
With 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins, Ubisoft went a different direction with its famous action adventure series. In fact, it basically became an RPG at that stage - and another of those Assassin's Creed RPGs is about to hit Xbox Game Pass.
Yep, Assassin's Creed Valhalla comes to the Game Pass library on January 9th, and ahead of its arrival, we're wondering where you stand on these modern AC titles. Are you a fan, or do you prefer the older, tighter AC experiences?
Of course, if you do prefer those smaller-scale AC titles, you've been treated this year with Assassin's Creed Mirage. However, this year's game has taken shape as a budget spin-off for the series, and the major tentpole AC games recently have all been sprawling RPGs.
Valhalla itself has always spoken to us in some way, especially with its Viking theme and gorgeous setting. Sure, it mostly sticks to the groundwork laid down by Origins and Odyssey, but something about Valhalla is tempting us into trying it on Xbox Game Pass!
Our resident reviewer PJ has played it of course - he gave the game a pretty glowing review back in 2020. Plenty of folks are clearly into these bigger Assassin's Creed games, but what do you think of them? Or will next week's Game Pass arrival in Valhalla be your first Assassin's Creed RPG experience?
Comment down below and tell us your general thoughts on AC these days. We're curious as to what you all think!
Comments 45
I liked assassin Creed Odyssey the most.
I havent played Mirage yet, kinda broke now lol.
I like the new games, the classic games burned me completely. The new games are finding their place (I really liked Valhalla's gear system wasn't a mess of minor stat mods).
Not saying they are prefect they have their issues. Valhalla's main story was too long. I'm not complaining about the amount of content just that it needs distributing better. Maybe shorten the main quest length but create better, longer optional side stories.
I do like the idea that going forward we're going to be getting a mixture of different types of AC experiences. Big RPGS and smaller slimmer games.
Simple answer no they haven't been good since black flag for me
I am currently replaying the entire franchise (playing revelations now). I think I like the big RPG games more than the classic formula. I have been a huge AC fan since AC2.
I do hope they get in a rhythm where they alternate between the two different styles but if I had to choose just one I think i would prefer the Odyssey/Valhalla style.
I definitely prefer the modern ones from Odyssey. Played all the originals. Everyone reeld that mirage was back to basics.
Although it was very good, the main selling point of Assassin's Creed for me was the modern person going into the chamber to be transported back, to one of their ancestors, and when, why and where they were doing that, but it was completely missing from mirage!
I don't hate them but I don't find them engaging enough. I keep trying to play them but I always end up losing interest long before reaching the end.
Syndicate was the last AC game I really enjoyed.
To me AC died the same day Ezio Auditore. Could not finish any other game since. Although I’ve tried them all, I lose interest way before the end.
Played AC Origins and ended up having to play AC 2 parallel at the same time. For all the world building and fun, the games just do too much for the player automatically. Systematic problem of modern games. Difficulty doesn't change the fact that core gameplay mechanics are far too simplified (in Origins case, just climbing any surface without issue!)
Nope.
And no Pure Xbox, I can't think of anything else to say.
A couple years back I decided to replay all the games in the series and finally start the new RPG ones. It took me about a year and a half to get through 1, 2, Brotherhood, Revelations, 3, Black Flag, Rouge, Unity, and Syndicate. I took a couple small breaks between games for other things, but mostly had no problem playing these one after another. I played Origins and had to take a 1 year break before I felt like I could even attempt Odyssey. Having just finished that, I can say it will probably be at least another year before I feel like I can play Valhalla. The RPGs are not as good as the older games.
Origins didn't have great combat, and the story ended up not being that interesting. Odyssey was better, but it was too long. And the gear system was awful. Every enemy drops a piece of gear that affects 3 competing damage systems differently, so you are constantly weighing them against each other. I also didn't like that there wasn't really much side quest content, it was mostly procedurally generated garbage tasks. Both games ended up being too long for their own good.
I'm kinda dreading playing Valhalla, but looking forward to Mirage after that.
i don't like the control layout of the older games.
The only modern AC game that I liked was Odyssey. Valhalla BORED me to death with it's boring story and characters. I'm done with Ubisoft for the foreseable future. Scratch that, I might check out SW: Outlaws but after that, I'm done with their copy/paste games.
The original games on the ps3/360 were interesting but were also hard as nails at times which made completing the games difficult.
Best decision they took.
AC- AC Revelations weren't really good. They were fine games but nothing else.
100% like the new games more although it's a little unfair to compare three games vs 10.
I love the AC games of Origins/Odyssey/Valhalla, and have spent far too much time in their huge open worlds! It’s hard going back to the earlier games, even the excellent Black flag, with their simple game mechanics. I got Mirage for Christmas, but am struggling to get into it. Can’t wait for AC Red, hopefully later this year.
I seem to get to a point where I get stuck and frustrated in the games and leave to play something else and then it seems too hard to get back into it… but I like both equally….
I liked Valhalla more than Origins and Odyssey and enjoyed it more than any AC since Black Flag. Was it overlong? Yes, yes it was. Did I struggle at times with the bloat? Yes, yes I did. Did it maybe benefit from being one of the few launch titles for this currently generation? Absolutely! But I did have fun with it! The main story was just twice as long as it needed to be. I’d give the game a high 7, cautious 8, you know? It’s just a really well made game that does too much and never quite gets into remarkable range, but that’s fine. And I liked Mirage too. It does the right thing for story length and I love the return to stealth, but the characters are wall-paper and every mission is pretty same-y. However, same-y as they are, they’re a lot of fun… in bites. You can’t feast on Mirage. I feasted for a bit when I had some medical issues and it made the flavor sour a bit, but in hour-ish long sessions, it’s peak AC in gameplay. Now, that said, I feel like I can wait a bit for the next one. Ubisoft cranks these games out so quick and I sort of feel like they could use some time to marinade? Maybe?
I only played Origins and I enjoyed it alot more then the older AC games. Though the thing that always has killed the AC games for me was the going back and forth with modern times and the time period the game is set in.
I've enjoyed Odyssey and Origins, but not Valhalla as much. Valhalla suffered from the same trappings as many other Ubisoft games of late, with tons of content, but most of it is not meaningful and doesn't contribute much to gameplay.
I am glad that Ubi has decided to alternate the styles from the RPG elements, back to the old style. That, along with focusing the game a bit more to keep the content from feeling like added fluff will keep the franchise from stagnating too much.
I loved Origins and tried Odyssey but already felt the new formula was wearing thin. I can’t be bothered with Valhalla at all.
Before the new ones I always thought they were hit and miss. Black Flag probably best of the older bunch.
Really liked Origins, kinda liked Odyssey but didn't like the outlandish Atlantis stuff, haven't liked anything since. 2 was the peak.
Love them. Platinumed Origins and Odyssey and am about 120 hours into Valhalla ticking off every checkbox. Having said that, the newer games are so huge that I have no desire to play any of the DLC. Can't believe that Valhalla has 3 large DLC expanding it to Ireland, France, and more Asgard content given the enormity of the base game.
I’m almost done with Mirage, I have been an AC fan since the first released and I prefer the RPG template.
I liked black lag the most. Didn’t finish Odessey but put a lot of hours in. Just find them too big now and currently have limited time. Valhalla looks great but hear it’s a time sink
i’ve been burnt out on AC since i beat black flag and don’t plan on ever playing any other games . AC ended with 4 in my mind , the new direction isn’t for me & looks really stale.
it’s really time to leave AC alone imo , like , yesteryear
Honestly I love the duality of the current AC set up with the sprawling epic RPG games (Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla) alongside the more succinct "expand-alone" style of Mirage to tell a more streamlined connective story to the larger iterations. I did also quite enjoy the change of pace of the Chronicles series which I feel they could revisit and throw in some more Metroidvania-esque elements (not to much though since Prince of Persia has dipped into that pool). My biggest gripe with the whole series truth be told is the modern day elements of the animus, aside from when I've had to as part of the story I've never left the simulation as it's completely pointless 🤷♂️
Short answer: no. I have completely lost interest.
Not really, though I did play through the entirety of Valhalla. I just felt like I was running through checklists the whole time, sure there were small dopamine rushes here and there but ultimately it simply dragged on too long. Now it seems like Ubisoft doesn't know what to do with the series since Mirage wasn't exactly a return to form for them.
Here's my advice, completely rip off the gameplay of the Hitman games but make it unique by adding all the parkour elements and abilities of the assassin's creed games. Make stages large replayable sandboxes with targets that you can kill in multiple unique ways, taking different paths and triggering different events that unlock different areas to carry out your assassinations. Bring stealth back in a meaningful way, reward creativity and careful planning.
As assassin’s creed games? No. I pretty much consider them their own franchise or a spiritual successor. The original story for Assassin’s creed (while already off the rails) lost the plot after 3. As much as I loved Odyssey it didn’t feel like an AC game at all and I hear Valhalla (which I have little interest in the subject matter) is worse (I have it…just got to get bored enough to play it). I will get Mirage and the Japanese influenced one when that comes out but I will probably sit out the series after that. I sorta want Ubisoft to do something else with the engine at this point. Or make a new chronicles series. The spin off games have always been interesting.
I love them. I like the older ones too. There's only been a couple in the whole series that I wasn't keen on. I'm fine with them not always being the same.
I don’t like Assassins Creed games (or Ubisoft titles in general, except for Rayman) to me it’s always the same game with a different coat pf paint. A trend SONY seems to be following too.
Hi there fellow gamers.
I have always enjoyed AC since the first and especially since the second, wich is still one of my favourites, until AC3 and AC4 Black Flag wich I didn´t like them as much.
The next ones were better, in my opinion and started to showcase the next gen hardware(AC Unity is still gorgeous even today).
But I´ll say that AC Origins was a blast to play back in the day and I just love the setting and time period.
I have yet to play Odissey, but plan to do eventually.
AC Valhalla is the AC game that I am currently playing and I´m really enjoying it. The Viking setting also helps.
So yeah, I like the "Modern" AC games quite a bit.
And I am very excited to finally play an AC game in Feudal Japan. Cannot wait for it.
Cheers and happy gaming everyone
I love the combat system in AC Odyssey. Fast paced and rewards aggressive tactics at 60fps versus Origins. If you loved Gladiator, Cleopatra, Alexander, and other sword/sandal movies, Odyssey and Origins to some extent will be for you.
Best to look at new stuff as warriors creed game than assassin games. Also best to disregard the ancient humanoids and present timeline. I'll play AC Valhalla as a Viking simulator soon enough.
I really enjoyed Origins,Valhalla more than any AC creed game. The world, gameplay and story was all improved over the mainline series imo. I did however enjoy Syndicate and Black Flag as a side note
Yes, my recent favorite was Valhalla. I started it and couldn't get into it. Tried again a few months later and ended up completing the main game and dlc.
I liked Odyssey and Valhala cause they were time periods i am interested in; and I liked the choice of female protagonist as a transwoman but I don't like anything after them
No. Bought Valhalla upon release along with 2 (I think) DLC's, and recently uninstalled the game to make room for other games. The common complaint is it's too large, which I find bizarre considering the price of the game. For me, it wasn't too large, it was too monotonous. Never even set foot in Paris and have little desire to in the future. I WANT to enjoy AC games like I used to and Valhalla is a beautiful game (though the sprawling skill tree is a ridiculous slight of hand mechanic that tries to fool you it's an RPG) but I think after playing Mirage, the IP has grown stale for me.
It's nice to see it coming to GP though. I'm sure many of gamer will find something to love about the colossal title.
I platted Origins but got burned out doing it. Haven't returned to an AC game since. I might try Hexe whenever that drops though.
Nope.
Bloated, repetitive snoozefests.
Give me the tight, focused, & fun of something like Yakuza anyday.
I -love- Odyssey, I consider it the best in the series, though they should drop the AC name for it… but hate Origins and Valhalla. Valhalla is just too bloated. They crammed every possible side quest into the main quest and you can feel it. And the combat is such a downgrade from Odyssey it’s unreal, as is itemisation.
I've always loved the AC games. Having the opportunity to wander realistic recreations of ancient lands is something special in itself. I just wish they'd ditch the modern day stuff outside of the Animus, and maybe shave a little off the size so it isn't a 140 hours+ investment.
I love the new ones - big expansive RPG’s to sink the teeth into. I was absolutely bored rigid with Mirage. It was my least favourite game of last year. I have almost nothing good to say about it unfortunately.
I loved AC II, III, Brotherhood, and Black Flag.
I really liked the exploratory and historical aspects of Origins, but I couldn't stand the gameplay. It felt like a chore to me, as does Valhalla. I haven't enjoyed the AC games for a while but looking forward to playing Mirage.
I feel mixed. I had played EVERY AC game prior to Origins and I liked Origins a lot. But it also went on FAR too long, to such an extent that by the end I had no desire to play that sort of game anytime soon. And I haven't.
I did buy AC Odyssey Complete edition but haven't got around to it in part because everyone said it was even longer and more drawn out. Apparently Valhalla is even worse. None of that makes me want to play them.
As others have mentioned:
AC odyssey and Black Flag were the pinnacle imo. Not really interested in the latest offerings. There's only soo many times I can go through daym fetch quests.
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