After completing Transformers: Fall of Cybertron last week, I really wanted to play something else other than a shooter. I know I’m the shooter expert over at Gaming Angels, but sometimes even I want to play something else, like a RPG or a puzzle game. Playing lots of Professor Layton and the Last Specter has alleviated it some, but my stack of shame has made me feel guilty about not playing something from it. Assassin’s Creed III releases in just six weeks; I need to finish Assassin’s Creed Revelations, so that was the pick of the week.
I played ACR when it originally released for about an hour or so and I got bored almost instantly. I thought Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood ended Ezio Auditore’s story perfectly, so I was never that excited about ACR when they announced Ezio would take the lead once more. My boredom didn’t stem from the gameplay so much as I had zero interest in playing as Ezio once again. Also, the weirdness with Desmond and Subject 16 and the brushing of Lucy’s death under the rug was so off-putting. Nothing grabbed me like the other games and made me want to sit and play for hours.
Sad to say, ignoring the game for nearly a year didn’t help my enthusiasm any. I started over, and within 30 minutes, I hung my head in sadness. I had zero interest in playing this game. I’m done with Ezio, I don’t care why he’s in Istanbul tracking down what Altair was researching, and I really don’t care about Subject 16 and Desmond in an alternate universe in the Animus. I always liked the weird sci-fi overtones with Desmond and what he was doing for the Assassins’ cause in present day, but this was too much. I ejected the disc, shelved the box, and read the summary on the Assassin’s Creed wiki.
If you know me at all, you know that’s something I never do. I’m a huge believer in playing/reading/watching things in order and experiencing the story myself instead of reading a version of Cliff’s Notes. It’s why I ignored friends’ suggestions of skipping the first Mass Effect game and why I’ve put myself through the torture of every Kingdom Hearts game, no matter how terrible they are. At first I felt guilty about “cheating” my way through the series like this, but after reading the summary and nearly dozing off while reading the summary, I’m so glad I’m skipping ACR. Yes, there are some story elements that progress the overall plotline, but as a whole, it doesn’t sound like I’m missing much.
So did I solve my need for playing a non-shooter? Not really. I’ve gone back to Halo: Reach, and I’m almost finished with that game, which will will be followed by Halo 3: ODST and then Bulletstorm, because I feel the need to finish what I’ve started. Dishonored may come at just the right time and save me from this infinite loop I’ve put myself in.
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