What are you playing now - the plays the thing

[Hurlshort]

Would someone please explain to me how AC's story is supposed to be insane nonsense compared to every other game ever?

 

I know you are talking more about the fact that other games have crappy stories, but I find the key to my AC enjoyment is to ignore the overarching theme and enjoy the personal story of Ezio.

[Starwars]

I'm replaying Deus Ex Human Revolution, though I don't have much time to play overall.

 

This is, despite some bumps here and there, easily one of my favorite "modern" type games in recent time. It's fun to play, it's mostly intelligent, it brings up interesting issues, it has a great atmosphere, it is beautiful.

There are a million things I could nitpick, some fairly large issues even. But all in all it's an extremely enjoyable game with a lot of heart put into it.

[Oner]

Would someone please explain to me how AC's story is supposed to be insane nonsense compared to every other game ever?

 

I know you are talking more about the fact that other games have crappy stories, but I find the key to my AC enjoyment is to ignore the overarching theme and enjoy the personal story of Ezio.

I just don't understand how "guy relives his ancestors life through his genes and find out an ancient civilzation controlled humanity with high-tech stuff" is insane and nonsensical compared to, say, Torment's "zombie-guy searches for his mortality while opening transdimensional portals with junk".

[Guest Slinky]

Would someone please explain to me how AC's story is supposed to be insane nonsense compared to every other game ever?

 

I know you are talking more about the fact that other games have crappy stories, but I find the key to my AC enjoyment is to ignore the overarching theme and enjoy the personal story of Ezio.

I just don't understand how "guy relives his ancestors life through his genes and find out an ancient civilzation controlled humanity with high-tech stuff" is insane and nonsensical compared to, say, Torment's "zombie-guy searches for his mortality while opening transdimensional portals with junk".

 

Other one fits the game perfectly, the other one feels out of place and really stupid.

[Tale]

A conspiracy theory without aliens, mind control, or ancient civilizations is a conspiracy theory I don't want to rave about psychotically on a street corner.

[Raithe]

I just don't understand how "guy relives his ancestors life through his genes and find out an ancient civilzation controlled humanity with high-tech stuff" is insane and nonsensical compared to, say, Torment's "zombie-guy searches for his mortality while opening transdimensional portals with junk".

 

Because, Torment's story actually fit the "mechanics" of the Universe it was set in. The logic of the world (as it were) matched that.

 

AC is (nominally speaking) set in the "Real World ™".

[Oner]

So one is good because it is completely fictional and the other is crap because it is a What If scenario.

 

...

[Drowsy Emperor]

PST has purpose, the strange premise it has is in service of the philosophical question that drives the whole storyline.

 

AC is about killing **** and everything else is icing meant to give a little context and nothing more.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Drowsy Emperor

[Drowsy Emperor]

I'm replaying Deus Ex Human Revolution, though I don't have much time to play overall.

 

This is, despite some bumps here and there, easily one of my favorite "modern" type games in recent time. It's fun to play, it's mostly intelligent, it brings up interesting issues, it has a great atmosphere, it is beautiful.

There are a million things I could nitpick, some fairly large issues even. But all in all it's an extremely enjoyable game with a lot of heart put into it.

 

Thats what I felt while playing it, but it sort of evaporated when I actually finished the game. The story failed to live up to the in game world.

[Oner]

PST has purpose, the strange premise it has is in service of the philosophical question that drives the whole storyline.

 

AC is about killing **** and everything else is icing meant to give a little context and nothing more.

Didn't get the memo saying stories are automatic turds if they serve no "purpose". Hint: stories are for entertainment. The fact that Torment's story has a lot to say adds to Torment's value, not detracts from everything elses. And I could just as well say the strange premise is a needless complication to an essay that could be explained on a few pages of paper.

[entrerix]

i genuinely liked the first assassins creed game, 2 was even better, and im expecting i'll enjoy part 3 as well. I'm going to wait for a bit of a sale on it though (probably right after thanksgiving it will be at least $20 off)

 

I really like the american revolutionary war as a setting for fiction/games, so my hopes are very high for AC3 overall, but I'm sad to hear the game has some significant technical shortcomings

 

is there a story in the AC games? i dont know - i never really payed attention. something about ancient clans at war with eachother in different time periods? it's pretty irrelevant to the fun of the series for me

Edited November 9, 2012 by entrerix

[pmp10]

So one is good because it is completely fictional and the other is crap because it is a What If scenario.

 

...

Not entirely - it's a matter of expectations.

Planescape as a fantasy universe comes with a set of expectations that it almost immediately breaks as it turns out not to be Tolkien inspired. This leaves players free to approach it without preexisting bias.

 

Assassins Creed creates expectation of a historical setting which it fulfills for a good while but then suddenly it moves into the direction of a poorly handled sci-fi.

In the end AC was always doomed to become a mess story-wise as you cannot make a long-running series work with conspiracy theories. You either need a new bigger mystery for every revelation you make or simply never resolve anything.

[Oner]

So one is good because it is completely fictional and the other is crap because it is a What If scenario.

 

...

Not entirely - it's a matter of expectations.

Planescape as a fantasy universe comes with a set of expectations that it almost immediately breaks as it turns out not to be Tolkien inspired. This leaves players free to approach it without preexisting bias.

 

Assassins Creed creates expectation of a historical setting which it fulfills for a good while but then suddenly it moves into the direction of a poorly handled sci-fi.

In the end AC was always doomed to become a mess story-wise as you cannot make a long-running series work with conspiracy theories. You either need a new bigger mystery for every revelation you make or simply never resolve anything.

Finally a good answer. Although I disagree about the particulars. I don't know how AC1 starts, but the whole animus thing makes it pretty clear from the get go that this is sci-fi. Or at least fi.

[GhostofAnakin]

Still pushing through Icewind Dale. I'm finding I preferred the earlier portions of the game to the later ones.

[Hurlshort]

The sci-fi overlay really bothered me originally when I played AC1, because I really just wanted a game set in the Crusader States without any other rubbish. But I came to terms with it and find the gameplay to be very fun.

[alanschu]

So one is good because it is completely fictional and the other is crap because it is a What If scenario.

 

...

Not entirely - it's a matter of expectations.

Planescape as a fantasy universe comes with a set of expectations that it almost immediately breaks as it turns out not to be Tolkien inspired. This leaves players free to approach it without preexisting bias.

 

Assassins Creed creates expectation of a historical setting which it fulfills for a good while but then suddenly it moves into the direction of a poorly handled sci-fi.

In the end AC was always doomed to become a mess story-wise as you cannot make a long-running series work with conspiracy theories. You either need a new bigger mystery for every revelation you make or simply never resolve anything.

 

 

You saw this with Alpha Protocol as well. People just see "modern day spy game" and once the game had stricter RPG style rules, it was "The gunplay in this game is crap!? WTF I can go invisible!? BLAM THIS PIECE OF CRAP!"

[HoonDing]

The problem with Assassin's creed series is that Ubisoft is just bad at storytelling. They tried to rip-off Franco-Belgian comic book series Histoire secrète/Crusade which have similar theme and grand conspiracy storylines, and failed utterly.

 

Even their most lauded games, Sands of Time and Beyond good and evil, fall apart completely at the end.

[Majek]

I strongly disagree about SoT and BG&E. Great from start to finish.

[Oner]

You saw this with Alpha Protocol as well. People just see "modern day spy game" and once the game had stricter RPG style rules, it was "The gunplay in this game is crap!? WTF I can go invisible!? BLAM THIS PIECE OF CRAP!"

Nah, I think this is the result of people losing ~30-50 IQ since 2000. Deus Ex suffered the same critique yet people got past it.

 

To be on topic, I'm currently playing the beta of MechWarrior Online. Having fun times with my Catapult.

 

Even their most lauded games, Sands of Time and Beyond good and evil, fall apart completely at the end.

I should replay BGE&E someday, but.. SoT? The ending was the best part! The culmination of a journey of two characters, one making a big mistake because she can't bring herself to trust her love, while the other learned and matured, making the right decision finally.

If you are referring to the battle with the Vizier, yes, the figh could've been better, but that has not much to do with the storytelling.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Oner

[Drowsy Emperor]

The problem with Assassin's creed series is that Ubisoft is just bad at storytelling. They tried to rip-off Franco-Belgian comic book series Histoire secrète/Crusade which have similar theme and grand conspiracy storylines, and failed utterly.

 

Even their most lauded games, Sands of Time and Beyond good and evil, fall apart completely at the end.

 

Which says a lot, considering Histoire secrète is not particularly good by Franco-Belgian comic scene standards (which sadly, have degraded over the last 20 years).

[alanschu]

Nah, I think this is the result of people losing ~30-50 IQ since 2000. Deus Ex suffered the same critique yet people got past it.

 

Well, it was also aimed at a wider audience on different platforms to boot, with less foundation to build upon. Mass Effect also had a similar critique, but since then more games and iteration has occurred and when people see year 2000 game mechanics they tend to go "buh?"

 

Soapboxing on the internet has gone up too, in my opinion.

[Tale]

I'm about to do something shameful.

 

Instead of finishing Assassin's Creed 3 or doing Zone of the Enders HD, I'm going to do a Halo Marathon. :/

 

I am a shame to my elitism.

[Nepenthe]

It's just Drowsy. There's no one around that has the same taste and opinion that he does.

I dunno, seems to be getting awfully close of late.

[Nordicus]

I strongly disagree about SoT and BG&E. Great from start to finish.

Then you'll disagree even more strongly with me, because I say, barring a few genuinely sad scenes, BG&E's story is horribly paced and lazily written with the subtlety of a punch to the face.

 

 

You've got a bald rough-voiced warpainted military officer projecting his face on giant floating monitors, his Alpha Sections squads are never seen without their black armor covered in skulls, the resistance group post their articles with tabloid titles, only Pey'j and Double H ever get decent characterization with Jade hopping into Mary Sue territory pretty much the second she appears on screen. Other characters? Jade's fan club members, every one of them

 

When I saw that the Alpha Sections were working for the DomZ, I didn't gasp, have sudden mind-blowing revelation or even spend a tiny moment to ponder, in fact I just shrugged. The Alpha Sections had been cemented in my mind as baby-eatingly evil several hours ago.

 

Around the time Jade resurrects Pey'j and becomes space jesus, my brain hit the ejector seat button

 

 

Jak 2's story had a ton of same elements as BG&E, but did most of them better. With the writer of both Legacy of Kain series (and later on Uncharted), it's no wonder

 

Edit: Now, I'm not trying to say "stop liking what I don't like", of course, I'm merely doing some Z-grade discussion baiting

Edited November 9, 2012 by Nordicus

[AGX-17]

Zone of the Enders HD

 

If I didn't have to spend all my money on school and essentials, I'd buy that and a PS3. Well, I'd buy a PS3 and preorder the 2nd Super Robot Wars OGs and THEN buy that after scraping together enough money to buy it. I still own both the US and Japanese versions of ZOE2, and yes, Normal mode in the US version is Easy mode in the Japanese version.