PLATFORM: Xbox One, Xbox One X (played), PS4, PS4 Pro, PC, Switch (JP-cloud)
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
TYPE OF GAME: the type that would get you to visit Greece this summer
PLAYERS: single-player, open-world RPG
AVAILABLE: out now

Better than tzatziki

SWEET SWEET BAYEK

Last year, Ubisoft gave us one of the best games of the year with Assassin’s Creed Origins. The introduction of new mechanics, fresh ideas, a rich world and great writing showed us that the teams behind these games are doing next-level, dare I say next-gen kind of stuff. Attention to detail and tight controls brought the package together, offering an Assassin’s Creed experience unlike any other. Well, I’m pleased to say that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is basically the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ of the series – a follow-up that will leave your jaw on the floor and have you muttering ‘malaka’ every time you witness what the developers created for your gaming pleasure.

STARTING OFF WITH A BANG

Just like in Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey starts with an epic battle and it is there where this game’s important artifact is introduced. The Spear of Leonidas. This whole Spartan sequence acts as a quick dive into combat and serves as a reminder that Spartans were Greek badasses. Shortly after that you are hit with one of Odyssey’s biggest new introductions – the ability to choose a character. You can choose between Alexios or Kassandra. While I did briefly play as Alexios through a separate profile, Kassandra stole my heart.

FREEDOM

Odyssey takes a lesson from Breath of the Wild and now gives you the option of two gameplay modes. The guided mode offers you a more traditional experience, leaving markers on at all times and gives you quest objectives automatically. On the other hand, the exploration mode cuts out all the hand-holding and allows you to explore the world without markers or guides. What this means is that you have to follow signs, NPC directions and dialogue in order to find out about new quests or complete objectives. It is the way to play Odyssey. It immerses you in the world and makes the game more fun, enjoyable and mysterious.

KEPHALLONIA

The game starts off with a cutscene following your eagle, Ikaros, through the beautiful island of Kephallonia. Not long after that you gain control of your character and start off on your first quest. It’s evident right away that the developers took advantage of the Greek island setting and made the game more colourful. Don’t get me wrong, Origins had a fantastic colour palette, but Odyssey just takes it to the next level. This is something I’ll be saying a lot in this review but you shouldn’t think of Odyssey as Origins 2.0. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of the biggest video game productions I’ve seen in my life.

CRAFTING YOUR OWN PATH

Odyssey finally delivers on a feature that I’ve wanted to be in Assassin’s Creed games for many years. The game offers dialogue choices when speaking with key characters, making the experience feel more personal. You finally have more control over your character and the game feels so much better for it. From acts of kindness to being a total dick, you can choose how each encounter plays out. And the best thing? The game gives you these choices constantly and they impact the game’s story for better or worse, so be careful what you choose.

WOOHOO

As I’ve mentioned before, the new dialogue options are one of the best additions to the game. Your experience this time around feels more catered to your personal playstyle and helps you lose yourself in the character you want to be and who you want them to be with; at least for the night. Play your cards right and you will go from playing Odyssey to playing with Odessa in no time. Giggity.

SENU WHO?

This time around, your trusty golden eagle Ikaros can help you scout areas of interest, mark enemies and distract them while you move in to attack. If you’ve played Origins, Ikaros functions much like Senu. The only difference I noticed was that Ikaros levels up his abilities automatically the more synchronisation points you reach around the map. This is much better than the manual ability unlock/upgrades of Origins and gives you one less thing to worry about when trying to teach your bird to harass your enemies.

OPEN SEA WITH A PIMPED OUT SHIP

Ships and naval warfare are back in Odyssey and they are better than ever. Diving underwater also feels more fleshed out with more stuff to do and more variety in the underwater environment. You can travel freely in the Mediterranean, visit any Greek island you wish and take part in stunning naval battles. During those naval battles, you can choose up to 4 people to board the enemy ship with you in order to capture it and reap the benefits of victory. You can even recruit crewmen for your ship and pimp it out with a variety of cool sails, figureheads and cosmetic items. A lot of side quest lines involve the naval aspect of the game and it is easily one of my favourite parts of the game. Water rendering is also better than ever and greatly improved over Origins. But don’t let those beautiful 4K waters and realistic water caustics take your attention away from the sharks.

IMPROVING ON ORIGINS

While the game’s engine is very clearly based on that of Origins, with a lot of the same player animations and effects used, this is not Assassin’s Creed FIFA. The game actually has a lot more depth in terms of content. What this means is that Odyssey seems to have more varied quests and in higher number – and they matter. Many of the game’s side quests can affect other quests and alter how each of those small stories develop. These changes are evident in the animal companion systems as well, where tamed animals stay tamed and accompany you until they are (sadly) killed. There are an incredible number of smaller changes made to the game that make Origins feel archaic in comparison. Even when archers nock their arrows, the HUD let’s you know about the imminent ranged attack so you can dodge it like the ultimate badass.

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY

There’s a lot of talk online about Alexios being a boring character by YouTubers or game journalists but I disagree with that opinion. The reason for a lot of people finding the male character in Odyssey less interesting is simply because Kassandra feels fresh in comparison. We’ve had so many games with male main characters in the series, it’s easy to see why the Wonder Woman-esque Kassandra seems like a choice more worth your time.

SOUNDS GREEK TO ME

The voice acting, and especially the Greek voice-acting, is nothing short of spectacular. For a Greek-speaker such as myself, it was a delight to hear Greek voice actors in the game. Even the English parts of the dialogue were recorded in such a way, so that it’s as if you are hearing a Greek person speaking English with an accent. It’s such a nice touch and a true testament to the attention to detail of the teams at Ubisoft. The developers care about small things such as these even though not everyone will understand and appreciate it.

NEARING THE END

I finished the game receiving the ‘good’ ending. It is one of 9. Let that sink in. That’s how layered and different each experience will be. And the side quests keep on coming in the form of DLC.

CONCLUSION

It’s a shame that this game is overshadowed by some bigger releases because it is truly worth your time and money. A lot of effort went to making this game the best Assassin’s Creed game to date and an unforgettable experience. Buy it malaka.

Review code provided by Ubisoft.

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PLATFORM: Xbox One X (played), PS4 and PC
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
TYPE OF GAME: open-world interactive eye candy first-person shooter with great story
PLAYERS: single-player, co-op online mutli-player, custom map-making and sharing
AVAILABLE: out now

Ubisoft has had a pretty strong 2017-2018 season. The company seems to have gotten a hold on what made their games incredible and managed to improve upon their development formula. Ubisoft’s teams have time and time again proven that they will go above and beyond in order to make their games fun first and profitable second. The financial success of their games comes from the fact that the people behind them, from developers to higher ups, treat their projects like art. Art they want and should be proud of.

WHAT IS FARCRY?

If you’re not familiar with the FARCRY series, it can be basically summed-up as Ubisoft’s first-person shooting adventure sandbox. The series has progressed a lot in terms of fine tuning but the basic premise of each game starts with the introduction of a powerful, savage and very often brutal antagonist in unique situations. The environment each game takes place in is very much the product of these antagonists. The same can be said about FARCRY 5’s Joseph Seed, the leader of the Project at Eden Garden cult in the fictional Hope County in Montana.

SETTING THE MOOD

Hope County is a place ruled by cultists with guns and it is as beautiful as it is unforgiving. The game starts with a documentary style cutscene with people talking about the dangerous levels the cult has risen to as well as a found-footage style smartphone video of the execution of a ‘traitor’. It is all very creepy and sets the mood perfectly for what’s to come.

THE FATHER

A lot of the previously mentioned mood-setting can be attributed to the game’s villain. FARCRY 5 is centered around Joseph Seed, or as his followers at the Project at Eden Gardens like to call him, Father. Expertly portrayed and voice-acted by Greg Bryk, the Father is my new favourite FARCRY villain. Yes, even better than Vaas. Ruthless, devious and intimidating, Joseph Seed has a presence that invokes feelings of admiration and contempt at the same time.

A FAMILIAR SHELL ON A BRAND NEW EXPERIENCE

If you’ve ever played any of the games in the series after FARCRY 2 you probably already have a general idea of what ‘5’ has to offer. With an impressive variety of weapons ranging from pipes and shovels to bows, grenade launchers and assault rifles, you can explore Hope County on foot, by car, boat, plane, helicopter or parachute across long plains from a mountain. FARCRY 5 is essentially a culmination of everything that made the previous games so good, only this time it’s turned up to 11. After a short introductory/tutorial section, the game gives you the freedom to go about your quests however you like, even offering completing major story portions with whichever sequence you prefer. Oh, and you can also customise your character and choose your gender, which is a really nice touch this time around. My character had the sickest mullet in Hope County.

THE RESISTANCE

Through a series of events which I will not spoil, you are tasked with building The Resistance against Joseph Seed and his family. You can achieve this with 4 ways; by rescuing civilians, destroying cult properties, completing missions and liberating cult outposts. The civilians you rescue will then be available to you to hire and join the fight against The Father. They can offer support in tough spots and revive you when you’re down. These ‘companions’ don’t necessarily have to be human though. A certain canine helper can prove incredibly helpful and generally fun to be around; I’m talking, of course, about Boomer who is one of the best video game dogs I’ve seen in all my years of gaming. Better than Nintendogs. There, I said it.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Throughout your playthrough you can collect loot or even hunt wild animals for their meat and skins. You can sell your loot in shops available in towns or shops that can be found in the form of characters like hunters in the wild. This ensures that wherever you are, you will most often have a chance to dump your loot and use the acquired cash to buy new weapons or attachments. But it doesn’t end there. FARCRY 5 has a long list of perks you can choose to give you the fighting edge you might be looking for, as well as the ability to craft explosives or homeopathics on-the-spot with the use of a utility wheel. From that same utility wheel you can swiftly switch between weapons, ammo types and throwables with great ease. If this sounds a bit too complicated for you, don’t worry, the game makes a great job explaining the controls to you and in the end you will see that everything flows seamlessly without a hitch during gameplay.

DUNIA ON MY MIND

The beauty and interactivity of Hope County is all thanks to the updated DUNIA engine and the incredible AI system the developers have crafted. Playing this on an Xbox One X hooked up to a 4K TV was an absolute joy to behold. To achieve this level of detail in a game, while keeping it very interactive and fluid, is an incredible achievement. FARCRY 5’s world-building is all about attention to detail. High quality textures can be found everywhere from weathered wooden cabins to the soil and mud you trek through while observing the flora and fauna of Hope County. My advice when playing this game; look up. Enjoy the birds soaring in the sky, the realistic sunlight piercing through beautiful volumetric fog. Just make sure you don’t get too distracted though; you might just miss that bear or mountain lion coming towards you.

IMMERSIVE ANIMATION

Adding to the experience are the superb animations found within the game. Your character’s hands, which are the things you will most likely be looking at during the whole game, move and sway realistically as you go about your business. Hell, I could even see the hair on my character’s arms while making some crazy jumps on a quad bike. NPCs, animals, trees and grass are expertly animated and move beautifully. I found it surprising how many different actions can be pulled off consecutively without a hitch. My character’s movement never felt jerky or jittery. For example, climbing on top of a small tower, zip lining down while shooting baddies, lunging over a box, breaking a baseball bat over someone’s face, then jumping in a pickup truck and driving away while shooting my revolver felt seamless and badass. That whole sequence of events I described happens in no time, with silky smooth transitions and is VERY satisfying.

INTERACTIVITY

You might have caught an idea of the interactivity in this game already but I cannot praise it enough. While this game is missing the foliage destruction and the level of fire propagation found in FARCRY 2, environmental physics and destruction still play a huge role in the game. Shrubs, fences, windows, windshields and cars still get destroyed in realistic fashion but in a way that’s not too taxing on your system’s power. Have you ever wanted to set a whole enemy outpost on fire using a blowtorch and killing everyone around using shovels like javelins? FARCRY 5 has got you covered.

FINALLY SOME GOOD AI IN A MODERN GAME

FARCRY 5 truly shines in the ways the characters interact with you and between them. For example, cut someone off while they’re talking to you by firing your weapon and they might just comment on your rudeness. Generally, the world around you feels alive. With the updated artificial intelligence system, people in Hope County have daily lives and go about their business naturally. If two or more AI systems intersect, the reactions you will witness don’t feel scripted or robotic. You will encounter NPCs hunting, fishing, bad guys relaxing with a guitar completely unaware of their impending doom, ongoing animal attacks and a whole spectrum of random events guaranteed to immerse you in the world.

LIGHT ‘EM UP

The shooting. My oh my the shooting in this game. Whether you’re firing a sniper, pistol, shotgun assault rifle, grenade launcher or a bow, the shooting mechanics in FARCRY 5, much like the whole game, feel like a culmination of all the best aspects of Ubisoft’s latest shooters (Ghost Recon Wildlands and Rainbow Six Siege). Shooting is an enjoyable experience with realistic bullet trajectories and physics implemented in order to add an extra layer of depth. Coupled with superb animation and weapon models, shooting in a FARCRY game has never felt or looked better.

BETTER THAN SKYNYRD

The game’s soundtrack as well as its environmental sound effects, weapon sounds and voice acting all work together to create the perfect tonal combination. I was genuinely surprised by how many different lines of dialogue NPCs had outside of cutscenes. No matter how minor a character might be, they will have something to say and it will help immerse you in the game further. All these components help the game’s story and mood-setting. You will feel a connection to the cause of bringing down Joseph Seed and his family. You will be creeped out at times by the villains. The feel of a FARCRY game set in a rural American county overrun with fanatics and cultists is captured expertly. Turn up the volume and enjoy it; the sound design is the final touch to FARCRY 5’s amazing world.

CONCLUSION

FARCRY 5 is one of very few games I feel are truly moving the industry forward. As generations of consoles progress, players expect new levels of interactivity and visual fidelity in their games, not just the same old tired gameplay but in 4K. FARCRY 5 achieves exactly this. It feels like you’re playing something from the future, something that will be the gold standard for open-world games in the following years, instead of an old game with a resolution boost and a new name. You will be immersed in this world, thanks to thousands of hours of hard work by the incredibly talented teams at Ubisoft. If you own anything that can run FARCRY 5, you owe it to yourself to make it your next big game purchase of the season.

Review code provided by Ubisoft for Xbox One X.

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PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Five Nights at Freddy’s have more in common than you think.

Five nights of mediocrity

I remember the first time I saw the abbreviation FNAF. Five Nights at Freddy’s. I saw it everywhere. All gaming websites were mentioning it. It was the hot thing at the time. After reading a basic description I decided to check out some gameplay and I really couldn’t comprehend what the whole fuss was about. The game looked terrible. But it was famous. Extremely famous for a time. That’s when I realised it’s a fad. A few sequels and whatnot later, this ‘franchise’ faded away into nothingness.

if you stream it, they will come

We live in an age where mediocre games can become incredibly popular because of dumb luck and promotion from YouTubers or Twitch streamers. These games, in my opinion, are terrible, but once the cycle of internet promotion and word of mouth starts, quality doesn’t matter anymore. Some people choose to play the latest fad for that reason alone.

creed, head of quality assurance

I feel the same about PUBG. Here you have an unfinished game, made by a developer that’s not too keen on keeping promises sold through a service that allows you to pay full price for an unfinished game with the promise that it will be good one day. Is this the Twilight Zone? When did gaming become such a blatant cash grab?

dumpster fire

But of course, PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for those not familiar with it, has become one of the most played multiplayer games in the world. Video game streamers and word of mouth propelled an unfinished, broken mess of a game to tremendous fame while making a fortune for the developers. Insane.

Just a matter of time

Time will only tell if PUBG will suffer the same fate of all other gaming fads like FNAF. My guess is that it will. I would like to be proven wrong, just so people can get the full, stable experience they paid for both on console and PC. But something tells me that won’t happen any time soon. Are you for or against the practice of selling clearly unfinished games at full price? Do you disagree with my opinion on PUBG?

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