[Malankazooie]

Read that insta-assassin hidden blade kills and crowd blending in stealth will be back with Valhalla. So that seems to be a nod to the original spirit of the series. I sort of missed blending in with a crowd and using my strong pimp hand and having my ladies who are walking the track use their sensual wiles to distract some guards.

[Aptorian]

I am not thrilled with the inclusion of the Assassin stuff. Are we seriously to believe this big burly tattooed smelly Viking is going to be blending in anywhere?

Just give up already and call it heroes creed or what ever instead.

[Mentalist]

 Aptorian, on 21 May 2020 - 05:04 PM, said:

I am not thrilled with the inclusion of the Assassin stuff. Are we seriously to believe this big burly tattooed smelly Viking is going to be blending in anywhere?

Just give up already and call it heroes creed or what ever instead.

They won't though. And you'll have a token modern day storyline to make the whole thing connect to the wider lore.

[Malankazooie]

I don't know how they will include it but I can see, like they did with Origins, it comes up primiarly in some animus-fever dream-Norse mythology sections. Possibly your character will do the crowd blend thing to gather intel prior to returning with the full hoard to get all rapey&pillagey.

[Malankazooie]

Okay, after watching that, I think Assassin's Creed Valhalla is going it be a pre-order for me.

That shit was liquid meth, needing to be tap-lined directly into my carotid vein. Using a dead body as a weapon and throwing it at foes, yes please. Wolves so big you can ride them, yes please. And a nice look into the systems incorporated into the game - raid, stealth, settlement building. Hooboy, daddy want!

[Aptorian]

I want to play Valhalla but it looks like it's just Origins and Odyssey with new mechanics. Meaning it will be fun, repetitive and a completely nonsensical story. If there's other better things it won't be a priority. Like for example Cyberpunk, Halo or even Watch Dogs.

[Cause]

Looked good, did not look like assassins creed. Stealth was an afterthought. As long as their is no leveling bullshit I’ll play it

I got so frustrated having to do side quests to unlock enough levels to continue. Sin campaign of origins I never finished and never even touched odyssey

[Aptorian]

They're leaning more and more into the RPG design so I'd expect even more level bullshit.

[Tiste Simeon]

Yeah Assassin's Creed hasn't been a proper stealth game for a long time. Like probably since about ACIII imo. And that one was terrible.

ACIV was ace because ninjas and pirates.
ACV was bland but very pretty.
AC Syndicate was great fun and had tons of cool gadgets but was more about the gang warfare and taking over the streets etc.
Origins was fantastic but way more revolved around the RPG elements than anything else.
Odyssey was more of the same.
Can't imagine Valhalla taking a step backwards.

Still going to play it though.

[Cause]

 Aptorian, on 12 July 2020 - 08:21 PM, said:

They're leaning more and more into the RPG design so I'd expect even more level bullshit.

I believe they have made specific comments that they have tried to avoid the problem of levels.

For a video game origins destroyed my suspension of disbelief when I would use the hidden blade to stab someone through the eye socket and they took 1% damage to their hp bar.

[Tiste Simeon]

So I'm finally nearing the end of Odyssey... I've kind of ignored the Atlantis quests cos I can be bothered fighting Medusa and it doesn't seem that important to the main game. I've explored every area and beaten every camp and fort etc. Just got to beat the last Cultist.

It's been fun but I'm not sure I've enjoyed it as much as Origins. I'd probably place it in the middle of the pack as far as the whole series goes.

[Malankazooie]

So, what is the verdict coming out about Ass Grease Hairy Man Murder Glory with Santa Clause Afterlife Simulator? Are the early reviews giving you "want to play" vibes?

[Aptorian]

I think I want to play Watch Dogs Legion first but I'll probably enjoy Valhalla more. And then get my usual feeling of frustration because Ubisoft games play like really high budget B-tier products.

[Obdigore]

Got Valhalla.

Enjoying it a lot.

[Malankazooie]

Well, the cat is out of the bag. I've been playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla. I'm in the the early stages and enjoy it well enough, but I think Ghost of Tsushima may have diminished the AC experience for me. Ghost of Tsushima does everything AC does, but it feels better. And so far I have to give the combat in AC Valhalla some criticism. It just feels kludgy to a degree where it noticeably lessens my enjoyment. I'm still early in, so maybe some of the unlocked skills will up the game combat. I hope so. The exploration has been enjoyable, which is where the AC games excel. The side activites have novelty, but I don't feel a pull to keep doing them. Like the drinking game for example. I can see myself checking them off as I enter each settlement and then it becoming an afterthought. And noooo! they brought back that deal where you chase down a blowing piece of paper. This time it has new tattoo designs you can unlock. The story so far is pretty standard stuff, which is to say I'm not blown away by it. I'm trying to understand the introduction of the Assassin/Templar conflict into this culture. I think I get what's going on. Maybe I'll have more to say about it as I continue to play. I reached a part where you come out to current, modern age to the animus. A big dump of data in the form of various files and such. I really didn't dig into it all or read what I did open too closely. I'm sure there are details that help with understating what is going on, but eh, just can't be bothered by that stuff much anymore. I wish they did that sort of thing in a more organic/germane to game play type approach. But I guess it wouldn't be an AC game without this info-dump. Time to set out on my longship and see what's over that peak (btw, you're a friggin mountain goat in this game and will do ALOT of climbing). SKOL!

[Tiste Simeon]

My brother got me Rogue for my birthday, which is great cos it's one of the few I missed before. Looking forward to getting back out on the open seas. Has anyone played it? It's not really talked about much, I'm guessing it's a smaller game than Black Flag?

[Malankazooie]

It's great fun. If you like Black Flag, you can't miss with Rogue. It's Black Flag of the North Atlantic. Go get them narwhals. Also, it's the only AC where you get to see how the other side lives. Not sure about size/length (sounds naughty), I don't recall it being as expansive as Black Flag, but I didn't find it being noticeably smaller or anything. Try and find that easter egg that it known for.

[QuickTidal]

Not too far in Valhalla...but I'm already mildly annoyed at the need to have a Ubisoft Account to play. That just seems shitty.

Good game though, my only compliant is the same one I've had for the last few games. The lack of the "enemy sight" skill that would pick out where enemies were in a restricted area (Was the last AC game that had it Unity?)...not because I can't take out the enemies, but because of angles and the density of some of the terrain you always come up against one or two stragglers that cause you problems. It's irritating. Even missing is the Origins version where you could use the bird to pick out and mark the enemies. Unless I'm missing something.

Otherwise, good fun so far.

[Malankazooie]

Odin vision when you are near enemies (R3 button), will shade them in red.

Don't need ubisoft account either to play, just won't get the rewards stuff they offer on that.

[Malankazooie]

During raids, when a certain song is playing, I find myself signing "I am Ragnar Lothbrok" as I swing my hammer to-and-fro. And I really lean in on the "Loth" phrasing and trill the sound, glottal stop it. It's weird fun. Do you guys have any fun idiosyncrasies like that as you make your way through the game?