Is AC Shadows Good? (The answer may surprise you.)

[Hanabi]

Thank you for reading my clickbait title. As you may have surmised, this thread is about rather or not AC shadows is worth your time. This is aimed at people who are critical of Ubisoft, critical of AC in general after a few... less than stellar decisions made in its development and life cycles. So I figured I'd give you a non-bias opinion from myself.

I am a right leaning, liberty loving, red blooded American who puts his shoes on one foot at a time like most do. I have little patience for heavy handed politicking in my game and very little patience for 'The Gay' in a title when it is done ham fistedly for its own sake or is the main subject of the material. (My orientation renders that kinda stuff unappealing.)

So I am in the crowd that one would expect to trash on this game hardcore. But...

I'm not here to do that. The game isn't bad. It's not the best game I've ever played for sure, but that's basic AC and Content Bloat we've been seeing since AC has been a thing. (Think feathers).

So let's address the issues, one by one.

Yasuke: He's a likeable character in this game. He provides a decent foil, an outsider perspective coming into Japan. A good page turner. This game is in the same series where Vikings are largely good guys, and the pope shoots lasers and Aliens make the world rotate on some magitek ♥♥♥♥. So having Yasuke be a Samurai isn't even the tenth biggest liberty they've ever taken with the series.

But what about A Japanese male protagonist? You ask. We don't get many of them in fiction.
For every Ayame there's a Rikimaru and Tetsumaru. We also have Jin Sakai as well as Wolf from Sekiro. We get tons of Japanese Male Protagonists.

Naoe: She's where the game shines, she's the In Japan perspective, her story of vengeance and self resolution does remind me a lot of the old 90s Japanese stuff I used to love. Despite her absolute unsubtle appearance for what she is supposed to be. (Almost immersion breakingly bad) her story is surprisingly solid and well thought out.

She has plenty to enjoy and I have faced the majority of my playtime thus far with her because, despite me favoring a more brutal playstyle, I find her storyline fun, engaging and she has a deeply personal reason to keep moving forward.

The Music: IS NOT BAD, there are some funny choices they made here and there, but it kind of reminds me of some old Japanese Radio I heard mixed with some camp 90s ninja film beats. The music is something I actually enjoyed.

Romance and The Gay: I have not encountered it. I know it is an option in the romance, but I looked it up. And while you can choose to engage in it, if you play on Canon Mode (The version of events that will likely be taken to lore) then neither of them engage in any romance at all. Which is a good thing in my eyes because this genre has a hard time making anything deeper than a puddle when it comes to choose your own style stuff come across as bad and under-thought. Still the option's there no matter which way you swing, or rather you wanna go pure solo.

The Storyline: This is where the game could have both been an all star hit, and shined better all in one. It falls prey to the design of open world game it is, where unless you're constantly on the hunt for the next story bit, your story's going to fall into 20 minute bursts in 70 to 90 minutes of slog through other content. The start of the game, getting used to the flow, the introduction of Yasuke and Naoe where really, really good. However chasing the story, actually getting through the first act of the game, traveling the map... well, let's just say Ubisoft is second only to Bethesda when it comes to bloat. But at least Ubisoft tries to fix its bugs.

The Bloat: Let's face it, it's a Ubisoft game in the modern era. If you aren't dealing with an in game store, a cash shop, premium currencies, massive maps with 10k way points to find in any given area each one with something forgettable there to pad time. You aren't playing an Ubisoft game. If you're gonna Pan shadows for this, then you gotta pan Valhalla, Odyssey and Origins. But if you can get around that, it isn't needed to enjoy the game you bought, it's an extra way for them to make cash.

The Premium Weapons and Armor for example aren't needed to win the game, they aren't even any better than comparable loot in the game itself. And there are ways in the game to get said items on a rotating selection without paying at all. They do however have unique Runes and stuff, which while not more powerful than the Legendary items you get frequently in the game itself, are functionally unique. So make of it what you will.

Ubisoft are masters of making bloat. However on the plus side, they are MASTERS of making Bloat. Japan looks great. The details, the scenery, the seasons. It's a fun place to just run around and do stuff. (If you're not a psychopathic murderhobo who wants to run around killing random peasants on horseback as a black man with a rifle. I mean you can, but you're gonna desync fast.)

The Bugs: They're real, they're often. But they aren't terrible. And Ubisoft is doing a great job at addressing them, having already released a major set of fixes relatively recently, with more on the way. Rather than adding more bloat, they're seeking to fix the core first and make sure the ride is bug free and addressing the quality of life issues before they tackle extra content. Which is wise.

So what do I rate AC: Shadows?
I give it a solid Four out of Five. It is a Good Game. It is solid, if you're willing to enter it with an open mind and not try to hate on it, you're gonna have a good time with it. But if you're looking to hate the game, you'll find plenty of things to hate.

I feel that Ubisoft did enough right with this title to warrant praise.

For the Record, I have rated AC Valhalla a 2 stars and gave up on finishing it.

Enjoy this game, praise what's right about it, scorn what you don't like. But Ubisoft took a real step in the right direction with this installment.

(I play on the UPLAY store.)

[space]

i ain't reading all that but i'm sure it was good for you

[Hanabi]

Originally posted by space:

i ain't reading all that but i'm sure it was good for you

Thanks, I have enjoyed it so far.

[Coffee Addict]

i stopped reading at clickbait

[Nostromo]

I read the whole thing. All I've got to say is that I agree with you. I'm having a great time so far.

[Hanabi]

Originally posted by Nostromo:

I read the whole thing. All I've got to say is that I agree with you. I'm having a great time so far.

Absolutely. Thanks for the reply.

Originally posted by Coffee Addict:

i stopped reading at clickbait

So you stopped reading because you assumed it was clickbait, there's a difference.

[sh3riff]

Good is 3 in my country, average .. 1 best, 5 worst, a failure.

[Yoni the Hero]

for me its just another assassins creed, they arent peak cinema games but theyre really fun even with the glitches they tend to bring with them. im also a japanese history enthusiast so it was right up my alley. this game is built in a new spin on the formula which is nice but the same glitches that have infested this game since unity are still here

[JyoKun]

Game without challenge, bad story, disrespect of a great culture and history, uninspiring heroes, stupid modern music... the game is so great that it is killing Ubisoft now, and THAT IS REALLY GREAT !
I'll suport AC Shadow at a hard discount (less than 20%) or at full price if Ubisoft die and Tencen take all the IP. XD

[BORN2DIE]

Originally posted by JyoKun:

Game without challenge, bad story, disrespect of a great culture and history, uninspiring heroes, stupid modern music... the game is so great that it is killing Ubisoft now, and THAT IS REALLY GREAT !
I'll suport AC Shadow at a hard discount (less than 20%) or at full price if Ubisoft die and Tencen take all the IP. XD

"dIsReSpEcT oF a GrEaT cUlTuRe"

There are like 500 japanese animes about sexy Hitler in panties teaming up with Mecha Thor. If Japanese culture can make wacky adaptions of western media then Japanese media can handle a Assassin's Creed Ancient Aliens in Japan.

It is like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ endless barrage of subjective whine with some people.

[yosegaman]

I agree with you !
I have 50 hours on it on PS5 (fat) for now and enjoy it a lot ! (170 hours on odyssey)
in last update, they made the returning of automatic horse travel and it's great for enjoying sceneries and possibility to sell multiple items in once ^^
the only bugs I had are an issue with a texture on a box where we can hide and an enemy I had to instant kill twice !
the biggest flaw is the facial animations and expressions in lot of cutscenes because they didn't mocap actors and use an old program to lipsync and add expressions
once again, the world is outstanding in every seasons and I really like when the wind blows and moves everything naturally (trees, grass, clothes, hair!
it's also sad to see some details missing or stupid things when I play infiltration (with Naoe 90% of time) like we want to kill a guard discretly near from another guard but our prey is still able to scremi ! (gladely it doesn't alert the other guard)
I am sure they could easily make a script to avoid scream from Naoe and victim when stealth kill when another guard is near !

[RedCelt]

TL DR

4/5

[The Former]

There are actually a good handful of Japanese protagonists in fiction, just not western fiction specifically. Which some would argue is how it should be. People only writing characters from their own culture and whatnot. I'm not sure I agree, but there are some who would say so.

[Hanabi]

Originally posted by yosegaman:

I agree with you !
I have 50 hours on it on PS5 (fat) for now and enjoy it a lot ! (170 hours on odyssey)
in last update, they made the returning of automatic horse travel and it's great for enjoying sceneries and possibility to sell multiple items in once ^^
the only bugs I had are an issue with a texture on a box where we can hide and an enemy I had to instant kill twice !
the biggest flaw is the facial animations and expressions in lot of cutscenes because they didn't mocap actors and use an old program to lipsync and add expressions
once again, the world is outstanding in every seasons and I really like when the wind blows and moves everything naturally (trees, grass, clothes, hair!
it's also sad to see some details missing or stupid things when I play infiltration (with Naoe 90% of time) like we want to kill a guard discretly near from another guard but our prey is still able to scremi ! (gladely it doesn't alert the other guard)
I am sure they could easily make a script to avoid scream from Naoe and victim when stealth kill when another guard is near !

Dude, thanks for the awesome reply, I agree with you these things would be pretty nice. The way the game looks and the fact they aren't afraid of deep, saturated colors is a blessing.

Originally posted by Sins of History:

Originally posted by Hanabi:

I am a right leaning, liberty loving, red blooded American who puts his shoes on one foot at a time like most do. I have little patience for heavy handed politicking in my game and very little patience for 'The Gay' in a title when it is done ham fistedly for its own sake or is the main subject of the material. (My orientation renders that kinda stuff unappealing.)

I really dont care about anything you have to say on this game.

nothing you say matters after that, your opinion is moot.

I dont care if you like the game, because as soon as you get stuck or get frustrated, you will be back here ragebaiting and spamming slurs

I always appreciate when people out themselves though it makes it so much easier to block and ignore you from this point forward.

You know it's called Prejudice because it's partially a contraction of pre-judge.
Stop pretending you know me, or my track record, or what I've said or reviewed about other games. You just saw one remark and 'decided' what I was based on your own skewed sense of pre-judgement. You hate me because I represent a group you're not.

Originally posted by The Former:

There are actually a good handful of Japanese protagonists in fiction, just not western fiction specifically. Which some would argue is how it should be. People only writing characters from their own culture and whatnot. I'm not sure I agree, but there are some who would say so.

I'm one of the people who thinks the whole concept of not being allowed to write people of other cultures is bunk. Those people are the sort that would eventually remove all international restaurants from your nation because you aren't qualified to cook food that isn't made in the Provence of where you looks are born. For example, get two Americans and dress them in Kimono and sit em for some tea and the man who has Asian looks won't get any flack, despite being just as USA suburban as the other guy and possibly even knowing less Japanese.

I think it would be great if more cultures shared openly, took from other cultures more freely, and gave credits to all sources along the way.

[Weltall8000]

Originally posted by Hanabi:

Originally posted by yosegaman:

I agree with you !
I have 50 hours on it on PS5 (fat) for now and enjoy it a lot ! (170 hours on odyssey)
in last update, they made the returning of automatic horse travel and it's great for enjoying sceneries and possibility to sell multiple items in once ^^
the only bugs I had are an issue with a texture on a box where we can hide and an enemy I had to instant kill twice !
the biggest flaw is the facial animations and expressions in lot of cutscenes because they didn't mocap actors and use an old program to lipsync and add expressions
once again, the world is outstanding in every seasons and I really like when the wind blows and moves everything naturally (trees, grass, clothes, hair!
it's also sad to see some details missing or stupid things when I play infiltration (with Naoe 90% of time) like we want to kill a guard discretly near from another guard but our prey is still able to scremi ! (gladely it doesn't alert the other guard)
I am sure they could easily make a script to avoid scream from Naoe and victim when stealth kill when another guard is near !

Dude, thanks for the awesome reply, I agree with you these things would be pretty nice. The way the game looks and the fact they aren't afraid of deep, saturated colors is a blessing.

Originally posted by Sins of History:

I really dont care about anything you have to say on this game.

nothing you say matters after that, your opinion is moot.

I dont care if you like the game, because as soon as you get stuck or get frustrated, you will be back here ragebaiting and spamming slurs

I always appreciate when people out themselves though it makes it so much easier to block and ignore you from this point forward.

You know it's called Prejudice because it's partially a contraction of pre-judge.
Stop pretending you know me, or my track record, or what I've said or reviewed about other games. You just saw one remark and 'decided' what I was based on your own skewed sense of pre-judgement. You hate me because I represent a group you're not.

Originally posted by The Former:

There are actually a good handful of Japanese protagonists in fiction, just not western fiction specifically. Which some would argue is how it should be. People only writing characters from their own culture and whatnot. I'm not sure I agree, but there are some who would say so.

I'm one of the people who thinks the whole concept of not being allowed to right people of other cultures is bunk. Those people are the sort that would eventually remove all international restaurants from your nation because you aren't qualified to cook food that isn't made in the Provence of where you looks are born. For example, get two Americans and dress them in Kimono and sit em for some tea and the man who has Asian looks won't get any flack, despite being just as USA suburban as the other guy and possibly even knowing less Japanese.

I think it would be great if more cultures shared openly, took from other cultures more freely, and gave credits to all sources along the way.

I feel like the Japanese I know are pretty open about their culture and like to experience other cultures too. Could be sampling bias, as all of them left Japan. I have never been to Japan. Kinda like Americans that travel abroad aren't necessarily the same as those that never left.

[Hanabi]

Originally posted by Weltall8000:

I think it would be great if more cultures shared openly, took from other cultures more freely, and gave credits to all sources along the way.

I feel like the Japanese I know are pretty open about their culture and like to experience other cultures too. Could be sampling bias, as all of them left Japan. I have never been to Japan. Kinda like Americans that travel abroad aren't necessarily the same as those that never left. [/quote] Same here, I've always wanted to see Japan. I've waited for years for a Japan set Assassin's Creed game. And I think a big part of the 'heat' about it right now is because Ubisoft has earned a lot of bad blood in the past few years with certain well, ubisoft choices. And because Ubisoft isn't well loved, people use that as the dirt to plant every dis-satisfaction they have reasonable or not. And I gotta admit, they kinda had it coming. But this game is not their most grief striking example of their flaws. In fact it has less flaws in my eyes than Valhalla did.

So I don't think it's so much a sample bias as it is being pissed off at Ubisoft and people wanting to see them sink bias, and it doesn't matter what they make. Trust me, if they'd put in William like with Nioh, it probably would have been pretty bad too.