The game has started, there are absolutely no bugs this time

Chapter 185 The next one to arrive at the battlefield is Speed ​​​​and Rush

“…and the imposition of a radical ideology on an already culturally diverse series…”

This is a more serious criticism, but Ubisoft has also responded very formally that there will be no changes in this regard.

The game will definitely have black protagonists, LGBTQ+ people, East Asians with stereotypical faces, and no good-looking so-called seductive male and female characters.

Of course the words are not that direct, but that’s the meaning.

That’s okay.

In this regard, Youxuan, as an ordinary colleague with no vested interests, is of course happy to see them committing suicide. Although they are not making helmets now and want to put them on the Youxuan generation, Youxuan has no shortage of games.

If you have to say, they still have more attributes of opponents.

In addition, since this project was actually a rework that was already in progress before the stealth version, although the stealth version will not be officially released until early next year and the stealth version only has the early trial, the PC version has been completely completed.

In fact, the people who reviewed it have almost played it.

……

The media is relatively neutral and does not involve those strange elements: In the series of Assassin's Creed, no one has ever caused so much discussion and voice as before the release of "Assassin's Creed: Shadow".

This means that my habit of starting the review by briefly discussing the events leading up to the game's release has failed - there's been so much discussion about it that I don't even know where to begin. If I were to reiterate everyone's various opinions, it would be a whole article in its own right.

So I decided to simplify things, give myself some armor, pretend to be a player who has not seen these rhythms before the game was released, experience this game with a purer mentality, and then share my feelings with everyone.

After completing the game on PC, we believe that "Assassin's Creed: Shadowplay" is likely to be a game of medium to high quality. Of course, we must first be optimistic and consider that there are not too many technical problems.

You Xuan has talked about the difficulty of immersion many times, but in the latest Black Myth project, this problem may have been solved?

Back to Assassin's Creed, the main complaint about this game is the lingering canned smell.

First of all, I have to admit one thing. When I started playing "Assassin's Creed: Shadow", I always felt a sense of unease in my heart.

The name of this boot is "I want to see when that strong canned smell will leak out."

A long time ago, Ubisoft had made improvements to its "canned taste", such as the previous work "Valhalla". At the beginning, you would feel that the game was completely innovative, but as you play it, it returns to the old way.

Why is this so?
Because Ubisoft is reluctant to discard many so-called classic designs, it puts a lot of fresh elements and gameplay in front, and then slowly brings out the old things. New players think it's okay, but for old players like me who are easily bored, this approach will make the game quickly become boring after the novelty at the beginning wears off.

Specifically speaking of "Assassin's Creed: Shadow", it actually uses the same strategy as "Valhalla", and there is no change just because it moves to the stealth side.

For the first hour or so, that is, before the official opening credits came out, I was really excited the whole time, and at one point I felt that the game had been reborn.

Take the look in Oda Nobunaga's eyes when he first looked at the black man Yasuke. That mixture of surprise, curiosity and confusion, coupled with the need to maintain dignity due to his status as an overlord, was portrayed vividly.

Their performance is not inferior to those teams that were originally in T0, and is second only to You Xuan, the new god of this version.

You can feel the character's joy, anger, sorrow and happiness from his expression and eyes. This was impossible to achieve in the early Assassin's Creed. It's not just about technology, it's obviously more attentive.

As for the part that players can control, whether it is Yasuke breaking into the door like an elephant, or Nao and her father riding off to the battlefield, they can all give me enough G-spot massage.

Only when Nao Jiang climbs up the eaves and walls does it have some original flavor, but this flavor is still the most enjoyable and fun part of Assassin's Creed that you never get tired of playing.

"Shadow" also adds new action modules to this smooth action system, such as swinging, which not only allows you to swing from one roof to another, but also allows you to fall vertically during the swing and kill the enemy directly below, with the maximum effect.

Some novel designs were also revealed during this time - the light and shadow effects can affect the enemy's vision, you can use kunai to extinguish candlelight, and assassinate invisibly in the shadows, which really filled my heart flow.

However, after the release of Ubisoft's blockbuster, the game immediately returned to its original state.

Not only did the characters' faces change from realistic ones containing emotional power to rough and stiff ones, the plot also changed from a treacherous tone to helping neighbors do this and that, and then a lot of overlooking points were unlocked, a lot of icons were cleared, and you had to explore and fight at the same time until the entire map was cleared.

This emotional curve of starting high and ending low is exactly the same as when I played "Valhalla".

Of course, this gameplay has been proven over the years and will definitely not go wrong.

It's just that I originally thought that after the Mythology trilogy, Ubisoft would use "Shadow" as the beginning of a new trilogy plan, and make drastic and fresh changes to the game, just like "Revolution" redefined the realism of the world, and "Origins" fully integrated RPG elements.

But "Shadow" is obviously not such a groundbreaking work. When the warehouse reminded me again and again that "the door is locked from the inside", the sense of fear dominated by the key-finding task in "Valhalla" reappeared in the new work.

However, since they have not replaced the assembly line production method, Ubisoft still has the awareness to add some new things to the assembly line.

First of all, there are the two protagonists we all know.

The setting of a male and female dual protagonist is not the first time in the AC series.

As early as "The Dark Knight", the London twin brother and sister duo had already appeared. The younger brother Jacob was good at street fighting, and the older sister Evie was skilled in assassination.

The concept of the two protagonists this time is very similar, one is responsible for facing the line, and the other is good at stealth and throat blocking.

But in comparison, the two protagonists of "Shadow" are more different. The male protagonist Yasuke is strong and powerful, and the female protagonist Nao is as light as a swallow. They form a sharp contrast in texture in the combat feel, bringing two different control pleasures.

Yasuke is like the continuation of the Nordic Berserker in "Valhalla", with bold movements and full of unrestrained power, while Naoie is the embodiment of the traditional assassin in Japan.

The mysterious and stealthy nature of the ninja profession is a natural fit for the assassin, and there are many parkour side flips in the movements, which seems to be a return to the origin of everything. After all, the assassin's movements were designed with reference to parkour.

However, it's not that Nao is incapable of killing everyone, but he is too weak. When he parries, he will easily become stiff and passive; Yasuke really can't climb the wall at all. When he runs on the eaves, the tiles will rattle. Sometimes I really worry that he will collapse the wall.

The game also deepens this difference in a dramatic and even comedic way.

Nao's Leap of Faith is perfectly executed, graceful and elegant, while Yasuke's Leap of Faith lacks any faith at all, and instead displays a touch of panic and embarrassment, like a misstep and a sense of surviving a disaster. This is definitely the funniest leap in Assassin's Creed history! It's a great addition to any video.

The two people also have different combat tools. For example, Nao's long-range weapon is a kunai that kills people silently, but Yasuke uses a hand cannon.

This also leads to very different combat logic between the two people, especially when capturing a castle. Naoie usually uses his grappling hook to find a gap in the city wall, sneaking in unnoticed, and then carrying out actions in a planned manner after investigating the enemies in the city... These are all pretty good.

Yasuke could only enter through the main gate by force, so there was no need to survey the terrain of the city. He just had to kill the person who rang the alarm bell and destroy the alarm bell.

Regarding the new things in "Assassin's Creed: Shadow", another thing that must be mentioned is the hideout gameplay.

This simulation construction gameplay appeared as early as "Brotherhood" and is not the first time in the series, but it has been further expanded and deepened in this generation of "Shadow".

Let me first briefly introduce its gameplay. The resources we obtain through exploration, battle or purchase can be used to decorate and upgrade the hideout.

In terms of decoration, from the layout of houses, courtyards and roads to the decoration of various details, we can arrange the positions freely, and even raise some cats and dogs we meet on the road in our own hiding places.

As for upgrading, building houses can increase the number of spies. Spies are the eyes and ears of our intelligence network. We can use them to investigate clues about the boss, tell us the general direction when opening the map, and move some large goods that cannot be taken away.

Essentially, this is to solve the canned problem of question marks all over the map, so that we can explore the game more immersively.

But my actual feeling is that I seem to have gone astray.

First of all, if I follow the old canned logic, when I see an icon on the map, I know where to run, and when I see an item, I can just take it. It’s boring, but it’s very straightforward.

With the spy system, even these simple tasks require the use of spies. What should have been a one-step process has been broken down into two steps, which is very troublesome for me.

But overall, I still think this home building system has more positive feedback, because it actually provides players with a new sense of accomplishment and purpose.

For example, the original goal of our game was to clear outposts and complete the main and side quests, but when I was playing, I felt that now going out to fight or explore is to get more resources to build my home better and make my assassin force stronger.

The feeling of going from 0 to 1 and then from 1 to 2 is very refreshing.

Finally, let's summarize the innovations in gameplay. It's not entirely accurate to say whether these new features are innovative or not; they do incorporate some new gameplay elements.

But the problem is that it is not "new" enough, at least it does not meet my expectations.

It didn't produce anything particularly groundbreaking or revolutionary.

Although many shortcomings of this generation of works have been mentioned, "Assassin's Creed: Shadow" still has many excellent aspects.

What's good about it? Ubisoft's open world design, art quality, and the authenticity of the subject matter are quite authentic.

It is quite pleasing that Shadow chose Japan as the setting.

Ignoring the controversies, the game's depiction of Japanese customs and culture feels right.

Naoe has the appearance of a common Japanese girl. I think at least she is not deliberately made ugly. She just has an ordinary face. As for Yasuke, it depends on personal opinion. There is nothing much to say.

From a landscape perspective, the differences between regions are not as significant as imagined, because the game is set in the late Warring States period of Japan, so the convergence between cities and rural areas is relatively high.

When you ride a horse through the ridges of the fields, you can hear the rustling sound of flower fields and wheat waves. This kind of healing feeling is a unique aesthetic taste of East Asian countries.

In addition, the game's seasonal changes and dynamic weather also bring a different sense of atmosphere, especially the muddy texture during heavy rain is created very well. It is a travel simulator of an era.

In terms of shaping the open world, Ubisoft has also filled it with a lot of content. For example, we may encounter small animals on the road and can quietly approach them to sketch them;
When you discover a tomb, you can explore it in depth and find rare collectible items after many twists and turns. You can gain experience by worshipping at the roadside shrines. If you meet someone in need, the NPC can also lend a hand. He can even become your spy or directly help unlock a corner of the map.

Some of the mid-game activities are character-exclusive. For example, Naoue can meditate, and after a small game similar to a music game, she may trigger a past memory to complete the current story line and world view.

Due to technological advancements, more destructible items have been added to the scene destruction of "Shadow", making this world more realistic.

The only pity is that not all items are destructible. Some doors can be split in half, while some doors have no reaction at all. Some things that are clearly stacked together can be destroyed and shattered, while others remain motionless. Moreover, it is difficult to tell which ones are destructible just by looking at the appearance, and they appear a little fragmented.

As for the degree of freedom, I feel that it is somewhat different from "Odyssey".

In "Odyssey", you can go to any visible place, but in "Shadow", the mountains are too high to climb and you will slide down halfway up the mountain.

Moreover, the vegetation on the mountain was so dense that I lost track of where I was as I climbed.

Of course, you don't need to worry about getting lost on the map, as the game has an automatic pathfinding system, which is common in online games. Whether you are walking or riding a horse, as long as you activate this system, a route will be generated, and you just need to follow the flow of the guide line.

This deserves a good review.

Overall, the biggest problem with Assassin's Creed: Shadow of War isn't actually the game itself.

Actually, this can’t be blamed on Ubisoft…

So if you can lower your expectations a little, and don't care about the character settings and appearance, and just simply like this series, if you can take the trouble to clear the map, if you like the era travel experience with a full sense of atmosphere. Then, "Assassin's Creed: Shadow" is still a work worth buying at its first launch.

According to the gossip about this game, the PC version will be released first, and the stealth version may be delayed. I haven't played the complete stealth version yet, but the prologue content is well done and worth looking forward to.

Subsequent update: Since the immersion level of Star Wars: Rise of the Stars has been decreasing since the prologue on the stealth side, the expectations have been lowered. There should be no problem on the PC side. The version I played just had a few more bugs, which should be fixed in the official version.

Other similar media also stated that the world of "Assassin's Creed: Shadow" is beautifully constructed and makes people linger.

However, this "Assassin's Creed" did not bring a revolutionary breakthrough in the series.

These are the main points of the game, excluding the black warrior settings.

Of course, there are also those who directly express their dissatisfaction with the male protagonist based on their gaming experience and praise the female protagonist:
Many of Shadow's problems are related to the addition of Yasuke.

This is not because his character is poorly portrayed or incompatible with the game, but in order to fit his samurai setting, the game had to weaken many core elements of "Assassin's Creed".

In contrast, Nao's ninja style is more in line with the game mechanics. Her gameplay perfectly integrates the classic assassin experience of tracking targets, planning routes, killing accurately and hiding quietly.

If the stories of Nao and Yasuke could be closer, especially if they strengthened their common goals, the plot and character development would be more tense.

Despite this, Naoue's gameplay is still the best since the series shifted to action-RPG - the experience of playing "Assassin's Creed: Shadow" is still very satisfying.

The attitude of some players is that, after all, although the character is really ugly and has many flaws, it still looks playable.

This is like chocolate wrapped in shit. If you can segment your brain and remove the bad parts, you might be able to have a relatively better experience.

If technology is used well in stealth games, it can allow people to ignore identity substitution and those problems and not let people get out of the game, perhaps the stealth experience will be better -

Gu Meng said he was overthinking it.

Although this game has added more settings based on modern times, the main part obviously still takes place in the Warring States Period of Japan.

After the prologue of the trial game, even if they have Brother Tongzi, it is difficult to avoid being out of the game in Youxuan Generation.

And it’s not a pure cartoon style, and the final result... Gu Meng feels that it might be more suitable for the PC version.

In other words, it is probably equivalent to a pseudo-3D movie that is forcibly converted to 3D but the conversion is not done well, so the subtitles are 3D.

Gu Meng felt that Ubisoft was already having a headache with the huge difference between the stealth version and the PC version.

With such a conceptual gap, even they, who are always famous for their bugs, probably won't be able to deliver.

(End of this chapter)