Copanele's collection of trophies and experiences

[Copanele]

 No.77 : Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-

 

Platinum Name : Xrd Times The Charm 

Hardest Trophy : A Man of Wealth and Taste 

Difficulty : 7/10

Personal impression : 8/10

 

Guilty Gear XRD SIGN is the first iteration of the Xrd version (followed by Revelator and Rev2). I have covered my impressions about this game on entry No.75 so I won't repeat it. 

Compared to Rev2, the roster is smaller and the 2 characters Sin and Elphelt must be bought.

 

However, compared to Revelator, the platinum for this game is a major pain. 

First of all, if you have the European version, then the online is going to screw you : ArcSys in their infinite wisdom released a patch for every version except EU. So EU can't connect to other servers AND can't get the certain item drop rate increase in MOM from the shop. It is a middle finger for no reason for the EU players.

 

And then...there's the MOM mode. MOM mode is a hybrid between fighting, Heroes 3 grid map and a RPG. Basically you start on a map and fight your way through the various opponents that appear. You start at rank 0 and need to reach rank 14. How to do that? One enemy on the map has a star. Defeat that enemy to get the star and reset the map. At a set numbers of stars you increase your rank (2 for rank 1, then the star number increases each 3 ranks). You need a total of 72 stars.To give a better idea, here is the existing map, the numbers of the right show which rank unlocks the map.

 

The reason why this is so grindy ? You might be right in the bottom left corner ,say stage 165 then the star spawns right in the top right corner, stage 124. You have to do ALL THE FIGHTS UP UNTIL THAT POINT (you can only fight the adjacent grinds). It takes A VERY LONG TIME!

However that's not the hardest part. Each enemy drops medals. At the end of the match you get a chest with the chance of an item. You can either open it normally(with attacks depending on chest) OR use a key for an increased chance of dropping the goodies. The target is to collect alllllllll the items there. With medals you can improve your stats that are required for using the items. It's really complex and nauseating and it took me a really long time to unlock the whole map and collect every single item. However, the mode itself is REALLY fun, because you can always experiment with stats and items and fight various enemies with buffs and debuffs. IT's akin to a dungeon crawler.

 

Other than that...challenges are way tougher in SIGN, tutorial is a beast(still,very well done) and the menu is not as cheerful. But it's still a terrific videogame and one of the best fighting game out there.

 

THE GOOD

- top notch graphics

- divine soundtrack (unless you hate metal)

- complex intricate gameplay

- a decent roster of characters

- best fighting game tutorial

 

THE BAD

- crappy online(especially if you are in EU)

- not beginner friendly

- story could use some polish

- MOM mode is not explained too well to newcomers

- online is dead due to release of REVELATOR

- The 2 characters Sin and Elphelt are paid DLC (SIN can be unlocked with in-game money though)

 

 

[Kcrack_Km]

Guiltygear is another one sitting in my backlog that I wouldn’t mind giving a go. Is the online that bad? Can you boost with people overseas cause nearly every fighting game is dead in Aus.

[Copanele]

2 hours ago, Kcrack_Km said:

Guiltygear is another one sitting in my backlog that I wouldn’t mind giving a go. Is the online that bad? Can you boost with people overseas cause nearly every fighting game is dead in Aus.

It can be boosted no problems overseas if you have the Aus version. What's good at this one is that the game is crossplay aka you can play ps3 vs ps4. 

When I say online is bad... The normal connectivity is crap. Tried to have legit matches and the framerate was a huuuge headache. Not to mention nobody plays it anymore. So boosting is your best bet. 

 

[Copanele]

 No. 78 : Far Cry 3(PS3)

 

Platinum Name : Mastered the Jungle 

Hardest Trophy :  Getting Even - Complete "Payback" co-op map 

Difficulty : 3/10

Personal Impression : 8.8/10

 

Here we have the third installment of Ubisoft's shooter series Far Cry. In this iteration you play as Jason Brody, a rich American kid that goes around the world partying with his friends and brothers. But his life takes a turn to the worse when he and his crew gets captured on an island by a group of pirates led by Vaas Montenegro (the dude on the cover). Jason narrowly escapes with the help of his brother and is rescued by the locals that are also part of a tribe. The tribe is led by Citra, a priestess who promises Jason to help him rescue his family.

 

Even from the first moments this Far Cry felt different. In my personal opinion, this is the best Far Cry Ubisoft ever made. The jungle setting is absolutely beautiful and dangerous, you having full control on where you want to go and what to do. You can rush and rescue your friends, girlfriend and brothers but you can also take part into hunts, examining the wild life, assassination contracts and so on. Someone labelled FC3 as Skyrim with guns and honestly he wasn't too far from the truth : There's almost too many things to do in this game.

 

But let's start with the first aspect : Graphics. Damn the game looks fine! They even released a remastered version on PS4(which I won't play, enough jungle is enough) but even the PS3 version looks amazing. At the time it was released this game kicked serious ass in the looks and I can see why. Amazing vegetation and wildlife, water that .. looks like actual water, lighting effects (staying hidden in a bush while the sun rays were shining through the leaves was something amazing), the guys from Ubisoft outdid themselves here. I honestly found no flaws in the Graphics department.

 

Soundwise you'll get another great performance. Actors are great at doing their job, the shining star being Vaas played by Michael Mando. He is stellar in his role and if I remember correctly his persona and way of acting got him on the cover of the game. The only uninteresting character is actually Jason Brody : his voice is so mellow and annoying I constantly felt the urge of punching him in the face. But apart from that everything else is excellent.

 

In gameplay...woo boy does this game shine. You have so many options it's mind boggling : You can go in guns blazing, you can pick up enemies from afar with a sniper rifle, go Rambo with a bow or....go full stealth assassination mode. This game has a stealth mechanic better than Assassin's Creed ironically. You can assassinate grunts from behind with your knife. By unlocking skills with experience points (from your hand tattoos) you can do impressive feats like chain links or air assassinations. Your weapons can be customized and improved by adding scopes, silencers, stabilizers and so on.

The missions are incredibly varied. What might start as a simple Lookout raid can turn into a full helicopter attack. One particular mission which involved burning a field of Marijuana on Skrillex' music was incredible : Jason was getting progressively drugged while the image was blurring and the flamethrower kept spitting fire. Insanity indeed.

 

Sadly in the storyline department, Ubisoft drops the ball. Won't spoil what happens but from the middle onward the story just gets lame. Vaas is actually a lieutenant of the big ring leader Hoyt but this guy simply isn't interesting enough. I couldn't care less about him after the performance Vaas gave me, who definitely stole the show in this game. The ending was abit more interesting, beautifully dealing with the "illusion of choice" concept but yeah....Vaas was the man.

 

Online is...fine. It works. Ubisoft servers are meh but way better than AC4 Black Flag. The co-op missions were surprisingly fun and inspired, they really worked on those and I can appreciate that. There's lots of players active still, took me around 10 minutes to find a full party of randoms. The rest is your typical stuff, I didn't jump too much into it.

 

Trophywise....ubisoft game. There's the odd stuff to do (kill 4 people with a rocket ), the co-op missions, the fuckton of collectibles omg why (also the infamous towers that unlock the map which got propagated in every single Far Cry game). At least they don't ask you to collect every single relic, they are a real pain to get. But apart from the co-op missions(that can be done alone in split screen although I don't recommend it!), the list really ain't much.

 

So...that's Far Cry 3 experience in a nutshell. A great FPS game that was enjoyable. Probably the best FPS Ubisoft will ever do (and try to milk indefinitely of course).

 

THE GOOD:

- Top tier graphics at the time of release

- Vaas is one memorable villain

- Huge diversity in weapons and activity

- Solid co-op and multiplayer

- The game has a high fun factor

- Surprisingly good stealth and skill tree

 

THE BAD:

- Ubisoft level of collectibles

- The story just trips itself in the middle of the game

- The servers connectivity is not that great

- Jason Brody is a weak protagonist

Edited January 15, 2020 by Copanele

[Copanele]

UPDATE:

So, because work is boring and I have nothing better to do, I've decided to rank all the games in a series I've completed. The ranking is purely bias, I rank them just based on my enjoyment with the game.

 

The only rule is that I need to have finished every game in the series. Ranking will be from the least favorite to the most favorite because that's how we roll. At the end I will slap a grade that will represent my feeling towards the game. If a new game will appear from the series I might either repost it or add the game in the original series post. I will see how I feel about it. Of course, spoilers ahoy so read at your own risk if you haven't finished the game!

 

Let's start with one series that I hold dear and made me actually give a damn about difficult games.

 

SOULSBORNE RANKING

 

INTRODUCTION : I love the Soulsborne series. My first interaction with the madness that FromSoftware released in the past decade was Dark Souls 1. That game both kicked my ass and opened my eyes. I had no online connectivity back in the day and a real stubbornness towards beating bosses so...I worked on this until I "Got Gud". From that moment, finishing trivial games like Skyrim wasn't satisfying anymore. Of course, after DS1 I finished every game in the series AND platinumed them eventually. Overall, I love every single entry in the series and I hold them in high regards.

P.S. I also will add Sekiro in the mix because it's a FromSoft game and I feel like it  .

 

7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

 

Sekiro is my "least favorite " Souls games. As in, I enjoyed the game, however it didn't impress me as the other entries in the series.

 

The game is really good, the gameplay is solid, with a mixture of stealth and swordplay, graphics are amazing and soundtrack is worthy of a FromSoft game. What I don't like about it though is that you don't have any variety (you only have a katana and most weapon arts are kinda useless while tools are very situational) and bosses can either be defeated by timing parries or running around them like mad, because there's no stamina bar to impede your running anymore. The replayability is very low, I was forced to do NG++ just to increase exp received from enemies for skills.

 

Again, I don't say the game is bad, it's a very successful game and it even won GOTY 2019 but...it didn't impress me as much as I wanted. Maybe the expectations were too high, I don't know.

 

Score : 7.8/10 a good Japanese themed fromsoft adventure.

 

6. Dark Souls 2

 

This is a good game, but not a good Dark Souls game. I believe this is the line that describes this entry best. In this entry, you kind of discard everything that was in Dark Souls 1 except the Undead Curse. The new setting is the kingdom of Drangleic, where our new zombie protagonist of choice goes out of his/her way to find a cure to his Undead affliction.

 

The game is really...unique. The combat is janky and the weapons feel like you would slap with a wet noodle. Armor is tissue paper. Rolling and stats make no sense. Several idiotic mechanics and level designs(the elevator that gets you to a...volcano in the...sky?what?) make you think "what were they thinking?" especially coming from the masterpiece that is DS1. BUT!!! The game is also SO SO SO FUN! You have so many weapons, so many STUPID weapons, the dual wielding with powerstance is absurdly fun ( you can become a helicopter with dual twin blades), you can make any stupid build you had in mind. Want to punch everyone in the face? Say no more, just farm 50 items and you get a ring that will make you stronger than He-man. Want to have 2 weapons that leave nuclear blasts on their path? Kill two steel behemoths and transform their souls into weapons. It's more on the lines of "it makes no sense and I love it!". Bosses are trash, some of them are glorified grunts with a boss bar but WHO CARES when you can slam them with a tower sized bat? Yes it has none of its predecessor charm but I had fun with it.

 

Score : 8/10 Not the best sequel ever but still loads of fun.

 

5. Dark Souls 2 : Scholars of the First Sin

 

Now why did I add this game separately? Isn't this Dark Souls 2 ported over PS4? Well...yes and no, and I will explain why.

 

Unlike the previous entry, this one is slightly different. All the items and keys are now misplaced, new enemies appear when you wouldn't expect, the fucking Heide Knights now hunt your ass like madmen and some designs are even more stupid than ever.

 

HOWEVER! They add an important piece of lore about Gwyn (ahaaa! Now we have a link to the first game) which is eventually wasted on a stupid boss fight, Aldia. Even more, the 3 DLC's are added in the package instead of being bought separately. Of course for the platinum you now need all the spells and such from the DLC(they are a major pain to get).

 

2 of the DLC are quite fun : Sunken King and Iron King DLC have good bosses, 90% of them are honestly enjoyable (minus the co-op areas with reskinned bosses), Iron King DLC has even the best bosses in the game : Fume Knight and Sir Alonne. Compared to the main game, they are actually challenging and will seriously test your skill.

Ivory King DLC however is a piece of crap; It's a snowy area that's a pain in the ass to traverse, lame shoutout to Bed of Chaos and the only good boss (Ivory King) can only be reached after defeating all of his stupid grunts. What's more, this also is the home to the worst area of the Souls series ever : Frigid outskirts. Periodically there's a blizzard that hinders your progress, you get constantly attacked by ice reindeers that can one shot you regardless of your build and the final boss there are 2 cats, reskins of another boss Aava that you meet in the beginning of the DLC. It's crap and I don't recommend it.

 

Apart from that, the graphical and engine enhancements are huge, game runs smooth as butter and it's a treat to play. Now you can curse the Black Gulch in 60FPS.

 

Score : 8.1/10 Dark Souls 2 with a nice coat and trimmed on the sides.

 

4. Demon's Souls

 

And here we have the one that started it all. The prototype that started the Souls madness and the first one to kick casual gamers' asses. 

 

Demon's Souls can be seen as a "Beta Version" of Dark Souls. Miyazaki recently became director at that time and he created this new IP. It didn't catch the public as Dark Souls did but still, this was a very good game at the time and still is.

 

First of all, the game's REALLY punishing, even moreso than Dark Souls. There's no mercy at the expense of the poor player, you are faced with the most absurd tutorial boss ,a fight which you are supposed to lose, and even if you win, you die in the next cutscene. You are NOT meant to win... not in the beginning. After the local "priestess" and the surrounding NPCs in the Nexus remind you how much of a worm you are, you slowly go and slap every demon you encounter in order to upgrade yourself and become just a little bit stronger so you can face tougher demons.

 

You must bear in mind that the game is very janky. It's old school, mechanics are rusty and dusted and some enemies are straight up cheap to fight. Even more than that, Miyazaki blessed us with one of the worst areas to traverse, world 5-2, a swamp where not only you move like a drunken snail, the enemies have regular speed. If you try to roll...you get stuck. Thanks Miyazaki! BUT...this also gives the game a special kind of charm. Every conquered area, every boss defeated, every stupid enemy slapped to the face gives you the feeling of " Yes I finally did it!". The atmosphere of the game(especially Tower of Latria), the lore and the implications of what will happen if you fail are really building up in this game.

 

Score : 8.5/10 Just remaster the damn thing for PS5 already.

 

3. Dark Souls 3 

 

The story says that, when Miyazaki finally got tired of "WE WANT A SEQUEL" chants of the angry mobs, he went " Ok, you know what? Do a fan service game that solves all the plot points and would satisfy the madmen who ask for more. Just go full fan service. Give them that Undead stuff". And so, he created Dark Souls 3.

 

And my god what a game!

 

Dark Souls 3 is the best Dark Souls game that can be created mechanically wise. It takes everything that was good from Dark Souls 1 (less from Dark Souls 2, we don't complain there), cranks it up to 11 and creates this. Not much to be said : A beautiful game, tight mechanics, punishing combat that was amped up since their experience with Bloodborne and lots and LOTS of tied loose ends. Plus, some of the most beautiful levels out there (Irithyll of the Boreal Valley).

However, it also has some of the most stupid levels out there ; 3 SWAMP LEVELS (really?), many annoying enemies and some areas so obscure you wouldn't think reaching them without a YouTube video. I dare anyone to figure out how to reach the Archdragon Peak without a guide.

 

The bosses are the icing on the cake. Even the lamest boss is interesting in its own way, the reskinned bosses WILL demolish you (Iudex Gundyr in his champion variant will teach you some Street Fighter moves) and the musical score is breathtaking. The final boss will get you right to your feels if you loved Dark Souls 1.

 

Special note to the DLC. While Ashes of Ariandel wasn't really special apart from one punishing boss with 3 phases, Ringed City is everything I ever wanted from a Dark Souls sequel. They could have literally released this DLC without the main game and I would have still been happy. Not spoiling it ; the final battle is a straight 10/10 and the best in the series.

 

Score : 9/10 a fitting end to a saga.

 

2.Bloodborne 

 

What more can be said about this game? A game that really solidified PS4's position as a console, a beautiful Lovecraftian masterpiece. As a hunter, you have to battle the beasts roaming the streets of Yharnam while uncovering the mysteries and horrors of this cursed city. Fast paced combat that's even more brutal than Dark Souls, focused more on offensive capabilities (you have no shields apart from a wooden plank and some stupid saucepan that blocks magic). Your weapons although low in number, each have 2 modes of operation : a regular mode and a trick mode that does huge damage but is usually quite slow. Instead of the shields you have various firearms that help in slowing down and parrying the brutal enemies. 

 

The atmosphere is what defines this game. The Lovecraftian setting really gets to you, every alleyway and corner is designed in such a way that you have no idea who or what would jump to attack you. Paired with that, the bosses are absolutely amazing AND brutal. Each of them is carefully built, forcing you to adapt and improve yourself in order to finally defeat them; they are no pushovers and will punish your every mistake. Even more, for those hungry for more adventure, you have the Chalice Dungeons,layered areas with more bosses, more enemies and more items than ever. It's the high risk high reward section of the game.

 

The DLC is considered to be the best FromSoft DLC and for good reason. It amps up the horror, the bosses are absolutely insane (Orphan of Kos still stands as one of the most difficult bosses out there) and the story conclusion is one that honestly leaves more questions than answers. But if you own Bloodborne, there's no reason NOT to play this DLC.

 

Score : 9.5/10 You really need a good reason not to play this game.

 

 

1. Dark Souls

 

Dark Souls is, in my own opinion, one of those "perfect" games. It's not objectively perfect(no game is) but for me this game does everything right. You have a really intricate combat system, a convoluted story told through items and lines of dialogues which you must piece together(not sure what other game did that), memorable bosses (Ornstein & Smough could never be surpassed in terms of double bosses), an interconnected world like no other and the most glorious and saddening music score ever. Even the areas where the development was rushed (Lost Izalith for instance) you still feel an odd charm...when the area itself doesn't want to kill you.

I believe it's the misery and rot of this world that really improves the atmosphere. Miyazaki envisioned this game as a stand-alone title with no sequel, that's why it has such care and attention of detail that only Sekiro and Bloodborne has. There is no happy ending in this game, the reality is grim and horrible and yet you have to struggle in order to survive as a being. In this game I truly felt you make your own story : Do you wish to finish the game? Fine, you can do that. You wish to become a Forest hunter and punish the invaders? That's the end of your story, perfectly acceptable. In each area there are survivors, hollows like you, who can accompany you(or fight you); they more or less represent what happens to others who stop their story at that point in the game.

 

Every human ,hollowed or otherwise is with flaws; this is best underlined in the DLC Artorias of the Abyss. Artorias was known to be that legendary knight who single handedly stopped the spreading of the Abyss and saved the world. His legends were great yet you never actually encountered the man. With the DLC however you find out what actually happened and how the events truly unfolded. It's a "well played" from Miyazaki that really solidifies the idea that "not all legends are true" and that the world truly goes hollow and corrupted.

 

I don't wish to make another review here, all I can say is that this game is in my top 5 best games of all time. Score 10/10.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Copanele

[Litha]

10 hours ago, Copanele said:

*a fuckin' fair dinkum massive snip (I hate me too I'm sorry)

I really enjoyed reading that, and I'd love to see you do more on the other series' you've played. Also I'm stealing the idea for myself, just give me 5 or so years to get the games done first.

 

10 hours ago, Copanele said:

a convoluted story told through items and lines of dialogues which you must piece together(not sure what other game did that)

Not sure if it's a 1:1 comparison as I haven't played it yet, but I hear the original Half-Life did something similar, at least on a basic level. You can either speed through blasting all the enemies or stick around and listen to what the other characters are saying and understand the story through that. That sounds a little more in line with Doom now that I think about it, and Dark Souls is definitely more nuanced in that respect.

[Copanele]

1 minute ago, SpaghettiGrabsy said:

I really enjoyed reading that, and I'd love to see you do more on the other series' you've played. Also I'm stealing the idea for myself, just give me 5 or so years to get the games done first.

 

Not sure if it's a 1:1 comparison as I haven't played it yet, but I hear the original Half-Life did something similar, at least on a basic level. You can either speed through blasting all the enemies or stick around and listen to what the other characters are saying and understand the story through that. That sounds a little more in line with Doom now that I think about it, and Dark Souls is definitely more nuanced in that respect.

Thanks for the appreciation, feel free to snatch it away  

Hmm if I remember, Half Life did do that too, but yes very basic. It didn't tell the story through items description though, it was abit...weird. You had some idea who you are there.

I do think there was another game that told the story like that, but I can't remember, it was a long time ago.

Anyhow will think of what series I should tackle next. Got 3 more to pick from!

 

[Copanele]

 No.79: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim(PS3)

+100% completed

 

Platinum Name : Platinum Trophy 

Hardest Trophy : Oblivion Walker - collect all the Daedric Artefacts 

Difficulty : Ranging from 2/10 to 5/10 depending on your build.

Personal opinion :  9/10

 

Not sure what I can say anything new about Skyrim, everybody knows Bethesda's best game ever made. Skyrim is one huge sandbox playground with "vikings" where you can do whatever you wish however you wish. It's probably one of the most influential and most infamous game of the past decade, since we are in the "decades" stuff.

 

But first things first. You start as a prisoner who is sentenced to the death row due to a misunderstanding(medieval ages right?)You pick your character's race and face and while preparing to lose your head promptly, the whole party is interrupted by a dragon who started wrecking havoc, enabling you to run away. Thus begins your path to godhood, glory and money.

 

In this game, you are the Dragonborn, a legendary warrior who can use the language of dragons to shout various words of power (you burp fire, you spit ice etc. Spells but shouted not cast). More than that, you are a very skilled warrior and the world of Skyrim is yours for discovery. I was amazed of how much freedom you have in this game. After escaping from the damn lizard and got my first proper equipment, instead of going to the next city Whiterun as the quest said, I just went around in the woods. After being eaten by trolls or kicked in the nuts by bears, I reached...Markath. And from there Solitude. And from there a place with some zombie necromancers that convinced me to get back to Whiterun just to get sidetracked by a quest from the local farm--

 

In this game, YOU make YOUR OWN adventure. Want to continue the main quest to glory and women? Sure go on ahead and hunt the damn lizard. Want to become the greatest mercenary wolf the world has ever seen? Right away sir! Want to become the most overpowered mage even though all you can do is flail a stupid club around? Well hilariously you can do that too.

The combinations in this game are utterly hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing when my 2handed tattooed barbarian with an armor the size of a truck became the Guildmaster of a group of sneaky in-the-darkness thieves. Whatever works I guess. The game itself doesn't give a damn whether you can do a thing or not, it just shovels content at you. Beating you with quantity has always seemed to work for Bethesda and this game shows it the most. The levelling system is the" more you use a skill the better you are in it" so just whack away with your weapon until you level up.That's it (for actual usage of skills use Wikipedia, you'll be 50 years older by the time you cover everything there).

 

The main quest is boring and uninspired :Gather the power and slay the dragon. The fun fact are the fuckton of sidequests, each more hilarious than others, ranging from slapping Draugr to collecting some odd Dwarven armor from some remote place while automatons hunt you. The best quests are the Daedric artefacts quests : Daedras are demonic entities who like to torment or prank people for their own amusement. If you manage to complete whatever stupid task they have for you, you get their signature weapon or armor. The funniest must be Sheogorath the Mad God. After you complete his ridiculous tasks, you get his staff Wabbajack that simply throws random effects and transformations for everyone including yourself. It's pure madness and I love it.

 

The whole adventure is expanded by 3 DLC's : Dawnguard, focusing on vampire and vampire hunting, Dragonborn, focused on the Dark Elves Island of Solstheim and some brooding enemy Dragonborn and Hearthstone, a medieval sims building simulator for those who are tired of smacking Ogres and just want a warm bowl of soup in their own built house. They are all incredibly good, I do recommend getting the whole package.

 

Being a Bethesda game, Skyrim is full of bugs. From Giants' Space Program, to dragons spitting fire to their asses, countless exploits, map falling, map scaling, random teleportations and whatnot ,you always need to be on your toes ; you never know when the game might explode.

 

Do try skyrim if you haven't until now. It's one excellent game and when you are bored of the tough games, playing demigod while hunting butterflies might be the best thing for you.

 

Note: This has been a review for PS4 and PC (with Mods) version. PS3 version is atrocious and never should be approaced ; it will block or even brick your console due to the poor optimization and random crashes.

 

THE GOOD:

- huge sandbox that is at your feet.

- Superb graphics and soundtrack, fit for a northern setting

- So many sidequests one better than the other

- A wide variety of weapons , armor and magic

- DLC content is top notch and should be played

 

THE BAD

- Main story is dumb

- Some stuff can be missable and highly annoying to get

- So....many....bugs

[jonesey46]

Was this your first time playing Skyrim? You know that question that goes around "if you could erase your memory of one game what would it be?"? Honestly for me this would be it. It's been 8 years since I delved into this game and I've never come across anything like it since. I still listen to the soundtrack all the time.

 

Nice review though I had a laugh reading it.

[Copanele]

16 minutes ago, jonesey46 said:

Was this your first time playing Skyrim? You know that question that goes around "if you could erase your memory of one game what would it be?"? Honestly for me this would be it. It's been 8 years since I delved into this game and I've never come across anything like it since. I still listen to the soundtrack all the time.

 

Nice review though I had a laugh reading it.

Oh I've been playing this game on PC for some years, even covered it in mods before ultimately breaking down.

Just now I decided to retake the PS3 experience and complete it. Had to do lots of prayers for it to not crash down however  

[jonesey46]

On 1/17/2020 at 4:38 PM, Copanele said:

Oh I've been playing this game on PC for some years, even covered it in mods before ultimately breaking down.

Just now I decided to retake the PS3 experience and complete it. Had to do lots of prayers for it to not crash down however  

Skyrim broke my OG fat PS3 from launch. Before it died it sounded like a rocket taking off. The PS3 just could not handle that game haha.

Edited January 20, 2020 by jonesey46

[Copanele]

1 minute ago, jonesey46 said:

Skyrim broke my OG fat PS3 from launch. Before it died it sounded like a rocket taking off. The PS3 just could not handle it that game haha.

Oh lord , RIP PS3. I was hoping myself for it to not explode while my girlfriend was mockingly chanting prayers (with profanities in-between because the stupid console was doing like an Apache Helicopter and was disturbing her). Heard this game can seriously brick your console from other friends too, glad that I got lucky and also don't have the same issue on PS4  game runs smooth as butter on it. Bethesda never disappoints lol! 

[Copanele]

Monday is here and Nioh is eating up my time with the 100% goal. It will take some time until I add a new platinum on this list, therefore I believe it's time for another ranking.

For my next entry I'd like to add a series that was very dear to me before the company that created it went full historical collectibles boogaloo :

 

PRINCE OF PERSIA RANKING

INTRODUCTION : Before the madness with the Assassins and Templars (and chests in nice places screw you AC Unity) there was this little series based on 1001 Arabian Nights stories, called Prince of Persia. I believe it was my first serious 3D Action/Adventure game series and I enjoyed every single game that appeared. All the games had the same premise : The Prince usually is in some sort of trouble and has to get through several magical adventures to solve his issues and get the princess. Basically Super Mario in Ancient Persia.  You can see why I was attracted of these games as a child(and still am as an adult).

 

While I didn't play the mobile titles, I did play the original 2D Prince of Persia and even that 3D game that people bashed. Yeah it was kinda atrocious but weirdly enough I enjoyed that too. However in this list I will only reference the games that people experienced on Playstation, namely the Trilogy, the Reboot and the Forgotten Sands. So, let's begin!

 

5. Prince of Persia(2008)

 

After concluding the trilogy, Ubisoft decided that a reboot of the series would be in order. Thus, a new protagonist with a new adventure appeared.

In this game, the Prince is strolling around with his Donkey Farah (hah nice reference) when suddenly a girl falls on him, followed by a group of bad dudes. After dispatching the pursuers and "saving" the princess, our new protagonist gets stuck into a magical quest where the forces of Good and Evil are battling and the princess is the only one who can stop the Evil God Ahriman. As usually, the Gods of light are absolutely useless and it's up to the puny humans to clean up the mess.

 

At a first glance, this game is quite fun. The world is beautiful (in cel shaded style), especially after you clean up the corruption caused by Ahriman. The parkour, although heavily unrealistic (the Prince can really say Nope to gravity) is very flowy and fun to execute. The Prince himself is a funny guy and his interaction with Elika is really well done. Personally I liked Elika alot, even though she is a princess she really is outspoken and knowledgeable, as she proves it to the Prince several times in their banters.

 

However...this game has issues. First of all, you cannot die. At all. Ever. There's no sense of danger. Every time the Prince gets mauled by an enemy or falls like an idiot in a crevice, Elika saves him. This is even applied in a boss fight, when Elika is trapped and the boss is intangible... just jump away, Elika will magically save you and free herself. I personally don't like games without any bit of challenge and this one disappoints in this cathegory.

Secondly, the fights are lackluster. Yes you can combo the enemy into oblivion, but why do that when you can just either mash or send Elika to blast the enemy's ass away? Especially since you can't die. There's no sense of alert, no adrenaline.

Collectibles are, as you'd expect from an Ubisoft game, a pain. 1001 light seeds, some really annoying to get at. You really need to do some weird vaults or find some paths that you wouldn't ever thought of approaching. And finally, personally I felt that the Prince himself is the main issue of the game. He never stops from cracking jokes and really gets annoying at one time. Only straight at the end he finally gets serious, but it's too little too late.

 

The DLC is really good in my opinion. While you still can't die, instead you have to do long sections of platforming in one go. Failing one gets you back to the beginning. That's way better, NOW I feel like I need to be careful not to mess up. Won't spoil the story, but the DLC opens up for a sequel that never came (that shitty mobile game doesn't count). Ah, also the DLC ain't available in EU so you need another account for it. Overall, it's a good game in concept but it can get you bored really easy.

 

SCORE: 7/10 mostly style, but no real substance.

 

4. Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands

 

Forgotten Sands was the final attempt of Ubisoft to revive the series before ultimately burying it. This game is set in the 7 years between Sands of Time and Warrior Within. The Prince visits his brother Malik right when an enemy army sieges him. Desperate to save his kingdom, Malik unleashes Solomon's Army which starts destroying everything in path, including the kingdom itself. Now, the Prince has no choice but to undo his brother's actions and save the kingdom.

 

This is a weird take over the franchise mechanics, it's like Ubisoft itself didn't want to do the game. Forgotten Sands feels heavily like a God of War clone, where enemies drop red and green orbs, you have various powers from a helpful Djinn and you fight lots of enemies at the same time. The areas aren't really memorable either, I really struggle to remember either the soundtrack or the levels of the game, apart from the last fight when you have to fight on a flying platform.

 

However, unlike the reboot, this FEELS like a proper Prince of Persia. I do get the arabic/persian vibe now, the Prince is still an inexperienced wiseass but without the cheekiness of the reboot Prince, he really does care for his brother and tries his best to save him from his mistake. 

 

What really stands out in this game is the parkour. Apart from the regular wall running and vaulting, you now have the ability to freeze water as a time power. This really leads out to some really awesome puzzles, especially in the final section of the game. I actually reloaded the save to play the puzzles again, they really are enjoyable and well done. Sadly, that's pretty much it for this game.

 

SCORE : 7.1/10 Not as good looking as the reboot, but at least you have some challenge. Plus the water freezing is awesome.

 

NOTE: The PS3 Trilogy remaster is trash and should be purged from the face of this earth. Although I got the platinum for all 3 games, description wise I will have the PC version in mind. 

 

 

3. Prince of Persia The Two Thrones

 

 

The final entry of the main trilogy, Two Thrones follows the Prince returning to his home city Babylon with the time empress Kaileena, only to find it sieged by his old enemy the Vizier. I won't enter into time travel details and inconsistencies, I'll get straight to the point.

 

Listening to complaints from Warrior Within, the Prince dropped the edgy attitude and returned to the beloved character from Sands of Time. His gritty attitude now is manifested into a split personality, Dark Prince, who appears after an infection with the Sands of Time. This duality is explored throughout the entire game : while the Prince tries his best to be responsible and help his people, his dark persona is a violent selfish character whose motives are only to seize power and control. This is also portrayed in their gameplay : The Prince is nimble, precise and based on stealth and agility, while the Dark Prince is a brutal powerhouse with his new weapon Daggertail(basically a spiked chain).

 

There is a new stealth mechanic in this game. Although you still are forced to fight, in certain section you can just "speedkill" the enemies. It really contributes to the atmosphere that you are the only free man in a sieged city and I welcome this mechanic.

 

Other than that, the story is still solid, the characters are interesting, Farah returns and is more mature compared to the initial game. The reason I place this game in the 3rd place is ... the game kinda looks ugly. The prince looks like he has mittens instead of hands and Farah's hair clips through her chest. Plus, some levels are straight chores to go through and are simply uninteresting. Pair that with the interesting but mechanically awful chariot races and you do have some faults in the game. Still, they aren't enough to ruin your experience and you will find out that Two Thrones is a really well done game.

 

SCORE : 8/10 A beautiful conclusion to a trilogy and a good Ubisoft game.

 

2. Prince of Persia Warrior Within

 

 

And now, for the metal kid of the series. Warrior Within is set 7 years after the events of Sands of Time. Because of his tampering with the Sands of Time, the Prince is now hunted by the Dahaka, an immortal beast that punishes every anomaly in time(in this case the Prince was supposed to be dead but rewinding time made him avoid that fate). He now travels to the Island of Time to stop the Empress and prevent the sands from ever being created. Yes the plot makes no sense but go with it.

 

The Prince acts like an emo teen here and many people complained, but I personally get him. The man has been chased for a long time by an immortal time manipulating beast; I wouldn't be very cheerful either. I always saw the trilogy's themes being a mirror to the Prince's psyche and honestly the gritty tone fits best for him. Soundtrack is cool also, but I get why it isn't for everyone.

 

Compared to the first entry, the combat really got amped up. The prince can dual wield, switch his secondary weapons and do some combos with a ferocity worthy of Kratos. Decapitations, slicing and dismembering are just a walk in the park for the Prince now. Add some cursing in the mix and you really got one metal game. Even the bosses are a good challenge, even on easy they can kick your ass if you are not careful. 

 

The Island of Time is a pleasure to explore. Although deadly to the max (honestly, what mad architect added so many blades????), you have enough variety to never get bored : You have the mechanical part (huge gears and wooden platforms), the gardens, caves, a small beach section and so on. The interconnected levels are awesome to traverse, although abit annoying when it comes to backtracking. Not only that, but you can explore them both in the present and the past version. When travelling to the past, the Prince can see the Island of Time in its full beauty, everything shines and is functional(and tries to kill). In the present however the island is a ruin, barely holding, and the sight of Dahaka is not helping either.

 

The plot is hella stupid but I feel like they didn't care much about it. Time travelling makes no sense and the characters are very one-dimensional. Kaileena and Shahdee are more like strippers with bad lines than actual characters and the Prince is not helping much with all his grunts and curses. But honestly this didn't bother me too much (maybe because I was way younger and Kaileena was damn hot at the time, who knows  )

 

SCORE : 8.5/10 Prince of Metal

 

1. Prince of Persia The Sands of Time

 

The first game in the trilogy is also the first game in my heart. Prince of Persia Sands of Time is the first adventure of the Prince who, in his quest for fortune and glory unleashes the terrible Sands of Time who corrupts the entire kingdom. Tricked by his enemy the Vizier(a recurring villain in every Prince of Persia game) and with the help of the enemy king's daughter, Farah, the Prince struggles to undo his mistake while also learning how to be a better man.

 

When I first played this game, I had to upgrade my graphics card on the PC because it couldn't support Pixel Shader(such ancient times I know). From the first minutes of the game I was hooked. The Prince was an expert acrobat, running and vaulting over enemies and even wall running in slowmotion. This amazement doubled when I discovered the Dagger of Time, a nifty knife who could rewind time if you messed up, freeze the enemies in place or even getting you in super sayan mode if you upgraded it enough times. The combat was also fresh and challenging. While you could down the enemies regularly, they could really be killed only with the Dagger. You had multiple options to approach them. At the time this game blew my mind with its mechanics and graphics.

 

Reading some of the Arabian 1001 Nights stories ( Aladdin, Ali Baba and so on) the graphics were dreamlike. It's what you would expect of an Arabic themed work of art : A huge castle( called Sarayi, not sure if there's a proper english term), lots of floaty silk, bathhouses, lavish greenhouses, vibrant colors and tones. The accompanying music was also in tune with the setting, oriental themed with some modern guitar strums when action called for. The graphics and sound designers really outdid themselves with this game; It's one of those games where you can feel the passion and love poured into it.

 

The main protagonist, the Prince, is a wonderfully built character. Initially an arrogant brat, as he goes deeper into the palace and interacts more with Farah (way more mature than him by the way) he slowly grows up and realizes the errors of his ways. Especially his relationship with Farah is very well written, it really respects all the proper tropes of the Hero's Journey.

 

The only complaint I'd have with this game is the combat ; It's not diverse enough and can get annoying fast. Especially in one section where you have to protect Farah while she shoots arrows, not only she can die very fast but she can accidentally even shoot you by mistake. It's an old game however so I wouldn't expect too much. 

Also the PS3 version is absolutely abysmal. A fellow user complained alot about how trash Sands of Time is and I absolutely agree with him. The PS3 port is shameful and does the game a great disservice. That's why I mentioned in the beginning that this game should be played on PC; It honestly is the best setting to experience the beauty of this game. That, and maybe the game didn't age too well, I admit. But hey this ranking is biased anyway!

 

SCORE : 9/10 This trilogy made me want to play every single Assassin's Creed, no matter how trash they can become, only because of the settings. Thanks Ubisoft (actually thanks Jordan Mechner, he's the genius behind Prince of Persia).

Edited December 24, 2023 by Copanele

[AJ_Radio]

You've given me some hope on the Prince of Persia reboot. I plan to tackle that game pretty soon.

 

If I were to buy Jotun, what would be your tips and advice towards me?

 

Last but not least, doing Skyrim again on the PS4? Are you MENTAL?

[Copanele]

6 hours ago, Spaz said:

You've given me some hope on the Prince of Persia reboot. I plan to tackle that game pretty soon.

 

If I were to buy Jotun, what would be your tips and advice towards me?

 

Last but not least, doing Skyrim again on the PS4? Are you MENTAL?

Honestly you will enjoy the reboot. It is a chill experience and it's perfect to relax after some mad games. The collectibles will be a goddamn pain of course. 

 

So, for Jotun... Woo boy. First of all, prepare for frustration. While exploring the main world is a wonderful experience, the bosses are the bread and butter of the game and it is the place where you will spend most of the time. Beating the game normally with all the time and powers constraints won't be an issue for you. What will be an issue will be Valhalla Mode and specifically No Powers and No Damage runs. The bosses are incredibly tough and half of them have attacks based on RNG, you can't predict how they will attack or where they will teleport. Even if you can tackle them in any order at any time (no constraints or save scumming needed) they will test your patience. 

I have a Jotun guide in working, seems nobody ever did that one. I will retry the bosses, collect all the info available and make a sort of How To. Sorry I can't give more details, the game is quite unique

 

And yes. Absolutely. Mental is the word everyone uses for my stupid choices in gaming. Moreso, I only have the DLCs to complete and PS4 is done too :3 

I always consider completing dmc2 to be way stupider and insane of me... You have no idea how absolutely atrocious that game is. Doing it twice wasn't my highest IQ moment lol. 

[Litha]

4 minutes ago, Copanele said:

So, for Jotun... Woo boy. First of all, prepare for frustration. While exploring the main world is a wonderful experience, the bosses are the bread and butter of the game and it is the place where you will spend most of the time. Beating the game normally with all the time and powers constraints won't be an issue for you. What will be an issue will be Valhalla Mode and specifically No Powers and No Damage runs. The bosses are incredibly tough and half of them have attacks based on RNG, you can't predict how they will attack or where they will teleport. Even if you can tackle them in any order at any time (no constraints or save scumming needed) they will test your patience. 

I have a Jotun guide in working, seems nobody ever did that one. I will retry the bosses, collect all the info available and make a sort of How To. Sorry I can't give more details, the game is quite unique

This reminds me that I need to give Jotun a shot sometime this year. I had a lot of fun with it when I played it the first time and those challenge runs look interesting. That and Volgarr the Viking. They've both been sitting in my backlog for some time and I've been meaning to play some more difficult games.

[Copanele]

51 minutes ago, SpaghettiGrabsy said:

This reminds me that I need to give Jotun a shot sometime this year. I had a lot of fun with it when I played it the first time and those challenge runs look interesting. That and Volgarr the Viking. They've both been sitting in my backlog for some time and I've been meaning to play some more difficult games.

Yes, do give it a try! If not for the bosses, at least for the awesome Viking setting. Mentioned it in my review as well, the fact that the game is narrated in icelandic makes the game so much more immersive. Damn now I feel compelled to hurry up and start that guide

Also I need to snatch Volgarr the Viking. I am not the best when it comes to platforming sections(can't even complete that goddamn Crash Bandicoot) but it looks like a good game.

[Arcesius]

Jotun is currently on sale in EU if I'm not mistaken. It's a game that I have been thinking about getting for a while now,.. It looks gorgeous, challenging and unique. But for some reason I'm still hesitant to get it ?

 

So apart from Valhalla mode being RNG-dependent... Is the game fun? 

 

Btw, you are still the latest platinum achiever ? 

[Copanele]

13 minutes ago, Arcesius said:

Jotun is currently on sale in EU if I'm not mistaken. It's a game that I have been thinking about getting for a while now,.. It looks gorgeous, challenging and unique. But for some reason I'm still hesitant to get it 

 

So apart from Valhalla mode being RNG-dependent... Is the game fun? 

 

Btw, you are still the latest platinum achiever  

I would say that the game is very fun. I enjoyed it greatly despite it kicking my ass several times. Just to mention, you don't have many enemies to fight in this game apart from the Jotuns. It's more of an exporation/puzzle game with lots of environmental hazards. And honestly 3 out of 6 bosses are RNG dependant, the other 3 have predictable attacks (that hit like a truck of course). If it's on sale I'd recommend getting it honestly.

 

To give a more detailed explanation : In the main game each realm has 2 sub-realms based on Nordic mythology. You need to clean up the sub-realms (find a rune) in order to unlock the specific Jotun for the realm. While you explore you get narration about the world you are in and the deities that usually guard the realm or the legends about it. Game is hand drawn so...it has that artistic touch.

Valhalla Mode gets you into the main hub with all the Jotuns directly available to you. You can tackle them in any order you wish, as many tries as you want, you have no restrictions to them. You only have to defeat them. You will even have a progress list that shows you which Jotuns you completed (although it shouldn't be too hard to remember given how tough they are  ). While the main game Jotuns have 2 phases, the Valhalla mode have 3 phases and an absurd amount of health.

 

And I checked too now that you mention  Yep still the latest platinum achiever and only 34 people finished it out of 1511. It is a tough game but it's not THAT tough honestly. I still consider games like Furi or Slain to be more punishing. Or ...Street Fighter 4, but that's going to the extremes lol.

[Litha]

1 hour ago, Copanele said:

Yes, do give it a try! If not for the bosses, at least for the awesome Viking setting. Mentioned it in my review as well, the fact that the game is narrated in icelandic makes the game so much more immersive. Damn now I feel compelled to hurry up and start that guide

Also I need to snatch Volgarr the Viking. I am not the best when it comes to platforming sections(can't even complete that goddamn Crash Bandicoot) but it looks like a good game.

Yes! *puts on history dork glasses* Modern Icelandic is the closest modern equivalent to Old Norse (with Old Norse technically being Old Icelandic, as it was the only Old Norse language with extant written work) so it really gives the game a nice thematic touch.

 

Volgarr is tough as nails. I still haven't gotten past the first level. It really nails the 'just one more try' mentality with its fast restarts and good challenge.

[AJ_Radio]

1 hour ago, Copanele said:

And I checked too now that you mention  Yep still the latest platinum achiever and only 34 people finished it out of 1511. It is a tough game but it's not THAT tough honestly. I still consider games like Furi or Slain to be more punishing.

 

I guess I stand a pretty good chance then. I've done both Furi and Slain.

 

1 hour ago, Copanele said:

Or ...Street Fighter 4, but that's going to the extremes lol.

 

 

This trophy alone would break me...

 

56 minutes ago, SpaghettiGrabsy said:

Volgarr is tough as nails. I still haven't gotten past the first level. It really nails the 'just one more try' mentality with its fast restarts and good challenge.

 

It IS TOUGH at first, but you'll improve as you memorize the enemy spawns and the levels.

[Copanele]

2 hours ago, Spaz said:

 

I guess I stand a pretty good chance then. I've done both Furi and Slain.

 

Oh for sure, compared to the madness you had to do in Slain (or Super Meat Boy), Jotun is not that insane. Just takes practice.

As for Street Fighter 4...I am waiting for the coming of spring. I legit need myself in the best mood if I want to attempt that madness  But I am set on doing the game! The trials and ranking up all characters to C rank will be the most painful of them all.

[CraigyXO]

This is a super inspiring list and your approach to handling a series has given me a lot of ideas for the direction I'd like to take my own account. It still really bothers me that I sporadically played Assassin's Creed Unity having no prior experience with the series whatsoever. Looking at my account and seeing just Unity (arguably one of the worst AC titles, so I hear) is a bit of an oddity. Having most of the AC platinums would be awesome but I wouldn't even know where to begin in regards of where the story branches and getting around all the annoying multiplayer trophies. Nonetheless, I'm waffling, I'm keen to view your continued progress.

[Copanele]

7 minutes ago, CraigyXO said:

This is a super inspiring list and your approach to handling a series has given me a lot of ideas for the direction I'd like to take my own account. It still really bothers me that I sporadically played Assassin's Creed Unity having no prior experience with the series whatsoever. Looking at my account and seeing just Unity (arguably one of the worst AC titles, so I hear) is a bit of an oddity. Having most of the AC platinums would be awesome but I wouldn't even know where to begin in regards of where the story branches and getting around all the annoying multiplayer trophies. Nonetheless, I'm waffling, I'm keen to view your continued progress.

Thanks for the appreciation ! I do have lots of impression about this particular series, let's see if I can do some sort of "mini guide" about it.

 

Regarding the Assassin's Creed series, you need 2 things : patience and passion  Despite the weird direction it is going, I love the historical setting of the series (history nerd here too, borrowing the "dork glasses" from @SpaghettiGrabsy ) as well as the reproduction of all the worlds and periods of time as accurately as possible.

 

If you ever wish to dive into this humongous series, I will suggest the following (with bullets, because it looks cool):

• Either grab a copy of Assassin's Creed for PS3 or watch the cinematics on YouTube, as you prefer. It is an old game, quite tedious honestly (and has no trophies), but I find it critical to the series as Altair is one of the most influential and iconic Assassins there. Played it myself 5 times despite it being the "get mission, go assassinate" type of game.
• Grab ONLY the PS4 copies for the other games. All of them are more or less remastered for PS4 (Ezio trilogy looks janky I admit and Liberation is...ugh), BUT you will have to deal with multiplayer only in Black Flag and Unity. PS3 versions have AC2 , Brotherhood, Revelations, AC3 and Black Flag with multiplayer and...you do not wish to play on the PS3 servers, trust me.
• Be prepared for the crappy games of the series. You have the Ezio Trilogy which is the best AC you will ever get, but for that you also have... AC Liberation, which is utter trash, or Chronicles series which are VERY different (they are 2D and might not be for everyone).
• UBISOFT INVENTED COLLECTIBLES. Ok maybe they didn't invent them but for sure they perfected them. So many collectibles in every single game. So prepare yourself mentally for some gruelling search for chests.
• Most of the time it's best to ignore the fanbase altogether. That's regarding to Unity. It was an abysmal game at launch, but right now it's quite a polished and playable game. Not the best story but my god the graphics are awesome and the streets are lively. Same for Syndicate for example, you will hear lots of "tired game" comments, but I find Syndicate to be one of the best AC out there. So always dive into a game from the series with an open mind. Hell, I even enjoyed the Chronicles series, and people love bashing those.
• Don't binge them. They will kill you  .
• Trophies are known to be buggy for these games, so periodically get some save backups. They get bugged especially when it comes to collectibles and they are known to cause lots of grief.

That's the AC experience in a nutshell. They take a long time to complete honestly, they really are a special bunch that need to be played seriously. If you go after trophies only you won't survive past AC3, they need to be played individually. No AC game has missable trophies so just enjoy the ride. Myself I stopped at AC Origins due to series fatigue,had a talk with Spaz about that game in particular, with each iteration the games become more and more bloated but also more and more beautiful. I still enjoy them personally, will pick Origins and Oddysey up again and then do a full ranking of the games once I have finished (rumors are a new Viking themed AC game will be announced).

 

Sorry for the ramble 

[CraigyXO]

28 minutes ago, Copanele said:

Thanks for the appreciation ! I do have lots of impression about this particular series, let's see if I can do some sort of "mini guide" about it.

 

Regarding the Assassin's Creed series, you need 2 things : patience and passion  Despite the weird direction it is going, I love the historical setting of the series (history nerd here too, borrowing the "dork glasses" from @SpaghettiGrabsy ) as well as the reproduction of all the worlds and periods of time as accurately as possible.

 

If you ever wish to dive into this humongous series, I will suggest the following (with bullets, because it looks cool):

• Either grab a copy of Assassin's Creed for PS3 or watch the cinematics on YouTube, as you prefer. It is an old game, quite tedious honestly (and has no trophies), but I find it critical to the series as Altair is one of the most influential and iconic Assassins there. Played it myself 5 times despite it being the "get mission, go assassinate" type of game.
• Grab ONLY the PS4 copies for the other games. All of them are more or less remastered for PS4 (Ezio trilogy looks janky I admit and Liberation is...ugh), BUT you will have to deal with multiplayer only in Black Flag and Unity. PS3 versions have AC2 , Brotherhood, Revelations, AC3 and Black Flag with multiplayer and...you do not wish to play on the PS3 servers, trust me.
• Be prepared for the crappy games of the series. You have the Ezio Trilogy which is the best AC you will ever get, but for that you also have... AC Liberation, which is utter trash, or Chronicles series which are VERY different (they are 2D and might not be for everyone).
• UBISOFT INVENTED COLLECTIBLES. Ok maybe they didn't invent them but for sure they perfected them. So many collectibles in every single game. So prepare yourself mentally for some gruelling search for chests.
• Most of the time it's best to ignore the fanbase altogether. That's regarding to Unity. It was an abysmal game at launch, but right now it's quite a polished and playable game. Not the best story but my god the graphics are awesome and the streets are lively. Same for Syndicate for example, you will hear lots of "tired game" comments, but I find Syndicate to be one of the best AC out there. So always dive into a game from the series with an open mind. Hell, I even enjoyed the Chronicles series, and people love bashing those.
• Don't binge them. They will kill you  .
• Trophies are known to be buggy for these games, so periodically get some save backups. They get bugged especially when it comes to collectibles and they are known to cause lots of grief.

That's the AC experience in a nutshell. They take a long time to complete honestly, they really are a special bunch that need to be played seriously. If you go after trophies only you won't survive past AC3, they need to be played individually. No AC game has missable trophies so just enjoy the ride. Myself I stopped at AC Origins due to series fatigue,had a talk with Spaz about that game in particular, with each iteration the games become more and more bloated but also more and more beautiful. I still enjoy them personally, will pick Origins and Oddysey up again and then do a full ranking of the games once I have finished (rumors are a new Viking themed AC game will be announced).

 

Sorry for the ramble 

 

Thank you so much, this was super informative. Apologies if this is a really nooby question, but as I stated I've only played Unity but do the games all follow each other in terms of story or are some of them standalone? For example, you mention the Ezio trilogy, are they directly linked to Black Flag for instance? I guess what I'm asking is from a series standpoint, if you've played Unity are there any other you'd be required for the animus storyline etc. to make sense? I no longer own a PS3 so I will only be playing PS4 versions but it's definitely a long term goal of mine to make Unity stand-out a little less on my account.