-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
I really wish Assassin's Creed would do away with the IRL stuff
- Thread starter MrH
- Start date
I completely agree, but I don't think it's gonna happen either way. At this point I'd settle for a prompt asking me if I want to keep playing or do I want to experience the "next chapter" of modern day story. Or maybe a toggle in game options somewhere to opt out of this snorefest.
Whenever I'm forced to """play""" those sections I'm always like this:
Whenever I'm forced to """play""" those sections I'm always like this:
Between III and Origins it was trash, but i like where they are going with it the last two games.
I really quite like the modern day segments. I think they can add a nice element of variety, and their inclusion and the Animus in general really helps explain not only the story at large while pushing it forward, how this entry may connect with others, but it allows the more supernatural elements or how the characters have video game like abilities to make a lot more sense within the universe. The Desmond sections didn't do too much for me, and I've not played Origins, but I've quite enjoyed them in the rest, especially Black Flag where it was first person and mostly exploration and puzzle based.
They are terrible now but people like to pretend there wasn't a time when people absolutely loved them and made insane theories about Desmond and Abstergo. I personally loved the first two games and their modern segments. Additionally I always felt the franchise was building to a modern day game where you were Desmond climbing up skyscrapers fighting against abstergo. I still feel like what they did with Desmond is possibly the biggest example of wasted potential in a character. It wouldn't surprise me if a game like watchdogs was mostly retconned out of the assassin's Creed universe and was originally supposed to be more closely associated with AC.
This is a played out take. The series needs to finally make modern day Assassins as engaging and dynamic as their historical counterparts.
The day the series drops the sci-fi context and parallel timelines entirely is the day I bow out. Drop the precursors, by all means. They're just a maguffin, but the present day in AC is not just a plot conceit. It's an unfulfilled gameplay promise.
The day the series drops the sci-fi context and parallel timelines entirely is the day I bow out. Drop the precursors, by all means. They're just a maguffin, but the present day in AC is not just a plot conceit. It's an unfulfilled gameplay promise.
Oh not the thread again.
Some people - like me - really like it
Some people - like you - don't
It's been so sidelined recently I'm nit sure why it bothers you, personally I'd like to see more of it,
Some people - like me - really like it
Some people - like you - don't
It's been so sidelined recently I'm nit sure why it bothers you, personally I'd like to see more of it,
OP
OP
I hated the future world dingus in Assassin's Creed 1 so much that I ejected the disc after my first evening with the game and gave it away the next day.
Whenever I see anything interesting about Assassin's Creed it isn't long until I see some 'outside of simulation' sci-if garbage appear and completely ruin it. I often feel it's a shame that no-one can do an 'edit' of Assassin's Creed that strips the worst of Ubisoft from it.
Assassin's Creed has never used the simulation in any meaningful way for gameplay. It's just the cheapest way for them to add 'lore' which is palatable to the dull palates of mid-2000 gamers.
Whenever I see anything interesting about Assassin's Creed it isn't long until I see some 'outside of simulation' sci-if garbage appear and completely ruin it. I often feel it's a shame that no-one can do an 'edit' of Assassin's Creed that strips the worst of Ubisoft from it.
Assassin's Creed has never used the simulation in any meaningful way for gameplay. It's just the cheapest way for them to add 'lore' which is palatable to the dull palates of mid-2000 gamers.
It's annoying, I agree OP. It's utterly pointless in Origins and I'm glad (so far) there's next to none of it in Odyssey
It might work from a story perspective but it does not work from a gameplay perspective. It only creates a bizarre disconnect from the main experience.
I also strongly dislike how it makes the interface and loading screens look.
I also strongly dislike how it makes the interface and loading screens look.
They should include an option to automatically skip all the modern segments so people like myself with no interest or investment in that aspect of the series won't have to suffer the intrusion.
I skipped all the games between 2 and origins so I have no idea what's even going on anymore with the corporations or whatever and I really don't even care.
I skipped all the games between 2 and origins so I have no idea what's even going on anymore with the corporations or whatever and I really don't even care.
The modern setting story was the most interesting stuff in the original games, it was cool how they were trying to tie it up with all the paranoia than some people were having with the "2012 mayan calendar apocalypsis" and overall, as far as I remember, those segments were no longer than 15-20 minutes at worst, so isn't like they were that tedious to play.
And from what I played Odyssey, is still interesting to see an overarching of assassins vs templars since I love the idea of the entire history of the world being just a war between 2 factions,the only thing that I hate is that they feel pointless because not much stuff happens on them, to the point that even after watching/playing those scenes, you don't feel like you are learning anything relevant about theplot (maybe I'm still missing some scenes)
And from what I played Odyssey, is still interesting to see an overarching of assassins vs templars since I love the idea of the entire history of the world being just a war between 2 factions,the only thing that I hate is that they feel pointless because not much stuff happens on them, to the point that even after watching/playing those scenes, you don't feel like you are learning anything relevant about theplot (maybe I'm still missing some scenes)
I hope they never remove it, it's usually well made and offers a frame to tie all games toghether (also, contextualizes a lot of gameplay mechanics like respawning after death).
"It's not enough that I don't like it, people that like it must be stupid!".
"It's not enough that I don't like it, people that like it must be stupid!".
No,its the meat. It's not a hamburger without the burger. It's not Assassin's Creed without the Animus.
I hope not.
Odyssey non related to IRL events was so boring and disappointing.
The ones related to it were far more interesting and compelling.
Odyssey non related to IRL events was so boring and disappointing.
The ones related to it were far more interesting and compelling.
Yeah. The Odyssey stuff was better than their previous effort but they should lean into it more, make it matter.
As it stands all that stuff is utterly pointless.
Personally I am with OP. I couldn't care less about badly written sci-fi mumbo-jumbo I saw in Origins or Odyssey (just played a bit of this one).
It's all really pointless Matrix wannabe crap which I wish wouldn't clutter great historical adventure/RPG games. Takes you out of important narrative (ie Egypt, Greece, etc) and brings you in the modern era for 5 min I couldn't care less about.
It's all really pointless Matrix wannabe crap which I wish wouldn't clutter great historical adventure/RPG games. Takes you out of important narrative (ie Egypt, Greece, etc) and brings you in the modern era for 5 min I couldn't care less about.
No, hard disagree. It's part of the series even if it's rarely done well. Removing it makes 0 sense. Instead they should keep it minimal and story focused. It was alright in the two new games I don't really know how people can complain about them so much they're never longer than 3 minute breaks from the animus if you rush them.
What they should do however is make them matter and good, so more of it not less of it. That is of course if they can do it well, otherwise AC odyssey style works.
What they should do however is make them matter and good, so more of it not less of it. That is of course if they can do it well, otherwise AC odyssey style works.
The modern day has been spinning its wheels for IV, Unity, Rogue, Syndicate, Origins, and Odyssey -- six games now. I find it incredibly bad at picking an angle for the narrative or a clear goal for the characters the audience can identify with. But if they've spun their wheels for this long I think it's just going to be how it is. They'll either keep going or make it more interesting, but they won't drop it.
I do not know a single person who is interested in this shit and everyone seems to have wanted it removed ages ago.
I honestly have no clue why they keep doing it. No one gives a shit about it.
I honestly have no clue why they keep doing it. No one gives a shit about it.
I dunno, I'm torn about Modern Day settings as its split into two different parts; the person we follow and the past information we find out.
As you can see there are distinct modern day story arcs;
The series is a mess and has had the same problem that other series have with expansion material, How do we keep the current information relevant, expansive and still keep going?
Right now there is a clean slate with only two main storyline; Abstergo and First Civilization stuff which is great but we had to get through a lot of convoluted stories to get here.
- AC1:
- We play as Desmond finding out about the history of Altaïr and his Assassin Brotherhood. Abstergo want to learn everything it can about the Apple of Eden. We are introduced to Lucy Stillman and Warren Vidic. At the end of the game we see writings on the wall from Subject 16.
- AC2:
- After escaping Abstergo Lucy introduces Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. Desmond reenters the Animus and finds out about the birth of Ezio Auditore and his begins of an Assassin Brotherhood in Italy. We learn that the Apple of Eden was used as a weapon, but upon recovering it we learn of the First Civilization, Minerva and a Solar Flare which which removed the First Civilization and will shortly remove the current with Desmond being the prochecy. In the course of the game we see writings on the wall from Subject 16.
- AC:B
- Desmond and his crew take refuge at Ezio Auditore's Villa and continues finding out about the Ezio Auditore. It begins with the destruction of the Villa and everything he worked hard to make. The Apple of Eden is stolen, recovered and is then hidden for our team to find. Juno appears and takes control of Desmond, kill Lucy. The experience puts Desmond into a coma. In the course of the game we see writings on the wall from Subject 16.
- AC:R
- After his experience being controlled by Juno. Desmond is placed in the animus, there he meets Subject 16 and goes about finding out the history of the later half of Ezio Auditore life and the last days of Altaïr. Jupiter, a member of the First Civilization and William Miles, Desmond's father are introduced and we are told of a vault which has multiple methods to save the planet from destruction and gives Desmond the location. Desmond wakes and the group proceed to the central vault.
- AC3
- Desmond and crew arrive at the vaults location using the Apple of Eden to access it. Juno makes Desmond go into the Animus to relive Haytham Kenway and Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor) while his team retrieve power cells to power the device. William is captured by Daniel Cross and Desmond leaves with the Apple of Eden to trade for Williams life. Desmond arrives at Abstergo, kills Cross and Warren Vidic and rescues his father. Mineva appears and tells Desmond that he will save Earth but will die. Juno who is revealed to be evil will also be freed from her prison. Desmond chooses to sacrifice himself to save the world.
- Black Flag
- An unnamed person is at Abstergo experiencing the life of Edward Kenway looking for the Observatory and the artefact (Crystal Skull/Blood Vials). They meet Abstergo Entertainment CCO Melanie Lemay. Later on the player is told by John to deliver information to Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. Accessing the Animus Core Juno materializes into an incorporeal form for her resurrection. John appears and is a reincarnated form of the Sage but is killed and Juno is not revived.
- Rogue
- An unnamed person is at Abstergo experiencing the life of Shay Patrick Cormac and is a new recruit to the Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins. The player is introduced to Juhani Otso Berg, Violet da Costa and Melanie Lemay. After finding about Shay's betrayal of the Assassin Brotherhood due to Achilles, they offer the unnamed person to join the Templar order, or die.
- Unity
- An unnamed person is at home experiencing the life of Arno Dorian in Paris. Bishop mentions that Abstergo has the dead Sage and wants to use the precursor genome for unclear purposes and asks the recruit to find another Sage, whose corpse they hope to recover.
- Syndicate
- The same unnamed player from Unity is contacted by Bishop to find another piece of Eden. At the same time Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings have infiltrated an Abstergo facility and, against orders, decide to spy on a secret Templar meeting. Rebecca and Shaun attempt to capture Isabelle Ardant and Álvaro Gramática but Otso Berg and Violet da Costa were there to intercept the two assassins. They escape due to a bomb planned by Bishop. The Piece of Eden (the Shroud) is found and Shaun, Rebecca, and Russian Assassin Galina Voronina head to the vault. Otso Berg, da Costa, and Ardant beat them there and a fight ensues in which Berg is knocked unconscious, Rebecca is shot and wounded and Ardant is killed by Shaun while da Costa escapes with the Shroud. The Templars plan to use the Shroud to construct a living Precursor. Unknown to the Templars or Abstergo, Juno has been manipulating people at Abstergo and has different plans for the Shroud. Additionally it is revealed that Juno was captured in the 'grey area' using the Shroud by Minerva knowing this Juno tampered with the device that would save the world from the flare, use the device free Juno. It is also revealed that the Sages are human reincarnations of Juno's husband, Aita.
- Origins
- We play as Layla Hassan, a researcher at Abstergo's Historical Research Division with her friend/co-worker Deanna Geary. Retrieving an artefact in Egypt she finds the tombs of the Assassins Bayek and Aya. The end goal is to move her away from Historical Division and more her to the Animus Project. She uses her own modified Animus to access the memories. After a while Layla and Deanna are attacked by Abstergo soldiers for failing to check in with the company. While Layla kills her attackers, but Deanna is captured and executed. Layla returns to the Animus. Waking up at the end of Bayek journey William Miles is watching over her. She accepts William's offer to work with the Assassins, but stops short of actually joining them. The two depart for modern-day Alexandria.
- Odyssey
- We play as Layla Hassan, now helping the Assassin's. She is sent to recovers the Spear of Leonidas and together with Victoria Bibeau. Layla uses either Kassandra/Alexios and find the location of the Staff of Hermes. Layla finds Atlantis, activates it and finds the Misthios, kept alive until modern times by the Staff of Hermes. The Misthios warns Layla that the world needs a balance between order and chaos, the Templar Order and Assassins respectively, and either side prevailing over the other will result in the world's doom. The Misthios also explains that Layla is the prophesied one who will bring balance to order and chaos and gives her the Staff of Hermes, sacrificing their life in the process.
As you can see there are distinct modern day story arcs;
- Abstergo (AC1/AC2/AC:B/AC:R/AC3/Black Flag/Rogue/Unity/Syndicate/Origins/Odyssey)
- Their goal is to gather and collect all the Pieces of Eden controlling the populace. You the player are finding all these pieces. They are the general antagonist against the player.
- First Civilization and the First Disaster (AC1/AC2/AC:B/AC:R/AC3/Black Flag/Rogue/Unity/Syndicate/Origins/Odyssey)
- The First Civilization called the Isu, ruled Earth. Human's were created as a slave race to help them and were controlled using many different pieces of Eden (The Apple, the artefact, the Shroud etc). Human's began to grow immune and revolted, killing a large portion of the Isu race. After the first Solar Flare, the Isu were on brink of extinction and humanity was 1/10 of its original. Humanity repopulated the world and the Isu built temples to make sure this disaster would never happen again. Using an item called the eye (Crystal Skull) they were able to look into future generations using the blood vial and contact people helping them.
- Multiple temples around the world house Piece of Eden which are being looked for by Abstergo
- Desmond and the Second Disaster (AC1/AC2/AC:B/AC:R/AC3)
- The First Disaster was a solar flare which wiped out 9/10's of the world population. Desmond and his memories of Altaïr, Ezio and Conner all help him find the location of the temple that can save them. He sacrifices himself to save the world.
- Juno (AC2/AC3/Black Flag/Rogue/Syndicate/comics)
- Juno, an Isu, hated the human race for killing most of the Isu populace and taking over. Stopping the other Isu from saving Earth she was put into a 'grey area' using the Shroud by Minerva (like the Isu afterlife). Realising Minerva's plan she tampered with her World Saving device, making it free her if it was activated. The First Disaster occurred and when the Second was about to happen she was freed by Desmond. Now free but incorporeal, she manipulates Abstergo staff and creates the Instruments of the First Will, to use the different Pieces of Eden and create a new body for her. In the comics she is resurrected but then was killed.
- Sages (Black Flag/Unity/Syndicate/Comics)
- In Black Flag, a Sage were introduced. During the series the player has to kill a number of Sages. All Sages are human reincarnations of Juno's husband, Aita after an accident during the First Civilisation. He is doing everything he can to help her. In the comics Desmond son, Elijah is a Sage but is able to resist Aita will taking over and instead uses Aita's knowledge to help kill Juno.
- Layla Current Storyline (Origins/Odyssey)
- Her prophecy is to unite the members of Brotherhood and Templar orders. All we know is; a friend of hers was killed, she has been uncovering Piece of Eden/Temples of Isu and she has experienced memories of founding members of both Brotherhood and Templar organising.
- Juno the big bad for multiple games was resurrected then was killed.
- Berg went to find out about the third column in the Templar order.
- Daniel Cross was introduced in the comics, then the video game.
- Also some side games like Liberations etc only introduce new Assassin's/Templars with another new Piece of Eden to be then forgotten about or moved to the next comic series.
The series is a mess and has had the same problem that other series have with expansion material, How do we keep the current information relevant, expansive and still keep going?
Right now there is a clean slate with only two main storyline; Abstergo and First Civilization stuff which is great but we had to get through a lot of convoluted stories to get here.
Last edited:
It's been less prevalent in these past few games. They do take me out of the experience since the most interesting part is the stuff in the animus. All of the stuff outside the animus just ends up being the setup and lead up to the next game. It would be fine to just have one cutscene in the beginning establishing where they are going and not seeing anything outside the animus until the ending of that timeline.
I'm about 15 hours into Origins... it's my first AC game, and those segments, while starting to make some sense, are very strange to me. I mean, I guess it adds context and reasoning as to why things happen as they do in the past with the mixture of old/future, but it's still a bit jarring. It's only happened twice so far though.
I wanted it to be explored more. But it is sentiment like the OP's which I feel made Ubi stumble when trying to stretch this series out. There are many games that do historical pieces but AC sci fi slant and modern/futuristic storyline made it semi interesting. The made it less interest with the convoluted mess and death of desmond and if people like OP get their way, it will finally cement my choice to ignore the series.
This reminds me of the camps people get in about the timer in Dead Rising. We can see how that worked out as well.
This reminds me of the camps people get in about the timer in Dead Rising. We can see how that worked out as well.
As it stands now they already foist about half of the modern day stuff into external media sources, leaving it feeling disjointed and unfinished, might as well go whole hog and banish the entire modern day story line to comc books and tie in novels.
I wish they would keep it but do it better. After killing off Desmond in AC3 (a mistake imo) the modern day aspect (which I always loved and actually found the most facinating part of the franchise that tied everything together and distinguished the series from other similar games) just spun its wheels and went nowhere with zero focus or direction. Shame what this once top-tier franchise has become. Overarching story and lore used to be sooooo fucking great. But good ole Ubi had to fuck it up by having like 30 different studios all working on AC games at once with apparently no communication between them. smh ffs.....
I think they're not doing themselves any favors with this half-way stuff.
The modern day stuff should either be a central part of the narrative - and we spend a large portion of the game with the character, their world & struggle, meet their support crew, etc - or the series should ditch the modern day aspect altogether.
Layla doesn't have enough room to breathe to become relevant; she can't become Desmond because she isn't being given a chance by Ubisoft (unlike Desmond). So as the player, I'm pulled out of a story I am engrossed in to follow an arc that is more interruption than interesting. .... Either commit to the modern day world or don't. And if you're going to commit, bring back puzzles, plot intrigue, and support characters worth caring about. Endless emails and derivative combat is a terrible compromise.
The modern day stuff should either be a central part of the narrative - and we spend a large portion of the game with the character, their world & struggle, meet their support crew, etc - or the series should ditch the modern day aspect altogether.
Layla doesn't have enough room to breathe to become relevant; she can't become Desmond because she isn't being given a chance by Ubisoft (unlike Desmond). So as the player, I'm pulled out of a story I am engrossed in to follow an arc that is more interruption than interesting. .... Either commit to the modern day world or don't. And if you're going to commit, bring back puzzles, plot intrigue, and support characters worth caring about. Endless emails and derivative combat is a terrible compromise.
It never felt like it was really building to anything, which was the problem. Though they recently did something with Odyssey that definitely builds towards something modern in a fairly huge way.
I agree, OP. The present day stuff with Desmond and all that modern/future day crap is an absolute and utter drag. I remember when the trailers came out for the original AC, I was incredibly stoked about the concept and imagery of the game. I was totally cool with stepping back in time and playing as a bad-ass assassin.
The games can stand up just fine on their own without including the stuff outside of the Animus. They add nothing, IMHO. It's like that old joke about how if you removed Indiana Jones from the movies he's in, nothing would change about how the events play out.
The games can stand up just fine on their own without including the stuff outside of the Animus. They add nothing, IMHO. It's like that old joke about how if you removed Indiana Jones from the movies he's in, nothing would change about how the events play out.
Last edited:
From AC1 to ACB they were building up to something, the climax was AC3.
There is not need to cut anything, just make it meaningful and interesting, and make an interesting present day character, layla is not interesting in my opinion.
Praise the lord that the new one has finally mostly done away with it. Origins was at least mostly contained to only a few parts but I hated every second of them. I'm like 40 hours in to Odyssey and the real world has been maybe 5 minutes at most. It was like 30 seconds in the first 20 hours.
They will never be able to please anyone at this point. As this thread (and countless threads on the AC sub-reddit) show, some people love it, some people (such as myself) hate it. Ubisoft's solution is to half-ass it, which makes nobody happy. They are damned if they do, damned if they don't at this point. I certainly agree with OP though and I wish they would get rid of the present day stuff completely (as someone who started playing the series with Origins).
Without the modern day stuff there's no point. They should just make a spin-off series or new historical franchise that has no connection to the Animus or Assassins/Templar story line, at this point its just holding the new games back.
AC3 felt like a cop out in favor to milk series. Case in point. The bleeding effect is never goes that far again. It would make it more interesting if people finally took the skills out with them into present day so present day sections doesn't feel like shallow filler. But I agree with people that state they need to make a stronger commitment to either flesh out modern/future setting, or let it die. This halfway point the series finds itself in feel weak.