The Backlog Check-in Vol. 188: 8/7/21: Lawn Mowing Simulator Edition

[jfissel]

Hey j, are the side missions where you get gold, silver or bronze for your completion time part of the platinum?

Eh, never mind. I just saw that it requires stuff like this...

It's A Bird!
Perform a 25 hit combo while in air.

Look, No Hands!
Defeat 10 enemies using traps inside the Vaults of Tartaros.

No thanks. I will try for 100% though.

Nope, I didn't do any of those "mission of the week" things for the platinum. Honestly, the 25 hit combo in the air is easy when you have the right equipment as some of them give bonuses to the combo counter. And the other one you can get in the arena vaults...just whittle down their HP to not that much and then bait them into the lasers or spikes.

j, I was expecting you to chime in on the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey video that I posted and things that I said about the game.

Yeah, my bad.

I agree with this guy...



Playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey again after Valhalla has proven to me how much better of a game that it is IMO, perhaps not a better AC game (Valhalla purposely feels more like AC due to complaints that Origins and Odyssey were too big of departures from the original AC formula) but a better game in general. However, that’s the thing about Odyssey - it’s not really an AC game. Despite having the AC name attached to it (and the modern day sci-fi stuff that cane loves so much) it’s more like a standalone game that I like to call The Adventures of Kassandra the Eagle Bearer.

I personally like it more than the previous AC games, and it’s the best third person open world action/adventure/RPG that I’ve played (Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Mass Effect: Andromeda come close). It might even be the best game that I’ve played in general, but I haven’t played Lawn Mowing Simulator yet.

It’s a blend of some of my favorite genres such as action, hack-and-slash, adventure, RPG, stealth and open world, and the loot aspect of it is great. Frequently obtaining better armor and weapons (something that Valhalla pretty much lacks) is rewarding/satisfying, and the abilities and skills that you’re continuously unlocking/upgrading are really cool.

It has some of the best melee combat that I’ve experienced in a game, and there’s a good variety of enemies that you fight. And constantly having bounty hunters/mercenaries coming after you is exciting as they’re like mini-bosses. Hunting down and assassinating cult members is a lot of fun, too. Not to mention clearing out/looting bandit camps/soldier forts, as well as caves/ruins.

The mix of seriousness and humor throughout keeps it from having one tone the whole time (like Valhalla), and it offers a colorful cast of characters. Not to mention a big beautiful world to explore both on land and sea, and a staggering amount of quests that are all fun with their own mini-stories. The main story might not be the strongest (the one thing that Valhalla does better), but it’s still entertaining and never boring which is what counts.

The fact that I’m playing it again just a few months after finishing it and enjoying it just as much if not more speaks volumes about it. It’s easily one of the best games that I’ve played, and stands out amongst the plethora of games that are available these days.

I also agree with that guy and your notes. I don't know if I'm of the opinion it's not an AC game, because when you get to game #12 in a series then sometimes it's fine to be different from the earlier entries. This seems to be the direction they're going. Bottom line = Odyssey is great.

[Phaseknox]

I also agree with that guy and your notes. I don't know if I'm of the opinion it's not an AC game, because when you get to game #12 in a series then sometimes it's fine to be different from the earlier entries. This seems to be the direction they're going.

They started the change in direction (big open world action RPG) with Origins, but it still managed to somewhat feel like Assassin’s Creed to me. However, Odyssey doesn’t really feel like AC to me. There’s rarely a time while I’m playing it that I think that I’m playing an AC game. The overall tone, the mercenary for hire quest structure, the fast paced gameplay/combat, the conquest battles, the bright and colorful game world and the mythical stuff just don’t feel like AC to me.

While Valhalla also offers a similar big open world action RPG type experience, it feels a lot more like AC to me with its darker more serious tone, assassins from the order, birth of the templars, hooded cloaks, blending in with people, the hidden blade, etc. Odyssey kind of feels like its own game without any real connection to AC, while Valhalla feels like old AC meets new. That’s just my opinion, if you feel differently that’s cool.

By the way, I think that Valhalla is really good. The story and characters are especially strong IMO. However, it’s a bit of a disappointing follow-up to Odyssey for me. While it’s a really well made game with a compelling storyline, the overall fun factor just isn’t there when compared to Odyssey IMO.

[crimson_tide]

Played:...nothing. This isn't how teachers should be spending their summers .

Bought:... shockingly nothing. I keep dipping in and out of the PSN summer sale but just stop short of buying another glut of fighting games. That Sam Show collection and Tekken 7 Ult I will likely grab by Wednesday though...still waiting for SF5 to be like...done or something .

This week: have been making my way through DQ11S. I gotta have a chat with j at some point...how the hell did Act 2 make sense without the context of the four separate solo vignettes they added? I keep trying to see how this worked previously sans those...I don't see it. It would have been fine I imagine and I would have been like oh, jrpg/anime, of course friendship and yada yada yada save the day but the mechanics of each bit were welcome. I think I am almost done. I just have to do the thing (you know j, with the hammer and the mountain and all that) then I think there's only about 5-10 more hours. At that point, I am likely to shelve it before wrapping it all up this fall with the post game stuff and getting the platinum trophy. Just the kind of game to lazily grind and gather costumes when it's cold outside. I am thoroughly impressed with what they did with the story and characters. That was a ballsy choice they made at Arboria in Act 2, I give them credit for handling that well...oh and j, quick question: did the title screen change as you went through the story? I don't know why but I love this little touch .

Bah, so many things! I wanna talk Earthbound and Odyssey v Valhalla: Dawn of Yes, of Course Odyssey Is Better, Duh and Fenyx and Diablo 3 (I was the crusader and got bored but Phase made it seem more fun with other characters...) and of course DQ11S but time and whatnot...ok, next week, I am addressing all of this... well, I will try...

[jfissel]

I also agree with that guy and your notes. I don't know if I'm of the opinion it's not an AC game, because when you get to game #12 in a series then sometimes it's fine to be different from the earlier entries. This seems to be the direction they're going.

They started the change in direction (big open world action RPG) with Origins, but it still managed to somewhat feel like Assassin’s Creed to me. However, Odyssey doesn’t really feel like AC to me. There’s rarely a time while I’m playing it that I think that I’m playing an AC game. The overall tone, the mercenary for hire quest structure, the fast paced gameplay/combat, the conquest battles, the bright and colorful game world and the mythical stuff just don’t feel like AC to me.

While Valhalla also offers a similar big open world action RPG type experience, it feels a lot more like AC to me with its darker more serious tone, assassins from the order, birth of the templars, hooded cloaks, blending in with people, the hidden blade, etc. Odyssey kind of feels like its own game without any real connection to AC, while Valhalla feels like old AC meets new. That’s just my opinion, if you feel differently that’s cool.

By the way, I think that Valhalla is really good. The story and characters are especially strong IMO. However, it’s a bit of a disappointing follow-up to Odyssey for me. While it’s a really well made game with a compelling storyline, the overall fun factor just isn’t there when compared to Odyssey IMO.

Yep, I get you. The problem is they went for a time before Origins so really the only connections to the series are the sci-fi elements. There's also the fact that assassin-type people lived in every era and they didn't get organized until the end of Origins...this is just one of those stories.

Played:...nothing. This isn't how teachers should be spending their summers .

Bought:... shockingly nothing. I keep dipping in and out of the PSN summer sale but just stop short of buying another glut of fighting games. That Sam Show collection and Tekken 7 Ult I will likely grab by Wednesday though...still waiting for SF5 to be like...done or something .

This week: have been making my way through DQ11S. I gotta have a chat with j at some point...how the hell did Act 2 make sense without the context of the four separate solo vignettes they added? I keep trying to see how this worked previously sans those...I don't see it. It would have been fine I imagine and I would have been like oh, jrpg/anime, of course friendship and yada yada yada save the day but the mechanics of each bit were welcome. I think I am almost done. I just have to do the thing (you know j, with the hammer and the mountain and all that) then I think there's only about 5-10 more hours. At that point, I am likely to shelve it before wrapping it all up this fall with the post game stuff and getting the platinum trophy. Just the kind of game to lazily grind and gather costumes when it's cold outside. I am thoroughly impressed with what they did with the story and characters. That was a ballsy choice they made at Arboria in Act 2, I give them credit for handling that well...oh and j, quick question: did the title screen change as you went through the story? I don't know why but I love this little touch .

Bah, so many things! I wanna talk Earthbound and Odyssey v Valhalla: Dawn of Yes, of Course Odyssey Is Better, Duh and Fenyx and Diablo 3 (I was the crusader and got bored but Phase made it seem more fun with other characters...) and of course DQ11S but time and whatnot...ok, next week, I am addressing all of this... well, I will try...

Not knowing what those 4 solo vignettes contain, I would say I'm not sure I remember specifics right now to give you a good answer. Maybe they had some cutscenes that have the same general ideas as the now-playable parts? About the title screen - I'm guessing it did but I don't know if I noticed. I could always get the new version and play through again...

[Phaseknox]

This week: have been making my way through DQ11S. I gotta have a chat with j at some point...how the hell did Act 2 make sense without the context of the four separate solo vignettes they added? I keep trying to see how this worked previously sans those...I don't see it. It would have been fine I imagine and I would have been like oh, jrpg/anime, of course friendship and yada yada yada save the day but the mechanics of each bit were welcome.

The added content in the version of Dragon Quest XI that you’re playing sounds really good, but the only problem is that it’s a direct port of the Switch version with downgraded graphics from the PS4 version. I’m not sure how much that would bother me since the ‘playing an anime’ graphics of the PS4 version are part of the appeal of the game for me.

Bah, so many things! I wanna talk Earthbound and Odyssey v Valhalla: Dawn of Yes, of Course Odyssey Is Better, Duh and Fenyx and Diablo 3 (I was the crusader and got bored but Phase made it seem more fun with other characters...)

Diablo III is almost a different game playing as the Demon Hunter compared to the Crusader. The game is somewhat designed like a twin stick shooter, and that’s what it almost plays like with the Demon Hunter. I was having a lot more fun as that character, and would have finished the game if I didn’t start playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey again. The Monk and Necromancer are really good characters as well based on what I played of them. This is proof that the character that you play as in a game can make or break it. For example, I wouldn’t have played Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at all if I had to play as Alexios. There are plenty of games that I’ve stopped playing or refuse to play based on not liking the character that you play as.

Yep, I get you. The problem is they went for a time before Origins so really the only connections to the series are the sci-fi elements. There's also the fact that assassin-type people lived in every era and they didn't get organized until the end of Origins...this is just one of those stories.

Yeah, I get why Odyssey feels less like an Assassin’s Creed game for those reasons. But to me it almost seems like Ubisoft Quebec started designing Odyssey as its own game, and it was turned into an AC game to sell better. And because of that they decided to take some of the ideas that they originally had planned for it that wouldn’t work in an AC game and made Immortals: Fenyx Rising. Of course this is pure speculation, but that’s what it almost seems like to me. Regardless, Odyssey is one of my favorite games despite what it’s called and I also really liked what I played of Immortals: Fenyx Rising as well. I’m really looking forward to playing it if I ever get through all of Odyssey’s content (I’m playing it more thoroughly this time).