TEST of Assassin's Creed Origins: Ancient Egypt in First Class

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To say that this Assassin's Creed Origins was expected by fans of the saga is a euphemism. Enjoying a year of additional development thanks to the famous "break" granted by Ubisoft , the team of the acclaimed Black Flag has indeed launched the double challenge of making both the episode of change and whoever would tell the origins of the Brotherhood of Assassins. What a program, when in addition we are taking us this time in the middle of Antiquity, in Cleopatra's Egypt! After spending nearly 40 hours on the game, it is difficult for me to put the controller to give you our verdict.

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It took me hours of daily play, for a whole week, to finally see the end of this great adventure ... and again, leaving aside many undiscovered tombs, many quests outstanding, many secrets in the shadows ... and even entire areas of the gigantic open world never visited! This Assassin's Creed is certainly the largest ever created, yet each of its square kilometers is full of activities and secrets to discover. It needed such a magnitude, such a volume, to serve this fabulous context, which we dreamed of seeing one day addressed in the series: Egyptian Antiquity.

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We are very exactly in 49 BC. This is a pivotal moment in the history of this great country, of this civilization that had dominated the world for more than 3,000 years, but which was then on the decline, more far from its annexation by the rising power of the beginning of our era: the Roman Empire. At that time, the brotherhood of the Assassins did not exist yet, and it is in the skin of Bayek, Medjaÿ of the oasis of Siwa, that you will attend its foundation, understand the origin of its pillars, of its emblem ... Through him, his wife Aya and all the events that will make you cross the road of major historical characters and situations, you will see the birth of the famous creed that we know since the first episode

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What beautiful perspectives, when one is a fan of the series, that one despaired to find one day what made us love it so much, and that we finally launch this part of Assassin's Creed Origins. It remains to be seen in the end what is here satisfactory and less satisfactory to emphasize, what I propose to do immediately, because we are a little there for that!

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RPGification

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Let's start with the major changes made here to dust off and reinvigorate a formula that certainly needed it, and by the most obvious of all: the new twist RPG gameplay. Far from being a gadget, it changes a lot the way we approach the game and which we progress. First of all, we start as Bayek at level 1, and many actions can bring you the experience points necessary for your evolution. Discovery of a new location, completion of a mission, synchronization point activated, or even later, when skills are unlocked, head shots and quiet assassinations: everything can potentially earn you XP.

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And you will quickly understand that it is essential to evolve your character, because each enemy has his level too. It will be almost impossible to get rid of one of them if you have more than two levels of difference to your disadvantage. Even a secret assassination with a secret blade, sneaking into the back of the enemy, will be a failure if you are too weak compared to him. He will push you away and quickly deal you a fatal blow. "You Died"!

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It is obvious that all regulars of the series will go through a painful phase at first, but we quickly remember the lesson and it is for the best, because all this new dimension RPG brings at the same time freshness, complexity, and interest in the formula. There is even more to say about it ..

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Tell me your level, I'll tell you what you can do

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In this context, some camps and even some entire areas of the gigantic map will simply be impassable before an upgrade. It is also valid for quests, main or annexes, which display a "suggested level" to respect under pain of simply wasting time, because you can certainly go in this or that area freely, engage you if you wish in such or such a mission not recommended, but the consequence will be almost all the time the same: death. "Almost", because it is always possible to be smart and to succeed when the objective does not require combat (recover an object in a camp for example), in ninja mode of the desert. But even that does not work every time. Far from there.

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In short, the structure of the game is so made that to progress in the missions missions, which require a higher and higher level, it will be necessary to chain a few side quests between two main quests, to approach them with the recommended level. This is called leveling , in short.

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Of course, gaining levels means also gaining skill points, and these can be spent in a tree with three main branches: "Hunter" (all that is related to the use of bows and eagles), "Warrior" (weapons and melee) or "Clairvoyant" (gadgets and special powers). These three ramifications are interconnected in certain places, which makes it possible to take "shortcuts" when one of the aspects, for example, has been well developed. Convenient.

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That adds to the feeling of power, concretely, fun, and with many possibilities that really bring something to the gameplay when you unlock them. There are some simple things (heavy punch, use of darts, assassination of a high point, possibility of juggling between two predefined weapons ...) and other more original ones (possibility of passing from the day to the night via a nice time lapse , recycle enemy arrows that are planted in your shield, tame wild animals, use your eagle to harass an enemy and thus distract him, even the path of enemy guards ...). Another good point.

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You have the loot coco

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At this level principle is of course added other RPG elements. We go on with the equipment. Each proximity weapon, each shield, each bow, also has its level. It's only at level 22 that you'll be able to use a level 22 sword, for example, and if you really care about it at level 32, you can go to a blacksmith to upgrade it for a fee, and allow him to continue doing good damage. Each of these weapons also has specific attributes. The same mass can thus have the power to create haemorrhages in the enemy, to mitigate the damage received, or to increase your adrenaline faster (we will return to the fighting below). Some death instruments are even "cursed",

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Added to this is a level of manufacturing quality, which affects its degree of rarity, and this is precisely where it comes to the loot system , which comes to create an exciting quest for rare equipment. or legendary ... As in a Diablo or Destiny , to name a few, you can find on the remains of your enemies, in the vaults of "dungeons" or at the same end of the quest, weapons and objects whose color (blue, purple, golden) show the degree of rarity. Obviously, the legendary and rare types of weapons will offer much more interesting attributes than the others, more numerous too, and you will also be able to level them up at the blacksmith (but it will cost you much more obviously).

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This principle of loot is really at the heart of the experience and it brings a lot of satisfaction. The weapons and shields are very, very numerous, and those who are legendary always have a particular look and interesting features. The attributes described above are very, very numerous (you can press a key to display the detail at any time in the menus, and better understand the operation of your equipment), and some combinations are absolutely great. Deciding to make a detour to a camp between two missions to find all the treasures despite the many soldiers who roam, can bring you a huge satisfaction, when after a good half hour to infiltrate, you finally find in the very last chest a superb legendary shield, which has a 30% chance of lulling the enemy who hits it! Yes, it is lived, and it was the shield that accompanied me for almost all my part, because I had the chance to loot quickly.

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Who goes hunting ...

But we are not done with the equipment! Because in addition to constantly recovering new weapons, shield and other rare or legendary bows, it will be necessary to improve another part of your equipment: your armor (on which depend your life points), your armband (damage which you inflict with weapons), your support glove (bow damage), your quiver (number of ammo), your tool pocket (number of soporific darts or other incendiary bombs) and of course your secret blade (when you have it ). To improve all this, ie to level this equipment that will also turn blue to gold through purple, you will need raw materials.

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Soft leather, hard leather, fur, wood, metal ... that's where the hunt comes first. Because this huge Egyptian open world is also populated by animals, some harmless (soft leather is easy to collect), others like crocodiles, hippos and other big cats (leather and fur) much less! You are not going to die in front of Ptolemy's soldiers or bandits: the hippos are often much more flipper! It is easy to catch aggro of these animals, and it will often be necessary to flee if several of them attack you at the same time. That said, these clashes are inevitable if you want to recover enough material to upgrade your equipment. In your quest for power, you will enjoy it!

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The rest of the raw materials, namely wood and metals, are obtained in two different ways. There is theft first of all, since some enemy tanks can carry some and some camps to stock ... We find some on the corpses of soldiers or in chests. The other source comes directly from your weapons. From loot to loot, you can indeed sell your old swords and old bows, but also dismantle them from your inventory. Each item dismantled will offer you its lot of wood, bronze or iron.

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The real ecosystem that has been put in place by developers is not only there to look pretty. Equipment, leveling, hunting, harvest of raw materials ... each element that composes it works well and has its importance, while the coherence of the whole is really obvious at all stages of your progression, always highlighting this new dynamic RPG.

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Quests and quests

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To finish off this important theme of the "RPGification" of Assassin's Creed Origins , the quest system has been reworked and managed as a role play. On the one hand there is the red thread, namely the main quests, the ones that make the story progress, and on the other hand the annexes, optional but not really, because not only will you need them to go up level and pursue the main adventure serenely, but also for the satisfaction of recovering your lot of loot more or less rare.

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Once you have crossed the road of a character, spoken to another, as soon as you have attended a scene or synchronized a zone, these additional quests will appear on the map in the form of exclamation points. Then just go see what is there to recover the quest in question. You do not have to do it again, or come back here later, because once recovered, a quest will appear and stay in your quest manager, in the middle of the others. You will be able to "trigger" at any time from this menu, depending on your level, your position, your desires, and especially your needs, which will place your goal marker in the right place Everytime. Note also that we can at any time, once on his mount, hold a button to automatically follow a route. This is done by pressing another button to make sure that this route is that of your goal (either your quest or another that you have manually marked). Very useful ... and very kiffant too, since we can at this time go into Senu mode (the eagle that accompanies us and that we can embody at any time, we return to lower also) and observe Bayek is move alone, then point from the heavens a new marker that will change its course. Class. we can at this point go into Senu mode (the eagle that accompanies us and we can incarnate at any time, we return to it also below) and observe Bayek move alone, then point from the sky a new marker that will change his route. Class. we can at this point go into Senu mode (the eagle that accompanies us and we can incarnate at any time, we return to it also below) and observe Bayek move alone, then point from the sky a new marker that will change his route. Class.

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But let's go back more specifically to the quests, which were a sensitive point to watch in this new Assassin's Creed , especially on the side of the famous "annexes". Beyond the transformations of the game system, explained in detail above and that we qualify without difficulty of very, very successful, we indeed expected Assassin's Creed Origins he passes a course in terms of scenario and especially of narration. Especially since a certain The Witcher III , which is a reference at this level, was cited as a source of inspiration. So where are we? Well to summarize I would say quite far away from the CD project Projekt RED, Sadly. But still well above what we have seen so far in the other episodes of the series.

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Specifically, the main storyline is both interesting and well crafted, it makes you travel and discover all the events and main characters with great pleasure. Bayek and Aya are also characters both deep and endearing, and we did not expect
less from those who created the brotherhood.

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But it is rather at the level of the side quests that one expected a little more. They are not all clearly worth each other, and do not take tweezers: some of them can be funny and fadasses. " Help me find this object ", " Get rid of those soldiers who persecute me"... When we come across this kind of objective, which does not add much to the experience, the scenario, the universe, we say that the developers have not resisted the temptation of do a little filling easy, and it disappoints a little.Bout all, as I told you above, we stay above the usual level of the series.Because in these side quests, we also find quality! because the quests in question are interesting for what they bring to the main scenario, or simply to the universe (with for example interesting anecdotes about the Egypt of the time), or because they involve missions in waterfall, starting from a small problem all stupid that once solved takes you on other tracks more and more interesting.note that we find missions "investigation", unfortunately quite mundane, but have the merit to vary things.

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Do not know where to turn

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For the rest, open world (giant) requires, the game offers a lot of other small activities that will punctuate your long trips from one area to another. There are the temporary missions of the small merchant, not interesting from a scenario point of view but potentially rewarding in terms of loot, there are the many camps in which it is necessary to follow two objectives (to kill one or several commanders, to find one or many treasures), the dens of wild animals, the statues of Ptolemy to find and destroy, the points of synchronization obviously ... All this allows not to be bored for a moment, but we will develop two more important things: the papyri and the tombs.

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Yes, the tombs ... We expected a lot, first "because Egypt", obviously, but also because all the fans of Assassin's Creed remember with happiness these sequences " Tomb Raider"In the trilogy of Ezio, these phases of the game represented long and beautiful breaks, calmer, more thoughtful with their environmental puzzles, quieter, without any fight ... A great memory, we wanted to see back here with the pyramids and other secret burials, the Egyptian atmosphere as a bonus, so in terms of quantity first, you should be satisfied, because there is a good package to discover.Unfortunately, we remain a little on his hunger (in any case in all that we could explore) because they are very short and offer just few environmental puzzles.The pleasure of looking for them and finding them is also perhaps greater than or equal to that to browse them As long as it can be quick and quick, it's a shame.between them hide meta-story elements that will obviously delight the fans of the first hour.

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Concerning the papyri mentioned above, these are first to be found in the temples of the different cities and villages. A collection principle that does not stop there, because once found they will propose a small riddle to solve that will lead you to a hidden object of value. It inevitably reminds us of Black Flag and its treasure cards, and that's not to displease us.

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In short, despite the small disappointment of the tombs, which are totally cool in the atmosphere and the visual but too short and too simple, impossible to say that we remain on his hunger open world side, and still months we get bored . It is quite the opposite, the Egypt which is delivered to us here, with all its regions, is a feast of discoveries of which one never tires almost never. There are even a lot of underwater areas to explore (as soon as you see water, you can dive). Well, know that staying a little too long under the hot sun of the desert is bad for mental health, but it can also lead to some interesting discoveries ... I will not say more.

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What I can tell you without spoiling you too much is that some phases of naval battles will be on hand, at certain key moments of the game, as well as chariot races and of course gladiator arenas, which will find all their interest thanks to the new combat system, of which I have not even spoken to you yet, boudiou!

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Deaths on the Nile

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To be completely honest with you, I think I'm writing the longest test of my career. There are a lot of interesting things to tell at the same time, which I strive to do at best, and yet I still have big pieces to tackle, starting with the combat system! The latter has, as you know, been totally redesigned. And if it was difficult to judge it during our different previews, we can necessarily tell you much more after 40 hours of play! The fans of the saga will indeed have to get used to a lot of news, starting with the orders that are not the same at all. We attack with the right slice buttons, we use the shield with the left bumper and the arc with the left trigger ... and most importantly we lock an opponent to turn around and we dodge attacks with a dedicated button. Result: the first impression is that of a "darksoulisation" of the fighting, especially as we die a lot, really a lot, before understanding that this time we will not chain the combos in beautiful deadly choreographies that require only a bludgeoning of buttons. Oh no!

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First, the enemies are aggressive and more effective (I dare not say more "intelligent"), we must blow their guard with a powerful blow, turn them around, dodge their attacks to better counter ... but in the more they hurt a lot and now attack simultaneously. Gone are the days of lining up! Each fight can easily become an issue, a stress, you will never go head down to a group of enemies saying that it should pass like a letter to the Post.

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Another pleasant point: the arsenal. There are several categories (swords, masses, spears, swords, double-blades ...) and each time a changing gameplay. The new special attack (unleashed by pressing the two buttons once your full adrenaline gauge) differs from one weapon to another, but that's not all: it's all the very use of the weapon, all his combos that vary. You will quickly find your preferences, adapt your choices according to the opponents, and will always enjoy learning to handle a new type of weapon. Not to mention the fact that following any new interesting loot, as indicated above, you will discover each time different attributes that you want to test. A double blade (very fast) creating a state of hemorrhage on the

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In short, this complete overhaul, again, really adds something to the fighting, which becomes much more strategic, more interesting than before, and which also benefit from the new ecosystem of gameplay created by the developers. Hat.

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Hello Senu

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Other subjects my faith very important to address, and it was time: the "navigation" and the infiltration. Unlike the RPG orientation and the fighting system, here is no question of revolution. We start on the good bases that made the success of the series, but we perfect them while adding a few novelties well felt. Among the latter, the most obvious and the coolest is obviously Senu, the eagle that accompanies Bayek from the beginning to the end of the adventure. What a beautiful find!

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With a simple push up the directional cross, the camera flies literally and here we are at the controls of Senu, free to visit everything from the heavens in a large area. The goal is not to enjoy the beautiful landscape in a contemplative way (that says nothing prevents you, on the contrary), but to offer you a whole range of very practical things. On the hunting side, the raptor is able to find at a distance the various wild animals that will bring you leather and fur. It is enough to mark the lion spotted hundreds of meters away so that Bayek can find it easily. Senu can also find the other raw materials: wood and metals transported in convoys, for example.

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When you approach a target, for example an enemy to spot but you do not have the exact position, Senu is also able to find it for you. It can also spot any type of enemy, human or animal, as well as treasure chests and entrances / exits of caves, temples, etc. It is very practical in terms of general navigation, obviously, but also and especially during infiltration phases. You can obviously go headlong into a camp full of antagonists, relying on your prudence and your talent, but the right strategy will obviously be to make a reconnaissance flight before anything, to identify each enemy and each important element, which will then appear highlighted for Bayek, making it easier.

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Senu's ability to spot and mark targets and points of interest will also progress throughout the adventure, each time you activate a sync point in this case, but it will also gain new "features" through to the skill tree. It was mentioned above: it is for example able to tell you the way of round an enemy, him to go on and "harass" to allow you to go unnoticed ... In short, you will really spend a lot of time in the skin of this eagle, which brings a lot to the navigation gameplay and traditional infiltration of the saga.

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Some may regret the disappearance of the planning phases seen especially in Unity , which allowed to approach the assassination of a target in different original ways, but in the end the vision of Senu replaces somehow this feature ... After Nothing prevented you from having both, you will say, and you are right.

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This we-do-not-seen

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Nevertheless, the phases of infiltration provide a great jubilation. Senu is not for nothing, you'll understand, but more generally the gameplay is quite "square" and well adjusted to avoid the bad handling, unpleasant surprises, and especially to take a clever pleasure to accomplish missions without being seen or almost. Know for example that the "climb" was a problem for me that very, very rare exceptions, including when it was necessary to pass through an opening on a facade that I climbed, to go from a roof to another ... Really, no worries on this side.

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Moreover, the use of all the gadgets, tall grass, the structure of the buildings that one infiltrates, etc., leave a great freedom in the ways of approaching the missions, without any obstacle, bad manipulation or an annoying AI bug will spoil the pleasure that these phases of infiltration provide. Two small flaws to note all the same: the obligation to go in the menu to spend dart poison incendiary bombs, and the impossibility to use smoke bombs at a distance (you have to dodge and then press another button to throw it at one's feet, no other way to use it).

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And then note the addition of a lot of opportunities related to infiltration. For example, you can send an arrow on a cage to release the lion that was inside, the latter attacking enemies without you even have to deal with it. If they are numerous, they will not finish, of course, but it will have also created a diversion allowing you to cross a zone of the camp. You can also poison a body, man or animal. Congeners who approach it will in turn be ill and may contaminate others. It is also possible, by approaching an enemy without being seen, to inject him with a poison that drives him crazy, so that he then turns against his allies. Again it creates dead easy and it allows a little diversion. Ha, and your secret blade can cross the bamboo barriers, for assassinations in all discretion!

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Another great novelty: the ability to approach the missions of day or night, to choose. As mentioned above, a special ability even makes it possible to sit down to "meditate" and move from one moment to the other of the day, and that will have real consequences. At night, for example, the soldiers are a little less likely to make rounds, because part of the garrison sleeps while the other watch. In addition, you hide more easily, while your main target will not have the same activity, will not make the same trips.

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Ah and I was going to forget an essential point, really well seen, which helps to make the phases of infiltration really pleasant: each of the 4 edges of the screen can now warn you of the presence of a guard in this or that direction , displaying a kind of white light immediately identifiable. This makes it possible to adjust situations on the thread, simulating in a way those real moments where one "feels" a presence. Very well seen!

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The possibilities of infiltration are thus more numerous, the gameplay of these phases works better than in all the other episodes of the series, the novelties are well integrated ... Although it is not here a whole new formula, unlike many other things in the game, we feel that everything has been well tuned and pampered so as not to disappoint. Admittedly, the AI ​​enemies remains classic classic, unsurprisingly, sometimes stupid, but at least it does not spoil this pleasure.

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Serve the dreamed

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Well, I guess you've already seen a lot of gameplay videos and you could see for yourself. Without being either the most impressive game in the world technically speaking (it suffers in particular small disgraceful display bugs sometimes, with the distant elements in particular), Assassin's Creed Origins gives us the dreamed frame of ancient Egypt on a platter. silver set with diamonds. Aesthetically beautiful, with its delicious panoramas, its special effects, its beautiful effects of light at different times of the day and night, not to mention the impressive size of its open world that delivers each time different atmospheres, it makes us pass a lot of time to open your eyes while enjoying the chills that run our backs.

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When we love the History, the mystery and the fascination inspired by this place and this time, we can not be insensitive to a long session of game revealing to you, little by little, during your wanderings, a night desert lit by a silver moon, the discovery of an ancient tomb in the light of the torch, the crossing of a storm of sand which finally reveals an oasis, a global view of Alexandria from the top of his imposing lighthouse, the amazed approach of the majestic pyramids of Giza, white and surmounted by a golden point ... Really, it is something of which one does not tire one second, and as I told you at the beginning of this text, I did not even have the time, in 40 hours of play, to even goonly once in some regions!

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Note that the developers have obviously thought to integrate a photo mode, simple but pretty well damn, you'll want to use all the time. Your pictures will appear in the part of the members of your list of friends who also play the game ... just like the places where they died elsewhere, which will allow you to activate missions of "revenge" which I failed to mention above.

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In short, it's beautiful and I have been dealing with very few of these famous bugs in the series and in most of the open worlds. There was a flying cart here, a horse stuck in a table there, which will certainly be worth the game of compilations of bugs on YouTube, but my personal experience was in any case tainted that very few problems of the kind.

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For information, we made this test (the famous 40 hours of play) on Xbox One X, and launched the game on PS4 Pro in recent days. The rendering differences exist, undoubtedly, but they are not crazy. to be honest, I especially noticed shorter load times on the last (and next) Microsoft console.

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Fan-service, are you there?

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Finally, I would like to address a point that is particularly close to my heart: the "present time", the meta-history and all that follows. Fragments of Eden, effect of transfer, "Those-who-were-there-before" ... We had more or less lost these wonderful elements since the end of the story of Desmond Miles, after Assassin's Creed III

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So what about in ? I have good news, my friends. Without spoiling you with any spoiler that would spoil you the pleasure of discovery, let's just say that, yes, a new cycle finally seems to start here, thanks to the beginning of a new scenario in the present time that introduces a new main character . But yes ! Thank you ... After, do not expect to have as many playable phases as with Desmond (there is really much less), but still we can expect to find this plot in future episodes and see it develop, with new revelations. Moreover, the fan-service is in place, with other elements (texts, images, e-mails ...) that will give you clear grit and will serve as missing links in the meta-history. For example,Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed ... It's rich, and to be honest, I spent a lot of time on the Wiki of the saga at the same time I played!

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As the end of the game unfolds and its last revelations, this important element in my eyes has finally convinced me: Assassin's Creed Origins is the best episode since Ezio's trilogy trilogy, besides being a trip fascinating in Egyptian antiquity and a fantastic open world game.

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Yes is not perfect, he perfectly understood what he had to do to regain the hearts of the players and fans of the series. In addition to delivering the mysterious and fascinating ancient Egypt on a silver platter, in an absolutely gigantic open world, full of activities and secrets to discover, he succeeds in transforming his gameplay by brilliantly integrating elements RPG and completely reviewing, with no less talent, his combat system. Result: the game literally sucks you for dozens and dozens of hours, never tiring ... or almost, because some of its side missions still offer limited interest and some redundancy. We may also regret that the tombs are short and easy, but that might be getting into the quibble. Fans of the first hour will not in any case cry a meta-history to absent subscribers: it is indeed his return, and with it some particularly significant revelations. Short,Assassin's Creed Origins succeeds in caring for its fans and fundamentals while starting its small revolution. We can only hope that the next episodes will continue this momentum and that we will be even more spoiled, and surprised, the next time.

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WE LIKE	WE DO NOT LIKE
* Ancient Egypt, sumptuous and ideal setting.	* Some side quests are classic and frankly boring, it is not at the level of a The Witcher 3.
* Gigantic open world full of activities.	* Temples and tombs too short and too easy, too bad!
* The new RPG coating and the new fighting system.	* The automatic sentences of NPCs that are repeated a little too much.
* A great effort on the storytelling and the quality of the quests.
* Present time, meta-history and fan service for the first time lovers (yum!).
* Realization of very good bill, * almost * free of bugs.
* Aesthetically and visually stunning.
* Interesting characters, script of the origins well put together.
* Excellent music.
* Phases of hyper-satisfactory infiltration.
* Long life (30 to 40 hours minimum, without doing all the quests).

All image
CREDIT

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