Assassin's Creed Origins photo mode

Driftwood
Thursday, October 26, 2017 | 1:00 PM
19 comments

Images PC PS4 Xbox One

Assassin's Creed Origins features a pretty convenient photo mode which allows players to share their pictures with all those who play the game. Each time you take one, it is directly uploaded to the in-game's map so people can see it and rate it if they want. The photo mode may bit a bit short of options, but it's a nice addition nonetheless, as proven by the following screenshots. Also neat is the fact that going into photo mode is completely seamless, so it only takes a few seconds to take a great picture. Inside, you'll also find our verdict on this new episode.

Verdict

Assassin's Creed Origins is not a perfect game, whether technically or when it comes to game design, but it has brought us more satisfaction than any games in the franchise since the Ezio trilogy or Black Flag. Gameplay mechanics are a mix of what Ubisoft and other publishers have done over the past few years, but overall it works pretty well in an Assassin's Creed game. The setting is perfect for those who like to explore and take the time to admire the impressive work of the development team, and though the AI is still very disappointing, it is no game breaker to us. There is so much to do in Origins, so much to see that even after 20 hours, you'll have barely scratched the surface of what the game can offer. It might make your head spin a little, but since every single thing you can do in the game grants you XP, there is always something to keep you busy with, making it very easy to play hours without even realizing it. True, combat could have been a bit more polished sometimes, and even more challenging in hard mode when facing enemies with the same level, but it is more fun than ever before in the series, and the variety of weapons at disposal makes it very satisfying to fight. Assassin's Creed is back to its roots with some clear improvements and nice additions, a new fertile ground to grow from in the years to come if the teams at Ubisoft Montreal manage to build upon what has been done for this new episode. Origins might still be a bit rough around the edges on some aspects, but it offers a very appealing tour of Ancient Egypt to anyone willing a start anew with the franchise.

On the plus side
Visually superb
Very immersive game world
A solid combination of what Ubisoft and other publishers can do
What an exciting era to discover
The combat system is more satisfying now
Climbing everywhere, exploring, discovering new locations
Craft, loot, upgrades, XP, not very original but still efficient
Everything AC should have been for a few years now
Impressive longevity, tons of content
3 difficulty settings to choose from
Camels and Senu are great for those who like scenic strolls
Chariot races for those who like some sporty action
Photo mode for those who like art
A gigantic map for those who like to explore
The Pro remains surprisingly quiet while playing

On the downside
Traversal can still be a little awkward at times
Still a few bugs (though very few in our experience)
The AI is so far behind everything else
Not all the confrontations with the main targets are satisfying
Sidequests aren't always very interesting
Pop-in is a bit too visible
Some loading times can be pretty long (though it's rare)
The free structure of the game can affect narration
No endurance gauge for combat and climbing
Micro-transactions are back (but aren't compulsory)
Horses look and move horribly bad

Gamersyde images

Community images

Voland44

Commented on 2017-10-26 13:06:45

"The free structure of the game can affect narration"

u mean sometimes u just cant went fo story and u need some grinding?

"No endurance gauge for combat and climbing"

THANK GODNESS! i mean really, AC-parkour doesnt need this at all

"Micro-transactions are back"

i cant understand this - strange talking about that, cus they are in every AC since AC4. or this is jsut "we need more downsides!"?)))

In reply to

Driftwood

Commented on 2017-10-26 13:15:40 In reply to Voland44

No I mean that sometimes while exploring you can actually find yourself in the middle of a mission you didn't even start in the first place, which can be a bit confusing. It's the impression we had at least once in the beginning. We had no intention to kill one of the targets and we didn't even know he was there as we weren't following any objective marker. We thought we were just exploring a palace and killing guards but at some point a cutscene was triggered showing the classic final conversation between the assassin and his target. We felt a bit lost when it happened.

Commented on 2017-10-26 13:27:35 In reply to Driftwood

lol that was funny)) ASSASSIN WAS BORN... by an accident

andrewsqual

Commented on 2017-10-26 15:30:44

"The AI is so far behind everything else" and "Horses look and move horribly bad"

These 2 things were VERY clear from the gameplay videos IGN released at E3 2017. Glad to see the animations and improved though although the traversal problems were also very clear since we first saw it.

GriftGFX

Commented on 2017-10-26 15:47:40 In reply to Driftwood

Posted by Driftwood

I actually like the sound of that but it does also sound confusing. I always liked that in Bethesda's open world games there are several ways of triggering almost any quest, including just discovering their assets.

Commented on 2017-10-26 15:48:05 In reply to andrewsqual

Actually, "everything else" might be exaggerated since Horizon ZD's human AI is just as bad, if not worse. :)

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:22:37 In reply to Driftwood

True but AC has a lot to live up for with the close quarters combat that I feel they have perfected over the years. Even if it was easy to pull off, it looked wonderful for somebody else looking over your shoulder watching you play it regardless.

The same can be said for the amount of years they had to perfect patrolling enemies and their AI routines, which I am assuming plays another huge role in this AC game. In Horizon, it was their first stint at such a thing and human enemies were not the main attraction. :)

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:25:31 In reply to andrewsqual

Indeed, but then again, I'm not sure a game like The Witcher 3 can be said to have good AI (even though, who needs AI when there is no stealth involved some might say ^^).

It still bothers me in AC that AI can be so blind and dumb, even if it's not a game breaker to me.

AndreasZ94

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:32:34 In reply to andrewsqual

yeah, the combat looks more complex but it looks clunky and messy for someone watching, mostly becauseof the animation changes to increase responsiveness. Also, i wish adding complexity to the combat didn't have to be lets make souls like whichim very fatiqued by now. You can make ac/arkham more involved in other ways

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:36:32 In reply to AndreasZ94

It does not especially feel like a Soul game. I don't know if this idea came from an uninspired journalist or if the devs said it, but combat is not like Dark Souls.

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:37:09 In reply to Driftwood

The game seems very complex, so good ai especially in an ac game was not very likely. I like that they seem spot you relatively quickly and from far away though. Im really hoping next gen will have big ai improvements because coonsoles will finally have some decent cpu

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:39:21 In reply to Driftwood

I said souls like. Locking on, dodge, block parry, hitboxes etc I get annoyed too when some times someones says that but it clearly looks lile its similar in many ways

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:54:58 In reply to AndreasZ94

The Soul games didn't invent the locking/dodging/parrying systems, even though I also understand why some people find the similarities obvious. Had they added stamina, now it would be a different story.

Sdarts

Commented on 2017-10-26 17:56:38 In reply to Driftwood

Thanks for all the incredible images and the review.

Can't wait to start playing it, was really missing an Assassin's Creed game. Gonna 100% this bad boy till kingdom come!!!

Loakum

Commented on 2017-10-26 18:22:13

I am sooo gonna dive into this game tomorrow. I might spend the first 5 hours just torturing hippos. I hate hippos.

Supernovae

Commented on 2017-10-26 19:45:59

After GR Wildlands the pc version of this game will have the best graphics of the year. These screenshots do not look like the pc version.

nostradamus

Commented on 2017-10-26 22:10:38

This message is in "Boulet Time" (TM), If you still *really* want to see it, click here

awesome water, shit looking everything else.

Xoar

Commented on 2017-10-27 02:45:34

20 Hours and barely scratched the surface? This is a huge problem with Ubi open world games as they fill it to much with filler gameplay which takes way to long to complete. After 15 hours of other AC games im starting to get really bored and would rather be close to the end rather than just gettin started where as the amazing gameplay of Horizon had me hooked from start to finish.

Commented on 2017-10-27 09:50:16 In reply to Xoar

Na, it's not a problem here. After more than 20 hours, there is still so much to do and discover that all you want to do is keep playing. There is no filler gameplay here, not more than in Horizon, Zelda or The Witcher 3.