BRKsEAGLE's Flight Towards Greatness

[Eagle]

 

DISCLAIMER: 

1) My reviews can (and probably will) contain spoilers, as much as I try to avoid them. If you don't want to be spoilered, it's probably in your best interest to take care when reading further, or stop reading altogether.

2) All of my reviews are my own opinions, and should not be taken as fact, whether I speak positively or negatively of a game. My utmost recommendation for you is to play the games yourself to form your own opinion.

3) If you came from my signature, I was lying. There's no free candy. Didn't your mother teach you not to accept candy from strangers?

 

About me

Hello there! I'm Brian AKA Eagle, a 17yo dude from Brazil that likes playing videogames... and that's it, really. Nothing much about me. I'm sure you were expecting me to be a fantastic man who plants a tree once per day, has read every book in the history of mankind and has 42 children, but no. Just lil' ole me.

 

Jokes aside, it's been a long journey for me. I remember my first experience with videogames, which was playing Jackass: The Game on ye olde PS2 (good times), getting my butt kicked multiple times by my older sister in that tug-of-war minigame where your character fell into a literal pile of poop if you lost. But the experience that really made me dive head-on into this wonderful world was when I got a cracked Xbox 360. It had lots of games, but two of those, which are still my favorite games to this date, stood out to me in particular: Assassin's Creed II and Grand Theft Auto IV. Awesome protags (namely, Ezio Auditore and Niko Bellic), fun gameplay, lots of things to do... I was awed, and started playing more and more. And thus, it all began.

 

Unfortunately, as you'd expect of any cracked console, the Xbox soon stopped working, and thus, I had no games for a while (I also had a Wii, but I barely played on it since my mom and sis played Just Dance all the time, so I don't really count it). Then, my father gave me his old PS3, since he didn't have time to play on it anymore. I could finally get back to those two games, and finish them (since the copies I had before were cracked, they had game-breaking bugs: GTA always crashed when I got to the bank in "Three Leaf Clover," which meant I couldn't progress past that mission, and AC froze on the opening screen eternally when I got to "X Marks the Spot", the second-to-last mission where you have to rearrange the codex pages on the wall to form a world map). It was around that time when I started to finally notice trophies, and I even got the platinum for AC2, but I didn't have an actual PSN account back then, so it didn't really mean much.

 

So, in December 2018, I decided I wanted a PS4 as a Christmas "autogift" of sorts, and so, I sold my old PS3 with all its 30+ games to get it. I played on it casually for a while, and then, on April 2019, I decided to take trophy-hunting more seriously and made a profile for myself (I was playing on my dad's old account, which I still use as an alt to test games), starting with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. And here we are now.

 

Current game

Horizon Zero Dawn

 

I know I did mention that I wanted to at least finish up the Uncharted PS3 trilogy before I went into any other game, but the truth is... I kinda just wasn't really feeling it. So I decided to go for this instead, which I've been wanting to play for a while.

 

Previous games (#1-10)

 

Spoiler

NOTE: games #1-7 have slightly more detailed reviews, since they were played before this checklist was made.

 

#1 – Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

 

Completion: 75/75 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: Talion, a ranger of the Black Gate of Mordor, is killed along with his family by the Black Hand, one of the captains of the infamous villain Sauron. However, he soon finds himself coming back to life when a mysterious wraith who suffers from amnesia merges with his body. They then depart on a journey to discover the wraith's identity and avenge Talion's family.

Pros: 

• The gameplay and combat - specifically, the Nemesis System, which basically makes every enemy unique by giving them different weaknesses, strengths, fears, etc. It adds a refreshing variety to the game, requiring you to always switch your tactics and become proficient with everything the game has to offer to you.
• The collectables, of which there are two kinds. The first one are the artifacts, which can be examined to find memories within, adding to the lore of the game. The second one are the Ithildin fragments, that don't add much of significance to the lore or to the gameplay, but it's nice to see the finished mural when you've collected all of them. They are also marked in the map at all times, which is really useful (not that it would be that hard to find them anyway considering the relatively small size of the maps, but still useful).
• The story, while not super-original by any stretch of the imagination, is good enough, and, despite being set in the Tolkien universe (if you couldn't tell by the title), isn't attached to Lord of the Rings or Hobbit, so you can understand it without much of a problem, even if you know nothing about Tolkien (like me).
• I honestly don't remember having run into any glitches, graphical or otherwise. That's always a bonus.
• The miscellaneous trophies are fairly easy and fun to do, which helps give a boost to the game, even if it's a minor one.
• Delving into DLC territory, the trials were a good new mode, adding a bit more challenge to the game. I'm surprised they're so rare, though, considering you can do them in a few tries (at most) using the guides on the Internet.

Cons: 

• The boss battles... my God, the boss battles... they are the most accurate definition of "anti-climactic" ever. The Hammer is just a regular enemy but with slightly more health, the Tower is a glorified stealth segment and the Black Hand (which turns into a vessel for Sauron himself) is a QUICK-TIME EVENT, and not even a difficult one. You do get to fight Sauron again in the DLC, this time in a proper fight, but the One Ring turns it into a cakewalk, and plus, Celebrimbor loses in the end anyway.
• The parkour suffers from what I like to call the "Ezio syndrome," which is, in easier-to-understand terms, when the character goes on a completely different direction from the one you wanted him to go to, causing unnecessary hassle in the process and likely resulting in you being spotted during a stealth mission.
• Speaking of which, stealth missions are weird... in which, normally, the Uruks aren't really good at spotting Talion, but in these missions (where, y'know, the whole point is not to be seen), they turn into expert trackers and seem to spot you from a football (and no, I don't mean handegg, I mean the football that's actually played with your foot) stadium of distance.
• Sidequests don't add much to the plate, and the optional objectives aren't that creative or rewarding either (in the DLCs, they completely stop being rewarding, considering all they do in the base game is give you currency that's used for upgrades - not so useful when your character is already fully upgraded, so they decided just to have the objectives be there for the sake of being there and scrapping the prize altogether instead of handing out a different reward).

 

#2 – Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

 

Completion: 69/94 trophies (72%)

Synopsis: In the present day, the Assassin Layla Hassan retrieves the mythical Spear of Leonidas from an archaeological site, and from it she recovers the DNA of Kassandra, whose memories she relives through the Animus. The Eagle Bearer, as Kassandra was known by, is a misthios ("mercenary" in Greek) living in the island of Kephallonia, having been abandoned by their parents as a young child due to a prophecy, along with their sibling. However, when a mysterious man offers the misthios a contract to kill her own father, she soon finds herself in a much thicker plot that she could ever imagine.

Pros:

• The story, while also not super-original, is compelling enough to keep you interested until the end.
• It's fun to decipher the Ainigmata Ostraka (collectables which you can find in specific locations, which present you with a riddle), even if they don't give you much of a reward.
• The mechanic of having the land be constantly torn between Athens and Sparta is really clever, since it allows you to feel some more life in the world, while not severely crippling you.
• I also like the mechanic of having to grab evidence to hunt down the Cultists of Kosmos. There's more of an investigation element now than the other games (except for AC1), funnily enough, since you actually have to discover their location through clues and such.
• As well as the mechanic of recruiting lieutenants for your ship. Y'know that random NPC you saw talking about how the time of day is nice? Yep, you can recruit them (even if they probably suck).
• Character customization, with the addition of the engravings, plus the abilities returning from the previous game, was greatly expanded, and having different playstyles, with builds and such, is possible now. Ranged combat, stealth, close-quarters combat, status inflictions... the choice is yours.
• Speaking about customization, transmog is a really neat feature that I wish was in more games. Basically, it allows you to keep the stats of your current armor, while taking on the appearance of another, more fashionable set.
• The boss battles are awesome... in theory. You'll understand later on.
• Naval combat is nice, I suppose. Obviously not very impressive if you compare it with the titles which were built around that premise, but still nice. I'm personally not a fan though, so I just avoided it whenever possible.
• It's cool to actually use an eagle to see things now. Even if that eagle can somehow see through walls. Don't ask me, I have no idea.
• Liking it or not, they did manage to make a very addictive gameplay, which, with the MTX approach, was probably their goal.
• Game's not too creative with miscellaneous trophies, but the one that requires you to retrieve an eye from a goat's butt makes up for the rest of them. And indeed, I have no maturity. Sue me. (Don't actually do that. I have no money to pay you.)
• I only played the first episode of the Atlantis DLC, but it's really good. Even if it's just a simulation of the real Atlantis, it's fun to interact with gods and similar mythological persons of interest.
• Discovery Tour's good as well, for whoever's actually interested in the history part.
• The crossover story they did was really cool, and I like that they introduced a new region for it (even though it's not much different from the existing regions).

Cons:

• Don't know if this would really count as a con, since it only affects non-completionists, and this site is, obviously, full of completionists, but I'll say it anyway. If you only wanna see the story, be prepared for a grind. Leveling up is obnoxiously slow in this game, which doesn't help when you can't face enemies more than a few levels above you without having to fight them for hours because their health pool is bigger than a dump truck. Also, enemies scale with you, which makes the whole experience underwhelming, as you never feel you're actually evolving.
• Y'know how I said boss battles are awesome in theory? In practice, they are really easy. Deimos' (which is the only boss you'll face on the main story) gig is AoE attacks, but when the game shows exactly their attack radius (plus, their attacks are slow and predictable), it becomes a matter of just waiting for them to finally come down to be able to attack them again. The first cyclops is good, but then you discover the other two are mostly rehashes with a few different attacks. I honestly don't remember anything about the minotaur, so you can probably imagine how that was. Medusa is more annoying than actually hard, since she keeps petrifying you all the time.
• Speaking about rehashes, the locations. They made about 10 locations and then copy-pasted them across the entire map to fill the land with stuff. And the map's gigantic, so expect to see the same bandit camp a million times if you're going for all the locations.
• Apart from a few ones, choices don't matter. You'll end up in about the same spot anyway.
• Most characters are easily forgettable, especially those relegated to sidequests, which aren't very creative and mostly consist of fetch quests or simply killing a random soldier/bandit that's causing issues.
• The notoriety system now consists of sending up to 5 mercenaries after you depending on how notorious you are, which you can then reduce by killing/bribing the bounty giver or waiting for it to go away by itself (which, considering you're always killing someone, is not that viable). It's fun at first, especially given that the mercenaries are the closest thing we'll get to a Nemesis System outside of Warner games now that they've filed a patent, but it soon gets annoying because there's always some random mercenary popping up out of nowhere to prolong the battle even further.
• Constant graphical glitches, at least on the base PS4, with textures taking their sweet time to load. Also crashed on me once. And, speaking about long to load, the loading screens. Holy cannoli. I legitimately had time to grab some snacks and come back before those loading screens ended.
• Microtransactions. Lots and lots of microtransactions. Mostly cosmetic, but still.
• Modern section is lame, as expected. But nobody plays these games for the modern section anyway, so eh.
• The Additional Feats are also mostly forgettable and don't add much.
• Parkour is more of a vanity mechanic, since all the buildings are so far apart that you won't really get to use it much anyway. It's more responsive than the old games, but at the cost of nifty moves like side and back ejections.

 

#3 – Watch Dogs 2

 

Completion: 51/56 trophies (87%)

Synopsis: In the previous game, the Chicago branch of DedSec (a hacktivist group) made groundbreaking efforts to stop the tech company Blume from spreading their invasive network ctOS through the entire world, but it still wasn't enough. Three years later, in 2016, they reveal a new and improved version of the system ctOS 2.0, with San Francisco becoming the first city to install it. Marcus Holloway, a hacker framed by ctOS for a crime he didn't commit, joins DedSec to seek retribution, and it's up to the ragtag team of hackers from the San Francisco branch to stop Blume again.

Pros:

• If you are a fan of pop culture references, you will fall in love with this game. No joke, there are references everywhere. Even though I didn't recognize most of them (at least, not right off the bat), I'm sure anyone who is a tad bit older than me will get about 90% of them instantly.
• If you live in San Francisco (or its surrounding areas), you will also fall in love with this game. After all, who wouldn't like to go on a rampage through a virtual version of their own city?
• Collectables actually give you useful stuff, since you can collect research points (used to get new abilities for Marcus), key data (what you need to unlock specific abilities), money, paintjobs for your weapons and machinery, unique vehicles, and, of course, the secret garden gnomes that give you a gnome outfit. What else could you ask for?
• Speaking about machinery, you have an RC car and a drone, which will be two big helpers to get those collectables in the first place (since most of them aren't straightforward, requiring you to solve traversal puzzles and such) and also to plan your way through missions. If you invest in the right abilities, you can get through most missions barely using Marcus himself.
• Story isn't the most compelling one, especially considering the ludonarrative dissonance, but the main missions are really fun and the characters in this one are absolutely memorable, whether it's Marcus, his crewmates (especially Wrench), or the antagonists such as douchebag Blume CTO Dušan or cunning rival hacker Lenni.
• Side missions in this game are very creative. Send the SWAT to the house of a livestreaming griefer, expose a pe** on the Internet, teach your crewmate's niece a lesson, interrupt the gym session of a robotics company's CEO, rescue Aiden Pearce, and even hack Ubisoft itself. Yup, they went there, and I love them for that. I don't actually love them, but shh, pretend I do.
• There's a great variety of activities to do: drone time trials, sailboat racing, motorcross, taxi missions, taking photos of landmarks for ScoutX, getting new songs through SongSneak for your Media Player, or just wreaking havoc as you see fit.
• If you are a fan of fun miscellaneous trophies, this game would likely be of your interest as well. Poor donut guy, can't imagine how many times he has been arrested for no reason.
• Also cannot remember bugs in this one, other than the one time my Jumper fell through the map. Marcus can recall it at any time, though, so it was more funny than problematic.

Cons:

• Vehicular gameplay has been greatly improved from the original game, however, it's still a bit clunky in places, especially if you compare it to games such as GTA V.
• When you're trying to do activities and a player joins your session, the activities disappear from the map and only reappear when the dude's gone. Like, seriously? Won't be a huge problem for people only doing the trophies, but it becomes annoying when you're trying to do everything.
• Speaking about vehicles and activities, screw the ATV. That thing spins more than a Beyblade. (And yes, I know this is a really random and minor nitpick, but having to do a time trial with it was really annoying.)
• Even though the game technically allows for you to use different playstyles (guns-blazing, stealth or machinery), you can tell the game was built almost exclusively for the latter two. There's literally no incentive to go loud: most guns are generic and samey, the weapon abilities mostly suck, the police officers in this game are fierce... like, it's fine to have your game more oriented towards one playstyle, but come on, give some opportunity to the Rambos like me - or remove the option entirely, which would have actually helped with the ludonarrative dissonance issue.
• Microtransactions strike again. This time, fully cosmetic, but still microtransactions. So it's a sin regardless.
• Multiplayer kinda sucks. But I don't really care about it anyway, so meh.

 

#4 – Far Cry 5

 

Completion: 52/73 trophies (64%)

Synopsis: A sinister religious cult called the Project at Eden's Gate, led by Joseph Seed (AKA the Father), has taken over a county in the state of Montana named Hope County by force and is converting every citizen to their ranks. The protagonist is an unnamed rook, sent as part of a taskforce along with sheriff Whitehorse, marshal Burke and deputies Hudson and Pratt to arrest the Father and bring peace to the county once again. However, as the rook will soon learn, "sometimes it's best to leave things as they are."

Pros:

• Gameplay's really fun and fluid, and should keep you entertained for the whole ride.
• Side missions are really awesome. Grab testicles from bulls in ways you didn't even know you could to make a feast, destroy a giant "Yes" sign, help filmmaker Guy Marvel make a movie (which is a parody of FC3's standalone DLC, Blood Dragon), retrieve a certain tape for the American government, follow in the footsteps of daredevil Clutch Nixon and do all kinds of insans stunts, help crazy scientist Larry Parker on his quest to go to Mars... the list goes on.
• Guns for Hire missions are also really awesome, and the Guns themselves are a really neat addition to diversify the gameplay. For example, you can use the mountain lion Peaches for stealth, the bear Cheeseburger to tank enemy fire while you do your thing, or just say "screw it" and call series veteran Hurk to RPG everyone to oblivion. And, of course, many more options.
• Prepper stashes too. They give you really nice rewards and provide cool challenges as well, which is always welcome.
• The easter eggs, such as the alternate ending at the start for not arresting the Father, of which there are many.
• Activities, such as fishing and hunting, are also fun and fairly easy to get into.
• With all of the different abilities, companions and weapons you can obtain, there are a lot of opportunities to explore different playstyles, which is very good.
• There's actually an incentive to explore locations thoroughly, since most of them are bound to have useful resources, collectables and other things if you search.
• ARCADE's solo mode is awesome and left me entertained for hours on end.

Cons:

• To compensate for the side content being awesome, with the exception of the prologue and the ending, the main story sucks. Like, don't get me wrong, the concept is really cool and all, but the execution's awful. Basically, you get captured (with capture teams being scripted to hit you regardless if you're a thousand miles away from them), and then flee. Get captured and flee. Get captured and flee. Repeat this 999 times, ad nauseam.
• This game doesn't perform that well. For example, the game constantly has to load where you're going, especially when you're traversing with a wingsuit. Also, loading screens are really long as well.
• Speaking of the wingsuit, having now played Just Cause 3 (yes, this was edited in a long time after the original post, and I do this often - deal with it), it kinda sucks. First-person really makes it difficult to see what you're doing at times, as much as that only really affects the Clutch Nixon missions, plus the thing turns as slowly as an elephant with its feet broken.
• Collectables are kinda meh, honestly. They don't add much and don't give you much of a reward.
• Microtransactions, yet again. You probably have spotted the trend with Ubisoft games lately, and, as much as I like their games (think of me what you will), they really deserve flak for that.
• Infamous difficulty can be cheesed really easily, so, apart from a few places, it's not much different from a regular run.
• ARCADE's multiplayer mode is dead and boosting it bored me to tears.

 

#5 – God of War

 

Completion: 37/37 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: Kratos has found a new home in the Nordic lands, and established a family once again. One day, his wife Faye dies, and it's up to him and his son Atreus to fulfill her last wish: bring her ashes to the top of the highest peak on all the realms. However, even though the Ghost of Sparta has left his past behind, his past still hasn't left him, and he has to face the gods once again, but this time, they're more vicious and powerful than ever.

Pros:

• The story's wonderful, with amazing and memorable characters. It's a big change from the Greek mythology we're used to, but it's handled perfectly - not once does it feel unnatural or forced. The father-son relationship and Kratos' human side are also big plot points, which allows for a bond with the main characters rarely seen in games.
• Gameplay's really good, with great variety in playstyles that can be achieved due to the new RPG-like system, which may not appease people who preferred the hack 'n' slash, but, in my humble opinion, is better, because it allows for depth you didn't really have before.
• The game in general's quite easy, but the Valkyrie Queen alone makes up for all of it. It's a very tough challenge, that will require dedication and perseverance.
• There's also a bit of a metroidvania approach, and, believe me, there are a lot of things to go after. Will certainly offer lots of fun for people who like collecting secondary stuff, like me.
• I generally find the English and Portuguese dubs to be about the same thing in terms of quality, but this game's Portuguese dub is really good, and I think it's even better than the original one, if I dare say so. It really makes me hyped for the quality of dubs we could have in the future if the VA industry over here receives more investment.
• The boss battles are epic, and really showcase the actual scale of fights between such powerful beings as, for example, Kratos and Baldur. That first fight's #1 in the series for me as of the time of writing this, no questions asked.
• There are still QTEs, but they are much, much less frequent, and, with the exception of a few here and there, are used outside of combat, so it doesn't just feel like lazy design.
• Soundtrack, while not as adrenaline-inducing as in past games, is still absolutely awesome.
• I also can't remember any kind of bug. It's a really polished game, and Santa Monica deserves the kudos for that.

Cons:

• Fast travel is locked for most of the game, which makes it kinda useless.
• The map's also not really helpful, since it doesn't actually show you where you're going - it's just an overview of the region.
• Has some plot holes, such as the Blades of Chaos reappearing when they should have been substituted by the Blades of Exile, but they're minor.
• There's a bit of overuse of certain kinds of enemies. For example, trolls are too frequent as mini-bosses and the Soul Devourer is a reskin of an Ancient.

 

#6 – Tomb Raider

 

Completion: 35/51 trophies (74%)

Synopsis: The infamous adventurer Lara Croft, which in this reboot is only a naïve young woman who has just started her exploring antics, gets stuck in the Japanese island of Yamatai, with the rest of her ship's crew: her best friend Sam, the hacker Alex, the (ex-)TV show host Whitman, the repairwoman Reyes, the cook Jonah, the helmsman Grim and the captain Roth, her mentor. But soon, they discover that mysterious storms prevent them from leaving the island, and, if that wasn't enough, a cult called the Solarii is hunting down anyone who reaches the island, searching for the descendant of the legendary queen Himiko. It's up to Lara to figure out how to escape, in a journey of personal growth.

Pros:

• Story's mostly predictable and kinda clichéd, but I still liked it nonetheless.
• Combat's not the best thing around, considering there are a lot of shooters that tap more into the shooting aspect (duh), but it works, and is quite fun.
• The game's main factors, which are the exploration and puzzles, are done really well. Collectables add to the lore, and the challenges are well-hidden in the scenery. Puzzles also make you think, without being mind-numbingly hard.
• Even though there's a fair chunk of trophies that are missable, none are too difficult, so you shouldn't have much problem.
• Also didn't saw any bugs, even though there's a reported bug that involves Shipwreck Beach, in which fast-traveling to it causes a crash, and, if you don't have a backup save and still have things to do there, can wreck (because it's a shipwreck... I know, I'm really funny) your game. Can't remember if I tested it or not, but be wary.
• There is a good amount of behind-the-scenes content to be unlocked, so if, like me, you like extras, it's surely a plus.

Cons:

• I wish the characters' backstories were actually mentioned in the game itself. You have to read the comic book in the extras section to know most of them, which is a shame, since you don't really get to sympathize with the characters then.
• Parkour's kinda wonky at times. Guess Lara is another one of Ezio's apprentices.
• Even though I understand the game's main focus is not the combat, I still wish there was some more weapon variety, such as a sniper or something. The pistol is useless once you get the shotgun and the rifle, and using the bow outside of stealth is purely for showing off, since again, the shotgun and the rifle are much better in that regard. So you basically only have two weapons.

 

#7 – The Order: 1886

 

Completion: 22/22 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: Grayson (AKA Sir Galahad), a member of the Order – an organization formed to hunt and kill the so-called "half-breeds" (which are werewolves and vampires) in order to protect London – has to spring into action once again when a new wave of the half-breeds comes from the Whitechapel district, where a mysterious person known as Jack the Ripper is going on a killing spree of prostitutes. Galahad discovers that the city is in much greater danger than it seems, and he might have to reconsider his allegiances in order to crack the case.

Pros:

• Even though it seems like a generic shooter, it's a very unique game, with a very unique concept. Set in Victorian London, with futuristic weapons, Jack the Ripper, Nikola Tesla, werewolves, vampires, the Knights of the Round Table... sounds like a lazy mesh of clichés, but it actually works to form a decent story.
• I'm personally not a big fan of the letterbox effect the game uses, but I gotta admit it makes the style really stand out.
• The weapons (which are obviously a big part in a shooter game) are also really fun to play with. A thermite rifle (shoots gas that explodes when ignited), an automatic crossbow, an arc rifle (shoots bolts), a rail gun...
• Gameplay's also nice. Not anything ground-breaking, but still, good enough to make it a pleasant experience.
• Trophies are nice and easy, and the game's difficulty is fair as well. Has its tough moments, but nothing that'll make you pull your hair out.

Cons:

• Even for a shooter game, it is kinda short, especially if you consider there's no online or difficulty trophies to add to the replay value, and half the chapters are just a cutscene.
• The ending. So, Galahad killed Lucan and then... just leaves London? What about Sir Hastings? Just gonna let him spread the half-breeds throughout the world willy-nilly? I get this was a way to leave a plot hook for a possible sequel, but still, really disappointing (especially considering a sequel's really unlikely, given the negative reception and Ready at Dawn's switch to VR games).
• Speaking about disappointing, another final boss who's merely a QTE. Yay...
• Crashed on me once, out of nowhere, when I was cleaning up the remaining trophies through chapter select.
• Wish there was an option to read the newspaper collectables without having to squint my eyes to see the tiny text. (Especially since I have myopia.)
• Stealth's kinda wonky. Since you have to wait for the right moment to do a stealth kill, it leads to some situations where you, for example, try to do a corner kill only to fail either way because the guard will detect you if you get too close to the edge or won't have time to close the distance if you distance yourself.

 

#8 – The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (full review)

 

Completion: 67/79 trophies (87%)

Synopsis: The eponymous witcher, Geralt of Rivia, is hired by Nilfgaardian emperor Emhyr var Emreis to find his daughter, Ciri, which went missing after being relentlessly pursued by a group called the Wild Hunt, who wants to use her powers of space-time manipulation for their nefarious plans. The rest lays upon the player, and their choices amidst the numerous intrigues and conflicts.

Pros:

• Story is excellent. Lore is deep, but explained well enough that even newcomers can get immersed.
• Sidequests are generally good, and some are very unique and awesome.
• Combat, while fairly bread-and-butter, is fun, especially if you experiment.
• Gwent is extremely enjoyable.
• Death March offers a fair difficulty, but nothing absurd.
• Good soundtrack.
• Blood and Wine is gorgeous, fun and has loads of content for a DLC.

Cons:

• Clunky movement.
• Huge loading times.
• A myriad of bugs, but mostly harmless. Still bad.
• Underwater locations can go die.
• Unpausable cutscenes.

 

#9 – Assassin's Creed II (full review)

 

Completion: 51/51 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: The young and brash Florentine playboy Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who once had a life so great he thought nothing could ruin it, has his world turned upside-down when his father and brothers are executed on a false accusation of treason, betrayed by a friend of the family he thought he could trust. But he soon realizes the plot goes much deeper, involving legendary artifacts, prophecies, conspiracies and ancient orders who are in conflict with each other for milennia. You relive his life as Desmond Miles, his descendant, trying to figure out where one of the mythical Apples of Eden is before Abstergo Industries, a malicious company wanting to use the PoE for world domination, does so.

Pros:

• Compelling story.
• Awesome protagonist.
• Excellent soundtrack.
• Fun gameplay.
• Amazing ambientation.
• Good DLC (even if the Shipyard mission bugged on me), although I would have disliked actually paying for it.

Cons:

• Too easy sometimes, given how OP the counters are.
• Funky camera angles and parkour in some situations.
• Remaster had some weird changes to the graphics.
• No manual save.
• No option to change text language.
• Portuguese translation has some awkward moments.

 

#10 – Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (full review)

 

Completion: 51/51 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: Starting right from where the previous game ended, both on the past and the present, Desmond enters Ezio's memories once again to find the Apple of Eden. This time, Ezio's adventure is set entirely in Rome, as he seeks to retrieve the Apple from Cesare Borgia, captain-general of the papal forces and son of Pope Alexander VI, who has stolen it from him after an attack on the Auditore villa.

Pros:

• The optional objectives bring more of a challenge to the plate this time around, but not enough to drive you crazy (at least, in my experience).
• Ezio is still awesome and funny, yet you can see he has matured.
• Soundtrack is nice. Not as grandiose as the previous game, but nice.
• Ambientation and atmosphere still as good as ever.
• As much as I don't really care about graphics, you can really see the leap in quality in this one. That's why the wonky faces aren't there anymore.
• What the game arguably lacks in main content, it gains in side content.
• Gameplay is insanely fun, and now rewards you for being more proactive with the new execution streak mechanic.
• The management activities (Assassin management and city management) are done really well. Doesn't feel like a chore, which is always great, considering those kinds of mechanics often force you to micromanage and end up feeling boring.
• Much more tools at your disposal, so you have even more ways to approach scenarios.

Cons:

• Really buggy. Most bugs are silly, so you'll probably just brush them off and laugh, but there are a few problematic ones as well.
• Story is too short, and most characters (especially villains) suffer from lack of development as a result.
• Still no manual saves.
• Still no option to change text language.
• Portuguese translation seems to have worsened in this one, strangely enough. They probably had to rush it or something.
• "Ezio syndrome" is still there (fittingly enough).

 

Previous games (#11-14)

 

Spoiler

#11 – Assassin's Creed: Revelations (full review)

 

Completion: 50/50 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: 4 years after Brotherhood, Ezio goes on a voyage to Masyaf, to accomplish his father's goal of opening the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, the legendary Assassin. However, he discovers he needs five keys to do so, and so is led to the city of Constantinople, where he meets new acquaintances, but, much to his chagrin, has to deal with very familiar situations. Meanwhile, Desmond is in a coma and is put in the Animus to stabilize his condition, where he finds himself stuck in a strange island with Subject 16's uploaded consciousness, who tells him that he has to completely synchronize both Ezio and Altaïr's memories to be able to live, else the Bleeding Effect will make him go crazy and kill himself, just as it happened before with 16.

Pros:

• Top-notch gameplay.
• Amazing soundtrack, even though it still doesn't reach AC2 levels of epicness.
• Excellent ambientation, as is standard for the series.
• Actually a good Portuguese translation this time around.
• Bugs were mostly ironed out. A few still remain, but that's to be expected.
• Most people did not like the Lost Archive DLC, but I did. Again, would have disliked paying for it, but I didn't, so yeah.

Cons:

• Not as much side content as the previous game, and what there is tends to not be as entertaining.
• Lacks AC2's story and charm, even though it's a step up from the previous game.
• Those damn credits.
• Modern section somehow manages to be even more boring.

 

#12 – Resident Evil (full review)

 

Completion: 45/45 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: After a series of cannibalistic murders on the Arklay mountains, the Bravo team of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service, the elite division of the local police department) is called to investigate. However, when they end up missing, the Alpha team has to intervene and finds out that their helicopter crashed in the middle of the forest, with the pilot dead and the rest of the members missing. Chased by a pack of rabid dogs, Alpha team has to take refuge on a nearby mansion, which ends up being full of zombies and other deadly creatures - controlling either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, it's up to the player to discover what caused this whole incident and escape the mansion.

Pros:

• Gameplay's actually quite solid for a 2002 game.
• Achieves its goal of being a terrifying experience - no wonder it basically defined a whole new genre of videogames (survival horror).
• Soundtrack really helps nail the ambientation.
• The difficulty curve is well-done, and you can really feel yourself improve as you get more used to the game.
• Many creative sceneries and scenarios, with a good mix of puzzles, item management and enemy encounters.

Cons:

• Fixed camera angles.
• Not much to do in terms of secondary stuff.
• 6 playthroughs for the plat does get a bit tiring after a while.
• Story's a bit simpler than I thought it would end up being. Even though I find that's not that big of a deal, personally, I'll still put it as a con.

 

#13 – Just Cause 3 (full review)

 

Completion: 67/67 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: Rico Rodriguez, specialist in "dictatorship removal", is summoned by his childhood friend Mario Frigo to his homeland of Medici (a fictional archipelago country in the Mediterranean) to remove the dictator Sebastiano di Ravello and restore peace and order to the land.

Pros:

• Gameplay's absurdly fun and addicting.
• Lots of cool easter eggs to find.
• Collectables actually give rewards, even if minor - plus, you get them marked on the map as you liberate provinces, which is useful.
• Challenges are also really fun, although most can be cheesed (the ones you can't are bound to leave you struggling a bit, though).
• Beautiful sceneries, and the soundtrack fits well - contributing to the "ambientation" factor.
• DLCs are awesome, even if unfortunately kinda short.

Cons:

• Story is extremely lackluster, being there just as an excuse to lead you to the setpieces.
• Much better than it was on launch, but still has technical hiccups, the most notable of which are slight frame drops when there's too much happening on the screen (which tends to occur frequently).
• Cities and outposts begin to feel too samey after a while.
• Who the hell made the bikes? Why are they so goddamn janky?
• Didn't really bother me because I played with the Portuguese dub anyway, but Rico's voice sounds really weird and unfitting (though that may be because I played with a different dub in the first place).

 

#14 – Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (full review)

Completion: 54/54 trophies (100%)

Synopsis: Treasure hunter Nathan Drake starts a search for El Dorado, a fabled golden statue that was sought by the legendary privateer Francis Drake (Nate's supposed ancestor), with the help of his mentor Victor "Sully" Sullivan and adventurous yet inexperienced journalist Elena Fisher. Their search takes them to an island off of the Peruvian coast, however, they soon find themselves stranded in there when their plane is shot down; thus, they have to find a way to retrieve the treasure and escape while dealing with pirates and mercenaries who are also after the statue.

Pros:

• Nate is an absurdly charismatic protagonist.
• Gunplay's really tight for a 2007 game, even if it's a remaster.
• Art direction is really good, and makes the visuals hold up even after all the years (again, even if it's a remaster).
• Really nice soundtrack, which fits the setting perfectly.
• No technical issues whatsoever – the game's very well polished (at least, if you don't purposefully try to bork the game).

Cons:

• Parkour's even jankier than usual for the franchise.
• Story's a bit shallow, and the villains are as one-dimensional as they come.
• Most changes added to the remaster aren't all that great, and could have done with some more refining.

 

Backlog

Spoiler

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Batman: Arkham City
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• BioShock
• BioShock 2
• BioShock Infinite
• Burnout Paradise
• Enter the Gungeon
• Far Cry 3
• Injustice: Gods Among Us
• Ratchet & Clank
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Resident Evil 0
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
• Saints Row IV (+ Gat Out of Hell)
• Sleeping Dogs
• The Evil Within
• The Surge
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
• Yakuza 0

 

This is mostly for the hell of it, since I know I have nothing that impressive (yet), but it would be nice if you left a comment and such. No pressure, though.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Eagle

[Cassylvania]

Nice start. Know what I'm most jealous of? Your age. You got 20 years to play all the games you want before you catch up to me.

 

It's interesting to rank games by the order in which you play them. I kinda like that because I usually wait until I platinum a game before giving my full review, which is sometimes unfair to the game, as I'm usually sick of it by that point. I look forward to seeing your AC Odyssey review, as that's a game I've had sitting on the shelf for a while.

[Eagle]

On 09/09/2020 at 4:20 PM, Cassylvania said:

Nice start. Know what I'm most jealous of? Your age. You got 20 years to play all the games you want before you catch up to me.

 

It's interesting to rank games by the order in which you play them. I kinda like that because I usually wait until I platinum a game before giving my full review, which is sometimes unfair to the game, as I'm usually sick of it by that point. I look forward to seeing your AC: Odyssey review, as that's a game I've had sitting on the shelf for a while.

 

Thanks for the honor of commenting in my thread!  About my age, on one hand, it is indeed good that I have a big amount of time to go after stuff, but on the other hand, I can't really buy much stuff to go after (especially with how bad the economy of my country is). And, about the games, I do plan to fully complete them in the future, but while I don't have the means of doing so, I just do as best as I can then.

 

I plan to do all reviews tomorrow, and some other stuff as well, since I'll be on my tablet the entire day anyway (yes, I'm one of the few people in the world who use a tablet as their main access to media), so stay tuned for that.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[Copanele]

Heyo, just wanted to say that I really love that intro best of luck on the checklist! 

Also waiting for the AC review since I love that stabby climby series

[Golem25]

I see new checklist, I come in to show my support. Pleasant surprise to see it's BRK's thread.

 

If the prices on Brazilian PSN are a concern to you, I'd be happy to teach you the Turkey Trick to buy games from the Turkish PSN; due to low local taxes and the Turkish Lira's low value, you can get some real good deals there. Although you'd need an adult to open the bank account needed for it.

[Eagle]

On 09/09/2020 at 7:33 PM, Copanele said:

Heyo, just wanted to say that I really love that intro. Best of luck on the checklist! 

Also waiting for the AC review, since I love that stabby-climby series. 

 

Thanks for the support, and thanks for the luck!

 

On 10/09/2020 at 5:26 AM, Golem25 said:

I see new checklist, I come in to show my support. Pleasant surprise to see it's Eagle's thread.

 

If the prices on Brazilian PSN are a concern to you, I'd be happy to teach you the Turkey Trick to buy games from the Turkish PSN; due to low local taxes and the Turkish lira's low value, you can get some real good deals there. Although you'd need an adult to open the bank account needed for it.

 

I know about the Turkish store being cheaper, but, as you said, no way I'm gonna convince my parents to open a Turkey account for games. But thanks for the support, I really appreciate it.

 

Already working on the remaining reviews, so keep an eye out.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

Hey. I know I said I'd have all reviews completed by September, but I have a terrible habit of being an idiot. Nah, but seriously, I didn't have as much time as I thought I would, and then I also got carried away. But I finally completed all of them, so yeah, kudos to me.

 

About Witcher, as you can see in the opening post, I completed the base game now. I'm at Blood and Wine, and man, Toussaint's beautiful. It's definitely one of the most colorful and vibrant places I've ever seen in games. Planning to do HZD afterwards, but might change my mind. Whaddya guys think?

Edited October 10, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

Hello peeps, it's me again. As much as I hate triple-posting (as if double-posting already wasn't bad enough), what should I do, right? But, this time, I come with news. Very good news.

 

Game #8 – The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

 

Three months and 200 hours later, I have finally platinumed this gigantic game. Now, I'm used to it, having already spent about that amount of time platting AC: Odyssey, but it still doesn't make the task less daunting. However, the hours spent were, in my humble opinion, extremely worth the while and I don't regret it even one bit. But let's go by parts, shall we?

 

First, the story. Oh man, the story... even though I'm not too knowledgeable about the franchises with deep lores out there, I think it's a safe bet to say this game fits that group. It's a big story, with many intricacies that probably will make you very confused at the beginning unless you've had prior experience. However, that's only at the beginning. I have never read the books or played the first two games, but the game explains the lore so well, be it through dialogue or the many books scattered around, that, after a few hours, I felt truly immersed in the world. The story of the game itself is also a very good one, with many twists and turns, choices that actually matter and various possibilities.

 

Second, the gameplay. Now, this is kind of a weird one. Looking at it objectively, it's pretty bad. Regular combat is bread-and-butter, and Geralt controls clunkily, which can make traversal difficult. But it still managed to keep me entertained, and, playing on Death March, you are encouraged to experiment with everything the game gives you (potions, bombs, etc.) in order to defeat the most difficult enemies. And, in fact, I'd say that's the way I recommend you approach combat. I admit I am guilty of mostly sticking to the basics, that is, sword and signs (this game's version of spells), but if you don't mind taking your time to learn new stuff, that will make combat extremely fun for you.

 

Third, the secondary content. Side quests are awesome, some of them springing to mind immediately when talking about the game (like recovering GOG to use against DRM). Locations, while still not necessarily the most creative ones, are still much more diverse and fun to complete than in Odyssey. Except the underwater locations. Screw those.

 

Fourth, gwent. I had a blast playing it. Like, it's obviously not as deep as, y'know, Magic: The Gathering, Hearthstone or anything like that, but it's incredibly fun, and to think they created a whole card game just as a secondary thing (you don't even need to touch it to complete the game, if you don't want to), honestly blows my mind away.

 

Fifth, the soundtrack. I usually don't say much about soundtrack because, to be fair, I don't even notice most songs besides one or two in the majority of games, but this game really knows how to use its sound well. The songs really get you into the action, be it a calm music on a "romantic encounter" (what the game is probably most known for, if I'm being perfectly honest) or an epic boss theme.

 

Sixth, Blood and Wine. Y'know when I said Toussaint was beautiful? That was true. But, when I entered the fairytale world (not gonna elaborate to avoid as much spoilers as possible, but it makes sense in context), it put that to shame. Jokes aside, it's a really good DLC, which could honestly become a standalone game if they really wanted to. Really good story, gorgeous scenery and lots of cool new mechanics and stuff to do. What else could you ask for?

 

Seventh, miscellaneous ramblings. Boss battles are a bit disappointing, but at least they aren't a QTE, so I'm happy with that. Loading times are huge. You can get through the entire story doing only a few side quests to level up if you really just want to rush the main stuff, and you can also defeat overleveled enemies with enough persistence if you really want to, so it's not a grindy game at all, which is good for an RPG.

 

 

So, I said I was thinking about playing HZD next, but, as a late birthday gift, I got the AC: Ezio Collection and Batman: Arkham Collection. And I can't pass up the opportunity to play AC2 again, so yeah, that's my next game.

 

 

EDIT: Forgot about the bugs. This game has a myriad of bugs. Most of them are harmless and even quite funny, but some of them, like having your boat thrown into limbo and thus softlocking you, are really prejudicial.

EDIT #2: Also, unpausable cutscenes? Seriously? Oh, well.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Eagle

[Phantochi]

Sup eagle, always nice to see a fellow brazilian around here, i left there a few years ago but i still am a "huehue" inside lol

 

Anyway, you have some great games done already, good luck on your future hunts, besides injustice i think you won't have much trouble with your backlog, maybe only Revelations 2, i'm going through that one myself and it's not easy to do Invisible mode and speedrun solo, so get ready for that. So yeah, keep your reviews coming, had a ton of fun reading through them

[Eagle]

On 26/10/2020 at 11:48 PM, Phantochi said:

Sup Eagle, always nice to see a fellow Brazilian around here. I left a few years ago, but I still am a "huehue" inside, LOL.

 

Anyway, you have some great games done already. Good luck on your future hunts - besides Injustice, I think you won't have much trouble with your backlog. Maybe with RE:R2, since I'm going through that one myself and it's not easy to do Invisible Mode and solo speedruns, so get ready for that. So yeah, keep your reviews coming, had a ton of fun reading through them.

 

Hey, dude! (Punny name you got there, LOL.) Thanks for your support! Yeah, I'm really excited and scared for the survival horror games + Injustice at the same time, because they're not the easiest plats of them all, from what it seems, and I suck at the genres. But the challenge's part of the fun.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[JPHolzer]

Great checklist and great games you have there, mate. I will eagerly wait for your updates ?

 

Your english is also very good, specially considering your age, so props to that as well.

 

É nois! hehehe

[Eagle]

On 27/10/2020 at 3:06 PM, talespagni said:

Muito bom! Estarei acompanhando.

 

Levando em conta a sua idade, o seu inglês é excelente. Parabéns!

 

On 27/10/2020 at 3:30 PM, JPHolzer said:

Great checklist and great games you have there, mate. I will eagerly wait for your updates. 

 

Your English is also very good, especially considering your age, so props to that as well.

 

É nóis! Hehehe.

 

Thanks, both of you! Nice to see more Brazilians in here! It's funny how I learned English: by playing videogames from such a young age as I did, since most of them were in English, because, as you know, translations weren't really a thing back then (some games, like Killzone 2, had PT-PT, but those were few and far between), I was kinda forced to learn it if I wanted to understand the story. And I did. I still want to learn another language, but I'll do so when I feel I need to, like if I move countries in the future or something.

 

Tamo junto.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

G'night, ladies and laddies. Or g'morning, depending on where you are. Or even g'afternoon. Timezones, huh? Oh well. Time to announce my newest platinum, which is... 

...

insert dramatic drumrolls here

...

Game #9 – Assassin's Creed II

 

So, there really isn't much I can say about this game that other people (and even I) haven't said already... it's an 11-year old game, after all. Awesome protagonist, awesome soundtrack, awesome story, awesome gameplay... my bajillionth time playing this, and yet, I never got bored. It's one of my two favorite games of all time for a reason, and, as corny as this sounds, it's a game I cherish.

 

Instead, I'll say my gripes with the game, especially with the remaster. How about that? Here we go.

• I hate forced camera angles, and they are overwhelmingly present in the tombs. It just ends up being a way of making me go in the wrong direction because my controls are flipped all of a sudden, instead of actually helping like it's supposed to.
• The "Ezio syndrome", as I call it - which basically means you sometimes end up jumping or climbing to a completely different place than you meant to. You won't really notice it on regular gameplay, but on the races and tombs, it stands out. However, it isn't as bad as I remember it being.
• They removed the Italian dub on the remaster. I wasn't gonna play with it anyway, but why remove the option?
• No option to change the text language. I wanted to play it fully on English for the nostalgia, but nope. Portuguese translation isn't too bad, but there are some awkward things here and there, like "Fragment of Eden" instead of "Piece of Eden" and "Sangria Effect" instead of "Bleeding Effect".
• Game really holds your hand sometimes. Missions with timers generally have much more time than you'll need, enemies attack one at a time, etc.
• More hiccups than I remember there being on the original version. Shipyard mission bugged on me (to be fair, I hadn't played it originally to know if it was always this way, but still) and I had to restart the checkpoint, had a bug in which I had a target icon stuck to me until I went to another region, etc. Few, but there.
• Lighting on this remaster is a bit wonky, so things look way brighter and saturated than they should. Desmond and Lucy's faces also look goofy, but you get used to it.
• No manual save option. I mean, game gives you autosaves everywhere, but it would still be nice.

 

But, as you can see, those are mostly minor nitpicks. If you somehow haven't played this game after 11 years, I'd say go for it if you can, to at least give it a try. Next game will be AC: Brotherhood, which, ironically, I'd say is the better game... at least, from what I remember. We will see. 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Eagle

[LancashireLad87]

Best of luck to you with your trophy goals, I hope to reach your completion rate at some point in the near future. Good luck with Batman Arkham Asylum, such a great game! Shock and Awe Extreme was a pain in the arse to earn 3 medals on but if I can do it, I'm sure your young fingers will be fine!

[Eagle]

On 10/12/2020 at 10:16 AM, LancashireLad87 said:

Best of luck to you with your trophy goals, I hope to reach your completion rate at some point in the near future. Good luck with Batman: Arkham Asylum, such a great game! Shock and Awe Extreme was a pain in the arse to earn 3 medals on but if I can do it, I'm sure your young fingers will be fine!

 

Haha, thanks! I would aim for 100% completion (or as close as possible, anyway), but I don't have PS+ neither most DLCs for the games I own, lol.

 

I have actually played Arkham Asylum before, back on the PS3, so I know what to expect. Will be a fun challenge, that's for sure.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[THEULTRAMEMELORD]

when are you going to plat tomb raider you already have the single player done and the online doesn't take long.

[Eagle]

On 12/12/2020 at 5:18 PM, THEULTRAMEMELORD said:

When are you going to plat Tomb Raider? You already have the single-player done and the online doesn't take long.

 

When I have PS+. Which is not now, as you can see, LOL.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

OK, this is a weird update, I know, but I just wanted to say I got the platinum for Watch Dogs 2. Thanks to the free multiplayer weekend, I finally managed to get the online trophies (which were the only ones remaining) out of my way. 

 

Graduation Day

 

I already have a review for the single-player, so I will talk only about the multiplayer. It kinda sucks, in my opinion. To be more precise:

• First off, my biggest gripe: when I was trying to get the trophy for killing 5 bounty victims, I found out the game, for some reason which I could not fathom even if my life depended on it, counts Security Van events as bounties. So half the time I spent on that trophy was just because I was shoved into completely unrelated events and had to keep leaving them. Yay.
• One of the kills I got didn't count because, according to the game, me using a grenade launcher to explode a boat is an accidental kill by the police. What even...
• Speaking of which, why are Ubisoft games' grenade launchers so crap? Seriously. It has about as much range as a spit and as much power as a baby who just wet his diaper.
• To compensate for the above, Ubisoft games' LMGs are so OP. The U100 just demolishes everybody.
• Still on the subject of guns, just found out that apparently an automatic shotgun (ATSG-12) has about the same power as a pistol. Me and another dude started shooting each other at the same time and both died simultaneously.
• The Sh0wd0wn trophy popped one win later than it should, so I had a mild heart attack for a moment.
• Also, if you're reading this (probably not), props to you, Lil' Whip. You were a really good partner.
• My internet connection isn't as bad as I thought it was. Had a few lags here and there, but overall really smooth.

 

I also got the co-op trophy for Far Cry 5, thanks to @PanBuk69. I had a NG+ save on Easy and they had the laser gun from the Mars DLC which is ridiculously OP, so completing 3 missions was like stealing candy from a baby (second baby analogy in a short post... well, I never said I had originality). Thanks again, dude.

 

Well, back to AC:B now... such a good game.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

"Triple posting again, Eagle?" Yep, that's right. Deal with it.

 

Game #10 – Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

 

So, I finally finished this game. My grandma came to visit me and my school started during these last couple o' days, so that's why I have been a little slow. But I'm now up to form again. Let's talk about this game, shall we?

 

You probably have also heard a myriad of good things about this game, since it's also fairly old and popular by this point, but not as much as AC2, so I'm gonna elaborate a little more this time. Let me start by addressing the flaws with AC2 I previously talked about and how they were dealt with in AC:B:

• Forced camera angles are still there. Oh, well.
• Ezio syndrome is also still there. AFAIK, it was only on AC3 where they improved the parkour mechanics, so this is going to continue on AC:R, I assume.
• Still no Italian dub, and no option to change the text language without changing the system language - but this is only a property of the remaster.
• Still no manual saves. Only autosaves, which, again, are frequent, but the option to manually save would have been nice.
• Due to the leap in graphical quality from AC2 to AC:B, they didn't need to change much for the remaster, so no more silly-looking faces. That's our first positive.
• Now, with the optional objectives, the game is more challenging. Still nothing that will make you pull your hair out, at least from my experience, but you don't feel hand-holdiness anymore.
• But about the hiccups... yikes. More on that later.

 

Now, let's talk a little more about the game itself instead of comparing it to AC2. Story... could have been better, TBH. It's too short and most characters (especially the villains) suffer from lack of development because of it, and, funnily enough, the characters that get the most development are the ones who returned from the previous game (that is to say, they didn't really need it in comparison to the others).

 

And the bugs... ah, the bugs. There were a lot of them, much more than I expected, especially since I don't remember coming across any in the original, so I don't know if this is something related to the remaster or I just was lucky the first time I played, back on the PS3. Most of them were funny, such as Assassin recruits getting stuck in ladders, enemies getting yeeted, Ezio getting yeeted, thieves with half of their bodies stuck in a building, enemies getting cloned... but there were a few annoying ones as well, such as crashes, Ezio getting stuck in crevices, icons still appearing after the related activities were completed, etc. Here are a few pictures (taken from my phone, so forgive the crappiness):

 

You alright there, bud?

 

Sorry to interrupt the family reunion, fellas.

 

Guess da Vinci didn't really need to invent the helicopter after all.

 

You might be thinking: "Well, the game's crap. Case closed." But, my friends, you're not even close if you are indeed thinking so. For starters, the gameplay's insanely fun. The counter-based combat has been replaced by a streak-based combat, which rewards you for being more proactive and having quicker reflexes, with the wonky sidestep replaced by a really useful kick and enemies attacking you during your streak instead of patiently waiting (sometimes even grabbing you like in AC1). Plus, a lot of new tools at your disposal, such as a parachute, poison darts, a crossbow (AKA the ridiculously OP weapon that insta-kills almost everyone silently and from a distance), a pouch so you can carry heavy weapons around instead of having to abandon them after a while...

 

The main gimmick of this game is the Assassin management, which is really well-done. Assassin recruits help you a lot and are perfectly able to stand up for themselves in combat, unlike many games with partners. They even have their little adventures throughout the world through the unique contracts, which allow you to see what's going on in other countries during the time period and interfere.

 

If main quests were a little repetitive at times (having to invade the Castel Sant'Angelo three times comes to mind), the side quests, which were mostly generic in the previous game, now have more depth, variety, quantity and challenge attached to them. Thus, this is a game which is best played with a completionist mindset, in my opinion.

 

Also, the Villa Auditore management in the previous game now is greatly expanded - now turning into a management of the entire city of Rome. It's gonna feel a little slow in the beginning when you have little florins and most shops are blocked by the Borgia towers, but soon, you will see the money raking in. I finished AC2 with about 400k unused florins, and, in this game, I finished with more than 1kk. I kid you not - I literally became a millionaire in the Renaissance period. Crazy, right?

 

All in all, I consider this a masterpiece of a game and objectively better than AC2, despite the hiccups, but I still prefer the latter due to its symbolism to me. Next up, to finish the Ezio Collection, is AC: Revelations. Most people say it's the weakest link of the trilogy, but I have never played it before, so let's see if that's true or not.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Eagle

[Copanele]

Congrats for AC:B! Despite having its flaws, I think that's still my favorite game in the series  As goofy as the parkour might be, traversing Rome will never NOT be fun.

Best of luck with AC:R too. It kinda is the weakest link, I didn't personally like it that much, but it's still a very solid game. The hookblade is strangely fun to use, climbing with it + that "click" sound feels good.

[Eagle]

On 12/02/2021 at 4:09 AM, Copanele said:

Congrats for AC:B! Despite having its flaws, I think that's still my favorite game in the series. As goofy as the parkour might be, traversing Rome will never not be fun.

Best of luck with AC:R too. It kinda is the weakest link (I personally didn't like it that much), but it's still a very solid game. The hookblade is strangely fun to use - climbing with it feels really good, especially with the "click" sound.

 

Thanks! Sorry for the late answer, BTW. I planned to answer this one before, but ended up forgetting as always.

 

My favorite game is (and I think will forever be) AC2, just because of the meaning it has to me. And yeah, AC:B has a few flaws here and there, but it's honestly amazing. I might be biased, but I do think it's one of the best games of all time, if we're talking about gameplay.

 

I'm liking AC:R thus far, but I'm noticing it doesn't have as much content as AC:B does. But gameplay's still really fun, and I feel the enemies are more competent this time around, which is always a plus.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

So, yet another game completed. Yes, it's been two months, but that's because moving out from my (now former) house really took a toll on my ability to play. However, now it's all set and ready to go, thus I've been finally able to finish this. Without further ado, let's get to the review, which will be structured in a slightly different manner, to try and make it cleaner for you guys and easier to organize my thoughts for me simultaneously.

 

Game #11 – Assassin's Creed: Revelations

 

Story

So, I felt the story in this one was a step up from the previous game, but still not as good as the story in II. Namely, I thought the Templars still seemed too lazily done, with most of them still reduced to side missions and the few main ones being quickly killed off after their introduction. Especially the leader, which I'm not gonna spoil since it's technically a twist, but it's really dumb - Manuel talks about there being someone inside the Ottoman ranks which serves the Templars, so you're all like "Huh, who could it be? Wonder how we'll find out... oh, they just showed up, nevermind." They're the weakest villain by far, since you don't know their true allegiance until near the end, they barely show up even before that, puts up the least fight and is not nearly as menacing as Rodrigo or Cesare.

 

However, the more heroic characters, such as Sofia and Yusuf, are well-developed and likable... which is good, because, with the revamped cast, there wouldn't be anyone to fall back to in case they were lame. Ezio is already a developed character in this one, so there's not much change in his attitudes throughout the game unlike the previous ones, but he's still Ezio, so yeah. You don't need to ask much else of the guy.

 

You also get to play as Altaïr during some sections, which is very welcome, since you didn't really get to see what happened to him after AC1. As for present-day... yeah. Desmond's stuck in the Animus, and besides Clay popping up from time to time, there isn't much that happens until the end. No Shaun or Rebecca to interact with, which is certainly a negative.

 

Gameplay

The gameplay in this one is basically Brotherhood, but with a few new tricks and tweaks. Which is to say, top-notch, since it was already excellent, but these changes make it even better. Enemies are tougher and more unpredictable, there are more moves for Ezio both in combat and parkour, the addition of the bombs (even though I wish the game had you use them more, to stimulate creativity), etc. 

 

Secondary content

Now, this is the opposite of the story... better than II, but worse than in Brotherhood. There isn't nearly as much side content as in the latter, and I personally didn't find it as well-done either. But let's examine more closely - first, the bad:

• Secret locations (this game's equivalent to the Assassin tombs/lairs of Romulus) are now part of the main story, except for two, one of which is a DLC.
• Piri's missions are merely tutorials on how to use the bombs.
• Book missions only have you looking around for a few seconds to locate the books.
• There are only three faction missions, and one's part of the main story. You also don't get to know who are the leaders or anything of the sort.
• You only need to do den defense once for the tutorial (twice if you missed the trophy for doing it without the cannon), and then you can forget all about it as long as you remember to always lower your notoriety. It's a shame because I liked it, but yeah, certainly couldn't be arsed to have to go protect the hideout everytime there was issues.
• Nothing nearly as grandiose as Leonardo's machines... you can hate the optional objectives all you want, but you can't deny the missions themselves were really fun.
• Things such as assassination missions and VR trials were scrapped. Sure, they weren't anything revolutionary, but hey, it was more bang for your buck.
• City restoration is also less prominent. Of course, it isn't the game's focus anymore and the map is smaller, so it makes sense, but still.

The good:

• Master Assassin missions (this game's equivalent to the Templar Agent missions) are much better. Yes, still sucks to have most Templars be one-time characters, but at least the missions are more unique and they actually have a conversation with Ezio when they die. Plus, you get to interact more with your recruits.
• There are some unique recruitment missions as well, which is a nice touch. Small, yes, but I'll take what I can get.
• I'm sure most people disagree with me, but I actually liked the Desmond sequences. Of course, could have used less clunky controls, but seeing Desmond's origins was really cool, and it was a nice break amidst the sequences.
• 100% synchronization requirements are a bit more chill this time around. Doesn't really matter to me, but I know many people disliked them and some (like the bomber) did get a bit taxing, so yeah. Kudos.
• Random events are also a cool addition, although there are only two varieties - carrying cargo or beating up some random Muhammad Ali wannabes.

 

Ambientation

They nailed it, as always. Constantinople feels just as great as Venice or Rome to wander about. Architecture, citizens... a very realistic experience, from what I've researched. Pretty standard for the series, but it never fails to amaze me nonetheless. Plus, Jesper Kyd does a marvelous job again with the soundtrack. Of course, he won't ever be able to surpass the masterpiece that was Ezio's Family (at least, in my eyes), but the music here is very epic and keeps you in the mood while keeping a distinctive Turkish style, true to the game's premise.

 

Technical aspects

Bugs were present, but in much lesser intensity than in the previous game. No crashes either - the worst thing I had was during one of the DLC memories, where a platform simply refused to move and forced me to restart the mission. Still took a photo of Ezio levitating in Cappadocia though, because why not?

 

Walking is for losers.

 

DLC

The Lost Archive was basically more of the Desmond sequences, which made people dislike it a lot, but as I said, I enjoyed them, so I enjoyed TLA the same. Yes, I'll admit I cheesed "Impress Warren Vidic" with out-of-bounds, but, in my defense, I discovered the exploit by accident and I already had got to the last section legitimately, so I know I could have done it with a few more tries... but having to reset the memory each time I failed got boring quickly. River Styx is much easier and shorter, so I did it with no problemo (not that I could cheese it anyway).

 

I admit it would have sucked to pay for it, considering it's short, but it comes for free in the Ezio Collection and was fun for its duration, so I cannot complain.

 

Miscellaneous ramblings

What were they thinking with the credits? Like, seriously. Super-long, unskippable, nothing interesting happens during it and, to top it off... IT HAPPENS TWO TIMES. One for the base game, and one for the DLC.

 

Translation got really better, though. Apart from the established stains, like "Efeito Sangria," I barely noticed any mistakes, unlike the previous ones, where there seemed to be at least one grammar error per database entry.

 

What's the next stop in the flight?

Next game will be Resident Evil. Gonna be difficult because it's a survival horror (which is already difficult on its own, plus I suck at them), has less-than-ideal controls and requires various playthroughs with different requirements... but that's the fun.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Eagle

[Copanele]

Eyy, got the final game in the Ezio trilogy!

Loved to read your review about it. I admit, I haven't enjoyed this game nearly as much as you did (actually it's pretty low on my ranking list) but it's a solid game nonetheless! 

Unfortunately with some minor exceptions, Templar villains only become goofier or more non-interesting the deeper you go in the story. Makes you wonder how are they such a force to be reckoned with, since one man can take them down like fleas....

 

Also wish I knew the Lost Archives Warren Vidic glitch...did it legit and it hurt a lot. Did NOT like that segment at all.

[Eagle]

On 15/04/2021 at 3:01 AM, Copanele said:

Hey, you got the final game in the Ezio trilogy!

Loved to read your review about it. I admit, I haven't enjoyed this game nearly as much as you did (actually, it's pretty low on my tierlist), but it's a solid game nonetheless! 

Unfortunately, with some minor exceptions, Templar villains only become goofier or more non-interesting the deeper you go in the story. Makes you wonder how are they such a force to be reckoned with, since one man can take them down like fleas....

 

Also wish I knew about the Impress Warren Vidic glitch... did it legit and it hurt a lot. Didn't like that segment at all.

 

Hey, and thanks for commenting again!  

 

I did enjoy the game a lot, mostly because, gameplay-wise (which is the most important aspect for me), it follows the same formula as the two previous games, which I know many people hate, but I personally love. But indeed, Templars/Kosmos cultists/whatever do feel like they get increasingly more non-interesting. Oh well.

 

But keeping your comment in mind, I changed my terminology from "enjoyment" to "quality," because if we're talking enjoyment, it's very hard for me not to enjoy the games I play, so I believe "quality" justifies better the ratings, as if it is more of an objective view - of course, not that my standards for that are really high either. Had been thinking about it for some time, so decided to finally do it... it's only a slight terminology change, but eh.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle

[Eagle]

So, while I was attending my online classes due to this awful pandemic, I had a spontaneous thought... what if I find a game good looking at it from an objective point of view, but don't enjoy it? "Quality" doesn't make sense then, just as "enjoyment" didn't before, as I might like a game I find objectively bad. So, I changed terminology again to "rating," which is more neutral, to try and find a balance between these two. 

 

While I'm here, might as well talk about what I'm currently playing. I'm only at the beginning of my first playthrough, but I can already tell it's vastly different from what I'm used to in terms of gameplay... but I'm getting used to it, and slowly learning new tips and tricks. I like it, but I definitely have to be in a focused mindset in order to play well, which is why I'm not playing it as frequently as I'd want to (also because of school, but that's not the point). Let's see if my opinion changes when I get further into the game.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Eagle