I've Stabbed All the People--Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Review

Last night I finished up my 53 hour playthrough of Assassin's Creed:  Syndicate.  I am a newcomer to the Assassin's Creed series and have been picking and choosing which games I should play.  Since there's no way I'm going to play all of them, I Googled the high points and went from there.  I was aiming for a top five and Syndicate appeared near the bottom of that list.  Thus far, my Assassin's Creed adventures have included Black Flag, Origins, Odyssey, and now, Syndicate.  I will agree with the assessment that Syndicate belongs in the #5 on the list.

Syndicate takes place in mid-19th century London and unlike the other games in the series that I had previously played, it is a very urban setting--tons of buildings, bustling streets, docks, the busy Thames filled with barges and ferries--there's so much happening!  One of the other intriguing aspects of Syndicate is the fact that there are two different protagonists--the Frye twins, Jacob and Evie.  I found Syndicate to be a 'tweener game--when it was released it was moving toward the much more open-world type of game that Origins and Odyssey are but still had the more centrally-focused parkour/action-y style from the earlier games in the series.

Pros:
+ 1868 London is beautiful.  The Assassin's Creed series does a great job of immersing players in historical eras.  The attention to detail is always amazing--there are famous landmarks to explore, green spaces, and zones that differ in their aesthetic--posh, upper-class areas, rundown slums, and busy industrial spaces (complete with giant, steam-driven machinery).

+ Collectible-palooza.  Although Syndicate is nowhere near the staggering size of Odyssey, the city of London still offers players plenty to explore.  Each zone is scattered with several different classes of items to find--chests, pressed flowers, beer bottles, helix glitches, and music boxes.  The nice part about these collectibles is that players can choose to use in-game currency to purchase maps which reveal the locations of some of them (namely the chests, pressed flowers, and beer bottles).  If you want to catch 'em all (trademark Pokemon) you will need to explore--helix glitches and music boxes have to be discovered.

+ Secrets of London offer uber-explorers a chance to use clues to puzzle out the locations of the 32 hidden music boxes.  I mostly enjoyed the challenge and was able to find all but one without looking up a guide.  The nice part is that the reward for finding all of them is a fancy outfit for Evie.

+ Side tasks galore.  As you travel through London and progress through the main storyline, you meet some very famous Londoners.  All of them have concerns and need your help with some task associated with them.  These side-missions are mostly fun and offer the chance to gain some rare crafting materials and schematics.  Besides these mission based tasks there are also more exploration-based tasks--the city is pieced into zones and each zone includes tasks that can be completed for associates in order to raise your reputation with them.  The ultimate goal is to establish the dominance of Jacob's gang, the Rooks--doing so requires players to complete the various tasks in a zone and then defeat a rival gang in a gang war.  There are also other side activities, for example Robert Topping offers various "fight clubs" and carriage races in each zone.

Basically, if you're worried that you'll run out of things to do...you won't.

Jacob looking dapper in his fancy outfit.

+Unique inventory for both characters.  Jacob and Evie can equip a variety of weapons and gear which can be tailored to how players want to play each character--for example, brass knuckles and canes have a higher "stun" stat which will stagger enemies--kukri's (a kind or curved knife) have a higher-lethality stat and offer faster kills.  Both characters also carry a pistol.  When it comes to their gear, Jacob can equip belts which give him various stat boosts and Evie can equip cloaks.  Exploring, completing missions (main and side), and raising associate reputation unlocks schematics for a wide variety of items which can be crafted with materials found throughout the world.

+ Jacob and Evie offer two differing playstyles and have talents tailored to them.  Evie specializes in stealth and Jacob prefers a more confrontational style.  You can freely switch between the two while exploring, but the main storyline sees you switching between the two or specific missions.

+ Rope launcher!  This unique contraption allows you to navigate the tall buildings and landmarks around the city.  It conveniently creates ziplines anywhere and makes you feel like an 1868 Spiderman.

+ Combat is fun and both Jacob and Evie are super OP.  You can literally battle hordes of baddies with no problems.  You feel like an ultimate badass.

Cons:
- Technical difficulties.  Initially, I couldn't get Syndicate to run on my old PC (an issue that I believe was tied to my non-ideal graphics card overheating) and tried to refund it.  On my new PC, it ran very well, but Syndicate is the glitchiest Assassin's Creed game that I have played so far.  Some of the most entertaining glitches happened when all of a sudden horses and carriages would come raining out of the sky (it's funny until one lands on you and kills you).  One major bug I had was the fact that not all of the associates (who you raise rep for) would show up on my progression tracker.  Even after completing the missions to meet them my journal still showed a "locked" symbol for Ned Wynert.  This meant that I couldn't see which tasks I could complete to raise rep with this character, which was annoying.

- World > Story.  I have found this to be true of all the Assassin's Creed games I have played so far.  The stories in the games are very forgettable and the amazing worlds are the highlight.  I've come to the conclusion that you play the games more for the worlds than the stories, so if you're hoping for some deeply engaging story...'taint happenin'.  There a big baddie who has some littler baddies who work for him--your job is to take out the little baddies to get to the big baddie (who is trying to steal some legendary artifact)...it's a stock AC scenario.

- Side tasks can feel very grindy.  Even though these tasks are optional, some of the best schematics for high-level craftable items are unlocked through rep.  In particular, Ned Wynert's tasks are obnoxious as heck--hijacking cargo over and over or sabotaging ships.  I also had an annoying bug that wouldn't let me see which tasks I hadn't completed for Ned, so his was the only rep I didn't max out.  I also read several complaints that the carriage racing is difficult--the AI definitely doesn't give you much leeway.

- Like any Ubi game there are microtransactions.  You're not pushed to buy them, but you will see ads for them on the pause menu. 

Final verdict:
If you're interested in adventuring through the Assassin's Creed series the games frequently go on sale.  I would recommend playing Syndicate, overall I had a good time, but I was ready to move on to something else by about hour 40.  Get it on sale (I bought it for $13 during a sale).  It's not a "must play" in the series, but does offer some unique features that fans will enjoy.

Doing the Things You Hate--Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

There are certain sidetasks in many video games that I tell myself that I don't need to do...but then I end up doing them anyway!  Currently, I'm still working my way through Assassin's Creed:  Syndicate and, as I've stated several times before, I'm a shameless completionist.  The idea of speeding through the main storyline in a matter of a few paltry hours is completely unacceptable to me.  I...must...do...all...the...things (even if they annoy the crap out of me).  I've made it my personal goal to at least try to find all the collectibles (which includes several different categories--chests, illustrations, helix glitches, and pressed flowers).  I was feeling good about my progress with this task until I realized that there was an entirely separate class of collectibles--music boxes!  I had accidentally stumbled upon a few of the items and had no idea what they were--then I made a visit to the hidden vault and discovered that they are a more challenging type of collectible; the kind that is intentionally meant to be hidden and puzzled out by players.

A visual music box clue--there are some helpful details.

Generally, I don't like looking things up unless I'm absolutely stumped, so doing the search for the music boxes requires some powers of deduction.  Once you reach the hidden vault, a new series of clues appears in your game progression log--each music box location is accompanied by a short poem (that seems to be completely useless) and a visual clue that is more helpful, but can still include frustratingly little information.  I've managed to puzzle out the locations of several boxes by looking for large, prominent landmarks to use as visual references--a large church steeple or towering chimney can offer an convenient place to begin your search.  From there, it's usually a matter of using the rope launcher to traverse rooftops and keeping your ears open to the tinkling, musical notes of a nearby music box.

There's also a part of me that absolutely hates wasting time doing these searches--wandering around feels fruitless and like I could just look it up and save some valuable time.  I find that looking things up completely ruins the reward of working things out for yourself though, so I am usually able to avoid it (I did have to look up one box last night though--the clues for it were very vague and I had already looked for about 30 minutes).

I'm a little torn on some of the other sidetasks--there are several characters who you randomly meet as you explore the city (some are important historical figures and others are just interesting people) and they offer up a series of tasks that you can choose to perform to raise your reputation with them.  Robert Topping offers activities of the more recreational type--a "fight club" series of battles scattered around the various zones of London or carriage races.  Ned Wynert's activities include doing anything to interfere with rival gang activities and economic interests--hijacking guarded carriages, sabotaging goods on barges, or robbing trains.  I've found Ned's activities to be the most tedious and am still undecided on the value of trying to raise my reputation with him.  Raising your reputation with the various side characters in the game does unlock new items or schematics, so it's definitely worthwhile.

I still have many more hours of adventuring in 19th century London ahead of me and I'm mostly having a good time.  Next week, I hope to write my full review of Syndicate.  Have a happy gaming weekend!

Stabbing Fancy People in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

After I gave up on Borderlands 3 (which I liked, but I am a failure at the slaughterfest side missions), I decided that I would attempt to get Assassin's Creed:  Syndicate to run.  For some strange reason (which I believe was tied to the GPU in my old PC), I could not get Syndicate to work--I even tried to refund it (and failed because I was outside of the two-week return window).  The good news is that it works like a charm on my new PC and I can enjoy leaping from the smoggy skies of Victorian London to stab the gang members lurking below.

I am finding Syndicate to be an interesting mashup between to older Assassin's Creed games (the ones that the AC purists will claim are the "real" games) and the newer, more RPG oriented entries into the series (namely Origins and Odyssey).  The world of Industrial Revolution-era London is stunning--it's filled with factories full of giant, churning machines; bustling streets filled with the various social classes of the time--grubby street urchins, bedraggled workers, and the impressively bedecked upper-classes.  Like the other games in the AC series, the attention to historical detail is amazing.

Jacob Frye perched above the smoggy skies of London.

One of the more interesting aspects of Syndicate is the fact that there are two protagonists in the form of the Frye twins--Jacob and Evie, and that players can freely switch between the two characters.  Each character intentionally leans toward a specific set of talents and a playstyle--Jacob is geared toward more of a directly confrontational style, while Evie seems to lean toward a stealthier, more indirect style (of course, you can pick any talents you want).  There are also many options for the types of gear that the Frye's can utilize and a crafting system where new items gradually unlock.  The main storyline also accommodates the unique two character system with branching missions that require players to switch between the twins.

The semi-open world of London also features tons of side tasks to complete.  Each district in London is under the control of a violent gang called the Blighters.  As you explore and find fast travel points, different tasks appear on the map--a Templar controlled area that requires you to find and kill a certain leader; a gang controlled area that requires you to sneak in and kidnap a leader; or missions to free the unfortunate victims of child labor.  Each time you complete one of these tasks, a small portion of the map comes under the control of Jacob and Evie's gang, the Rooks.

Other than establishing gang dominance over London, there are also numerous side missions to complete.  Throughout your adventures in London you meet many famous historical figures who have tasks that they need help with.  Some of these tasks reward you with money and experience points, but the best of them rewards your character with new gear or upgrades.  They are definitely worth completing.

If you get tired of doing sidequests there is always the option to just tool around and explore the city.  The city is littered with various collectibles and hidden objects.  One of the fun pieces of equipment that makes exploring a blast is the rope launcher--a special addition to your assassin's gauntlet that lets you launch a rope to quickly climb or zipline across virtually any space (it's awesome.  I can understand why they took it out of subsequent games--it makes traversal way too easy).

I'm having a blast with Syndicate and look forward to eventually establishing gang dominance over the entire region of London.  Long live the Rooks!

My First Ever Steam Refund (and Egyptian Adventures)

The holidays offer up plenty of exciting gaming opportunities.  There are many holiday themed sales featuring deeply discounted games (and some fabulous deals) and it's very possible that you're flush with holiday cash (or gift cards).  It's the perfect storm for snagging some deals and padding your library (or your pile of shame).  I've been doing some gazing (and a little buying) at the Steam sale.

I've never had much cause to test out Steam's handy-dandy refund option.  Most of the games I buy I end up playing (and usually liking).  Recently I got to enjoy the magical experience of attempting to get a refund.  The crazy part about the whole thing was the game I was trying to return--Assassin's Creed:  Syndicate.  I had purchased Syndicate in a fit of post-Odyssey excitement during the Black Friday sale--I enjoyed Odyssey and wanted to get a broader picture of the series and the entire thing was heavily discounted.

I was very excited as I started up Syndicate and was introduced to the brother/sister combo of the Frye twins.  The setting--London during the Industrial Revolution--looked absolutely amazing.  The first tutorial missions saw the twins navigating the sooty factories filled with child laborers and loud, clanking machinery.  Sadly, I didn't get far beyond the tutorial when I started experiencing problems.  The game crashed suddenly after I had assassinated my first target--we're not talking a crash-to-desktop but a complete lock-up of my PC (screen went black, couldn't do anything, and had to power completely off).  I was a little perturbed, but figured it was a one-off.  I grudgingly restarted my PC and dove back in.  A few minutes later, while I was perusing the database, it crashed again (same thing--black screen, had to power off).  Now, I was more irritated, so I decided to Google some information about the crashing issues.  Since the screen was completely blacked out and I couldn't see any potential error messages, I had no idea what was causing it.  Some cursory searching revealed that many people had/have experienced crashing issues with Syndicate on PC.  I tried some of the recommended fixes (namely running Uplay in offline mode and disabling the overlay) and lowering my graphics settings with the hope that it would solve the issue.  Attempt #3 ended a few minutes after restarting--again, while doing nothing more strenuous than reading the database.  It was at this point that I decided Syndicate was a lost cause (I read about some other possible fixes, but find it a bit ridiculous that a triple A title--and one that was released several years ago--has these sort of issues.  Also the fact that one of the top known issues for the game is "ACS.exe has stopped working.").  I had only played for 97 minutes so I was under the 2 hour cutoff imposed by Steam.  I decided to put in for the refund, but was warned that my purchase had taken place more than 14 days ago.  Within a day I had received my notice--no refund for me.  I'm not terribly upset about it, I didn't pay full price, but I am bummed that a game that looked so awesome isn't playable for me (I mean, it might be, but I don't have the patience to have to figure out fixes).

The view of Alexandria from atop the lighthouse at Pharos is stunning.

On a happier note, I have started exploring the other Assassin's Creed title that I had purchased--Origins--and it's working like a charm.  It's blatantly obvious that Origins was the template for Odyssey and I am seeing how the systems were refined over the course of the games.  So far, here's what I'm liking and not liking:  (possible early game spoilers for Origins)

Liking👍
--Bayek's story is filled with tragedy and gives players the perfect basis for his assassination spree.  While playing as Kassandra in Odyssey, I didn't feel the same rationale for killing--I had times where it just felt a bit gratuitous and semi-pointless.

--Ubisoft does a great job of using children as important parts of the plot.  Bayek's relationship with his son is touching and the part of the story that portrays Khemnu's death is tearjerking.  I really like the exploration task of finding the stone circles scattered around Egypt (a variation of the Mayan stelae puzzles from Black Flag).  Matching the celestial patterns is very basic, but the added feature of listening to the voiceover of Bayek recalling discussions with his son makes the task more meaningful.

--The gear system seems to be like a hybrid to the full-RPG system in Odyssey.  There are pieces of loot that drop--namely weapons--but the rest of your armor functions on an upgrade system.  Materials for upgrades can be found in the world, hunted/scavenged, or acquired through dismantling old gear.  The appearance of Bayeks armor changes as you upgrade, but doesn't drastically change.  I suppose the downside would be the fact that there's not much variety.  I'm enjoying the fact that I don't have to wade through oodles of drops.

--Bayek and Aya are great together.  The couple that assassinates together....stays together, I suppose.  I didn't especially enjoy the relationship aspect of Odyssey, so I am completely fine with Bayek being a married man.  It's all kinds of awesome that he's married to another assassin.

The Great Library in Alexandria.

--Ancient Egypt is gorgeous and engaging.  There's plenty of ancient history to nerd out to--the Library at Alexandria, the lighthouse at Pharos, and the freakin' Great Pyramids!  I haven't had time to mess with the discovery tour, but can completely appreciate the addition of a historical mode.

--Assassination targets feature their own storyline.  Odyssey simply slapped down a stunning array of faceless cultists who had to be revealed, tracked down, and then killed.  Bayeks targets get their own story and it makes killing them much more satisfactory.  I am really liking the fact that you are given a wide array of potential targets at differing levels that are positioned in a level appropriate zone.

Not Liking👎 
--Combat feels clunky.  It wasn't perfect in Odyssey either, but it felt much more responsive.  I am especially peeved by the weird blocking and countering system.  There's no simply mashing "E" at the right moment, but you have to be in "defensive stance" and time it in response to an enemy blow.  Thus far I haven't managed to figure it out.  Mostly I just try to dodge incoming attacks using spacebar, but even that doesn't work well at times.  I miss Kassandra :(

Even with the clunky combat, I'm happily going to be continuing my adventure through ancient Egypt.  My camel awaits!

Bayek made some feline friends.