Francis Lee

Let me start off by saying that I have been playing Assassin's Creed games since the beginning and love Odyssey for its content. There are many gamers who stubbornly say that Odyssey is not a true Assassin's Creed game. I would like to point out that chronologically speaking, Odyssey takes place 450 years BEFORE AC Origins. We shouldn't judge Odyssey just because it has no "Assassin/Templar" plot. It does focus on the Isu/First Civilization influence on the world and the descendants of Isu/human hybrids. The Legacy of the First Blade DLC does focus on the "first Assassin" and how Kassandra/Alexios's descendants became the precursor Hidden Ones. It does bridge the premise on how modern day Assassins have Isu DNA to handle the Pieces of Eden. The Fate of Atlantis DLC does give some insight as to how the Isu civilization MAY have looked like 75,000 years ago. It was definitely cool to see what Atlantis MIGHT have looked like before it was blown to smithereens. I am also a fan of Greek mythology so playing this was enjoyable. I would say that if you are a fan of Greek mythology and like to play a character with "special Isu heritage", then Odyssey is the game for you. There are some minor conversation scripts that didn't make sense when I completed some quests out of order but it didn't really bother me as much since I tend to skip cutscenes. The only minor quirk is the bounty system like if you are seen assassinating or killing a bandit/thug, you are considered to have committed murder. This was the only thing that did not make sense but otherwise everything else was tolerable. Even though this AC game is more like an RPG than the traditional Assassin's Creed format, I think it was cool that I was able to build my character to one shot assassinate most NPCs. Even though I did not have the iconic hidden blade, the Spear of Leonidas still did the job and I was able to leave no trace. The Rush Assassinate ability was pretty cool. Overall, I was able to customize the skill tree and abilities to my assassin playstyle.

First off, I would like to say that Valhalla is the culmination of all previous Assassin's Creed gameplay aspects. I am about 40-45 hours in and there are some things that is refreshing but there are some things that could be improved. PROS -Great scenery and recreation of Dark Ages Norway, England, Ireland (Wrath of the Druids DLC), and Valhalla (Dawn of the Ragnarok DLC). -Nice soundtrack during combat scenes and transitional cutscenes CONS -The female Eivor voice could be improved. I was just not impressed and her voice just did not draw me into the gameplay. (Just like how the voice acting of Alexios from Odyssey could have been better.) -The various animations like Eivor confirming kills could be done away with. I just sometimes feel that it is way too slow and it is unsettling when I feel that enemies might notice and engage me in combat. -The combat system could be improved. Parrying could be better. I find myself dodging which in itself sucks. It's like I dodged way too far during a fight. -The skill tree is way too confusing. There is way too many choices if you like to micromanage your build. -Like many gamers, my most major complaint is the parkouring/free-running aspect. It is way too clunky. -The suggested power level for certain quests should be clearly labelled for some events. For example, I did not know that some boss fights (i.e. Zealots or daughter of Lerion) required a higher power level regardless that it is in an area of the map that has a lower suggested power level (i.e. early-game area). I think the game is refreshing even though it is a bit slow in terms of game narrative. I felt there is a steeper learning curve than previous AC games. It took me a while to understand the HUD such as adrenaline vs stamina. I also realized that healing is not automatic as previous games. I think after getting used to the game mechanics, it is a game worth trying out.