I Came, I Saw, I Discovered...and I Didn't Even get an Achievement!

I mentioned last week that I was spending a chunk of time trying to knock out the entire Discovery Mode tour in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.  The good news is that I finished it!  That's right, all 30+ tours and every single discovery location--aaannnd, I didn't simply just click through stuff, I actually read the additional info!  Now, I'm someone who generally doesn't care about achievements, if you get them, great, but they aren't something I feel overly compelled to complete.  For some dumb reason I really wanted to get an achievement for completing all of Discovery Mode.  Spoilers...there is no achievement!  Once you've completed all the guided tours you get a "thank you" cutscene, and that's it.  On the plus side, I did learn many new details about life in ancient Greece and the design of the game--that's a good enough achievement, right?  It also made me want to go visit Greece and see some of these sights and artifacts (of course, not right now with pandemic and whatnot).  Mission-somewhat unsatisfactorily--accomplished.

Once I finished Discovery Mode, I spent a bit of time tooling around in normal Odyssey, but I haven't been feeling particularly compelled to stab another 10,000 people.  I've sort of been bouncing around with different games--spending some time playing PC Building Simulator, because I've made another goofy, internal goal of getting my shop to max level (I'm currently at level 26--only 5 more levels to go!).  When I get tired of building PC's I shift gears to the story generator/survival sim RimWorld.  RimWorld has seen massive improvements since I first started playing it in early access several years ago.  The improvements include making the process of escaping the planet much, much more difficult.  I'm hoping this time my poor colonists will make it...fingers-crossed.

My colony.  Note the ominous grizzly hanging around....

My newest colony started off with the basic colony setup--I opted for three colonists with decent technological skills.  In picking who my three colonists would be I tried for a normal balance of useful survival skills--early on I try to pick colonists with decent growing skills, at least one person with decent combat skills, and someone with medical skills.  The trickier part is keeping track of the individual personality quirks and picking people who aren't going to have truly devastating traits.  I only did a so-so job on this front and made one fairly stupid choice.  Two of my colonists have a trait called "gourmand" which means that when they're stressed, they will react by going on food binges.  These binges can put a serious dent in your food stores and fortunately I've managed to stay ahead of any serious shortages (it was really tricky in the beginning and my colonists were basically cooking enough to eat daily).  Calling the trait "gourmand" kind of makes me laugh because I've made it a core part of my desperate food recovery strategy to pillage the corpses of any animals killed by other animals.  So, I hope my stressed out colonists enjoy bingeing on the partially-eaten corpse of a yak or the leftover turtle that they scraped up.  Sounds delicious!

Naoko can't do dumb labor, but she's a good medic.

The worst choice I made in the early game was picking a colonist who is incapable of dumb labor.  The early part of the game requires a boat load of dumb labor--tons of gathering supplies, hauling, building, and scrapping to survive.  So, one of my colonists was basically a useless consumer of food...but, she is also the person with the highest medical skill.  I decided the best option for her would be to have her be the researcher--a job she was willing to do.

The colony has lurched along and managed to avoid any catastrophic events so far.  I really wanted to gain another colonist to help with labor, but failed to recruit any captives and, for some reason, any capsule crashes coincided with other events that kept me from rescuing people (once, a capsule crashed in the midst of a pack of manhunting ibexes and another time it crashed right before a raid).  Finally a random person decided to join my colony and it has helped a ton with getting more resources gathered.

There have definitely been some hiccups for my colony--a meteor crashed on my refrigerated food storage area and destroyed some of my food stockpile; two of the colonists got into a social fight which resulted in the loss of a leg for one of them (the good news is that I managed to level up crafting and crafted him a prosthetic leg which my medic could use to replace his destroyed leg)--the colonist with the lost leg also narrowly avoided being devoured by a pack of manhunting labrador retrievers due to his slow speed...that would have been a tragic death.

My colony will survive!  (MAYBE.)

In some other gaming news, if you're looking to pick up some free games, the Epic Store is currently offering Hitman (2016) and the three Shadowrun games for free!  I haven't played this iteration of Hitman, but was a fan of the classic games--I grabbed it.  The Shdaowrun games are turn-based, RPG, cyberpunk games that are fun games--I would recommend picking them up.  The second game in the series is particularly good.  (Here are links to my reviews for two of the Shadowrun games--apparently I never wrote up a review for Dragonfall which is definitely the best in the series--Shadowrun Returns Review,Shadowrun: Hong Kong Review)

Determined to Discover

My gameplay hasn't varied much since last week--I've made up my mind that I will do the entirety of the Discovery Tour in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.  It's one of those weird goals in a game where you feel compelled to complete all of it for no clear reason.  I do actually like learning about the history and have been particularly compelled by the sheer amount of research, concept art, and random design elements that go into a game as large as Odyssey.  There are so many intricate little details embedded in the fictional world and you just don't take the time to notice them in the base game; I mean, there are thousands of people to stab, so why would you?

In a weirdly related side note, I stumbled across an article about an ongoing scholarly debate about whether or not ancient Greek sculptures were painted.  If you've ever seen a sculpture (or, more likely, a photograph) you're used to the appearance of white marble that has been dazzlingly carved into amazingly lifelike figures.  When you play Odyssey, one of the first things you notice (if you pay attention--but stabbing, right?) is the fact that the game mentions that statues in ancient Greece were likely painted.  Cities in the fictional Greek world are filled with beautifully painted sculptures--I had no idea it was such a controversy in the art world!  According to this article ("The Myth of Whiteness in Classical Sculpture"), the misconception about statues being nothing but blank marble has been perpetuated for a very long time.  Many statues, when unearthed, show evidence of pigments related to different types of materials used as paint during antiquity.  Unfortunately, these pigments decay very quickly after a statue has been recovered, so any that might still be clinging to the statues after thousands of years have to be recorded very quickly before they are lost.  The positive part though is that some scientists and art historians have figured out how to use certain types of modern technology to help them figure out what pigments might have been present on a statue.  Then, they can make plaster copies of the statues and paint them in an approximation of what they might have looked like in antiquity.  The end product is extremely colorful and detailed--a far cry from the pale, plain statuary that we're used to seeing.  There's even evidence that some statues had details that would have seemed gaudy and over-the-top when compared to a bare, white sculpture--vibrantly colored gemstones used as eyes, metallic paints (bling-bling!  Even the ancient Greek liked shiny, sparkly things), and a wide array of paint colors and hues.  (If you're more of a video person and don't want to read a long article--here's a short video that also explains this phenomenon)

Personally, I find the colorful statues to be much more engaging to look at and I am glad that the game designers for Odyssey decided to opt for painted statues.  It's amazing what you can learn from a video game!

Touring Ancient Greece and Building PC's

 I've basically played my most recent summer sale purchases to the point where I'm content and don't really feel the urge to start them up.  Instead, I've found myself merging back into some old familiar territory--namely that of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and also into the world of virtually building PC's in PC Building Simulator.  These two games are completely different, but I can always find enjoyment in them.

The exact reasons that motivated me to want to dive back into AC: Odyssey are a bit murky--I felt the urge to play something large and complex but still familiar.  My feelings about the AC games are complicated; I like them, but I wouldn't say I love them (not the way I love Mass Effect).  Kassandra is a great character that I really like (and with the recent Ubisoft controversy--should have been the featured character) and  I adore the historically-based worlds that Ubi creates.  On the other hand, the map is completely bloated with locations and I find myself locked in this inner battle about my compulsive need to complete all of them versus the need to just enjoy playing the game and it becomes more about checking off  a list.  Eventually I undoubtedly start to feel bored with the pattern of doing a few story missions and then spending the bulk of my time mindlessly stabbing people to check off a goal.

Tour Ancient Greece as one of many characters.

One addition to Odyssey that has come out since I last played is Discovery Mode.  As a history nerd I enjoy the guided tours around different parts of Ancient Greece and learning about many aspects of life.  There are also little tidbits about the game design embedded in the tour so you can learn about what research and decisions were made about creating the world.  There are tons of locations to explore and many of the tours are themed--I completed one tour that was centered around Greek theater and plays--you can pick topics that interest you and find some cool details in the game world.  Another tour I completed was about the area around the Parthenon--I learned the myth of the founding of Athens and about all the different temples present in complex.  If you like learning about history and want a relaxed mode of play, check out Discovery Mode.

When I get tired of stabbing 10,676 people (that's a real number...sigh) I have inevitably found myself turning to the non-stabby world of PC Building Simulator.  It's always interesting to log back because of the fact that they are regularly adding new components and new companies.  One of the more interesting additions is the ability to create custom water cooling systems.  I also decided to try to knock out some of the achievements that I hadn't managed to snag--I finally landed a 5-star rating, which is something that had been difficult to do.  The jobs at the higher levels of career mode have gotten more complicated and include overclocking.  I am unsure if custom water cooling comes into play in career mode at all (apparently it does at some point, but I haven't received any other than adding AIO coolers).  My little shop now bears my name (thanks to finally being able to own 30% of the company and removing uncle Tim's name) and I have to decide if I want to continue trying to level up my shop (there are still parts to unlock).

In exciting PC Building Simulator news, the first DLC launched earlier this week.  The ESports Expansion adds in a new gameplay mode that takes you out of your shop and into the esports spotlight.  Your new role is managing the many technological needs of a budding esports in team.  The expansion promises to provide variety in gameplay that differs from career mode but that still involves using your PC building skills.  I recently snagged the expansion and am looking forward to taking a turn at the madcap world of esports.

Asassin's Creed: Odyssey--The Season Pass Conundrum

If you're at all budget conscious, the thought of spending an additional $40-$50 on DLC (for a game that already cost $59.99) can be downright anxiety inducing.  Much of the time you don't know if the content you're paying for will be worth it.  I decided to buy the season pass for Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey because I enjoyed the base game and I received that base game for free (*free in the sense that it was packaged with a new graphics card) so I wanted to throw some money at Ubisoft.  I'm going to try to wrap up my thoughts about the DLC with the hopes of helping someone else who might be waffling on this purchase.

Here's what you get in the Season Pass for Odyssey.

The season pass includes two separate story arcs that add in many more hours of content.  Both story arcs seem to have a different type of focus that follows a pattern I noticed in Origins--one focuses on more narrative driven content that works to tie characters, story, etc. together and the other is more exploration/open world driven.  Both packs add in many additional hours of gameplay, new weapons, new armor sets, and new types of enemies.

Legacy of the First Blade
Pros:
+Narrative driven.  The focus of the first DLC pack is tying together Kassandra/Alexios with the entire assassin storyline.  If you're someone who likes storytelling and seeing how everything in the bonkers AC timeline is pulled together, this DLC does exactly that (in a controversial way...).

+ New characters.  As part of the story you are introduced to Darius (a Persian assassin) and his son (or daughter).  Darius has a compelling story tied to Persia and the assassins.  His son/daughter is boring as crap and serves a purpose tied to the aforementioned controversy.

+ New (ish?) enemies.  The story introduces a new conspiracy (The Order) of Persian (and maybe some unhappy/traitorous Greeks).  The basic enemy type doesn't change much--there are still brutes, regular soldiers, archers, stabby rogues, etc--but you do get a brand new cultist menu of baddies to track down and assassinate.

+New weapons/armor sets inspired by Persian aesthetic.

Cons:
-Player choice is stripped in the name of connecting story dots.  This was the big controversy that blew up when this DLC was originally released.  It was so contentious that Ubi actually ended up changing parts of it.  If you're extremely attached to playing your character a certain way...you're probably going to be disappointed.

-No new areas to explore.  The story takes place in three different Greek zones (that you've probably already fully explored).

The Fate of Atlantis
Pros:
+ Ties together some of the more confusing main storyline elements--i.e. those involving the staff of Hermes Trismegistus/Layla Hassan.

+ Introduces three new zones inspired by Greek mythology--Elysium, the Underworld, and Atlantis.  Each zone has is ruled by a different "god" (Isu) and is a part of the main story.  There are new places to explore/attack.  It's a welcome change from the potential 100+ hours spent in Greece in the main story.  Each zone has its own unique mechanics.

+ New abilities.  Part of the story involves unlocking the potential of the Staff of Hermes.  Special "insight" stones introduce alternative abilities (for example, one ability juiced my Wrath of Ares ability into a flurry of rapid spear attacks).  These abilities are Isu inspired and help spice up those same ol'-same ol' skills you've used for those same 100+ hours.

+ New enemies.  Isu soldiers have new, more challenging abilities.  The Atlantean Polemarchs in the last part of the DLC are extremely tough fights (unless you cheese the fights like I did--hide in a bush, snipe w/fire arrows, continue sniping while Polemarch freaks out from being on fire... dead Polemarch)

+ New boss fights.

+ New weapons/armor sets.

Cons:
-Story ending/parts of the story.  There's always the entire aspect of the story taking place in the animus and what is exactly going on is a tad confusing.  The worlds of Elysium, the Underworld, and Atlantis are simulations within the animus (I think?) and Aletheia is helping to guide Kassandra/Layla through them to juice up the staff.  The third episode (in Atlantis) in particular seems to also commit the sin of stripping out much player choice.  Kassandra/Alexios is placed in the role of "judge" and is told that they will be making serious decisions that could potentially impact the future of the city (which appears to be a bastion of human/Isu cooperation).  In the end though, your decisions don't really seem to matter at all.

-Layla Hassan.  She does a bad thing in the story and it just felt weird.  I was turned off by the entire Layla sequence.

Final verdict:
Buy it on sale.  I liked the new zones in Fate of Atlantis and parts of the story in each DLC, but wasn't extremely thrilled by the lack of meaningful choices.  There are also the "Greek stories" which add in new chaining story missions to the base game that involve some of the main characters (and I actually quite liked many of them).  I do think the $49.99 price tag is fair for the amount of content that you get.

Heaven, Hell, and....Atlantis?

The journey of warrior Kassandra (who, I've got to admit, I'm not enjoying as much as assassin Kassandra) has now officially moved beyond the beautiful shores of ancient Greece into the realm of mythology.  The Fate of Atlantis DLC for Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey  finally decides to move the story out of the real world (thank baby Jesus...or Zeus in this case--a change of scenery is much needed).  Similar to Legacy of the First Blade, Fate of Atlantis was released in an episodic fashion and, in this case, it makes sense.

(SPOILERS AHEAD for the part of the main storyline and possibly for part of the Fate of Atlantis DLC--fair warning!)

One part of the story that I originally found highly unsatisfactory was the entire weirdness with Layla Hassan (of the modern day) being handed the staff of Hermes Trismegistus and trying to wrap my head around several things--1.) Kassandra was still alive (the staff granting immortality is explained, but it was still surprising) and then you get to watch her die and 2.) There was absolutely no explanation about why handing the staff to Layla was so important.  Luckily, if you've purchased the Fate of Atlantis DLC it attempts to fill in the blanks of that strange part of the story.  Honestly, it's all still a bit confusing.

It turns out that Kassandra and Layla have a sort of strange connection bestowed by the Isu.  The story reveals Kassandra's unique DNA (the "bloodline") and the fact that she is next in line to take control of the powerful artifact.  As it turns out, her job isn't to simply guard the staff, but it is to unlock its true potential as a conduit of Isu knowledge--she is bestowed the role of "keeper."  After she has unlocked the Isu knowledge and juiced up the staff, her other job is to wait to hand it off to an unspecified "heir of memories."  (Layla Hassan...of the present day...the part of the story that was originally very unclear)

Powering up the staff is no laughing matter and it requires Layla to once more enter the animus and guide Kassandra to the many locations where this hidden information can be unlocked.  The even more complicated aspect of this is that the information has been hidden by the Isu (namely the pro-human and helpful Aletheia) in simulations cleverly disguised as parts of Greek mythology.  Each "episode" sees Kassandra travelling to a different location, becoming wrapped up in the current difficulties within that region, and ultimately working to unlock the true potential of the staff.

Elysium is filled with gorgeous landscapes.

 The first episode takes place in the heaven-like land of Elysium.  The land of Elysium is ruled by Persephone, the wife of Hades--it's also her prison which she has crafted into a beautiful land of clear, glassy water, floating rock islands, and swaying fields of colorful flowers.  You can't help but feel a sense of wonder and happiness in Elysium...buuuuuut, everything is not perfect.  In order to unlock the true potential of the staff, Kassandra finds herself at the whims of the godlike rulers (the actual "gods" in the mythology sense are actually Isu who rule the realms) who aren't willing to give up their secrets without something else in exchange.  Not only that, but there is trouble brewing on the horizon in the form of humans in Elysium who want to rebel against the rule of Persephone.  Elysium provides a new area to explore; new enemies with differing abilities; the opportunity to alter certain talents into new abilities; and also way more choice making than in Legacy of the First Blade.  I won't go into too many details about how the story plays out.

Persephone's palace in Elysium is nothing to scoff at.

The Underworld is a stark contrast to Elysium.

Episode two sees Kassandra thrust down into the bowels of the Underworld.  It's quite a jarring change to go from the scenic, flower filled world of Elysium into the barren, hellish landscape of the Underworld.  Hades, ruler of the Underworld, also has problems that need solving in exchange for his help unlocking more staff secrets.  It turns out that Hades is kind of a bastard though...who would've guessed?

I've just recently exited the Underworld and now Kassandra is adventuring in the mysterious world of Atlantis.  Atlantis provides another visually stunning, mythological zone to explore and even more Isu secrets to unravel.  I enjoyed the whacky afterlife scenarios in Origins and am digging Fate of Atlantis as an entire DLC.  There are still a few pieces of the story that I don't understand, but hopefully completing the entire thing will help it make more sense.  Even though I am enjoying it, I'm also feeling like it's time for the adventures to end (AKA...I'm ready to play something else for awhile).

Welcome to hell!

Legacy of the First Blade Done!

I've been sitting on the content from the season pass of Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey for quite awhile now (which honestly is fine with me...I will get to that) and I just finished the first three "episode" chunk:  Legacy of the First Blade.  I had kind of forgotten how controversial and unpopular this DLC was--I have to say that I actually enjoyed it, but I can understand some of the negative feelings and reviews that people have expressed.  Ohhh, it's complicated!

A whole new masked conspiracy to slay!

One of the main reasons that I am glad I waited on playing the DLC is because I am still a tad mind boggled as to why it was released in an "episodic" way and I am not a fan of playing things in chunks--I prefer to just keep playing straight through something so that it's fresh in my head.  I think it would have been slightly torturous to play through one episode and then wait another six weeks for the next one to be rolled out (although, I suppose the flip side would be that for players who want to take their time they could potentially roll it together).  What exactly was the point of doing it that way?  To build suspense?  I just don't get it.

SPOILERS HO!  Yeah, from here on out I'm going to be writing about aspects of the main storyline in Legacy of the First Blade.

The basic pretense of the storyline in Legacy of the First Blade is that a new collection of baddies (AKA a new conspiracy--'magine that!) has appeared from foreign shores and is plotting deviousness in the Greek world.  Your character (Kassandra in my case) finds themself drawn into the machinations of The Order (yes, the precursor to the Order from Origins and every other AC game) and meets a father/son (or, I have a feeling if you play as Alexios--father/daughter) duo who is hellbent on hunting down and destroying them all.  As the story unfolds, Kassandra/Alexios learns that they are being hunted by The Order because of their "tainted blood."  Working with the mysterious Persian father/son--Darius and Natakas--Kassandra must uncover clues to hunt down and destroy The Order (look, you get a new cultist menu, it has new baddies...it all feels very familiar).  Darius is very mysterious and carries a familiar weapon...a spring-loaded blade strapped to his wrist.

Interestingly, a large part of the controversy about this DLC comes from the fact that players are largely stripped of their ability to make choices within the story.  One of the major controversies came from the fact that the story forces players into a relationship with the son/daughter character--because the narrative is largely driven by the concept of Kassandra/Alexios bloodline and the need for it to be wiped out by future insidious conspiracies, there's a need for offspring.  Therefore, regardless of many of the choices you've made prior to this point in the main story--you have a baby!  A lot of people were upset by this because they were given the freedom to shape their character how they wanted--including choosing only same-sex LI's--and then having that taken away.  It definitely ruined that particular aspect of the game.

Since I wasn't dead-set on playing my Kassandra one certain way (and I was going for the "flirt with everyone" option), I didn't find the relationship controversy to be as rage inducing as it seems to be for many people (I can understand it though).  I actually liked the "family" aspect of the story and felt like it gave it a wider range of emotion.  There are A LOT of negative reviews for this DLC that hinge on the fact that player choice is taken away (and it's true), but I was also surprised by the number of reviews that especially mention "ruining Kassandra."  I definitely did not feel that and don't understand those feelings--why can't Kassandra still be a badass even though she has a baby?  She can't be a mother and still club people to death (my Kassandra!)?  She can't show any emotions?  It seems like seeing the softer, more traditionally feminine side of Kassandra causes discomfort for some people--and, I suppose it does get back to the whole "illusion of choice" complaint--if you're playing your Kassandra as a heart-breaking, tough-talking misthios...it sort of doesn't make sense.

For me personally, I enjoyed the ups and downs of Kassandra settling into the "simple" life (although I will agree with the assessment that Natakas is boring as crap)--that's always been a part of video games that I like--seeing characters that we've grown to enjoy having something nice happen.  Of course, right when you feel the happy vibes the story rips that right away.  The Order attacks your happy little home and Kassandra is on a mission to find her missing son.  Strangely enough I found the violence and killing much more justified as Kassandra goes Mama Bear on The Order.  (Umm, she's still a badass, and probably more of one when she is desperately trying to find her son)

I guess it's an unpopular opinion, but I actually liked Legacy of the First Blade.  I can agree with many of the criticisms (the choice thing does suck; there aren't any new areas to explore) but I enjoyed unraveling The Order and getting to experience a wider range of Kassandra.  I liked how the story ties together the bloodline with the assassins.

I would cautiously recommend Legacy of the First Blade to those looking to check out additional content for Odyssey.  I enjoyed the story but can understand some of the outrage over taking away player agency.  Maybe buy it on sale if you're feeling hesitant.

Stealth Failure

After getting bored with The Division 2 (which, FYI has released it's first DLC "episode," so could potentially be worth revisiting), I decided to rededicate myself to completing the not-so-stealthy adventures of warrior Kassandra in Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey.  I forgot how absolutely massive the ancient Greek world is in Odyssey and can't stop my completionist self from completing every...single...location on the effin' map.  I've officially reached the point where every zone is almost finished and I'm ready to knock out the rest of the main story and move on to the DLC (which was my goal for re-playing the entire thing).

Warrior Kassandra looking heroic.

Playing as warrior Kassandra has prompted several changes in my playstyle from the first time around.  I decided to put all my talents into the "warrior" tree (rather than the assassin tree which I initially chose) and Kassandra is an absolute beast when it comes to pummeling large numbers of enemies.  On the other hand, her stealth skills are trash and trying to sneak through anything is hit or miss--she can stab someone from stealth, but they usually don't die in one hit (it's probably worth mentioning here that I also decided to raise the difficulty on this playthrough to hard).  This means that being remotely stealthy means luring unwitting guards, bandits, etc. to somewhat isolated areas, stabbing away a portion of health, and then giving them a few powerful whacks with the minotaur axe (I decided to go the two-hander route for the warrior build).  This strategy sort of works, but the majority of the time other guards hear the whacking taking place and Kassandra winds up in a wild melee with numerous enemies--it's chaos, but with the chain attack overpower ability and some built up adrenaline, it's usually bam, bam, bam, bam, and they're dead.

Further contributing to warrior Kassandra's lack of stealth is the decision to use fire-based attacks.  I do love a good DoT, but poor Kassandra lights herself on fire more often than not.  I've mastered the stop-drop-and roll method of putting out the raging self-inflicted fire.  I've grabbed every weapon that has extra fire damage and especially enjoy the bow of Hades which turns all basic arrows into fire arrows.  The downside of the bow is that I frequently forget about the flaming arrows and accidentally engulf entire camps in a raging inferno--which doesn't exactly encourage stealth--the guards will notice (eventually).

"Hard" difficulty hasn't been too bad, but due to the aforementioned poor stealth skills, Kassandra tends to have some level of bounty on her head.  One of the major differences from "normal" difficulty is that bounties seem to decay at a much slower level.  I've had to make it a point to seek out bounty holders and slay them if I want the bounty level to lower to where I won't be constantly stalked by baby mercenaries hoping to slay the godlike-Kassandra (they are fairly easy to kill, but have a tendency to make appearances at very inopportune moments).

A very non-consequential decision I made about this playthrough is that if the "flirt" option is offered in dialogue, Kassandra will take it.  As a result, Kassandra has had numerous romantic encounters with a very wide variety of people.  One of my favorites happens early in the game--the infamous horny, old lady who lives near the Oracle of Delphi (she sends you on a mission to gather a bunch of animal-based ingredients so she can make a potion for her exhausted husband).  I wasn't sure how the scenario would work out with flirting right in front of her husband...but he actually seems relieved when you offer to take his place.  There's a funny cutscene of several days passing--while the husband spends his free time hanging out with friends and practicing his musical skills on some sort of stringed instrument--and then your character finally emerges and basically tells the husband that the old lady should be good for a few days.  I really didn't expect that and it made me laugh.

In another romantically based decision I decided to forgo a romance with Kyra (the rebel leader on the island of Mykonos) in an effort to avoid the tragic end of that whole quest line (SPOILERS here for this quest--basically her Spartan BF doesn't really appreciate you cheating and the quest line ends with a fight and his death).  I even tried to flirt with the BF and he stayed loyal to Kyra and turned Kassandra down!  I thought I would get a happier ending to the quest line...but noooooo, someone still dies (I had made another decision which could have been different and possibly would have resulted in a better ending).  Sometimes you just can't win.

I have yet to touch the DLC, but I'm getting close.  My goal is to be neck-deep in it next week and able to write about it next weekend.

I Just Can't Do It

I decided that my new gaming venture would take place in one of my favorite stealth/adventure series--Dishonored 2.  For my first playthrough I chose to play as Emily Kaldwin and enjoyed her set of slightly different abilities.  This time around I decided I would play as Corvo Attano so I can check out any of the major story/plot differences.  So far, there haven't really been major differences.  Corvo's abilities feel comfortingly familiar and I've been happily lurking in the shadows and waiting for my chance to strike.

One of the other major decisions that I usually have to consider is how I want to play--do I want to go for the lesser of two evils and try not to kill anyone?  Or do I take the path of least resistance and just slay anyone in my path?  I've always felt that this decision is a little bit skewed by the way that the story seems to reward the non-lethal path.  If you don't run around killing everyone there is lower "chaos," which means that your actions won't negatively impact the future.  Part of me really leans toward a "high chaos" playthrough--it's great fun to sneak around stabbing everything (and there are some great talents that make slaying extra fun--one automatically turns bodies into ash which means no wasted time trying to stash them somewhere out of sight).  I told myself I was gonna do it this time...but I just can't!  I want the "good" ending too much.  (I've only ever been able to make myself choose what I view as the more ruthless path in a game once.  I played the renegade path in Mass Effect and it made me feel bad--I can't do it again.)

I wish I could get the game to look as good as this picture =/

Something else I realized as I re-booted Dishonored 2 is that it seems to have some hefty technical requirements.  My video card is better than the recommended specs, but I've had some serious problems running it on any settings that aren't low.  I've been frustrated by this fact because it is a game that looks absolutely stunning and I love taking in all the little details that have been painstakingly crafted into the game.

Regardless of my technical difficulties, I've been enjoying my most recent playthrough of Dishonored 2.  I'm trying my best to search every nook and cranny in the game, whereas in my first playthrough I definitely skipped over some things.  I've also been trying to get some of the achievements that I missed out on.  One of those achievements involved saving the life of a merchant who is shoved through a wall of light by some malicious city guards.  Three sleep darts later and the merchant was confusedly sprinting away without realizing that I had just saved his skin.  The other achievement I chalked up was a little challenging and required several bone-crunching falls from the top of the Addermire Institute.  Finally managing to maneuver Corvo into position to jump from the highest point on Addermire and stab a guard (who is very, very far below you) was oddly satisfying.  I highly recommend doing it, laughing at yourself when you die from falling a few times, and then feeling victorious when you manage it.

On a completely unrelated note, I decided to bite and invest in the season pass for Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey.  What finally made me do it?  The newest DLC, Fate of Atlantis, seems to be a fun-filled romp through a bonkers afterlife scenario.  I very much enjoyed the Curse of the Pharaohs DLC from Assassin's Creed:  Origins.  A portion of its story takes place in the various afterlives of dead pharaohs--those zones are very cool!  After I finish my most recent romp through Dishonored 2, I'm looking forward to some more stabby fun with Kassandra.

The Obligatory GOTY 2018 Post

Since 2019 has rolled around (Happy New Year!), it's now time to reflect on the year in gaming that was 2018.  I didn't play many brand new titles, and there are definitely a few that came out this year that I'm waiting to go on sale (The Return of the Obra Dinn and Shadow of the Tomb Raider), but there were a couple of standouts that come directly to mind--Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey and Two Point Hospital gave me many enjoyable hours of gameplay.  (My full reviews for boh games--Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Review and Two Point Hospital Review)

Runner-up:  Two Point Hospital
In the summer of 2018 the news I had been waiting for since 1997 (not really, but we can pretend) finally popped up--someone was doing a remake of one of my absolute favorite games!  For many, many years Theme Hospital was my go-to game when I didn't have the money for anything new or there just wasn't anything else that I wanted to play,  Theme Hospital offered up a blend of somewhat crass, goofy humor and legitimate management skills all in in the strange world of hospital administration.  I cautiously held my breath that its 2018 reiteration would be able to encompass that same sense of humor and enthralling, but still enjoyable style of gameplay.

Two Point Hospital offers up management with a humorous twist.

Upon booting up Two Point Hospital, it was obvious that the developers had worked hard to make a game that was inspired by the classic Theme Hospital but was unique.  Designing and managing hospitals feels much the same, but much, much improved.  Each level presents a different hospital with a specific set of challenges and also offers the ability for personalization--dog paintings everywhere (that's how you should do it)!  The massive roster of new diseases in Two Point kept me chuckling throughout the game--naked patients strolling through the hospital with the Emperor Complex or weirdly pixelated blobs for unfortunate souls suffering from 8-Bitten.

One of the things that I like best about Two Point Hospital is the ability for players to choose how they play each level.  There is a star rating system that requires that specific goals be met to move up to the next rank.  In order to advance the story, players simply have to manage each hospital to a one-star level.  The other possibility is that players can choose to continue playing the same hospital and face new, more challenging sets of goals.  Each hospital can be raised to a three-star level and there are special rewards for each improvement in star rating.

Sure, there's definitely some nostalgia in my love for Two Point Hospital, but I think that any gamer could find something to enjoy.  The management aspect is challenging but is still fun and there's a goofy sense of humor that prevails throughout the game.  I would encourage anyone who wants a lighthearted, funny management game to pick it up....stat!

My GOTY 2018:  Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey

Even the countryside is breathtakingly beautiful in Odyssey.

Strangely, my first ever foray into the long-running Assassin's Creed series was the ancient Greek themed Odyssey.  I knew of the series but took it as a console staple that probably wasn't worthy of the attention of PC gamers.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I hadn't have received it as part of a free game bundle that came with my graphics card upgrade.  It's here that I will reiterate that I was completely wrong; Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey is a great game and I had 143 fun (*mostly!) hours exploring ancient Greece.  Playing Odyssey made me a fan of the AC series and now I'm working my way (with mixed success) through the various games.

The thing that awes me the most about Odyssey is the massive world filled with fictional realizations of historical locations.  I could easily hop my character on a horse or boat and marvel at wandering around the Parthenon or stand beneath the towering statue of Zeus at Olympia.  Way too often I found myself smiling like an idiot at a stunning fictional world.  It says something that a game managed to evoke that reaction.  Plus, you can't deny that Ubisoft strives to make beautiful, captivating worlds.  They are constantly drawing you to high vantage points so they can draw your attention to the world around you.

Kassandra is one of my *new* favorite characters.

Besides gushing about the beautiful world, I also enjoyed playing as Kassandra--one of your possible character choices (something new to the series).  Kassandra was everything I wanted in a female character and is extremely well-acted.  As a female gamer, I think it's encouraging to see more characters like Kassandra who are well-written and who are clearly trying to break old-school stereotypes of what female characters in video games should be.

I'm in no way trying to say that Odyssey is perfect--it's definitely not on the level of The Witcher 3, and there are improvements needed.  I loved the world, but it's just too big--to the point where many tasks and locations get repetitive.  There were aspects of the world and story that were novel at first, but turned out to be completely pointless (nation power and conquest battles, I'm looking at you!).  I think the game could be improved by more focus on creating memorable storylines and exciting, chaining missions.  The combat can also feel oddly unresponsive at times.  Having played an older game in the series (Black Flag) it's obvious that AC is changing to become more RPG-like, and I'm excited about this fact.

I hope everyone out there played some memorable games in 2018 and that the games of 2019 bring us even more to play and love.

The Odyssey is Complete!

It turns out that I was much closer to finishing Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey than I originally thought.  I just barely finished the main storyline and after 143 hours of play, it's finally time to write up my review.  Odyssey was my first foray into the long-running Assassin's Creed franchise and it has more than piqued my interest in the series (in fact, I just purchased two other AC games on the Steam Autumn sale).  I had largely ignored the series as a console staple that couldn't possibly be good.  I think my 2018 year in gaming would be called "you're wrong and need to stop believing in game stereotypes."  I had an absolute blast playing Odyssey!

Since Odyssey is my first AC game, I have no basis for comparing it to any of the past games in the series.  My review is going to be solely based on my experiences, so if you're hoping for some sort of in-depth comparison to other games in the series...sorry to disappoint.  I have only a slight idea about new features and my only understanding about the series and/or backstory comes from the few things I had read about it prior to picking it up (which was very few).  Several articles have mentioned that Origins and Odyssey seem to have marked a change in the series to make them more RPG-like than previous games.

And, just as an FYI, I did receive Odyssey free as part of a promotion that came with my new graphics card.  This did not sway my opinion in any way (but daaamn if it wasn't the best of the three free games I received!).  The downside of this free offer was that I had to activate it on Uplay (Ubisoft's store/platform) rather than on Steam.

To give you a general idea of my first playthrough and the experience I am basing my review from--I am a completionist to the nth degree--if it can be completed, I will complete it (it might take for-freaking-ever, but it will get done!).  I made it my goal to explore all the locations on the map, to complete all the locations (which I did with mixed success), to complete all marked sidequests, to finish all the major sidetasks (mercenary rankings, cultist hunting, ainigmata ostraka solving, arena fights).  All of this, plus the main storyline, clocked in at 143 hours for me (knowing how the main storyline progresses, I could do it faster now--I repeated many locations).  I feel like I have a good feeling for the game as a whole.

Pros:

Athens is magnificent.

1.) Big, beautiful ancient Greek world.  From the minute I stepped into the game I was completely blown away by the detail and beauty of the world.  Whether you're adventuring in the majesty of the city of Athens or riding through a simple village, it feels absolutely amazing.  The game definitely banks on this fact and all fast travel locations are conveniently located atop breathtaking vistas that are meant to make you stop and take it all in.  You can't help but be impressed.

Kassandra is a great character.

 2.) Kassandra!  I am absolutely in love with Kassandra as the female protagonist.  She's tough, smart, beautiful and extremely well acted (she's my second favorite character next to FemShep from Mass Effect).  As a female gamer, she's exactly the type of character who I want to play and I appreciated the fact that she wasn't overly feminized or sexualized--she's muscular and looks and acts like the brash mercenary that she is.  Even with all this toughness there were still moments where you got to see her softer side--her interactions with kids are great and she does have some emotional moments that are tied to the story.  Usually when I re-play a game I use my second time as a chance to play as the character I didn't choose--I don't know if I can do it with Odyssey...Kassandra is amazing.

3.) Tasks, tasks, and more tasks!  Yes, the world is huge, but there are so many different options for you to choose how you spend your time in the game.  Here is a list to give you an idea:
   --exploration/completing locations
   --conquering regions/conquest battles
   --gathering materials to upgrade your ship, the Adrestia.
   --hunting down unique ships (which can drop unique sail designs, figureheads, or crew designs)
   --completing mission board assignments for cash/orichalcum
   --marked sidequests
   --hunting down cultists
   --competing in arena fights
   --gaining ranks on the mercenary chart
   --hunting down legendary animals
   --finding and solving ainigmata ostraka riddles
   --searching for all the legendary Greek Hero items
   --main storyline missions

Yes, you're going to be busy for a long time.

4.) Talent trees that support several different playstyles.  The hunter tree offers archery-related talents that provide maximal sniping abilities.  The warrior tree leans toward a directly confrontational playstyle and has abilities that range from flaming weapons to coordinated, overpowering melee attacks.  The assassin tree is perfect for players who prefer a stealthier approach.  All three trees can be mixed and matched to provide the abilities you want (and, some you don't).

5.) Armor sets upon armor sets.  Since I was madly completionist I collected the bulk of the sets from the main game.  Each set is uniquely detailed and has an aesthetic that matches the playstyle associated with the matching stats.  Armor sets that favor warrior stats look more heavily armored while the assassin sets are hooded and are made out of lighter materials.  There are so many sets that you can find one that is a good match for whatever unique blend of talents you've chosen.  I went assassin heavy with an emphasis on poison damage and stuck with the Venom set for much of the game.  Epic pieces aren't part of a set, but can also provide a very unique look for your character.

The Adrestia can be personalized with a number of options.

6.) Your ship, the Adrestia.  It's your home base, and it's also a powerful tool for naval warfare.  There are many options for personalization that can be unlocked through exploration or completing specific missions/tasks.  Investing resources in improving your ship also changes the way that it looks.  You can also recruit unique lieutenants who provide special combat boosts.  Another fun feature is the ability to personalize your crew--there are a wide range of male and female crews to find and unlock.  I really liked the fact that you could choose between male and female crews.  My crew of Daughters of Artemis made for fearsome sailors.  I loved the fact that my lady pirates dominated the sea.

7.) Parkour!  I'm pretty sure this is a staple of the series, but I enjoyed the fact that Kassandra could climb (and jump off of) almost anything.  Figuring out the best place to balance and plan an assassination was enjoyable.

8.) Conquest battles.  These battles feel epic.  There's an entire battlefield crawling with enemies and it's your job to help turn the tide.  I don't know that I've played another game that has given me that feeling of being in the middle of a pitched battle.  I also enjoyed the fact that some battles are naval battles--it gives players some variety.

9.) Choices.  There are many major dialogue options where you can choose how to proceed.  You don't have to kill everyone and can opt for something more diplomatic.  It appeared that those choices did have some effect on the story outcome (I can't say exactly to what extent though).

Photo mode lets you capture the beauty of ancient Greece.

10.) Photo mode.  I loved the fact that Odyssey included a built-in photo mode.   Personally, I enjoy taking screenshots and trying to capture the beauty in games.  Photo mode is easy to use, allows you to manipulate the camera to the desired angle, and includes a number of tools help make your images look exactly how you want them to.  (I wish that The Witcher 3 had a photo mode like the one in Odyssey)

11.) Historical fantasy.  As a history nerd, it was fun to see some of the major figures from ancient Greece as characters in a video game.  Is Odyssey an accurate representation of ancient Greece?  Definitely not; but it is a lot of fun!  I liked the fact that they included locations of historical significance and that players could choose to read about those locations on the map.  It was really awesome to see an imagined version of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia or the Parthenon in Athens.

12.) Humorous moments.  The main storyline is very serious, but there are some side quests that include lighter moments.  Arguing about philosophy with Sokrates (Kassandra's eyerolls are freakin' priceless--amazing animation), escorting the Spartan prizefighter Testikles to the Olympics, and generally any hi-jinx featuring Alkibiades (and his sexual innuendos).  Those moments of levity are a nice change of pace.

13.) About half of the main storyline (I will get to the other half).  I am going to try to avoid spoilers, but I genuinely enjoyed the part of the story that was about Kassandra and her family.  There were a lot of highly emotional moments that were well-written and it was a joy to see it all come together.

14.) Mythical creature fights.  As part of the main storyline you must find and defeat several creatures from Greek mythology.  These fights are boss battles and are definitely much more difficult than facing off against another mercenary or elite enemy.  I loved the way the creatures looked (the Sphinx is so cool!) and fighting and defeating them feels like a true accomplishment.

Cons:
1.) How big is too big? (let your inner twelve-year old laugh at this statement....)  The world is huge, but I can't help but think that it's too big.  The map is littered with locations and each one has a set of tasks to accomplish.  It's all too easy to get swept up in the checklist game, but how meaningful are those tasks?  Sure, you could argue that completing them does have a direct tie to nation power, but in the end, how meaningful is the entire concept of which nation rules an area?  In reality, it's not important at all (unless it's one of the main storyline areas).  Odyssey definitely suffers from what I like to call "open-world bloat."  It's a common affliction in many modern, open-world RPG's where developers feel the need to wow gamers with the size and scope of their creation.  I loved the beauty of the game, but I did find that the exploration and completion aspect got tedious.  There are a bajillion military bases and they seem to have the same three-ish designs.

2.) A side consequence of open-world bloat is that the story winds up getting buried.  I'm having a hard time recalling parts of the main storyline because it took place 100+ hours ago!  I think this is where so many open-world games suffer--the story gets lost behind the world itself.  I wish there were more storylines built in to each area as opposed to more places to explore.  Maybe this is a personal preference, but I think story is so much more engaging than exploring your 900th cave.

3.) There's a relationship aspect to the game that I felt mixed about.  Certain characters offer the dialogue option to flirt and I didn't think (in most cases) that there was much point to it--other than providing a cutscene of some nice video game smooching (it's not awkward and well animated, so that's a plus).  There are many female characters to flirt with and not many male options.  These relationships have virtually no consequences (there are a few that have their own story and those are the highlight).  It's my hope that this feature gets fleshed out more--it could provide some relief from open-world bloat.  (I did not get to make out with Brasidas, which was my goal)

4.) Conquest.  I was really thinking that there would be some major tie-in with the main story and the fact that you can fight to change the ruling nation in each area.  Well, SPOILERS, there's not (for the most part, anyway).  The main point seems to be that you can earn some drachmae and a few pieces of epic armor.  Conquest battles are epic, but like exploration, they get tedious after awhile.  Besides getting paid, there's also really no point in completing them.

5.) The backstory that's part of the main storyline.  Maybe it's the fact that I haven't played the entire series, but it made little sense and felt like a distraction.  I really didn't care about whatever modern mumbo-jumbo that was going on--I cared about Kassandra and her story.  I guess they included it to show the link between the games, but I mostly wanted to get past it.  I was also really confused when I finished part of the story and it felt like the end (but it wasn't).

6.) Cultists.  I enjoyed the concept of hunting down cultists and trying to figure out who they were, but I was frustrated by the fact that several times I accidentally killed cultists.  I wish that hunting them down felt more satisfactory and that it was impossible to stumble across them unless they had been revealed.  I also felt like I knew who the central cultist was from very early on in the story.  It wasn't much of a surprise when they were unmasked at the end of the game.

7.) Talent points.  If you are a completionist it's possible that you can earn and discover (through locating stele in tombs) a plethora of talent points.  By the end of my playthrough I had taken every single talent in the assassin tree (maxed out), about 3/4 of the warrior talents, and about 1/3 of the hunter talents.  The reality is that I could only map 8 melee abilities at a time.  This meant that many of my talent points were mostly useless (you can swap out abilities).  Swapping between both melee bars also felt kind of awkward (definitely something that's meant for a controller).

Odyssey isn't perfect, but it is a lot of fun.  I enjoyed it so much that I've become an almost overnight fan of Assassin's Creed.  I think it would be better if the world was trimmed down and more story was injected as opposed to just the sheer number of locations.  It's a beautiful world and I adore Kassandra as a character.  I keep reading that singleplayer RPG's are in their death throes but games like Odyssey give me hope that the genre still has some life left.

It's true....I love stabbing people.

I would recommend Odyssey to a wide variety of gamers--those looking for a strong, awesome female protagonist; those who want a huge, beautiful world to explore; or those who just want to stab a whole bunch of people in a video game.  There's something for everyone.

My Odyssey Wish and Gripes List

Guess what?  Chicken butt!  Just kidding--but I'm about to lead off with the exact same sentiment that I've led off with for the past four weeks--I'm still playing Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey.  According to the horrible counter on Uplay's game dock, I've played for 135 hours, killed 4,389 critters/people, and travelled 1,351,217 meters (kilometers?  I don't know.).  And yet, I'm still not finished.  I'm 72% through the main storyline and still have a stubborn determination to find and complete as many locations as I can.  Oh, the pain of being such an ardent completionist...I've mostly had fun, but there have definitely been some moments of questioning the point of clearing out yet another military outpost or creeping through my billionth cave.  (FYI--There might be some spoilers.  You've probably already finished the game though, because you're not stubbornly clinging to finding and doing everything.  If so, read on!)

This is what it feels like to be the #1 mercenary.

The one major achievement I can chalk up is finally climbing to the top of the ancient Greek mercenary charts.  I mostly ignored the entire concept of gaining ranks until I noticed that some of the discounts offered at higher ranks were actually very good.  Trying to keep my gear upgraded has been a bit of a headache that has required an obscene amount of leather--stupidly, I didn't noticed that at tier 3 rank the material cost for gear upgrades is reduced by 50%.  I could've saved so much leather.....blargh.  I mostly faced off against the other mercenaries in the Pephka arena--a few I killed while they were trying to track me down.  The entire mercenary ranking system culminates with a fight against a "legendary" fighter who is one of the sage level cultists.  You get to become #1 and take out one of the high ranking cultists--bargain!  Sadly, becoming #1 doesn't really provide much in the way of rewards--legendary guy drops a huge, fiery mace and I think you get a legendary skin for your horse--some sort of flaming, underworld type of deal.  Then you get to sit happily on your throne of mercenary bodies.  Hurrah!

I've also managed to slay all four of the mythical creatures.  My favorite fight was against Medusa--you definitely need to be on your toes to avoid her petrification beam and her lightning call down (I don't know what to call it--the red circles you have to avoid).  The two other fights seemed easy compared to Medusa.  I managed to avoid fighting the Sphinx by answering its riddles correctly.

Throughout all this time playing I've been thinking about things that bug me and things that I wish were different or better.  Since I'm still not done playing, I've decided to make that list a thing outside of my own head.  I'm new to the series, so I have no idea if any of the things I'm listing are new features or unique to Odyssey.

Wishes:
1.) Relationships/flirting seems to be mostly (*with a few exceptions) pointless.  I've read that this entire aspect of the game is a new thing, so there's room for improvement.  I wish they would flesh out the relationship part of the game more--maybe something along the lines of a BioWare-esque relationship system.  For example, I think it would be nice to have unique, recruitable lieutenants for your ship.  It would be even better if those lieutenants had some sort of questline that adds backstory and can help develop the relationship between your character and the lieutenant.  To me, it just seems so weird and forced when your character has barely met someone and then they're basically hopping straight into bed with them (or they seem to happen at really awkward times--for example, when someone is sick and you offer to help...but not until after you've made the sweet, sweet love!  It just feels weird/wrong!).  Maybe that's a personal preference, but the relationships I've liked the most have been the ones that develop over the course of a chaining questline (Kyra comes to mind).

Along those same relationship related lines, I've noticed that the ratio of male to female options seems extremely skewed.  There are a ton of options to flirt with women, while there are only a few male characters open to flirtations.  I can only bring to mind four male choices--a cute doctor who wants you to kill his mother-in-law (there's an entire story--it's in one of the early zones), Alkibiades--the Greek playboy who seems to be down for whatever--a horny blacksmith who seems to want sexual favors in exchange for providing you with a sword for a quest--and Mikkos, a guy who is supposed to be taking care of Barnabas' sick nephew (but still brazenly flirts with you while you're offering to help and Neleus lays in bed--this is a prime example of the awkward situation).  I want some more male options!  (I'm not far enough into the main storyline, but I'm really feeling Brasidas--he better be an option!)

2.) More branching/detailed side quests.  I managed to find a few more notable and enjoyable branching sidequests that provided some nice stories, but I'm still finding that many zones are largely lacking in story.  The islands seem to have more to offer than the main Greek peninsula.  Exploration gets really draggy without something to spice it up and add interest.

3.) Morality system.  I will get to this under the "bugs me" section.

Bugs Me:
1.) I've been questioning whether the legendary gear sets are really worth it.  Each set seems to be crafted toward a certain playstyle and I've sided on the assassin heavy sets (the Venom set particularly.  Epic gear seems better though--you get three unique stat buffs plus an engraving.  The main challenge with epic gear is getting the correct combination of stats that you want.  I feel like the legendary gear should feel...more legendary.  There are some really nice looking items--I have to say that.

2.) Accidentally killing cultists.  I know this is a weird thing, but I feel like killing cultists should be more satisfactory and epic feeling.  It felt decidedly lackluster when I accidentally killed two cultists who I thought were guards (one of them was sleeping in a fort, I stabbed him only to discover that he didn't die and was actually quite tough--after a short scuffle, it was revealed that he was a cultist--it was simultaneously surprising and a bit disappointing).  Part of me wishes that the cultists would only appear after you have found the clues to reveal them.  One really weird thing happened with another cultist where he was already dead!  It appeared that he had wandered into a small camp of Spartan soldiers who then killed him.  Stabbing his dead corpse was anticlimactic.

Ask me to stab a cultist guard...OK.  Ask me to burn a silo....ugh.

3.)  Completing some locations requires doing things that I don't like doing.  Yes, it's true that I can choose not to do them, but then I won't get credit for completing the location.  In particular I am thinking of blowing up silos.  Destroying supplies does tie in with the entire idea of there being a war and trying to weaken one side or the other--that doesn't stop it from feeling horrible each time that I do it (I don't know why--I will literally stab a billion guards, but blowing up a silo....it just sucks).  Silos are also usually surrounded by civilians who are working in the fields and tend to get blown up in the process--I don't like that and try not to kill civilians.  I wish the civilians would scare off more easily or run away when they see me toss a torch onto a silo.  This makes me wish for some sort of more comprehensive morality system--it's true that if you are seen committing crimes that your bounty increases, but I don't feel like there is much of a penalty for killing civilians.  I also don't like that some things are stealing while others are just looting.  Maybe I'm just weird.

4.) Only being able to map 8 melee abilities.  It's true that I mostly have 3-4 go to skills, but it feels so pointless to have a bunch of abilities that I can't map because my melee bar is full.

I am hoping that by next week that I will have completed my first full playthrough and can write my review.  Thus far I've been impressed by the sheer size and scope of the game.  There is so much to do--you definitely do not need to worry about running out of tasks.  It's not perfect, but I'm finding Odyssey to be a fun RPG.

BIG SPOILER HERE--DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'RE VERY FAR ADVANCED INTO THE STORY.

I never got to make out with Brasidas and now I'm sad.  Damn you Ubisoft for ruining both Kyra and Brasidas for me!

Epic Odyssey

Yup, that's right, I'm still playing Assassin's Creed: Odyssey for the fourth week in a row.  This should be a very good indication of the amazing size of the game.  It's true that I could stop my insane completionist mission to discover every single location in the game, but why would I possibly want to do that?  A recent update just raised the level cap, added a new mythical foe to defeat, and also added a new "hard" mode for other mythical enemies.  The "hard" mode also offers the chance to cobble together a fancy new set of armor from the loot that all those hard-to-kill mythical monsters drop.  There's still so much to do!

I managed to slightly advance the main storyline in between bouts of exploration, but I'm still mostly just wandering around killing everything in sight (but somewhat trying to avoid it...I swear!).  Something that I just recently discovered (which I honestly don't know how I missed it) is the in-game photo mode.  Photo mode is something that most people probably scoff at and don't touch.  I absolutely love trying to capture fantastic photos of beautifully crafted video game worlds.  It has been great to see more and more games include special tools for taking and editing these photographs.  The most recent update also included additional features in photo mode and I'm secretly dying to check them out.  So far, the only photo I've taken is this completely uninspiring picture of a statue that I liked.  There's something about the statues in Odyssey that makes me want to take photos of them--I think it's somewhat related to the cognitive dissonance I have from having the image of the ruined, marble statues in museums not equate to the beautifully painted statues in the game.  It's fun to get to imagine what those statues would have looked like in antiquity.

A statue!

There have been a few compelling moments in my explorations.  I've finally located two mythical creatures--the Minotaur and the Cyclops--and succeeded in killing them.  On normal, the fights weren't too difficult and involved timing dodges correctly and figuring out how to temporarily disable the beasts so I could unload on them.  Each drops a legendary item that can be added to your stash (I think I got some sort of heavy weapon from each of them--nothing I'm particularly interested in.)

There have also been several opportunities to spark up hook-ups with some random characters.  I'm not sure how to feel about these encounters as some of them seem weirdly out of place and others do tie-in with a specific character and their story.  One of the hook-ups that I found the strangest happened on the small, volcanic island of Hydrea.  While exploring, I stumbled across a woman who looked to be sparring (and kicking the pants off of her opponents).  She offered a mission, so why not?  In approaching her, I learned that she was training for this huge battle and so far, couldn't find any training partners who were up to snuff.  As if!  I immediately offered to participate in a few different training activities with her and promptly beat her in all three (not so high and mighty now!).  After completing the training activities, I found my Kassandra sitting atop a hill with a beautiful view and chatting up Roxana.  Things were obviously leaning in a romantic fashion...and it felt kind of weird.  "I really like you."  We literally just hung out for 10 minutes while I kicked your butt in every activity.  Plus, there was this looming reality that if I/Kassandra entered the fighting event with Roxana that we would end up facing off.  That would be a regular Greek tragedy....so, I had Kassandra awkwardly tell Roxana "no thanks."  (I won't spoil the end of this relationship--but it does suck)

Ancient Greek beaches are made for lovin'.

One hook-up that I did opt for and then later regret was with Kyra, the leader of a group of rebels on Mykonos.  She didn't come on as strong and suddenly as Roxana and, there was something definitely charming about her drunken, reckless demeanor.  About midway through her chaining missions on Mykonos there are options to flirt and I went for it.  The result was a retreat to a beautiful beach where there's a cutscene and more options for flirting.  Partially through the dialogue and flirting, Kyra drops a bomb on you--she's in a relationship with Thaletas, the Spartan commander who is helping kick the Athenians off Mykonos.  Then, there's a choice to be made--do you continue your reckless flirting with Kyra, or do you tell her that she shouldn't cheat on Thaletas?  What the heck!  I've already stabbed like 4,000 people, what's breaking one poor guy's heart?  (Yes, I made a horrible person decision)  The night passes with some ancient Greek hookin' up and then you and Kyra part ways amid some goodbye kisses.  It's nice!  Things don't work out so well for poor Thaletas...(yeah, it turns out that my horrible person decision had some consequences)

A Few Exceptions

Last week I lamented the fact that there really didn't seem to be many longer, chaining missions to add depth to the massive world of ancient Greece in Assassin's Creed:  Odyssey.  As I've continued playing, I've stumbled across several that do add some interest to particular areas.  I somewhat bungled two of them and didn't get the exact outcome I was hoping for, but I was glad to finally have a break from my seemingly endless pursuit of discovering and conquering every place on the map.

For quite awhile I had a mission sitting in my log that required me to travel to the far flung corners of the ancient Greek world.  It was a request to travel to the island of Pephka to find an arena that sponsored fights between mercenaries.  I decided it was finally time to find this mysterious arena and see what it had to offer.  The arena is easy to find and offers up fights that include a few waves of mixed enemies (archers, brutes, spearmen, shield bearers, etc.) and then a final round against a "boss" type.  The "boss" can also fall within one of those enemy types and is essentially a bigger, badder version of fighting another mercenary.  I decided to complete two rounds of arena fighting--the initial fights were both well below my current level--and realized that one of the cultists fights in the arena.  So, the arena fighting scenario turned into a "two birds with one stone" kind of thing--I completed one of the five fights to establish myself as the "arena champion," and I killed off another cultist.  I desperately needed one more artifact fragment to level my spear up and unlock the third tier of talents, so it worked out perfectly.  I think there's one more fight within my current level range but that the final two fights will require some more levelling up.  (Spoilers for a set of side quests on Pephka ahead)

The lighting was nice in this location.  Of course I offered to help!

After I finished off my brief stint in the arena, I decided that it was time to explore the rest of the island and check off some location goals.  I made my way across the island and realized that I actually had another set of missions that started in the town of Lato.  These missions revolved around finding and fighting the Minotaur.  Upon arriving at the port in Lato, I was drawn to the enticing exclamation point of a new mission.  There was a kid who was offering tours related to the Minotaur--I decided to bite and take the tour.  Tour kid ran off and I followed--he proceeded to show me a large, half-completed statue of the Minotaur....but offered no real information about where to find the creature.  He then beckoned to follow him into the central market square of Lato and stopped next to a stall where he explained that true heroes might need some of his special "minotaur elixir" to give them some extra "oomph" to defeat it.  I was highly skeptical, but the kid was kind of cute and definitely had some entrepreneurial talents, so I paid 200 drachmae for a vial of the definitely fake elixir.

The tour proceeded and the kid ran off toward a cave near the market.  I followed him and discovered a cave with a large statue of a minotaur and some smaller paraphernalia.  The kid announced that this was the end of the tour and that the fee for his services needed to be paid--that's when two imposing looking brutes sidled in from out of the frame   The little turkey then announced that the price of his tour was 3000 drachmae and that I could either pay it or face his two hulking friends.  Fighting off his muscle wouldn't have been a problem, but I admired the racket that the kid had come up with, so I decided to pay him the money.  Sheesh, getting extorted in ancient Greece!

From here I headed out to the main square in Lato and found the mission target, a guy name Leiandros who was offering warriors a chance to find and fight the Minotaur.  But first....you had to complete a series of "pre-trials" to prove that you had the required skills.  Upon completing the trials, you would receive a token that you could give to Leiandros to prove that you succeeded.  I headed off toward the first task--a trial of strength--and found a burly man in a small fighting arena.  He offered to sell me his token rather than fight him, which seemed kind of odd.  I turned him down (partially because I had just been fleeced of 3000 drachmae by the kid) and faced the task of defeating him.  The fight was over in a matter of seconds and he handed over the token.

The next task, the trial of accuracy, looked like it was going to involve showing off my archery skills.  I mentally prepared myself for some fancy shooting and approached the mission target.  I was surprised when he started explaining the trial and then trailed off.  Instead of completing the trial he offered the chance to skip it if I would locate his three missing sons, who were "little shits" that refused to come home and were hiding on a neighboring farm.  I offered to wrangle the brats in exchange for the trial token and released Ikaros to get a fix on their exact location.  One son was crouched in the middle of a tall wheat field, another was atop a set of scaffolding that was currently surrounded by a group of wild boars, and the last was inside a structure on the farm.  Dispatching the boars was simple and breaking into the structure with the third son revealed a hidden snake that had him trapped inside.  I headed back to the frustrated father/really crappy trial giver and was showered with thanks for getting his kids to return.  He handed over the token and it was time to head to the last trial.

The last trial was to involve endurance and the instructions were to dive down into a large pool of water (that happened to be filled with sharks) and retrieve the token from a chest hidden in the bottom of the pool....or I could pay 1200 drachamae and skip it!  It didn't sound difficult, so I perched myself atop a conveniently protruding post and picked off the sharks using my archery abilities.  Then, I dove into the sinkhole and quickly found the chest with the token.  Possessing all three tokens meant that I could head back to Leiandros and finally receive instructions about where to locate the Minotaur.

I headed back to the main square and presented the tokens to Leiandros.  He promptly offered to sell them to me as souvenirs for 1200 drachmae!  What the hell?  I watched as Kassandra angrily told him to knock off the money grubbing nonsense and reveal the location of the Minotaur.  Leiandros shrunk back, but grudgingly revealed that the Minotaur could be found in a nearby cave known as the "cave of heroes."  Before I was to enter the cave, I was to meet two other warriors who were hoping to take on this legendary creature.  It looked like it was going to be a tough fight.

The fearsome "Minotaur."

I rode into Warrior's Rest and found the two warriors--they were squabbling over who would get to strike the killing blow on the beast and claim the glory.  I mostly ignored them as we mounted up and headed for the nearby cave.  Once inside the cave we started to see signs of what looked like many victims of the Minotaur's brutality--corpses and piles of skulls....but, we also started to hear some strange noises--someone who was yelling "growl!"  and "moo!"  The two warriors who were accompanying me were frightened and fled the cave.  As I proceeded further into the cave and began investigating the corpses, it was obvious that they hadn't been killed by a Minotaur (not that the human voice yelling "growl" and "moo" wasn't completely obvious).  In a large central chamber I finally got to confront the fearsome beast....which, turned out to be a guy in a bull-shaped headdress.   I prepared to attack the "beast" when three shadowy figures emerged from the corner of the cave to attack me.  The fight was quick and they were dead within less than a minute.  The "Minotaur" was cowering behind a fake throne, so I decided to confront him and find out the truth about what was going on.  As he removed his bull's head helmet, he revealed himself to be none other than Leiandros!  He apologized for his deceit and explained that a group of cultists had kidnapped his daughter and forced him to participate in their scheme to fleece and kill thousands of "warriors" who completed the trials.  He then asked if I would rescue his daughter from the cultists and offered up their location.  I convinced him that his daughter would appreciate her father more if he was the one to help rescue her and he agreed to continue his role as the Minotaur and participate in freeing her from the cultists.

From here, Leiandros urged me to follow him to some nearby ruins that were the base of operations for the cultists.  His daughter was being held in some caves below the base.  Leiandros offered to help, but didn't appear to have any actual combat abilities.  I convinced him to distract the guards by pretending to be the Minotaur while I sneaked through the camp and freed his daughter.  Of course there was lots of guard killing--the camp was crawling with guards!  I stealthily killed a few and then proceeded to be spotted by a pack of guards near the cave entrance.  Rather than run away and renew my stealthy approach, I decided to take them on directly and managed to kill almost all of them off.  The remaining few were far enough in the cave that they weren't alerted to my presence and could easily be assassinated.  I unlocked the cage and escorted Leiandroses daughter to a safe location on the outskirts of the camp.  Leiandros, in full Minotaur mode, approached and I forced him to reveal his role as the "Minotaur" to his daughter.  We returned to Lato where the entire family was happily reunited.

I appreciated this mission chain and found it to be funny and enjoyable.  It cracked me up that the entire island appeared to be a P.T. Barnum style humbug that was designed to fleece wannabe warriors from around ancient Greece.  It was nice to have a break from exploring and to have a fun story interjected.  I think a few more zones in Odyssey could benefit from chaining missions, especially the larger ones.  In a way, I have to eat my words from last week about there not really being any notable missions--there are some, and they definitely add something to the world.