I should be writing but /cough just let me ramble for a second.
On October 9th, 2021 I made this post, so that’s like 2 and a half years ago? And I feel like doing a little update.
It’s funny what experience changes. I hadn’t had my PS5 long when I wrote this and was still playing all of the AC games on the PC through Steam. The PS5 controller was a million times better than the Steam controller I had previously been using but I was still struggling. I didn’t grow up with a console/controller. I played a few PC games as a kid but wasn’t really a ‘gamer’ until I discovered Warcraft and that as an MMO with keyboard/mouse is a very different beast.
Anyway since this game by game breakdown there have been developments!
- Origins bricked itself. It might have been the new PC I don’t know but nothing stops it from crashing. A key campaign quest isn’t able to be completed. I am so mad. I have like 60 hours or so invested and I can’t finish it. So I gave up in disgust.
- I shifted more and more to gaming on the PlayStation. After Origins bricked itself I quit PC gaming altogether. Amen to my Steam list but the aggravation isn’t worth it. Honestly playing on console is just so much smoother and much less hassle. If I had known that I never would have started gaming on the PC to begin with.
- Still loving the AC franchise I decided that as annoying as I found it to essentially ‘buy twice’ I got games initially on 80% Steam sale, and 80% PS store sale would do. So I picked up some of them again (not Origins though I am far too bitter about that).
So let’s break them down again.
AC1, AC2, Brotherhood & Revelations
I had zero interest in repurchasing these. They were clunky, not engaging gameplay and the graphics have not aged well. I know they are beloved but for me they aren’t fun and it’s a game – it’s supposed to be fun.
AC: III
I do have this one on PlayStation because it came bundled with Odyssey (I didn’t get it on its own) and… to me it looks like there was a graphic leap between this and the next game (Black Flag). The movement is clunky. It has some of the issues of the previous games (too much walk and talk) and the controls can be infuriatingly buggy.
Last time I put that the graphics here were better than the previous (finally not glaringly old I said) and that must be in contrast to the previous 4 (or else a couple of years of playing newer games have raised my standards idk). I also said it felt like it would be a slog to finish and I stand by that. I don’t feel the same compulsion to play it as I do the newer games.
Honestly it is irritating me so I don’t know if I will persist. I have unlocked Connor now and obviously I saw Haytham in Rogue. It’s a neat connected story but ehhh.
AC: Liberation
Nothing new to say about this (yet) as while it was bundled with 3 (through Odyssey) I haven’t touched it.
AC: Black Flag
You know I got this initially for the theme (pirates hell yeah!) and then didn’t like the ship combat. Well on Steam even with the PS5 controller it was a pain, but on the PS5 (and perhaps with a year of console experience) it was fine. More repetitive/boring by the end than frustrating.
I said last time that I would “finish the campaign but not 100% it” and that’s not exactly how it went. I haven’t done the multiplayer trophies but if they weren’t included in the requirements I would have Platinuumed it. I did 100% sync the memories and get all the other trophies including the legendary ships. I talked above about a ‘compulsion to play’ and I definitely had that. I consider this to be completed, it’s just a shame the trophy list doesn’t agree.
AC: Rogue
Platinum. No joke 100%.
I just finished this one actually and was a little obsessed with it. I am rather glad the PlayStation doesn’t do “how many hours played this week” stats as I don’t really want to know.
This was easier than Black Flag. A lot of the same mechanics but I didn’t have many issues getting 100% sync first time through, and the ships went down like butter. It didn’t take as long as Black Flag either (around 15 hours less). Similar feel though. A surprising amount of ship combat. I thought it would have less focus as it wasn’t the ‘pirate’ game but it was basically the same with all the forts etc. I said last time I hoped the ship stuff was limited and so that’s a little funny.
AC: Syndicate
Platinum. 100% including all the DLC stuff.
I said last time that the progression system confused me and I probably wouldn’t 100% it. Well I did and the system was quite easy to understand when I got into it. Sometimes these things can be a little overwhelming at first.
Truthfully I am sad I finished this. I know I could replay it but there’s nothing to strive for – it’s 100%. All the trophies, everything. And playing without a goal has never really been me. Still I loved this one. The aesthetic, the characters. It’s great.
AC: Origins
Thanks I hate it. So much time invested and now I will never see the end of the story or be able to get all the achievements. I refuse to start over on PlayStation with this one, Egypt setting or not. So mad!
AC: Odyssey
As I said above I have picked this one up again on PlayStation but I haven’t got round to playing it yet.
AC: Valhalla
Also have this and also haven’t played it yet. I debated about whether to pick this up again to be honest. But I enjoyed (and Platinuumed God of War) and so while this didn’t have the stealth feel an AC game should, I thought if I ignored that I could enjoy it on its own merits. Plus I played Mirage and that story is tied to this and I am curious.
I’m a little bitter about having to rebuy this one as it was such a pain to get on PC (as it wasn’t sold through Steam) but they had brought out like 3 expansions since I got it on PC, so ehhh.
AC: Mirage (NEW!)
This took half the time of Syndicate/Black Flag to platinum which was a bit disappointing to be honest given the price. I got this on Preorder rather than waiting for a sale so I know that’s on me, but still it’s irritating.
The graphics were incredible. Very pretty game. Very smooth. No bugs. It was great to play. Zero complaints I just wish it had been longer.
In Conclusion
I still haven’t even looked at Unity lol, but I have gone from having dabbled with the list, to having finished several of them.
Write off the first 4 games as irrelevant given I don’t intend to play them, and Origins (so mad). I am left with 8. Of those 8 I have 100% (or as good as) 4. That leaves me the other half to go: AC3, Liberation, Odyssey and Valhalla.
Last time I said I thought that the shift to RPG systems and away from the separate memories was a good one. I have changed my mind. It’s not good – it’s different. The newer RPG games are fine but the older way has a lot of merit. I like the replay function, I like being able to reset checkpoints. Going forward I hope that they will return more to the older way, as they did in Mirage.
Ranking! (of the 4 completed)
1. Syndicate
2. Rogue
3. Black Flag
4. Mirage
There is some room for debate. I feel bad putting Mirage at the bottom because it was a very good game, it just wasn’t especially memorable and it didn’t have much longevity. That’s why Rogue is #2. Black Flag is bumped down to third because of the bugs. I swear I thought I was going to break my controller at one point (plastic creaking) as it was driving me so crazy getting the 100%. But yeah Black Flag is memorable (pirates!) and had a lot to do. Sorry Mirage.
Now I have Platinuumed Rogue I will play something else next (it should be Forspoken but ehhh). The next AC game I focus on should be 3 but again ehhh. For AC I rather suspect I will get a craving and either go Odyssey or Valhalla next. I have put God of War: Ragnorok on my birthday list and playing the first one made me want Valhalla on PlayStation, so playing the second will probably make me want to play it haha.
It’s not too bad I mean games should be fun right? I made a rule to play one game at a time to completion, given I have terrible past form of abandoning games, forgetting the controls/story, starting over and then the cycle repeats. I have stuck to that pretty well (Platinuumed 9 games last year) but sometimes I break it if I am really just not feeling a game. I’m really not feeling AC3 so that may get left. Given it was essentially free (bundled with Odyssey) I refuse to even feel bad about it.
Apparently there’s a new AC game with a samurai flavour coming before the end of the year. As we don’t even know the title yet ?? I am wondering if it will be delayed. We shall see I guess. From reading about it ‘Red’ follows the RPG formula rather than Mirages flashback to older times. That’s a shame but it also says it will be meatier, and I thought Mirage was too short so swings and roundabouts I guess.
I will have to do another update post in a year or two (or whenever) to update the ranking once I complete more of the AC games. It’s nice to actually say I have finally completed some. It only took several years and a switch to console in order to do it.