Oh ye revered mods, I beseech your mercy for triple-posting, but since the thread hasn’t seen much activity since a while, I decided to break the interdict to introduce something new.
So...after much debate, I finally opted to buy AC:O in spite of the concerns posed by the Denuvo+VMProtect discoveries. My computer, though aging, was able to run Syndicate without too many issues...and seeing how they have comparable hardware requirements, I told myself it shouldn't be that bad. I eventually forked the money and got the Gold edition, which includes deluxe packs and the Season Pass, which gives me access to the two future DLCs. Granted, it's pricey, but since ancient Egypt was a childhood passion of mine and this is going to be my last game-related expense for a VERY long while (>1 year, as I have vowed), I can write this as a one-off.
Behold the following walls of text! Despite their length, they do NOT constitute a full, in-depth review, just a list of remarks, observations that come to my mind when playing. It doesn’t cover the full breadth of the game. You'll occasionally find curious statements about my progress - just know that I had started writing this piece from Day 1 and gradually filled it, so there ARE some passages that were jotted down while I was at level 9, and others when I was at level 35. I apologize for any confusion that might arise from my shoddy writing method.
Note:
click on the screenshots to enlarge them.
SPOILERS FOR ALL AC GAMES AHEAD!
VERDICT: a homerun for Ubisoft, but keep an eye on your hardware.
POST COMPLETE.
EDIT: I'd like to amend a few things I wrote in my previous posts ---
Spoiler for 2 things:
- You do get to play the Ides of March event in the game as Aya (no DLC, then). Basically the mission is to kill the last remaining Ancient, infiltrate the Curia in Rome (with the help of Cassius and Brutus) and assassinate Caesar while he talks with the gathered senators. It's just that the very second you use your hidden blade on Caesar, a cutscene engages and the story ends.
- It's actually possible to get some of the special outfits "for free" through a feature called the Heka chests. In some cities you can find a child merchant, Reza, who offers high-grade weapons and random lootboxes (Heka chests) for 3,000 drachmas apiece. It's rather expensive (you have to grind and plunder a lot to afford those) and you cannot influence what you get - either a rare or a legendary weapon, outfit or steed. And you are extremely likely to get items you already have, like the Falcata, the Ta-Sety Bow, the Headsplitter, etc...all of that at your own expense (reselling these duplicates is nowhere near enough to recoup every 3K drachma expense). It can be very discouraging but every once in a blue moon, you get surprises like these:
Yes, a unicorn. I'm faaaaaabulous now.
Warrior Pharaoh. Gaudy but it's more Egyptian than the other outfits you get.
Scarab Soldier. My favorite of the lot.
Mummy. No association with Brendan Fraser and Co.