Assassin's Creed origins disappointed me

(sorry if the first paragraph is a different colour, my google docs wouldn't change it after copying and pasting)

I bought the first Assassin’s Creed game the day it came out, although I liked the concept I think the game was probably too complex for me at the time, and the repetitive missions deterred me from getting too far into the experience. So it wasn’t until 2015's Assassin’s Creed Syndicate that I really became a fan of the series. It’s generally regarded as a decent if unspectacular entry into the series, but I loved it, the setting was great, the stealth and combat mechanics were basic but extremely fun, and the level progression was rewarding.

As soon as I completed it, I went and played every previous main game in series except for the third one. Some were better than others, unlike most fans, Black Flag is not one of my favourites, while Unity in its final form is one of the least appreciated In my opinion. My favourite would be Brotherhood, it encapsulates the best features of the series, and for me it had the most engaging story, where the stakes were always high.

But it was obvious that the series needed to take a break and reinvigorate itself after Syndicate’s release, the core gameplay had not evolved much since AC2, and the central plot had kind of lost focus. So I was ecstatic to hear that they were going to take a gap year and come back with an origins to the lore, which was also set in ancient Egypt. So I couldn’t wait for the day to play it.

But I’m afraid to say that a month after Assassin’s Creed: Origins came out, I still haven’t completed it, in fact I gave up trying to. I might go back to it one day, but for me the game was a big disappointment, it is by no means a bad game, in fact it’s a very good one in many ways, but overall it’s one with wasted potential.

It’s more of a refinement of the series than an evolution that many expected and some would say it needed. The fundamentals of the game-play are more or less the same as those of the previous entries, although the eagle vision has been replaced with a bird’s eye drone mechanic, the character progression has more of a role-playing aspect to it (something Syndicate had as well, but to a lesser degree), and the combat system has been overhauled.

And it is the combat that has had the most drastic alteration. At first I hated it, the lock on system is useless against multiple opponents, and it lacks any kind of intuition. But it does improve once you begin to upgrade your abilities (there’s a skill tree in which you can choose abilities that you want to upgrade each time you level up), it’s quite gratifying to pull off certain combos to kill a difficult opponent. But the combat is a chore rather than a thrill, this was not too much of a game breaking problem for me as I like to play Assassin’s Creed games as stealthily as possible.

The characters and stories in Assassin Creed have always been a bit of a mixed bag. The central protagonists (aside from Ezio Auditore) are usually nothing more than cyphers for the story to carry through, the supporting characters were always great however, the likes of Charles Dickens and Napoleon were at the very least, interesting.

The same can’t be said for the supporting characters in Origins, because of this the side missions never feel as important as they ought to, and it doesn’t help that they are pretty dull to begin with. Bayek, the lead protagonist, has clear motivations and agency, but there’s little in the way of personality outside of his own obsession with revenge. I never once felt an attachment to him, and I’d place him in the lower ranks of all the protagonists in the series.

The villains are woefully underdeveloped, most only appear when the story requires them for a gameplay mission. This severely handicaps what is a shallow, character driven plot that is never more than the the sum of its parts. The creation of the Assassin’s Brotherhood is underwhelming to say the least, and surprisingly forgettable.

Egypt is gorgeous, it is without question one of the most visually impressive settings I have seen in a video game, the lighting and water effects are astounding. But, for all its beauty, it lacks the character that made Florence, Rome and London so memorable in the previous titles. To me it just felt like glossy wallpaper, a place to explore but not one to really immerse yourself in, one of the great tricks of the Assassin’s Creed series is that the gameplay mechanics masterfully integrated into the locations they were set in. Origins fails to do this for the most part.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh, and this is to be expected seeing as the game is set in ancient Egypt. But aside from a few good screenshot locations, the setting is a rather forgettable experience to play through.

One day I might go back to Origins and appreciate it more, perhaps when I take a break from open world games. If you are a fan of the series there is plenty here to like, but if you have never liked one before, this will not change your mind.

I wasn’t initially going to score this game seeing as this is more an opinion piece than a full blown, in-depth review. But if I was asked, I’d give it a 7/10. A good game but nothing special, perhaps wait for a sale and then try it.    

Sonic Forces review (PS4 version)

Sonic's recent history is pretty patchy to say the least, much of the little hedgehog's output has been mediocre to down right bad, with a few sprinkles of gold dust in-between. Even I, a huge fan of the series since the early 90s was hesitant about getting Sonic Forces, but I repented and bought the game because it kind of stands out amongst the countless amounts of first person shooters that have been released lately.

So is Forces any good? well, it's decent but ultimately a forgettable gaming experience, at its highs it illustrates the best moments from Sonic Generations, but it's dragged down by boring visuals, short levels, and historical technical problems that have plagued the series since the Dreamcast days.

The game starts with Dr Eggman defeating Sonic with the help of a powerful new ally, Infinite. Sonic is imprisoned and Eggman takes over the world. Fast forward six months and Knuckles has set up a resistance with the help of a new recruit. Sonic eventually gets saved and classic Sonic from Sonic Mania also gets involved via a wormhole.

The story is utter nonsense, but one key feature that is new to the series is a character creation. At the start of the game you get to choose which animal you want your avatar to be, there's a choice of a bear, bird, cat, dog, hedgehog, rabbit or wolf. Each of these have their own special abilities and superpowers that differ from one another.

At the end of each level you complete you'll be rewarded with loot that you can kit out your avatar with. This part of the game works much better than I expected, the variation on offer is pretty extensive, so no two people's avatars should look the same.

**

The gameplay is split into three parts, you have modern Sonic which are the on-rail 3D levels, classic Sonic with the traditional 2D levels, and the avatar levels which are a combination of the two.

All three are enjoyable, but none are without their glaring flaws. Modern Sonic plays just like every 3D Sonic game that we've played before, speed run from point A to B. Boosting through the levels can be exhilarating and a lot of fun, but now more than ever it feels like the game is on automation. There are literally moments when all you have to do is press one button and watch the game play itself. This is not new to modern Sonic games, its always been there to an extent, but in the past these levels were broken up with small but genuine platforming sections that were challenging. Unfortunately there's hardly any of this in Forces.

The classic Sonic levels are the best, not just because Sonic works best in 2D but because these are the only levels that have some ounce of challenge and intricacy. They're not perfect though, the jumping physics seem too slow, and to be honest there's nothing here that's new, in comparison to all of the other 2D games in the series, this is pretty average.

The avatar levels switch between 3D and 2D sections, the fun factor is notched up a little because you have certain abilities in your toolbox. But it fails to reach its potential because the levels are way too short and the game's aesthetic is the most boring I have ever seen in the series.

Regardless of their merits, Sonic games have always had interesting worlds to traverse through, but that isn't the case here. You have your lush Green Hill Zone, but outside of that most of the levels are set in bland factories and cities. Absolutely none of it is memorable, which is unforgivable in a Sonic game.

The second biggest gripe with the game is its length, while there are thirty stages, you will complete most within the three minute mark, and many of them in under two minutes. Because of this the game never has much momentum, as soon as you start having fun, the game wants to take the controller away from you. So it never quite hooked me as much as it ought to have, making the whole experience kind of feel like I was going through the motions.

As a staple of the series, the boss battles are back and they are as good as ever, each require a different challenge to overcome.

**

At the end of the day, Forces feels like a missed opportunity, the best example of this is with the newest feature to the series, the avatar creation. I'm surprised that an online component was not included. Competing with other players online with your own avatars could have been a lot of fun.

While the game is enjoyable for the most part, its a step back from the last entry into the series, Sonic Generations, and it's an even bigger step back when you consider the triumphant Sonic Mania which was released only a matter of months ago.

Overall, the game is just above average, but it could have been something better. There is replay value here, most of the levels are worth revisiting, there is also a normal and hard difficulty setting, but in truth, outside of a few levels at the end, the game is not particularly challenging.

Would I recommend this?

With so few family friendly games released these days. this would be a good Christmas present for anyone under the age of twelve. And Sonic fans will find a satisfying entry into the series, but for anyone else there's really not much here, perhaps wait until it's in the sale.

This was a bloody hard game to give a final score on, it splits right down the middle but leans more to the good than the bad.

5.75/10