's going to be amazing.

 

OK, I'll add it to the queue.

They're remaking Black Flag?

 

Yes. Remake. Not Remaster. They're rebuilding it from the ground up using a new engine. Should look amazing. But will also play differently since they can do more with the format now.

No idea when it's coming. But I'd wager this time next year.

 

Wow.

 

Latest assessment:

Obvious comparisons to Ghost of Tsushima. Visually, AC Shadows wins easily. But to be fair, they had 5 years to optimize. GoT was a launch title. It looks amazing and the weather system is unbelievable.

Story wise and gameplay? GoT wins. The story is more engaging and the gameplay is smoother, more intuitive, and satisfying. That's not to say Shadows isn't good. It is. But next to its cousin, it falls a little short in those regards.

That said, you have a "hideout" - small village - where story wise, you're collecting members of your new league. You can customize it any way you want. All the way down to individual rocks or bushes. I may or may not have been herbally enhanced the other night. I started building the settlement up. Before I knew it, over 3 hours had passed. But i think the finished product came out pretty good. Pictures don't do it justice. The first vid is the "before." Bare bones settlement after removing a few trees. The next 2 are what it looks like now in spring and at night.

 

Has anyone else played STALKER Heart of Chornobyl?

 

Damn, that's cool. Turned it into the Emperor's palace

 

I really need to finish this game but I'm having too much fun exploring.

Another game launched last night but I can't start it until I finish AC. I'm kind of a single game at a time guy. I don't like bouncing back and forth (and who has time for that anyway?). The game is Days Gone (PS5 Remaster). It already was a gorgeous game (for a PS4 launch title). And it's one of my favorite all time games. Environment, characters and story are all great. The game play is extremely fun. If you like stories like The Last of Us, TWD, or 28 (insert length of time) Later , you'll really like this. The PS4 version is free if you're on the middle tier PSN subscription. And it holds up very well. But this. This looks really good. I like the game so much I went ahead and bought it for full price.

Environments Trailer:



Game Trailer:



Story Trailer:

 

Ghost of Yotei has been out for a week or so now. Beat it, got the platinum, smelled the roses. Quick review and thoughts.

Is it good? Hell yeah.

Is it better than Ghost of Tsushima? Yes and no. Graphically, it's maybe a slight improvement. For game play and open world, it is much better (and I already gave GoT an A+ in that regard, soooo...). Jin and Atsu are such different characters with way different motivations, that it comes down to personal preference which character is better. The same goes for the story. Jin Sakai was a samurai - born and raised in privilege - who struggles with violating the bushido code in an effort to basically one man army his way to pushing out mongol invaders. He eventually succeeds but at great cost to his own honor, standing, family and future. But it's a price he willingly paid to save his home and people.

Atsu's story is pretty much pure vengeance. She's a nobody forced into raising herself into a warrior. At least in the beginning, she's only fighting for herself. She has no sense of duty to anyone. BUT, that also means she isn't conflicted at all with fighting dirty. Win by any means necessary. It's freeing to the story. When writing "Kill Bill," 2 of Quentin Tarantion's inspirations were the samurai movies "Lady Snowblood" and "The Five Deadly Venoms." And you can clearly see their influence on this game's story as well. There's more than a few parallels between all 3 movies and Ghost of Yotei.

How does it compare to Assassin's Creed Shadows? AC Shadows has better graphics. Shadows has better and more varied customization to suit whatever play style you like. Ghost of Yotei's art style is better. Story, game play, immersion, exploration, open world? Ghost of Yotei wins hands down. Assasin's Creed Shadows is a very good game but with significant flaws. The narrative is all over the place and the story feels like an afterthought. You never really feel invested in the story. You're on board with Atsu from the jump. Even the side content feels significant and relevant to her story.

Of the 3 games, personally, I think this one is the best. But if they were a wash, this one still wins for one reason above all else:

You get to duel Miyamoto M*****f***ing Musashi! It's easily the hardest fight of any game I've ever played. Sure, you can wait until after the story and your character is at full power and cheat, cheese and glitch your way to victory. In fact, by the story's standards, it's probably something the developers intended. But fight him honestly, and it feels damn near impossible. I have zero qualms fighting dirty against any opponent in the game. But it felt wrong to do that against him. Beating him is a real "F yeah!" moment.

And yes. Although this game is set 200 years after Ghost of Tsushima, you do get to find out what happened to Jin after his story and get a little closure. It's pretty cool, actually.