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AC Valhalla is the biggest surprise of 2020 for me.

DonJorginho

Banned
2020 has been a rollercoaster year in many ways, from the obvious worldwide implications of COVID-19, to the hectic political scene and launch of the next generation of consoles with huge things to still come in the form of Cyberpunk 2077, this is definitely a year to remember.

When I was looking through the releases of games for the second half of 2020 I was always writing off one title, AC Valhalla. It looked uninspired, janky with no sense of what made the original games so special, I was one of the people who mainly hated the way they transformed the series into another RPG franchise, I liked Origins quite a bit but didn't enjoy the tacked on RPG aspects and I despised Odyssey and still now can't get into that slug fest. So when I saw this game coming out I laughed at it, would judge people who were acting like it was going to be something special and told myself I would never buy it regardless of price drops.

Flash forward to today and I have put multiple hours into the game and it is hands down one of my favourite titles of the year and a real return to form for the AC series in my eyes. I have to thank the lack of next gen launch titles as after blasting through Miles Morales and Astro there weren't many titles to look forward to, I was intrigued by WD Legion but that ended up being a pile of shit and I decided to cancel my order of Cold War in the eleventh hour due to the lack of multiplayer content on day one which left me with a cross gen sized hole in my to-complete list. And in came Valhalla.

This game is magical, the soundtrack is gorgeous and the story for an AC title is enthralling enough to keep me going, the environments you traverse within are simply stunning, the gameplay loop is as addictive as ever and the RPG mechanics for once don't feel like an afterthought! Eivior is a great protagonist and I feel the option of having a bigger say in what happens in the narrative with your player choices really helps boost the connection between the user and the game.

Is it all perfect? Not at all, combat still feels like a weightless mishmash of fancy animations and awkward hitboxes but none the less I have been able to enjoy it enough due to the way it makes you feel powerful, the animation of you beheading an enemy doesn't have that same oomph as the first time but it is enough to make me want to go straight back into the fray with my axes in each hand to make them pay.

I love the sense of exploration Valhalla offers, each area feels like it was crafted with care and littered with interesting trinkets to find, it also helps that the side quests have been given a refresh to feel more organic and more importantly, entertaining! I hated the constant fetch quests of the past two games and so far I have not ran into nearly as much of those styled side stories.

I was so ready to hate this game, to laugh at it and declare it yet another uninspired Ubisoft release, but as I sit here typing the final few lines of my post, I can see the menu of Valhalla, it's embers of flame brewing into a hellish smoke, crackling alongside the serene soundscape with it's sense of adventure egging me on to play some more, and you know what? I think I may just do that.


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wipeout364

Member
I was ready to buy it till I watched this review which basically said it was too long and I knew I could never stay interested in an Assassin’s Creed game that long.



it’s interesting because his initial impressions are very similar to what you are saying. How long to beat has the average completion of the main story at 47 hours.

That said I will probably stillget it when it on discount.
 
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wipeout364

Member
I watched that review too and it filled me with dread but you know what? Haven't been bored once so far.
I like assassin’s creed games but often don’t finish them due to Getting a bit burned out on the routine. 20 to 30 hours is the sweet spot. My favorites are 2, Unity, and Black Flag. Like I said I will probably get it down the road. Let us know how your progress goes, if it kept you interested.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
I like assassin’s creed games but often don’t finish them due to Getting a bit burned out on the routine. 20 to 30 hours is the sweet spot. My favorites are 2, Unity, and Black Flag. Like I said I will probably get it down the road. Let us know how your progress goes, if it kept you interested.
My same top 3, although Valhalla could get into there if it carries on like this.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
Sorry man, from the recycled gameplay, bug filled experience to the cringy and uninteresting story/ writing, I aim to stay away from this garbage. AC and (Ubisoft died) with AC:4.
Nothing to apologise for my friend, you like what you like and that is what makes you, you.

If we all liked the same things life would be boring and lacking any meaningful choices, I hope the series wins you back one day but for the mean time keep enjoying what you prefer to play!
 
If you like the game so much, can you please beat the Asgard section on my save? It's such a fucking chore, made me quit the game.
 

Malakhov

Banned
How is the pc version stability wise? I have a rtx 3080 so the logical choice would be to get this version but chilling on the couch with a controller on ps5 is tempting
 

DonJorginho

Banned
How is the pc version stability wise? I have a rtx 3080 so the logical choice would be to get this version but chilling on the couch with a controller on ps5 is tempting
Can't speak on the PC version but the PS5 version is a silky smooth 60fps at a dynamic 4k resolution, I have encountered no frame drops or bugs yet.
 

Tschumi

Member
10 points for the epic OP man.. i will keep your good thoughts in mind when my time comes~ i had a similar really simpatico with Unity when i first played it~ I'm real glad you've got some real joy out of your new console~
 

cormack12

Gold Member
Odyssey burned me out by 40 hours completely. Im 60 hours in Valhalla and dont want to put it down. I think they've done an excellent job of separating the content out. Got only an hour? Do some mysteries. Want to just be an assassin? Go get ingots or take out a fort. Fancy a big melee battle, go raiding. Got a bit more time? Carry on the story. Just want to unwind with some puzzles? Take the stone circles and some of the cursed symbols.

Its enjoyable and hardly any of the content is 'tedious'. Having said that I think the parkour, combat, skill tree, loot and abilities are a step back from origins.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
10 points for the epic OP man.. i will keep your good thoughts in mind when my time comes~ i had a similar really simpatico with Unity when i first played it~ I'm real glad you've got some real joy out of your new console~
Thank you very much brother, I wanted to try and translate my joy from this title into my post as efficiently as possible and if you can see that then I am glad and I hope you have just as much fun with this title as I am currently am my friend!

I will say Valhalla has that same feeling of magic that Unity did, looking upon the vistas of Norway and England really made me gasp and just admire the scenery for a full 5 minutes or so, it is such a beautiful cross gen title and playing it with 60fps makes it even more enjoyable.

I have definitely got some joy out of this console, every experience has been so memorable and fresh, long may it continue!
 
Sure, just send me the system you are playing it on via post.
Don't get me wrong. I really want to like this game. Does it get better after Asgard ? I really liked the first couple of hours. I even wrote somewhere in the OT that it was shaping to be my favorite AC ever. But that one section sucked the whole enjoyment out of me.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
Don't get me wrong. I really want to like this game. Does it get better after Asgard ? I really liked the first couple of hours. I even wrote somewhere in the OT that it was shaping to be my favorite AC ever. But that one section sucked the whole enjoyment out of me.

Asgard takes about 3 hours then you go to jotunheim. Both are terrible. Just return to them at endgame or put them off
 

DonJorginho

Banned
Don't get me wrong. I really want to like this game. Does it get better after Asgard ? I really liked the first couple of hours. I even wrote somewhere in the OT that it was shaping to be my favorite AC ever. But that one section sucked the whole enjoyment out of me.
Asgard is definitely a dip in quality but it does get better after that, just the case of powering through or exiting and leaving it for the endgame.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
I watched that review too and it filled me with dread but you know what? Haven't been bored once so far.

So much content is bad when Ubisoft does it. Your feedback is very encouraging. Was planning to get it on a later date after a discount like I got WD:L yesterday for ~$40. But might buy Immortal Fenyx Rising first.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
So much content is bad when Ubisoft does it. Your feedback is very encouraging. Was planning to get it on a later date after a discount like I got WD:L yesterday for ~$40. But might buy Immortal Fenyx Rising first.
I am always critical of Ubisoft and their output so for me to love a game this much from them is a telling sign for sure. It runs amazing on the PS5 aswell, a big contrast compared to what some were saying from the patch feedback.

I will buy Immortal FR aswell as that is basically a BOTW spiritual successor so I am all over that.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Odyssey burned me out by 40 hours completely. Im 60 hours in Valhalla and dont want to put it down. I think they've done an excellent job of separating the content out. Got only an hour? Do some mysteries. Want to just be an assassin? Go get ingots or take out a fort. Fancy a big melee battle, go raiding. Got a bit more time? Carry on the story. Just want to unwind with some puzzles? Take the stone circles and some of the cursed symbols.

Its enjoyable and hardly any of the content is 'tedious'. Having said that I think the parkour, combat, skill tree, loot and abilities are a step back from origins.

Nah you're biased because it's in England.:messenger_sunglasses: Odyssey is wonderful and put around 250+ hours on it combined with the DLC's.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
I am always critical of Ubisoft and their output so for me to love a game this much from them is a telling sign for sure. It runs amazing on the PS5 aswell, a big contrast compared to what some were saying from the patch feedback.

I will buy Immortal FR aswell as that is basically a BOTW spiritual successor so I am all over that.

Gonna beat WD:L now then pick one of them! Always playing one game at a time to fully appreciate the game.
 

Elios83

Member
Is the story more insteresting and most importantly well paced than in Origins and Odyssey?
The story in Origins was a mess also in the way events were told, Odyssey started well and then nothing interesting happened for most of the game...
Also what about the forced grinding doing boring side quests because they don't want you to finish the game and they introduced artificial level barriers?
 
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Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
Modern Creed games have a real problem with not starting for a good 6-8 hours. Once that happens I tend to enjoy them a lot more.

Valhalla has a lot of cool stuff to wander into but Im just now getting into the phase where the training wheels have been taken off. Hoping it continues to get better.
 

DonJorginho

Banned
Is the story more insteresting and most importantly well paced than in Origins and Odyssey?
The story in Origins was a mess also in the way events were told, Odyssey started well and then nothing interesting happened for most of the game...
Also what about the forced grinding doing boring side quests because they don't want you to finish the game and they introduced artificial level barriers?
The story is much better and the pacing is a huge improvement over the previous two games.

No level gating, sidequests are so entertaining I decided to do them on my own accord.
 

888

Member
I think I played 70 hours of Odyssey. It was good but I like this way better. I think I will take these games and just play them over the year until the next one comes out. I can’t play them for 40 hours at a time and still not finish the main story.
 

Elios83

Member
The story is much better and the pacing is a huge improvement over the previous two games.

No level gating, sidequests are so entertaining I decided to do them on my own accord.

Thanks, I hope to like the game as much as you.
I've been really disappointed by Origins and Odyssey because of the story that started well to try to engage the player and then faded away and because of the amount of boring side quests, the forced level barriers to force you to stick playing the game doing boring activities or paying for their exp boost packs....
Let's see if this is better after I'm done with Spiderman and Demon's Souls.
The fact I'm reading positive comments like yours is a good sign(y)
 
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D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Definitely one of my favorite games of the year thus far at around 55 hours in (62% "total progress") with a few more areas to go before the end. This era and setting is a favorite of mine, though, so despite some of the complaints I have about the game, I just really enjoy kind of existing in the world and taking it in.
 

Hugare

Member
Seems like you enjoyed it for thee environments, story and soundtrack. 'cause the gameplay loop and RPG elements looks just like Odyssey.

What does this game do differently than the previous? Besides the setting, of course
 
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