#AC Unity mission guide

[damez1979]

Assassin’s Creed Unity Walkthrough - Le Roi Est Mort | Arno vs. Roi des Thunes | Dame Z Gaming

[interview-graphic-designers]

How to Ace Graphic Designer Interview Questions in 30 Minutes

Are you gearing up for a graphic designer interview and feeling a bit uncertain about how to make a lasting impression? Well, fret not! Success in these interviews isn't just about your technical skills; it's also about how you handle unexpected and behavioral questions. In this article, we're here to take the guesswork out of the equation and guide you through a comprehensive list of possible interview questions along with suggested responses. Our aim is to arm you with the knowledge you need to confidently navigate your graphic designer interviews. Ready to take that giant step towards your graphic design career? Let's dive right in!

Key Takeaways

Role of a Graphic Designer: Graphic designers play a crucial role in creating visual content using color, shape, and space. Their mission is to engage specific audiences while aligning with a company's core values. They work on various projects, including user engagement, marketing materials, and web development.

Preparing for a Graphic Designer Interview: To prepare for your graphic designer interview, you should:

Review key industry terms to speak the language of graphic design effectively. Practice common interview questions to feel more confident and prepared. Research the company to understand its culture, goals, and design style. Prepare a strong portfolio that showcases your best work and aligns with the role you're applying for. Now, let's delve deeper into the steps you should take to ace your graphic designer interview. Review of Graphic Design Industry Terms: Understanding industry terms is crucial for effective communication during the interview. Here are some important graphic design terms to know:

Adobe Illustrator: A tool for creating and editing vector graphics. Photoshop: Software for image editing and digital art creation. InDesign: Used for making layouts for both print and digital media. Asymmetrical balance: When one side of a design carries more visual weight than the other. Radial arrangement: Designs that emanate from a central point. Focal point: The part of an image that captures the viewer's attention first. Spatial order: How items are positioned in space. Progression/regression: Steps in a sequence or design process. Repetition: A design tool for repeating elements to create an effect or unity. User Engagement: The measure of user interaction with your design or product. Content Usability: How easy it is for users to use and understand your content or design. Visual Aesthetics: The joy derived from beauty or good taste within your design. Practice Common Interview Questions: To excel in your graphic designer interview, get comfortable with common interview questions, such as:

Talking about your design process. Discussing color theory. Sharing why you chose graphic design. Expressing your preferences for specific design projects. Explaining your understanding of business analytics. Handling quick turnarounds and tight deadlines. Addressing the role of communication in your design work. Talking about the software and tools you use, such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Providing examples of handling negative feedback from clients or colleagues. By practicing these questions, you'll be better equipped to answer them confidently. Research the Company: Understanding the company you're interviewing with is essential. To do this, explore their website and social media profiles to learn about their work, culture, and goals. If possible, talk to current or former employees and read reviews on platforms like Glassdoor to gain insights into their work environment. This knowledge not only helps you prepare but also shows your commitment to the position.

Prepare Your Portfolio: A strong portfolio is a graphic designer's most valuable asset. To prepare your portfolio, follow these key steps:

Showcase your best work that demonstrates your creativity and skills. Organize and curate your portfolio logically, starting with your strongest pieces. Tailor your portfolio to the specific job you're applying for, highlighting projects that align with the company's industry and style. Provide context for each project, explaining its purpose, target audience, and any challenges you encountered. Demonstrate your design process by including sketches, mood boards, or design iterations. Display diversity in styles, techniques, and mediums to showcase your versatility. Graphic Designer Interview Questions and Answers: Here are some sample responses to essential graphic designer interview questions:

Your inspiration for choosing graphic design: Share your passion for the creative and problem-solving aspects of graphic design, emphasizing its power in conveying messages and emotions.

The role of communication in graphic design: Highlight the importance of effective communication in conveying messages to the audience through visual elements.

Handling quick turnarounds and tight deadlines: Showcase your ability to work efficiently under time constraints, prioritize tasks, and stay calm under pressure.

Your preferred graphic design projects: Express your enthusiasm for specific design projects and styles, aligning them with the role's requirements.

Tools and software you are comfortable using: List common graphic design tools and software you're proficient with.

Approaching design briefs: Discuss your approach to design briefs, focusing on various design aspects and staying updated with industry trends.

Handling negative feedback: Explain your constructive approach to handling negative feedback and how it contributes to your growth as a designer.

Your process to create design: Describe your design process, including gathering information, brainstorming, concept selection, digital refinement, color theory application, and client feedback.

Your understanding of color theory: Discuss the significance of color theory in design and how it influences emotions and perceptions.

Tips to Excel in a Graphic Designer Interview:

Ask thoughtful questions about the company and industry. Demonstrate adaptability and a growth mindset. Showcase professionalism through attire. Use the STAR method to answer experience-based questions. Mastering a graphic designer interview requires meticulous preparation, a strategic approach, and a mix of technical proficiency, creative thinking, and effective communication. By following these steps and tips, you'll be well-equipped to excel in your graphic designer interviews. Remember to stay confident and showcase your creativity and professionalism during the interview, as these qualities are key to your success. With these insights, you'll be well-prepared to handle graphic designer interview questions effectively in 30 minutes or less! And if you want additional support, consider partnering with a headhunter to enhance your job search journey. Headhunters can provide access to exclusive job opportunities, offer market insights, provide interview coaching, and assist in negotiations, further increasing your chances of landing your desired graphic design role. Good luck with your interviews!

[teecupangel]

Yes? Sorta?

As someone who finished the AC games in 3ish months (although I have finished AC1, 2, and Syndicate before this ordeal), I can say for certain that it's doable... depending on what you consider as side quests.

The old AC games are fine in that regard BUT, for the love of god, get a guide for the collectibles.

Also, if you're going for speed, fuck immersion, get the highest possible weapon and armor as soon as possible.

Brotherhood

The ult armor isn’t as pretty as the Armor of Altaïr but get it as soon as possible.

Use your recruits, make them work for it like they’re unpaid interns and you’re Miranda Priestly. (also applicable to Revelations)

Do you… do you plan on doing all the challenges? If you did the challenges in AC2, you have an idea of what’s going to happen.

Revelations

The Defense thingie is random af and I was lucky enough to never have to do it after the tutorial so I hope you get as lucky as I am?

No, seriously, are you going to do the challenges? The defense thingie will count as complete if you get all dens. You don’t have to actually play the defense game. The Assassin’s challenges unlock the Sword of Altaïr though so you know which one I bothered to get XD

Desmond has his own freerun sections but you can do all of them in one go after finishing the main game.

3 and Liberations

If you want to 100% sync AC3, there's a Haytham mission that's hard to 100% during your first playthrough, skip it and get back to it when you have access to smoke bombs and use smoke bombs to make things easier.

Are you still going to do all the challenges???

Ropedart is OP.

Fuck the flying pages in this game, man.

The tree viewpoints of this game are screwed up and Ubisoft didn’t bother patching it up. It’s doable, just painful.

The DLC’s last boss is a pain and has a bullethell-like section that I died on a lot. Good luck.

Liberation: the canoe section will kill you. Repeatedly. I will say that pressing down all shoulder buttons help but it will kill you. Repeatedly. I suggest you skip Liberations for last if you’ve wasted more than an hour trying to finish the canoe section. No. Seriously. There’s no real trick to that canoe.

Black Flag and Freedom Cry

Okay, so… are you going to try and take down the legendary ships? Because they’re hard as hell even with a fully upgraded Jackdaw. They each have a specific hard defense section so if you know which it is, don’t fire there.

Berserk is OP.

Fuck the flying pages in this game, man. (They do have the sea shanties and I hate it because I love listening to their sea shanties)

Rogue

Fuck the pigeons in this game, man.

Grenade them all.

Even if your ship is underleveled, mortar them all while strafing will keep you alive while dealing damage.

No seriously, mortar is your best friend in the naval combats of this game.

Legendary ships are also in this game.

Unity

Don't bother with the locked red chests in Unity. What they have is not worth it and, as far as I know, there are no unique collectibles in those chests?

Do not, I cannot stress this enough, do not try to max out Arno’s level. The exp grind is not worth it and there’s really no reason for you to do it.

Unity leans heavily in stealth so get the outfits that ups your stealth but belts (and I think the bracers???) should focus on increasing your tools amount. Also, any outfit that ups your Eagle Vision time (because someone in Ubisoft thought it would be a goooooddd idea to make Arno’s Eagle Vision have a limited time) is nice too.

Berserk them all.

Phantom Blade can be used to stun enemies if you need a few extra seconds.

The Disguise ability is OP as long as you have nearby NPCs.

The coop missions can be done alone but it would be easier if you have at least one person playing with you. You can still get people playing online… last year. I don’t know how it is this year. (since you’re playing on the PS5, you’d have to have a PS+ membership to go online though :() I think they shouldn’t count as sidequests btw as they have minimal ‘story’.

Helix rift guide to get Altaïr’s outfit (๑•̀ᴗ- )✩

Syndicate (not much ‘cause you did say you already got all collectibles)

Main Evie and get her camouflage skill to make stealth missions easier.

Jack the Ripper DLC is pretty good and has fun terror mechanics but there are also ‘challenges’ there.

Odyssey

This dude has the best OP builds so if you wanna blaze thru it, check his videos (do not get the nimean lion set, just getting armor with crit abilities will work)

Speaking of which, get the Bighorn Bow from your free helix credits in this game. It’s the only thing worth it with what small amount they give and, in a nutshell, that bow gives all its dps to your left melee weapon, helping it maybe get twice the amount of damage.

Burn them all.

Don’t bother with the daily and weekly missions unless you know you can do them while you’re doing sidequests or story missions. They’re a huge time waster (especially the naval combats).

Are you… are you planning to take the top spot of the mercenaries? Um… Good luck???

Valhalla

Ignore Reda’s daily and weekly requests but accept them. If you finish them, good, if you don’t, it doesn’t matter. Weapons are the only thing in the shop that really matters because outfit ‘bonus skills’ only really make a difference if you have more than one or two of the same set.

Gungnir is OP. Pair it with Wrath of the Druids DLC’s Gae Bolg. Unfortunately Gungnir is a late game weapon :(

If you can sneak your way past the high-level enemies, you can get the skill books and stuff and hightail out of there. The free Isu armor you can get by doing the 'cave' thingies is nice.

Get explosive arrows as soon as possible so you can take down cracked walls.

The rock physics of this game will screw you over.

Viking your way and leave a trail of death and destruction (and apparently human-eating pigs) behind.

Unorganized Notes:

Ezio’s games and Unity have a wait and profit type of money making so if you're okay with it, keep the game on while you go to work (keep our boys in a safe place though) and get the money afterward. (I'm not saying you should remote access your ps5 using the remote access ps app on your phone during your free time to get more money buuuutttttt)

Look for guides on how to make money the fastest in the other games and buy the highest armor you can get as quickly as possible to lessen the headache of the story missions.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but get an Ubisoft Connect account. They have free weapons and stuff for the AC games it detects you playing (and it can detect it if you just connect your PSN account to it). The free weapons aren’t anything gamebreaking BUT they will make early game easier. Don’t bother participating in the weekly missions unless you like the reward though. They’re too much of a time waster.

BACKUP YOUR SAVE FILES. Don't be like some poor unfortunate soul who was halfway to Unity and got her save file corrupted because it was saving when the power went out and the dumbass forget there was a schedule blackout that day.

I have no tips for Chronicles because… well… they’re pretty straightforward??? Oh yeah, the PS app on your phone will say Chronicles is only playable in the PS4, that's a lie.

PSN Trophy Guides usually have tips and tricks sections that might help

How Long To Beat gives you an idea of how bad this idea is if you want to also do the sidequests by the way XD

Also:

Probably going to be an unattainable goal but...seeing as AC MIrage has been announced for October, I'm going to try my best to beat ALL the AC games before it's release.

I've already finished AC2 and Origins, I'm decently through AC1, I think, I have a good 12+ hours in both Odyssey and Valhalla, and in Syndicate I have all of London's collectibles already collected, so I should be able to stroll through the story easy enough.

But that still leaves 6 games I haven't touched at all, plus Bloodlines and the 3 Chronicles. Does anyone think I will be able to accomplish this?

(BTW, by beat I don't mean platinum the games, but I do mean get all the collectibles and side quests and such.)

[ananinidraws]

I saw a bunch of people try their hand at redesigning the Links and Zeldas of the franchise, so i gave it a try as well! This is part 1. Part 2 is right here

Descriptions for each (as well as some extras) under the cut:

Sky:

- Love interest: Plume

- Chubby and asthmatic, therefore the stamina bar

- Loves cuddles and hugs. Soft and sleepy boi

- Dark skin cuz of the skyloftian’s exposure to the sun (also have vitiligo that sorta looks like clouds!)

- Much more laid-back than a lot of the other Links

- Fully vocal

Plume:

- Love interest: Sky

- Has dark skin cuz of the same reason as Sky

- Absolute ball of energy

- Often drags Sky arround to do something fun (is mindful of his boundries, though)

- After days spend running arround with Sky, likes to spend a quieter afternoon in a blanky fort reading books with him

- Sweet, but don’t test her. Will not hesitate to stand up for those she cares

Mini:

- Aro Ace

- Small and angry

- Blacksmith. Actually wears an apron instead of a tunic

- Mute. Knows sign language

- Uses said sign language a lot for swears

- BFFs with Pebble

- Can still see the Picori! Cuz he’s still a child! Also cuz i said so

- Often visits the Minish Village and Ezlo

- Can still turn mini-sized whenever he wants, thanks to an artifact the Picori gave him

Pebble:

- Knows sign language as well so that she can speak with Mini

- Loves to tease him

- But isn’t very good at it. Doesn’t have a single mean bone in her body, she’s a sweetheart

- Is also a bit dramatic

- Gets more time to goof arround, since she’s younger than most Zeldas

- Though, after the events of MC, she isn’t allowed out of the castle unless she has an escort. Doesn’t stop her from sneaking out

Unity:

- Genderfluid, goes by he/him, she/her and they/them

- Happier after their adventure

- The 4 counterparts are a lot more similar to each other, compared to Discord (the Link from FSA)

- Unity’s separated counterparts:

- Green and Purple both use they/them, Red uses he/him and Blue uses she/her

- Green is the confident leader

- Red is the serious fighter

- Blue is the shy sweetheart

- Purple is the relaxed funny one

- Overall, the counterparts are not that diferent from the original Link

Colour:

- Takes her role as the princess very seriously

- Doesn’t change the fact that she’s a very kind and caring person, though

- The Mom Friend™

- Though she might be a very focused ruler, she is a bit guilable

- Loves spending time with Unity, they always know the right thing to say after an exhausting day of work

- Loves styling their hair

Time:

- Love interest: Malon

- Has gone through a lot. Often has a forced smile on his face

- ALWAYS smiling, though. It’s actually a little creepy, given how his facial expressions often don’t match with what he says

- Creepy child vibes (even though he’s an adult at this point)

- Fully vocal

- Lost his eye in the fight against Majora

- The Fierce Diety mask left some suction-like marks in his face. They sorta fade over with time

- Wished he could spend more time with Malon, is at his genuinly happiest when spending time with her

- Gave up on searching for Navi. Misses her so much, he feels lost without her guidance

- Actually, gets attached to anyone who he considers to be his guiding light (Malon and Sheik)

- His main job is to help out Sheik in their rogue missions. He’s also a knight for hire

Sheik:

- Genderfluid, preffers they/them and he/him

- Embraced the sheikah identity so that they can practice justice on their own (along with Time)

- Has all the memories from the Adult Timeline. Missed being Sheik, the time they were in disguise felt the most right to them

- Convinced Impa to train them

- Serious and methodical, will not let what happened in the other timeline happen again. Even if they have to take matters into their own hands

- Is still the ruler of Hyrule, but is more dedicated to their sheikah persona

BONUS CHILD VERSIONS:

Light:

- Has also been through a lot, but shows it, unlike Time

- Pink hair because yes

- So, so tired of everything

- Spent all his time after his adventures trying to bring back/re find Koholint (spending time with Marin has been the happiest he has been, he desperatly wants that back)

- Has pretty much gone MIA

- Fully vocal, but does not speak much

- Has a very strained relationship with Crystal. Honestly not very fond of her

- Can still turn into a bunny, but in the most inconvenient of times and not by his own will. It’s a curse at this point

- Has the moon pearl ready when this happens

Crystal:

- Has strong magical powers (like telekenisis)

- Is not in good therms with Light. He has abandoned her so suddently, and she resents him for it

- Is convinced he’s dead at this point

- Also very tired

- Barelly speaks when she doesn’t need to

- Overworked. Rarelly leaves her royal duties. Doesn’t mind this, being drowned in work is just what she needs to keep her from drowning in sorrow

- She was actually quite fond of Light before he left. He never really cared much about her, though

Paint:

- Love interest: Ravio. Very gay

- Somehow found a way to establish a connection between Hyrule and Lorule (along with Canvas)

- Vitiligo-like markings, from being merged in walls so much

- Assumes a fake name when visiting Hytopia (Orchid)

- Kinda shy

- Loves cute things. Colects things like plushies and cute clothing (from his time in Hytopia)

- Semi vocal, very soft spoken

- Makes his clothes from scratch! Loves to sew

- Opened a clothing shop along with Ravio, Peony and Aster! Is the tailor

Canvas:

- Love interest: Hilda. Bi

- Sweet and shy. Is one of the reasons she gets along with Paint

- Sometimes, they like to spend time together in confortable silence, each doing their own thing

- Vitiligo caused by being trapped in a painting

- Is the sponsor and main material provider of Paint’s shop

- Has taken painting as a hobby. Is not the best at it, but the motion of the brush against the canvas soothes her

Ravio:

- Love interest: Paint. Bi

- Still his sorta shady merchant self. Also still cowardly, but thanks to Paint has been able to gain a bit more courage

- Has gotten a bit more cocky as a result as well

- Manages the income in Paint’s shop

- His new atire was made by Paint! He LOVES the tiny little bunny ears on the hood, and because of it he barelly takes off the hood

- Actually wears his hair in a bun under the hood!

Hilda:

- Love interest: Canvas. Big lesbian energy

- Working really hard to get Lorule back in shape. Canvas helps her a lot

- Resting bitch face desease

- Has gotten considerably softer (thanks to Canvas)

- Snarky and sarcastic. Drops the atitude arround those she trusts, though

- Very easilly flustered. Canvas takes full advantage of this

Peony:

- Love interest: Aster

- Nonbinary! Goes exclusivly by they/them

- Has distant Gerudo ancestors, but they don’t exist/are missing in this part of the timeline. So they have no idea of this connection

- Feral™. Complete and utter buffoon. Aster holds the braincells in their relationship

- Loud. Does not have an indoor voice

- Works at the counter in Paint’s shop

- Them and Aster joined the quest in Triforce Heroes after seeing the advertisement like Paint did. Neither are related to Paint in any other way (sorta like how other people would join you online in TFH)

Aster:

- Love interest: Peony

- Very calm and relaxed. Has a soft voice. Not quiet, just soft and smooth

- Has an ATROCIOUS taste in fashion. Has that cowboy prince aesthetic (Peony both hates and loves how ridiculous it is)

- Is very smart, but is also very modest and polite

- Peony did rub off on him, though, so every now and then he gets a bit snarky and sarcastic

- Him and Peony have been together before TFH

[sg2tiger]

It’s that time of year when I rise from my tumblr grave and come to post the end-of-year look at the games I played

As always, my lengthy ramblings can be found under the cut. I’m thinking of posting a more trimmed down version on Twitter (where I am also pretty inactive but have slightly more of a presence than Tumblr these days).

—————————————— Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Bretty Gud ——————————————

Coming directly after finishing Unity I moved onto Syndicate, knowing that it was to be the last 'real' Assassin's Creed game (with the next two moving to a more RPG-style and set in periods before the assassins and templars really existed in their current forms). I had actually originally planned to skip Unity after its terrible launch, and had purchased - and even started playing - Syndicate back in 2017...but my computer at the time was struggling with just the prologue, averaging 20-30 FPS. Once the game actually arrived at London proper, my framerate tanked to 11 FPS or lower, and I had to put the game on the backburner until I'd upgraded my computer enough to handle it.

Ultimately I'm glad that it worked out the way it did, and I did end up going back and playing Unity before Syndicate, because the games are definitely very comparable. Both are a return to the older games' focus on exploring urban environments after the past several moved the cities themselves largely out of focus, and the gameplay of Syndicate is basically a polished up version of the new system introduced in Unity. The controls were smoother and tighter, and much appreciated fixes were made to some of Unity's worst offenders, like having automatic cover behind objects now instead of doing it manually, and the 'enter' button prompt that appears when you're over a window to climb inside - something I believe I mentioned in my Unity review as one of the worst things (gameplay-wise) about that game. Also, the whistle button makes a return after its extremely baffling removal in Unity, making it actually fun and worthwhile to kill enemies from hiding spots once again.

Combat in Syndicate was decent enough once I got used to it, but personally I really did prefer Unity's style. Unity was the first AC game where combat felt genuinely tactical, and where it was possible to get overwhelmed and wrecked by enemies at ANY level, even postgame with all your upgrades and gear - thus, encouraging stealth more, and not letting it get to the point where you're swarmed by huge groups of enemies in the first place. Syndicate has some cool multi-kill moves, but I didn't even figure out how to properly execute those until the very end of the game (when I was replaying the highest-level fightclub over and over trying to get Robert Topping's rep level maxed). Aside from some fancy visuals on the killmoves, though, the combat felt watered down to me - press X to attack, B to dodge the enemy's heavily-telegraphed incoming attacks, and occasionally A on those assholes that block. I dunno, I just really enjoyed Unity's variety with stuff like the slower heavy attack, and ground execution, even if the skill points system to unlock them made them mid-to-late game abilities. In Syndicate, like most AC games before it, once you hit around the midgame point and have more gear and better equipment, you become a one-man (or woman) army and there's no challenge left - I remember I got a 124 hit combo without taking a single blow during one of the final bouts in the highest-level fight club, because it's just way too easy to play the hit, hit, dodge, hit hit dodge, blockbreak hit hit dodge game. It's my understanding that Origins changes the combat system yet again, though, so we'll see if I find that any more satisfying.

One of the main new things about Syndicate - and one I've seen a LOT of negativity about across the internet - is the rope launcher (AKA grappling hook). How realistic the steampunk-esque gadget it aside, gameplay-wise I actually liked it and thought it made sense, since London's buildings are significantly taller than anything in the past games. Here's my take on it - it's nothing new for an AC game to introduce a new traversal gimmick that's exclusive to that specific title and its setting, because it makes sense in that setting. Revelations had the hookblade, which in a way was like the proto-rope launcher. AC III had the whole 'treerunning' system because of its frontier setting, which had a very different feel to it mechanically than climbing around on buildings. And of course, Black Flag was all about ship travel. But aside from Rogue basically being Black Flag II, all of these things have largely been restricted to those specific games that introduced them, because they made SENSE for those particular settings and environments - like, just because the Ottoman assassins used hookblades to travel around Constantinople, Ubisoft didn't make the hookblade a permanent part of the AC hero's repetoire going forward. I feel like the rope launcher is no different...it exists to make traversal in THIS particular setting a little less tedious, because having to manually climb some of these buildings the old-fashioned way would otherwise be a nightmare. Besides, it's also completely optional and you CAN simply climb around the old-fashioned way if you so choose - aside from maybe the tutorial mission when you first get the thing, I can't think of any point where you were forced to use the rope launcher at all. Personally I really liked it - I don't think it 'killed' the franchise's iconic parkour system but rather integrated with it. Zip from the ground up the side of the building to a rooftop, then run and hop between the roofs and poles and rafters like usual, then zip across a large gap to a different rooftop, climb up and over a chimney, and jump across onto another roof. Sure, there's nothing stopping you from abusing the rope launcher to zip from place to place exclusively, just as there's nothing stopping you from not using the rope launcher at all. But that's exactly why it's stupid to complain about it. It's all about how much or how little the player feels like using it...and I mostly used it to fill in the gaps of otherwise standard AC roof running, mixing it in and integrating it with that gameplay, rather than replacing it. Maybe that's why I actually had fun with it.

The last new thing gameplay-wise I guess would be carriages. Once I got the hang of using them properly (gunning for first place in all the street races is very educational), it was fun enough, I suppose. I don't think the Grand Theft London jokes are lost on anyone, but personally GTA isn't my type of game so I can't say I especially LOVED the carriage driving either. I don't really care about the 'historical accuracy' of having video game horsecarts handle more like video game automobiles, I just don't really tend to like driving in video games in general. I also feel really guilty every time I crush an innocent bystander to death, which is VERY hard to avoid when you drive these things, so I think I spent a good while consciously avoiding driving unless necessary. Smashing through inanimate objects and causing wanton destruction is pretty fun, though. All in all not one of my favorite new features of the game, but I didn't hate it, either - which is a good thing given how many missions force you to get behind the reins.

As far as the story and characters go, Syndicate may not have been a marvel, but it was leagues above Unity. Jacob and Evie are likable enough, and while there's the usual share of forgettable one-note assassination targets there were also quite memorable ones like Pearl Attaway, Maxwell Roth and of course Starrick himself. I actually really liked Starrick as a character, though I felt it was a shame how little screentime he actually got considering he's the Big Bad behind the scenes of everything going on - I suppose that fit his role as sort of the businessman who uses his vast network of employees handle situations while he sits in his office and comfortably sips tea, but the out-of-focus nature he himself had in the story felt like a waste of such a charismatic character. It was however nice to see a return to the modern day story, even if it was still pretty far shoved into the background...it was at least THERE. And even Desmond got acknowledged for the first time in a while, which was nice. It's unfortunate that I know now the Juno plot was wrapped up in the COMICS rather than the actual games (something I really have no interest in reading but at this point feel like I have to just for closure), but if I had played Syndicate at the time when it came out I know I'd have been excited by a lot of the revelations that happened at the end, especially considering how far into the background Unity shoved the modern day and Juno storyline.

I think my biggest character complaint would fall to Henry Green, who's supposed to be your assassin mentor but felt like little more than a satellite around Evie for the entire game. When you first arrive in London and he gives you the rundown on how things are in the city, he reminded me of Yusuf from Revelations - someone more familiar with the goings-on than the player character, and a reliable companion and guide who the player can count on. After that, however, he felt pushed into the background and never really DID anything except, of course, accompany Evie on some of her missions. His whole thing is that he's not really a field agent, and yet the game forces him into the field JUST so he can tag along with Evie as part of one of the most forced obligatory romances I've seen in a video game. There is absolutely no chemistry between the two - Evie spends the whole first half of the game basically being defined by her work, and I NEVER got the sense that she really felt anything about Henry even when it became obvious he was interested in her. And then the game forces the whole 'oh Evie let her feelings get in the way and saved Henry and oh she's so conflicted because she's in love even though they've known each other for probably a couple of months at most but oh mixing romance and work is wrong but oh apparently Father and Mother were very much in love and it didn't compromise their work as assassins so it's okay and YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES I'LL MARRY YOU'. I was cringing the entire time - but of course, it's Ubisoft, so it had to be this way.

Speaking of Ubisoft's typical treatment of female characters, though, I DO have a few criticisms about Evie as well.  We all know about the controversy Ubisoft got itself into for saying female characters were 'too much work' during Unity, and Syndicate seems like a pretty obvious response to that backlash. Giving her a co-starring role with her brother made sense, too - if it was ONLY a female protagonist, right after the backlash, Ubisoft would be accused of caving to pressure and find itself with another controversy. I think it was a smart decision to do it this way, and the story missions are pretty evenly split so you're forced to play as each of them about equally, even disregarding who you choose to play as during the open world segments (though Evie probably should have been doing something during Sequence 8 while Jacob was off blowing shit up with Roth).

My problem is more with Evie's personality...or rather, the way she's used in the story. Jacob, like most previous AC protagonists, is flawed. His flaw is his impulsiveness and tendency to rush into situations without thinking of the consequences...those consequences then becoming immediately apparent when Evie has to rush in and quickly fix his mistakes. Evie however is more focused and methodical, putting all her attention on hunting Lucy Thorne and the Shroud. Ultimately the message here, I think, is that both of the twins need EACH OTHER because when they work alone they don't see the big picture. However it felt to me more like Evie's job was just cleaning up after her clumsy brother, because she's so perfect and infallible and always right. It felt to me like in the backlash over 'no female characters' they overcorrected somewhat with Evie, because she comes off far less flawed than her brother. Arguably her flaw is that by focusing too much on the Shroud she ignores the rampant corruption eating away at London, but the story never really focuses on that angle...Evie just comes off as always being right when Jacob inevitably fucks up the next big thing. You could also say the whole 'oh no I put personal feelings before the mission' is supposed to be her flaw, but the story also goes out of its way in the end to say 'no, it's okay to do that, your father was wrong'...so, also not a flaw. Then what IS Evie's flaw? I really can't see one...and I feel like that makes her less interesting as a character. I certainly didn't DISLIKE Evie, but I feel like she just didn't have as much personality as her brother, whose flaw was more apparent and impacted his development more (feeling betrayed by Pearl, and how apathetic he got in the aftermath with Roth, in particular). Evie just...spends half the game being perfect, being right, cleaning up after her clumsy brother, and then falling victim to a romantic plot tumor. Since she was the first playable female assassin as far as most fans are concerned (it's okay, Aveline, *I* remember you) this just seems like a shame to me...a wasted opportunity to make Evie just as interesting and flawed and capable of making mistakes as her brother (and no, compromising the mission by RESCUING ANOTHER HUMAN BEING FROM CERTAIN DEATH is NOT a flaw, only sociopaths would consider that a flaw, and the game even makes it clear that it also does not consider it a flaw). I think Ubisoft was probably just too afraid to make their first major female assassin come off negatively, so they played it safe - TOO safe, resulting in Evie ultimately being more bland and uninteresting than Jacob was. Don't get me wrong, they absolutely fucked up on multiple levels with Elise in Unity, but at least she felt like an interesting and nuanced character to me...even if she DID get stuffed in the fridge.

Anyway...ultimately I had fun with Syndicate. Worth mentioning that I did NOT get any of the DLC, because the reviews for both the Maharaja and Jack the Ripper DLCs on Steam were extremely negative and didn't seem worth it at all...nor did (to me) the assorted extra missions or the murder mystery packs. Murder mysteries were an alright change of pace in Unity, but they were also way too easy and certainly not interesting enough for me to want to pay extra for. I've got 98 hours logged for 100% completing Syndicate sans-DLC, compared to 138 in Unity for doing the same + Dead Kings, but Syndicate FELT longer to me. The world was bigger and I felt like I spent more time playing around in it, and aside from my aforementioned complaints about combat I feel like it did just about everything better than Unity. I've seen a lot of generally mixed reviews around the internet and even some people saying they thought Unity was better, but I can't really agree with that. All in all Syndicate was a solid and enjoyable game, and may quite possibly be the last Assassin's Creed game of its kind given the direction we've moved into with Origins and Odyssey, so...perhaps someday people will look back on it more fondly.

—————————————— Assassin's Creed Origins (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Recommended ——————————————

Within the first 5 minutes of the game (if not less), things already felt innately...off. I knew that Origins retooled a lot of the game to be more RPG-like, but I guess I completely underestimated the extent to which EVERYTHING would change. After all, Unity sort of kicked off the trend of having a basic skill point system and different purchasable weapons/armor, and Syndicate furthered it with an even more in-depth skill tree and the reintroduction of crafting. I figured Origins would simply further refine these RPG-like systems, and tidy up combat yet again, which had also seen some changes in both Unity and Origins.

In any case, one of the first things (literally) I had to do was find the options menu and change the default control scheme, which is SUCH a huge departure from the system the series has been using for 10 years that it left my muscle memory crying. Fortunately the 'Alternate' control preset is far closer to the classic and familiar style (with RT as the run/climb button, for instance), and the PC version at least also allows you to rebind the controls further...which I did (particularly to put the drop/parkour down button on B, as it was in Unity and Syndicate). Rebinding the controls too much *can* lead to some issues with overlap and even breaking certain functions (I can no longer dive underwater with B presumably because I set it as my 'drop' button, so now it does a dash underwater instead...so I do have to use the C key on my keyboard to actually dive now) but ultimately those snags are pretty minor. That said, the resulting new controls during chariot races being so heavily concentrated on the right side of my controller did leave my hand seriously hurting after my first racing tournament.

(I wrote a lot about my thoughts on this right after starting, coming off Syndicate and feeling the unfamiliarity of the game hard, and it comes off a lot like I’m rambling about the Good Ol’ Days of AssCreed and how different Origins is from that experience more than an actual review of the game. While I think a lot of what I ranted about is still valid, it’s also not really about THIS game, so I think I’m just gonna skip over a lot of that and get into my actual, I-finally-finished-the-game thoughts instead)

Ultimately I enjoyed it a lot, and I did 100% complete the whole game + both DLCs, but at the end of the day I have to stand by my verdict that it’s not really an ASSASSIN'S CREED game as we’ve come to know them for so long. Did I have a lot of fun taking out entire camps with the predator bow before anyone could catch me in the act? Very much. But that's about the only kind of SNEAKING I felt like I ever had to do in the game, compared to older entries that had a wider variety of stealth options. Bayek was definitely more of a warrior than an assassin, IMO. I feel like, for all the flak it got as a game (and much of it deserved), Unity was the best AC as far as stealth mechanics and mission options. Syndicate refined those and fixed things like moving behind cover, but with Jacob being more of a brawler that also meant there was a lot of that game you could easily do without having to be super stealthy. Bayek, and the push towards the more RPG-like systems in Origins, makes it pretty clear that we likely won't be getting a return to classic AC form any time soon, and while I enjoyed Origins a lot that still makes me very sad.

Still, I look forward to Odyssey whenever it decides to go on sale enough for me to grab it, because Origins WAS a lot of fun. I ended up clocking 192 hours in it, completing all the DLC, and getting every achievement, so clearly I enjoyed the game. It's more just a bittersweet feeling that the AC franchise as we knew it is probably dead, as Ubisoft moves further and further away from the franchise staples, and continues to bury the modern day story and conspiracy theory angles deeper beneath the historical storyline.

(I also had some rants about how Aya/Amunet would have made a better protagonist of a proper Assassin’s Creed game while Bayek was more the protagonist of a general revenge story and how Aya, as she was, was much like Evie in that I didn’t really like her much and feel like I could/should have liked her more if she was utilized better as a more robust character, but in the interest of not going off on this game forever I’m gonna snip that part as well)

—————————————— 7 Days to Die (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Bretty Gud ——————————————

Another of the plethora of survival/building/crafting games that have been all the rage these days. Sorta like ARK, but instead of dinosaurs, it's zombies. Zombie games aren't personally my cup of tea, because I am a big baby, and the game has a lot of elements that I think would classify it as survival horror and not just survival/building/crafting. Solo, I would never be able to tolerate this game, but with a friend or two, I found it quite fun. It scratches a lot of the same itches as ARK but the survival aspects take more of a forefront, whereas in ARK once you've progressed to metal tools and flak armor the temperature and hunger management aspects become little more than a minor nuisance.

When we started out, we were right on the border of the snow biome (once my friend trekked from their spawn point and found me, that is), so the cold and just barely avoiding constant starvation (sometimes) was an ever-present threat. It really felt like we were being pushed to raid the nearby houses in hopes of finding scraps of food and resources to keep us alive. After a while we were able to gear up enough to move slightly further out to a more temperate biome, near a large cornfield, where we could begin cultivating our own crops. Once starvation became manageable we were able to shift out focus to other tasks, like expanding our base in preparation for the titular 7th day (though it was the 30th day due to adjusted server settings for us) - the Bloodmoon, where swarms and swarms of zombies attack your base and you have to survive the night.

This sort of PVE tower defense mode is something I've often wished was a thing in ARK (and no, orbital supply drops aren't the same thing) - PVP is too toxic for my tastes, but a constant problem in that game is reaching the eventual 'now what?' point where you're practically unfuckable and nothing is a challenge anymore. Having that sort of ever-present danger and challenge to look forward to (or dread, if done right) keeps PVE gameplay in this sort of game a lot more interesting because you can't just sit on your laurels and get complacent. PVE builds are generally more about making buildings that look nice and less about fortifying them with adequate defenses because those rexes that stomp through your front yard can't bite through metal, so why worry? I like having that balance, where I can build a base that I think looks nice and is functional with storage and crafting and whatnot, but I ALSO like the idea that if my defenses aren't up to snuff...I can kiss my ass goodbye.

So the Bloodmoon mechanic, while terrifying, is a big draw of this game IMO. There's also the other side of that PVP coin that sounds fun in theory but is not in practice (because real people are assholes): raiding other peoples' bases. Of course, zombies spawn randomly in the overworld and you can run into them any time during your travels and resource runs, but the map is also littered with abandoned houses and other buildings like stores, factories, hospitals and even creepy mad scientist castles. These places often have pretty good resources and loot, so you're encouraged to explore them...but of course they are also crawling with zombies. And the zombies are not always out in the open for you to get off a quick headshot on, either - often times they'll hide, inside closets or above ceiling tiles, to ambush you if you're careless. You really have to be prepared for anything, and willing to drop heavy loot and run away if the going gets particularly tough. To me this feels more engaging than just killing stuff out in the overworld, because it's like I actually have to conquer someone else's castle and that feels more like a concrete goal to me.

In general it feels like a fairly standard, but enjoyable, early access (but frequently updated) survival/building/crafting game. However, these little things kept me coming back for more once I'd grown bored of being the unconquerable dino king of ARK. Would I recommend it? Only to a specific audience, but that audience has probably already played it. For me the general survival horror atmosphere and frequent jumpscares in narrow corridors when a zombie jumps out at you from above the ceiling and shit is a lot...even playing with my friend, I basically played the support sniper role in combat while they had the frontline with melee weapons, and that didn't stop my heart from leaping out of my chest on many occasions. I remember that time we raided a huge pharmacy building on a day where it just would not stop raining...the rain sounds in this game are VERY realistic, and also very loud. I could barely hear my friend over the rain half the time, let alone the warning sounds of nearby zombies being drowned out by the storm. We had to stay the night, and well into the next day it was STILL raining...we had so many close calls in there, and even a couple actual deaths (fortunately we had temporary beds set up in a safe room so we wouldn't have to trek back from base). Once the rain finally stopped, and we returned to base and called it a night IRL, I felt such relief...I hadn't realized how much I was ACTUALLY STRESSED by the game in such a tense situation. Which...is that "fun"? Again, I think it depends on the type of person, and even then is probably very situational. I think I realized in the aftermath that I did not have fun that night, but when I was there in the moment, the tension was certainly immersive.

So yeah. It's a fun game if you have a good friend or two to play it with, and if you think you can handle horror elements and potential jumpscares. Which I can't. But my friend is very supportive and understanding  of that so I didn't have to feel like a big baby when I got audibly startled during our gameplay sessions, so I really do think WHO you play it with can make a big difference, too.

—————————————— Ultimate Skyrim (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Bretty Gud ——————————————

A bit of an odd thing to review, I know. Ultimate Skyrim is obviously not a game in itself, but as a modpack that completely revises the way the game is played I felt like it was worth mentioning...especially since it gives me something to pad out this very small list with.

I actually first heard about Ultimate Skyrim a couple years ago, but back then the install process was so daunting that even I (someone who can spend weeks perfecting my load order whenever I go to replay Skyrim) was put off by it. Plus, at the time, it was still in version 3 and I knew there was a version 4 in the works, so I figured I may as well wait for that before I gave it a try.

When I got the itch to replay Skyrim again, as I seem to every year once fall and winter come around, I remembered UltSky existed and check in to see that version 4 was out, had full gamepad support (essential for me), AND the install process was easier than ever thanks to the Automaton tool. So I thought, why not?

It was my first time trying Requiem, but I'm no stranger to some of the basic concepts the mod introduces, since some of my mainstay mods (ex. Advanced Adversary Encounters) make similar changes. Plus, a solid half of the UltSky pack consisted of mods I've played regularly, so I didn't think it would be that hard to acclimate to.

I was wrong.

Requiem changes much more than I expected it to, which, in hindsight, explains why practically every mod out there requires a patch to work with it. The constant stamina drain that you need to account for with buffs from food, made worse if you decide to go heavy armor...no natural health regen, and all potions being heal-over-time instead of flat instant heals...the perk tree really requiring thought and planning to budget your points right and not spread yourself too thin, and even getting 'locked in' to the type of standing stone you choose as your birthsign. All kinds of little elements piling up to make your early game a living nightmare.

I'll cut right to the chase here: I found that I don't much like Requiem. Now, I'm not opposed to challenge, and pretty much every playthrough I mod my game to MAKE the game more challenging because vanilla Skyrim is such a cakewalk. But it's the WAY Requiem changes things, the specific mindset and vision that toes the line between 'fun' challenging and 'you must be a masochist or hardcore minmaxer to enjoy this' that doesn't appeal to me specifically. I much prefer my usual combination of Advanced Adversary Encounters + Wildcat + Ultimate Combat + Mortal Enemies + maybe True Armor (I only played a little with it on my last pre-UltSky playthrough but I liked it) to make fights more deadly and tactical. Requiem makes combat more difficult, absolutely, but the vision is different, and it feels like minmaxing is the answer to surviving encounters more than strategy and skill. Like, if I don't have the right gear, or perked myself in a specific way, or else carry an assload of fortify potions (something I hate even in the base game but is made even more annoying to me through Requiem and UltSky's unpaused menu system)...then my chances of surviving are very, very slim. And to me that just isn't fun.

A deleveled world is kind of fun, though I'd never tried it before...that sense of progression where you can't just take on a cave of warlocks at level 2 gives me something to work towards, though it does also feel somewhat limiting as far as where you start. One of the appeals of alternate start mods and WHY they're among the most popular is that freedom of not having to go Helgen > Riverwood > Whiterun, but a deleveled world also makes me feel like I'm being punished if I get a random start up in Windhelm, and that I have to head down and chump it up in Whiterun anyway, because that's where the weak enemies who won't oneshot me are. I'm sort of whatever about that aspect though.

To me it's like...I can't agree with it being called 'the roleplaying overhaul' because having to focus so much on how I spend my perks, what spells I learn, my gear, which enchantments I use, having to carry at least 3 weapons at any given time and encumber my loot-loving ass because I never know if I might need a mace or a sword...the list goes on. I'm not trying to shit on it because there's clearly a huge community of people who love what Requiem brings to the table - they're just all things that don't appeal to me PERSONALLY when I can usually think of a mod that makes the same sort of changes to my game but does so in a way that I find more appealing, that's all.

So then...if I'm feeling this negative about Requiem (the very core of Ultimate Skyrim), why did I give it a positive rating? Well, because even if I don't love Requiem, I still think Ultimate Skyrim is fun.

I know that probably sounds ridiculous. But to me, I think considering Ultimate Skyrim as just 'that one Requiem modpack' is really selling it short. UltSky adds a lot on top of that core Requiem experience, and while some of that makes the struggle to survive the early levels even MORE hellish than base Requiem, I think it actually manages to bring the roleplaying and - dare I say - immersion - back to the table.

Of course, it's got a lot of the classic 'immersion' mods in there...iNeed, Frostfall, Campfire, even somewhat more niche stuff like Bathing in Skyrim. Needs mods I can give or take, sometimes I don't bother with them because the micromanagement can often feel more annoying than fun (I prefer cooking mods that make meals feel more worth eating with long-lasting buffs than mods that actually make me 'hungry', usually). I'd never used Frostfall before for similar reasons despite being very aware of it for years because of its popularity...I actually didn't dislike it though, and it really does make Skyrim feel harsher and like you have to prepare more for your journeys.

The thing about UltSky is that it's not just a big rec list of mods thrown together haphazardly. BelmontBoy has actually taken the enormous amount of time to patch all these mods together to make them work as one seamless, cohesive entity. Of course, it's not perfect - at the end of the day Skyrim was simply not designed with a lot of these features in mind, and the MCM configuration at the start of every new character you make is a huge pain in the ass. But once you get it going, the functions all fit pretty well together...planning my daily activities and general gameplay loop around the weather and time of day, making sure I drop into the tavern and have a bite to eat, deposit any goods in a safe chest and my (weighted) gold off with the bank service, and making sure I go to bed at a decent hour and sleep well.

Ultimately (heh) it makes Skyrim feel like a completely different game, and changes the way you play significantly. I may not agree with all of those changes, but I can't deny the appeal of having an easy to install pack that doesn't take me 3 weeks to perfect before I can play, and where the mods are all designed to work well with each other so unexpected conflicts don't pop up halfway into my playthrough when it's too late to fix them. The controller support and things like iEquip and EasyWheel are also conveniences that changed the game for me, and I will definitely be planning to make use of in future non-UltSky playthroughs as well...for that matter, I also found myself surprisingly enjoying the unpaused menus (though I disabled it for merchants because I got tired of their idle dialogue firing constantly while I was shopping).

Of course, being me, I did make some personal changes to my UltSky install (particularly things like Noxcrab's and kbeazy's Req and UltSky patches to tone down some of the more masochistic elements of Requiem), but the fact that it's as accessible and easy as it is to get up and running even for people who DON'T obsess over their load orders is a big deal, I think.

Is it the ultimate Skyrim experience? No, absolutely not. The ultimate Skyrim experience will always be the one you build yourself to your preferences, and don't have to make due with features you don't like. But I do really appreciate and respect the work BelmontBoy has done with Ultimate Skyrim, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to try something a bit different.

Though I'm done playing it for the time being, I've still got another playthrough planned that I think will work pretty well with UltSky...it was a character I was really having fun with, but basically had to abandon due to mod complications fucking up my save and me not having the energy to troubleshoot. I think reviving him in UltSky would be pretty fun, so next time that Skyrim urge inevitably hits me, that's my plan.

—————————————— Ciconia no Naku Koro Ni: Phase 1 (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Recommended ——————————————

Alright, alright. Ciconia’s not really a GAME, but as the first When They Cry in almost a decade I feel like it would be a crime for me to not include it on my list.

Worth noting, first of all, that I pretty much never buy games on day 1 at full price. I wait for them to go on sale for $20 or under, even if it means waiting a few years (which is why I'm usually so behind the times on the games I've played). But we've already waited 8 years since Umineko ended for the next When They Cry, when we didn’t even know if the franchise was gonna continue AT ALL. Besides that, the most fun part of a new WTC is getting to discuss it with people while it's exciting and fresh, and waiting around for a sale would mean missing out on all that. As it is, I didn't get into Umineko until a little before the release of EP5, so I missed out on all the live discussions for the question arcs while they were still new. I wasn't about to sit around and wait a year or more for the price to drop. Ciconia was a rare full-price day 1 purchase for me, and I finished it over the course of the release weekend.

Since I already reviewed the game after finishing my liveblog in the 07th Expansion Central Discord server, I’m going to basically reiterate and build upon what I said then when my thoughts were still fresh.

I enjoyed Phase 1 a lot and it definitely surprised me in how long it was, and how polished just about everything was (maybe except the small BGM selection, but that will surely be expanded in future phases). We had animations, detailed backgrounds and sprites, it definitely feels like a big improvement over Umineko in the presentation department...but it still falls victim to the same issue Umineko EP1 and Higurashi's Onikakushi had, something that Ryukishi seems to have trouble with in general - PACING.

To be FAIR, the whole setting of Ciconia did necessitate a lot more exposition than the previous When They Cry entries. Umineko and Higurashi took place in 1980's Japan - a time and place that actually existed. Ciconia takes place in the far future and had a LOT of worldbuilding Ryukishi basically had to establish from the ground up, not to mention taking place on a global scale featuring parts of the world that the average Japanese reader might not be familiar with, especially with how the factions of A3W also make those parts of the world so different than we know them today. So I DO understand why it had to drag on like that, to a degree, because Ryukishi clearly had a LOT he wanted to convey in both worldbuilding and social and political commentary (and a lot of what seemed like very clear Take Thats at people who missed and continue to miss the point of Umineko to this day, even after the EP8 manga adaptation should have cleared all doubts).

Even so...it's still hard to actually push through huge infodumps like that, before anything really engaging happens to hook you in. We had to learn about the state of the world and the factions and all the tech and just about everything and I do admire HOW MUCH worldbuilding he came up with here and how he managed to eventually explain just about all of it in a way that left me feeling like I had a pretty solid grasp on how the world worked...but at the same time, it was hard to just sit down and will myself to read through so much lengthy exposition.

I think if I had to compare it to Higurashi and Umineko's starting episodes, the beginning paced much better. Phase 1 was much LONGER than either of those two first installments, and it still managed to sprinkle a lot of intrigue into the early parts that made it a little easier to get into than, say, Higurashi spending an absurdly long time on the slice of life club game antics before the real meat of the story began, or Umineko going on and on ad nauseum about the family's history and financial problems when I'm just sitting here waiting for the witch to show up.

But while Higurashi and Umineko dragged their feet through the beginning, I think the worst of Ciconia's pacing was actually the MIDDLE section.

There was a point where it seemed that, after every genuinely interesting scene that left me curious and wanting more, I got teleported back to the bathhouse against my will to listen to the same 4 characters have the exact same conversation for 20 minutes before I could finally get back to the next interesting scene...only for it to happen again after that.

That endless pattern of:

>world is going to shit despite our efforts >we're just chess pieces and have no power >cheer up miyao you're having an impact on everyone and we can do it >let's protect the walls of peace together!!!! >shit goes wrong again, rinse, repeat

Look, I GET it. You're all comrades working together to support the walls of peace, and you're also treasured friends fighting against the corrupt and uncaring adults who don't understand or appreciate all you young gauntlet knights have had to endure for the sake of maintaining those walls of peace. And how no matter what they try to do to get you to hate each other or kill each other, you'll always be friends who will work together, to maintain the walls of peace!!! I GET IT. YOU DON'T NEED TO KEEP SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER. I KNOW that I am reading a When They Cry novel and that, to appreciate the full ironic pain that comes once these characters DO turn on each other and the cruel slaughter begins, I need to see them when they are insisting that they'll never hurt each other, but I'd rather SEE them bond than just be TOLD over and over that they're comrades supporting the walls of peace!!

The thing is, aside from a small handful (Cairo in particular), I DO feel like we got to see the characters bond. So why, on top of that, did we ALSO need to keep repeating walls of peace walls of peace walls of peace over and over again BESIDES? It felt like unnecessary padding at that point, when so many interesting things were going on, but we just had to keep cutting away from them to watch the same tired scene play out at least once per chapter.

It probably also doesn't help that Ciconia is a beast composed of two themes/genres I'm not really a big fan of - sci-fi/futuristic, and heavy political/social commentary. So the fact that the beginning was spent largely explaining all the futuristic sci-fi technology, and the middle was spent going on a lot about the political angle, may not have helped hold my interest as much. Not to say I didn't enjoy the story, just that those factors may have made it even harder for me to latch on than it may have been for other people. Still, I've heard a lot of people voice the pacing complaint for various reasons so I don't think it's ALL me, there.

In general, Phase 1 was a rollercoaster ride. I was really drawn in heavily by the conspiracy theory and mystery elements, but found myself grow bored during the more politically-charged parts. The social commentary was certainly topical and I appreciated the fact that Ryukishi had a lot he wanted to say (which almost seemed to be making up for how he kept Umineko vague due to it being 'difficult to talk about' certain key subjects of that story), but the parts about the strife between the factions over geographical and political issues were less engaging to me. The more conspiracy-laden bits of intrigue grabbed me a lot more - I felt a lot of overlap between that angle of the story and the early Assassin's Creed games (before the modern day got more and more shafted), with that strong angle of 'history is written by the winners and there's a whole bunch of stuff that happened in the past that is being deliberately covered up', and I really like that. The strong biblical undercurrent especially enhances that sort of mystique that makes ancient conspiracies so fascinating...the idea that there could be secrets from antiquity that have fallen into myth and legend due to the meddling of ancient sects like the Three Kings, seeking to guide humanity down what they consider to be 'the right path', regardless of how many lives are lost as they repeat their schemes over and over again.

For Phase 1, at least, there was a LOT going on, because so much had to be established. I imagine it'll get easier from this point now that all this stuff is out of the way, so we can focus more on how all these different elements intertwine. Hell, we spent all that time in the beginning talking about CPPs and Meow, but she basically faded off and became irrelevant halfway through the story. SURELY all that stuff was more than just Ryukishi talking some sense into the people who ignored Umineko's message, and will come into play more in future phases, but as of right now there's a lot of elements like that where it feels like we don't know enough to really speculate on how important it's going to be to the story. Right now there are so many things going on that it's hard to know what to focus on - content-wise, it feels like we got as much as 3 arcs' worth of Higurashi and Umineko. Of course, if Ciconia really is only going to be 4 phases long, that makes sense...but it does make it a lot harder to figure out what we should be paying attention to when SO much has happened already. The last 20 minutes of the game alone was far more of a mindfuck than anything in Higurashi or Umineko.

All in all I am very much looking forward to Phase 2 (which has already been delayed from its expected release of next May, though I already predicted that'd happen...does that make this a 'prophecy'?), and I've enjoyed discussing it all in the 07th Expansion Central Discord, so I feel like I got my money's worth already. Time will tell how Ciconia stacks up to the obsessive experience that Umineko was for me, but for better or worse, I have faith in Ryukishi to make this story a Hell of a ride.

—————————————— Kingdom Come Deliverance (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Recommended (if the middle ages mysogyny doesn't put you off) ——————————————

I'd heard both good and bad things about KCD when it came out...people praised the attention to historical detail and realism, but complained about the plethora of bugs and performance issues (on PC anyway). I was a little surprised to see it offer a steep discount and free play weekend back in September, when the game only just came out in 2018, but I figured, why not give it a try since it's free? I ended up playing for almost 20 hours before the weekend ended, and found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Coming right on the heels of my Ultimate Skyrim playthough, I was impressed by how much more enjoyable the RPG survival mechanics could be when a game was actually built with them IN MIND, rather than having to tack them on with mods. A lot of the core KCD features are similar to Requiem and UltSky - no auto-health regen, having to actually practice and train to get skilled using your weapons/armor, paying attention to your opponents in combat and not being able to win just by mashing attack, as well as having to keep yourself fed, rested, and so on. But since KCD was actually designed with all of these systems integrated, it felt a lot less clunky and tedious to manage them. I ended up being pretty sad that I didn't grab it during the sale before the free weekend ended and I found myself enjoying my UltSky playthrough a lot less after witnessing these kinds of 'hardcore' features done, well...better than Requiem does them.

The game went on sale again about 2 months later, and since it coincided with my birthday, I decided to go for it.

One thing I feel I've been getting more and more used to these days is the first-person perspective in games. It's always been something I've disliked compared to third person, and typically if a game gives me the choice I'll go with third every time. In crafting/survival games like ARK (which HAS third person but it kinda sucks), 7 Days to Die and even hearkening back to my Minecraft days of yore, first person was more tolerable and made sense because it's much easier to build things with a first person camera. It also makes sense for shooters because you get an unobstructed aim at your target - the same reason I'll usually switch into first for archery in Skyrim, even though I play everything else in third. But a full blown RPG in first, with no option to switch situationally, was still difficult for me to get used to. Once you understand the basics of how KCD's combat works and everything though, it's obvious why it wouldn't really WORK with a third person camera, so after a while it became second nature to me.

While I'm still not quite finished at the time of this review (just got out of the monestary and am wrapping up sidequests before getting locked into the final endgame story quests), I can say I've quite enjoyed the story so far. It's not exactly a groundbreaking premise - you start off in the Doomed RPG Hometown where you do your little tutorial missions and get a feel for how to play, then the bad guys storm through and slaughter everyone, including your parents, sparking the hero's quest for revenge. However, there's something about the characterization and the gravity of the situation (especially with Henry being a peasant and not a JRPG adventurer) still managed to suck me in. That scene near the beginning, when you're standing there on the castle ramparts in the rainy night, watching the lord of Talmberg try and deceive the enemy...and then explicitly disobey orders and flee back to Skalitz to bury your parents even though it's a foregone conclusion that it's a Very Bad Idea...there was something that just really gripped me and made me eager to find out what would happen next. Which, considering I was playing on a free weekend at this point, also worked really well from the standpoint of devs hooking you with a strong beginning enough to make you want to purchase the game.

Sure, with time, training, and enough money to buy some really good weapons and armor (or enough perseverance to win some in the weekly tournaments, like I did) you can turn Henry from a lowly blacksmith's son into an RPG God. BUT...it DOES take work to get there, and it feels believable as a result. You're handed a Really Nice Sword in the very beginning of the game but because you have no idea how to lose it you get your ass quickly handed to you, the sword stolen, and would be left for dead if not for the timely intervention of a neighbor. The thing is, though this event is of course scripted, it doesn't FEEL like the game is railroading me into purposefully losing a fight that I might have been able to win due to player skill...because at this point, Henry legitimately has no training!! No amount of savescumming (also made nearly impossible by the game's default save system, though I am using the unlimited save mod) or player cheesing could change the fact that a peasant who's never had to swing a real sword or fight for his life would get his shit kicked in by an actual trained warrior. Only after this event, when you have the opportunity to take lessons with Captain Bernard, can you actually learn proper (if basic, at first) sword techniques and work your way into becoming an actual man-at-arms.

That sense of actual growth and progression in Henry is a big part of what makes the experience fun, I think. You really do feel like you're a struggling nobody at the beginning, but as you work your way up in the world and become more respected by your peers and even the nobility, you start to feel like you earned it. You get to go from an unwashed peasant in dirty and torn-up clothes starting petty arguments with the local lord-to-be to a trusted and well-respected member of the local garrison, wearing your expensive and regularly-polished armor and listening to the people greet you accordingly. Does it have some of the power fantasy elements you'd expect from a zero-to-hero story? Maybe so, but they never felt like they were undeserved - all the respect my Henry got was due to his actions, and not just by virtue of being The Protagonist.

That said, there are some elements of the game that might not sit well with people. The game does take place in 1403 and its main selling point is its historical realism, and all that historical realism entails - but that doesn't mean the Medieval Misogyny is going to be tolerable for everyone playing it in 2019+1 and beyond. Females are generally cast in the roles you would expect of them during the time period and even the 'strong' female characters are still subservient to the men. That's how it was, and for a game that sells itself on its authenticity, it's a bit of a sticky thing to argue about. Likewise I've seen criticism about 'racism' simply because pretty much every character in the game is white...even though darker-skinned people would have been pretty rare to the area in that time period (possibly in Prague, but the game doesn't actually take you there, so that's a moot point). Still, while I don't think they're really fair arguments to make against the game for simply portraying things the way they were back then, it's still absolutely fair to say the game isn't for everybody and there's nothing wrong with people who might find the content offensive.

At the end of the day this is still a game where you are forced to play the role of a male character - this is not a create-your-own-hero game where you get to define who you are and what you look like and 100% of your character's backstory and personality. It's the story of Henry, and while you're given a lot of opportunities to play Henry as a respectable Knight or as an absolute Scoundrel as you please, it is still HENRY'S STORY - not yours. This is a game where there are achievements for having sex, and an achievement for remaining a virgin. You can use the bathhouses to have a good time and get yourself an 'alpha male' buff if you so choose (I've not once used them for anything but cleaning my clothes because I am staying loyal to Theresa). You'll bump into quests where you'll see things like a lord not wishing to purchase well-bred horses from a woman simply because she's a woman, or the very insinuation that you might want to help give a down-on-her-luck woman a job as a water carrier (physical work!!) absolutely ludicrous. All kinds of little things like that, which are in my opinion pretty minor in the grand scheme of misogyny in video games, but again...while I don't hold it against the game itself for its portrayal of the era, I also don't hold it against people who might be offended by these things to not play the game.

If you ARE willing to look past some occasionally uncomfortable 'historical accuracy', though, you'll find a very enjoyable RPG with largely likable characters and engaging (if not revolutionary) storytelling. The game mechanics are well-integrated and it feels less like I'm being forced to eat/drink/sleep/bathe and more like I'm willingly adopting a realistic schedule and means of planning my days. Once you master the combat system you can definitely feel like an unfuckable God, but all it takes is one extra enemy being alerted to your presence than you planned for, or a single failed block, to ruin your day and remind you that you are still a normal human being and not a supernatural video game war machine. If that kind of thing sounds less like a fun challenge and more like frustration to you, this is probably also not a game you will enjoy. Personally I really like it, and when I do get my shit kicked in it feels like it's my own fault for being too cocky and ill-prepared (great example: I never wear my helmet when I'm doing errands around town and talking to people because it seems rude as fuck but sometimes I forget to put it on when I travel and if I'm unlucky enough to run into a bandit ambush my head is now a very easy target). And that feels FAIR to me, unlike games where I fail because I didn't minmax enough or seek out some specific piece of OP gear that would allow me to cheese the situation instead of making use of my own skills and abilities.

I think it says a lot that this is one of the only games where I have considered doing a playthrough in Hardcore Mode, a mode that some games will include that is clearly designed for masochists who hate fun. But somehow, the idea of KCD in hardcore mode actually sounds the opposite to me, forcing me to REALLY pay attention to the gameplay systems I've largely become able to ignore by the lategame (I've literally had the Balanced Diet perk active for ingame weeks because it's so easy to keep my hunger between 80-90 just by eating from food pots). Whether I actually go through with it depends on how easily distracted I am (read: very) because I may just want to move on and play other games by the time I finish, but I can still see myself giving it another go someday and trying for those last elusive achievements.

In the end, I feel like KCD is one of those games, like Shadow of Mordor, where I'd love to see other RPGs take a page or two as reference. KCD's historical realism is one of the main things that sets it apart from your typical fantasy RPG, but I also think fantasy RPGs could benefit from those realistic elements (not just the need to eat/drink/sleep but also stuff like longer-lasting injuries, not being able to heal mid-combat, or people actually remembering and being pissed at you if you just robbed them blind the night before). But until that day comes, I'll settle for a KCD sequel.

—————————————— Divinity: Original Sin 2 (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Unfinished ——————————————

I shouldn't even be playing this, since I've not yet finished the first one (still plan to, someday...I think I was like 2/3 through where I left off), but I grabbed it a little while back in a sale and started playing it with a friend.

As of this writing we're only just about to get off the introductory island and presumably end the first major story arc, so it's not really enough for a proper rating. However, it feels more or less like the first game, with a little more polish. The gameplay is pretty much exactly the same, and the writing has that same level of not taking itself too seriously. Feels like the kind of sequel that's basically 'it's the same core game but with a new story to tell', which isn't a bad thing, since the original was already quite good.

One major difference is that the characters seem more interesting this time around. In the first game, aside from the main duo that were basically just your own blank slate characters, you only had four other choices for your remaining two party members. I picked the mage and the archer since my main duo were a rogue and warrior type and I didn't want role overlap, but while the mage had a pretty robust and interesting backstory I thought the archer was a bit dull by comparison...and apparently that's because she and the rogue NPC were only added to the game later, so they weren't quite as enjoyably fleshed out as the mage and the warrior (who I didn't take). And even then, their stories felt a bit more...background? Sure, their personal quests tied into yours and you'd unravel bits and pieces along the way to help them resolve their own problems, but it never felt terribly integrated into the adventure of my main duo.

This time around, all the characters on the cover art are possible traveling companions with their own in-depth stories...but what's more, you can also choose to play as any one of them (or go the same route as the first game and just be your own character without a premade backstory). For my game with my friend we chose to play as two of the default characters, and are trying hard to stick to roleplaying in line with their backgrounds (and, also, villainous scoundrels). The interesting thing is that when you go that route you occasionally get in-character dialogue options that correspond to your character's backstory, in addition to the usual options. So while you're on one hand roleplaying as the character however you see fit, you also have the chance to explore the background story the creators envisioned for a particular NPC at the same time.

Again, I'm not really far enough to judge things like the story (though I am already a bit sick of how much has revolved around the dude I killed in the first story arc of the first game, like a thousand in-universe years before this game), but overall it feels like pretty much the same game as the first, just...a sequel. And again, that's not a bad thing. It's also fun to be doing it this time around in co-op, since the first game was so very clearly intended to be played that way too, but I was going it solo and just controlling both of the main characters (which made the occasional chances for disagreements between them very silly). Basically, if you like the first game, you'll probably like the second, but if you were hoping for something a little bit different than the first, you'd be disappointed.

—————————————— Conan Exiles (Steam) FINAL VERDICT: Bretty Gud ——————————————

Once again, I've been pulled in by a free weekend.

I'd heard various things about Conan Exiles...praise, complaints, and a lot of jokes about dick physics. But I've also been vaguely interested in it for seeming like ARK, minus the dinosaurs, but with the kind of satisfying third-person combat mechanics I like. So when it had a free (4-day!) weekend just before the start of the Steam holiday sale, I thought, why not give it a try?

I'll tell you why not - because it's ARK, minus the dinosaurs, but with the kind of satisfying third-person combat mechanics I like. In other words, the perfect ingredients to get me addicted to yet another survival/building game.

Now, I know next to nothing about Conan lore, but I also knew next to nothing about LoTR and I still had a blast playing Shadow of Mordor, so I knew that sometimes not having an extensive background of the source material can be okay. Conan Exiles is apparently extremely faithful to the original stories, and there is actually a LOT of lore sprinkled throughout the game. It's not unlike ARK's explorer notes, except they're all in English so I can actually read and understand them (turns out it's more engaging to read lore about a game within the game itself than on a wiki - who knew!!). And despite being an open-world survival/building game, it's also apparently got a concrete storyline with a concrete ending, which is pretty unheard of in this genre, so that's kinda cool.

At the moment I've only been playing in singleplayer. For the duration of the free weekend I chose to play completely vanilla - I don't like to mod games until I know the basic mechanics (so I know what sorts of things I'd LIKE to mod), but I also didn't touch any of the multipliers or anything either. I found the defaults a lot more forgiving than ARK's, but definitely still grindy. Once I decided to buy I started installing a couple mods and bumped my multipliers a bit. By that time I already had my current base built (though I'm thinking of moving) so I started just flying around in admin mode and building other stuff, particularly with modded structures (the Egyptian-style building kit was a lot of fun to play with).

The building mechanics are basically the same as ARK's, but refined and generally feel smoother. The snap points can still be a bit finicky but things seem to go where I want them to a lot more often than with ARK, and I've had a LOT less problems with my ceilings. The fact that the base game includes triangle pieces and didn't need to buy out a very popular mod to include them is also a plus. There's a bit more variety in pieces, too, like several different styles of roofing - not to mention the wealth of decoration items in the base game. Because of that this game seems to have a strong appeal to roleplayers, but to me it strongly appeals to my childhood fascination with LEGO and building crazy structures that I would then furnish and decorate with my other small non-LEGO toys. With ARK, unless you're lucky enough to find a server with a bunch of eco's mods, decoration options are sparse, so I really do appreciate all the clutter items the base game gives me to play with (and of course there are also mods that add hundreds more).

Then comes the part where the game feels like a totally different animal from ARK - general exploration and combat. In ARK, the main gameplay loop is taming stronger and stronger dinosaurs to perform harvesting tasks for you and to fight other dinosaurs or players. You can station them around your base to keep it safe from intruders, or start breeding OP ones to take into the boss arenas. The whole appeal of the game is to tame and ride dinosaurs, so aside from your first hour or so trying to survive on foot that's basically what you'll be using for all your traveling and fighting needs.

Of course, one of the main gameplay loops in Conan Exiles is capturing NPCs and having them run your crafting stations and guard your base, not unlike raising your dinos, and you can even capture baby animals and raise them as companions. But while you can bring (one) thrall or animal follower along with you on journeys, for the most part you are alone in these harsh lands surviving by your own skills. The most recent update introduced horses, but the riding controls leave a lot to be desired at the moment so I've mostly just been walking across the land on foot...which is harsh, and makes you really think about what you need when you set off on a long journey from home (food, water, healing items, tools, weapons, stuff to repair your equipment with if it breaks...and all of that stuff weighs you down if you haven't buffed your encumbrance, so coming back with your arms full of loot can be tricky).

While it can be a bit of a pain when you're accustomed to mount-based traveling in games like ARK, it does also solve one of ARK's biggest problems IMO - once you get a flier, you will never want to use anything else, and you can just avoid 99% of the danger on the map by flying everywhere. It's a problem I've started going out of my way to circumvent, but in Conan Exiles it's the default state. Even if they flesh out and improve mounts more, I think it'd be a bit awkward compared to solo traveling because the map is designed in such a way that you'll have to climb a lot of places, and I think that makes it a bit refreshing compared to ARK's 'you can get almost everywhere better and more safely on a dino's back so why would you ever risk otherwise' gameplay.

There's also a lot of fighting, and in my experience mounted combat is almost never good in any game that attempts it - especially if said game (like Conan Exiles) has a robust system of combos and dodging/blocking for normal combat, but mounted combat basically has to boil down to wildly swinging your weapon while also trying to maneuver around and both HIT the enemy and also not get hit BY the enemy. Seriously, the only game that I've played that did mounted combat RIGHT was Assassin's Creed Origins, because there were also mounted enemies everywhere, the horse was very easy to maneuver, and you got different weapon animations on horseback so you didn't have to deal with weird hitbox issues while trying to flail your weapon around blindly like an idiot. Also your horse actually did trample damage instead of ghosting through anything that crossed its hooves. Rant aside, I feel like it's the kind of game that was so thoroughly designed WITHOUT mounts in mind that having mounts would only make it feel weird, and running barefoot across the sand is an inherent part of the experience.

What I was going to say before I went off on a tangent was that combat in ARK - because you rely so heavily on your mounts - basically boils down to 'one button to chomp, one button to stomp'. If you're lucky the dino may even have a THIRD type of chomp/stomp/tail whip. It's very much a mash-attack-to-win affair where the stats of your creature matter more than your actual skill, which, to be fair, it's a game where breeding creatures with ideal stats IS part of the appeal so that's fine. But it can get a little boring to just go around on a rex and kill anything with a few chomps, where your only other 'ability' is a roar that's basically just cosmetic and has no special function.

Conan Exiles' combat is more of an actual feature of the game than a simple consequence of 'needing' to be able to hunt and kill things for the sake of survival and resource gathering. It's all about mixing up your light and heavy combos, of which different weapons have different types and also attack speeds. Different weapons may also have different abilities, like inflicting bleeding damage or slowing your enemy down. Which weapon you choose can come down to personal preference or experience, or it could be situational depending on where you're going and what you're planning to fight. For the first half of my playtime I basically stuck to dual-wielding daggers (dat bleed damage) but reached a point where I wanted something one-handed so I could use a shield and block arrows, or hold a torch when delving into caves and other dark places and still see what was attacking me. So I picked up an axe off a dead enemy and, despite being a lower tier than my steel daggers, was doing WAY more damage. Suddenly I felt like a God, mowing down an entire pirate ship full of enemies effortlessly when before I'd have to dodge out of the way long enough to eat some food and recover my health a bit while the bleeding damage slowly ticked away at them. From what I've read online, two-handed swords or pikes are 'the best' weapons, but I'm quite happy with my axe and my shield, and it makes me feel very fittingly barbarian-y as I hack my enemies to pieces, see them driven before me, and yadda yadda that one famous Conan quote.

As far as story progression and whatnot goes, I've only done the first dungeon and basically I'm just running around capturing thralls, pets, and looking for cool locations to build stuff. While I do think it's neat that the game has an actual 'progression' and a conclusive ending, I'm not too worried about it because that's not the reason I (or assumedly most people) play games like this. I'll probably get to it eventually...then again, I had more than 1000 hours in ARK before I fought a boss for the first time, so we'll see. I'm already starting to get a bit bored with singleplayer since I've started abusing my admin powers a bit too much, so I'd like to look for a decent server soon that's got some of the mods I like, but also won't force me into roleplaying with strangers. Ideally I'd love to be able to play with friends, but I don't know if any of my ARK friends would like it because it lacks the dinosaur appeal...so I might just have to venture off into the world by myself and...ugh. Talk to people, I guess.

Either way I am having fun, and I can see myself probably coming back to it when I just wanna chill out and BUILD something, much like I do in ARK.

[adorians-unite]

“Assassin’s Creed Unity” Fan Tour of Paris: Explore Paris as a Fan of AC Unity

This series of posts will cover locations around Paris and surrounding areas significant to “Assassin’s Creed Unity”. All locations covered in this series are accessible in the game. Descriptions of each location will cover both real-world historical and in-game contexts, and may contain story spoilers.

Access the Fan Guide: | PDF | Google Slides | Google Maps | Index |

Palais-Royal SEQUENCE 10, MEMORY 01: “A Dinner Engagement”

HISTORY: 

Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, the Palais-Royal was constructed in the 17th Century. It had formerly been a royal residence for the House of Orléans, a branch of the royal family by Phillipe the Duke of Orléans, younger brother of "The Sun King", King Louis XIV.

In the 18th Century, sections of the Palais were transformed into shopping arcades with shops, cafes, and gardens, and soon became a popular social and economic hub. On 12-July 1789, Camille Desmoulins instigated an uprising at the Palace's Café Foy, which indirectly led to the Storming of the Bastille three days later.

IN AC UNITY: 

The Palais-Royal was the location of the main Assassination of the Templar Louis-Michel le Peletier, whose deciding vote sent King Louis XVI to the guillotine. On 20-Jan 1792, shortly after the decision to execute the king had been made official, Louis-Michel le Peletier was killed at the Palais' Café Février by Arno Dorian, by way of poisoned wine. In his last moments, le Peletier was grateful to the Assassin for not letting his daughter witness his death.

The Palais-Royal is also the site of the co-op mission, "The Infernal Machine”, where the Palais-Royal becomes the site of a Royalist plot to kill Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800. Charged with his protection, Arno Dorian and his fellow Assassins track down the instigators to the plot.

HELPFUL INFO:

Palais-Royal Official Site

Palais-Royal on AC Wki

Walkthrough: “A Dinner Engagement”

[truelifeingod]

Unity Message Unify, For My Sake, The Feast Of Easter

October 14, 1991

Lord?

I am;

evangelise with love for Love; be rUnity MessageUnify, For My Sake, The Feast Of Easterooted in Me, My child; hand over everything to Me and allow Me to be your Spiritual Director, directing you and giving you My directives for the unification of My Churches; you are to be a sign for them and they will learn that since I Am is One, you too will be one as We are One; Scriptures will be fulfilled because My Sacerdotal Prayer to the Father will be accomplished; I am in you, so do not fear;

This is very promising, Lord!

your mission, little one, is to bring My people under one Name, My Name, and break bread together; there is no need to worry; do your best and I will do the rest; I need humility to accomplish My Works in you and thus bring everything on the surface;

– your faithless generation, that sheds so much Blood from Me, will rebuff you, but, My Vassula, I shall hold you on your feet in spite of the impressive wounds you will receive from this evil generation; help will be given to you from above; I have preached to you and to others, do not stop there, forward the Teachings I have given you both in public and in your homes; I know how frail you are, but I also know what I have chosen;

Lord, I feel content to know that we will be united, although no one yet really knows how. The problems are apparently great and the schisms greater still. As You say: “the staff of the Shepherd has been broken not only in half, but in splinters”. And Your Body has been mutilated, wrenched and paralysed. You ask us all to bend. How? What is to be done? Which is the first step? I am a Greek Orthodox and I am sharing with my Roman Catholic brothers everything, and I do not differentiate myself under Your Name when I am with them; nor do they treat me any differently from their own. I also know that many of them go to the Greek or Russian Orthodox churches…

speak up, child!

Give me the right words, Lord.

say: …and they are not allowed to share Your Body;

No. They are not allowed, although our Sacraments are the same. Yet we, Orthodox are allowed to share Your Body. I was even told I was excommunicated because I go to the Roman Catholics, not to say more. I am also persecuted from both sides because my confessor is a Roman Catholic! And You do witness all this, my Lord Jesus!

yet, the day will come when they will break bread together on one altar and no one will stop My children coming to Me; no one will ask them: “are you an orthodox?” 1 this fortress they have built to divide you is already condemned by Me; you are all brothers in Me, this is what you are to teach them to believe and persuade them to do;

– as for those who remain divided in body and spirit differentiating themselves under My Holy Name I tell them, as I have told the church in Sardis: 2 you are reputed to be alive in the eyes of the world, but not in your Maker’s Eyes; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast and wherever the corpse is, there will the vultures gather;

unite! assemble! invoke My Name together! consecrate My Body and My Blood together! do not persecute the Way! humble yourselves and bend to be able to unite and glorify Me; you speak of the Spirit but do not act in the Spirit; you speak of the Way but you rank first to obstruct It! – how little do you know Me ….

you call out My Name, yet you murder My children between the sanctuary and the altar; I tell you solemnly, all of this will be brought to you in the Day of Judgement; can you face Me and truly say: “I am reconciled with My brothers”; can you truly say: “I have not differentiated myself among brothers, under Your Holy Name; I have treated them as my equal”; when you present your case before Me I shall then say to your face: “away with you, you have not treated your brothers as your equal; you have massacred daily My Body; where is your triumph? while I was building, you were tearing down; while I was reassembling you were scattering; while I was uniting you were dividing!”

yet, even today, if you come to Me as you are, I can heal you, I can transfigure you and you will glorify Me; “alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when My Day comes!” write: 3 alas for those I find with sin coiled in them as with child and with adepts formed by them and of their own kind; but it has been said that from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them; 4 I am shouting and I am trying to break through your deafness to save you; and if I reproach you it is because of the

Greatness of the Love I have for you;

but I tell you truly: I shall assemble one day all the separated parts of My Body together into One assembly;

– do not weep, My friend, 5 you who love Me; endure what I endure; however, console Me and have faith in Me; you will achieve great works in My Name; be tolerant as I am tolerant; I had been hungry, thirsty and often starving and you came to My help; carry on your good works and I shall reward you;

I tell you truly, you are not alone, I am with you; be united in Me and live in peace; you are the posterity of My Blood and the heir of My Kingdom; tell them that the Heart of the Lord is Love and that the Heart of the Law is based on Love; tell My people that I do not want administrators in My House, they will not be justified in My Day; because it is these very ones who have industrialised My House;

I have sent you My Spirit to live in your hearts, this is why the Spirit that lives in you will show you that My Church will be rebuilt inside your hearts and you will acknowledge each other as your brother in your heart;

6 – will I, brother, one more season go through the pain I have been going through year after year? or will you give Me rest this time? am I going to drink one more season the Cup of your division? or will you rest My Body and unify, for My sake, the Feast of Easter?

in unifying the date of Easter, you will alleviate My pain, brother, and you will rejoice in Me and I in you; and I will have the sight of many restored; “my Beloved! my Creator! He who is my husband has revealed to us things that no human hand could have performed!” this is what you will cry out, once your sight is restored, in My Name,

– and I will come to you –7

I solemnly tell you: summon, assemble all of you, and listen this time to your Shepherd:

I will lead you in the way that you must go;

send My Message to the ends of the earth;

courage, daughter, smile when I smile; I am with you to guide your steps to heaven;

1

Apparently the Greek and Russian Orthodox priests have the right to ask the person who wants to receive Holy Communion whether they ‘belong’ to them. They refuse the Roman Catholics from receiving Holy Communion although the Sacraments are the same.

2

Rv. 3

.

3

Jesus means the explanation of this verse of

Lk. 21:23

.

4

Ac. 20:30

.

5

Jesus speaks to those who truly love Him and are truly and sincerely working to unite the Churches. His friends.

6

My Jesus, in saying all this, had taken the voice of a victim. Weary, begging, as though He depended on us. Like a prisoner in a cell going to the door of his cell and asking the guard, from the little window, how much longer yet was his sentence, before the day of his liberation.

7

Jesus said this as a King, majestically.

[damez1979]

Assassin’s Creed Unity - A Crown of Thorns | Arno’s Discovery of the Apple of Eden!

[mrhotmaster]

SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 Launch Live: Here's Know How To Watch Live, Timings, Astronauts & More

SpaceX Launch: Here's How To Watch Crew Dragon Demo-2 Launch Live, Astronauts, Launch Timing & More

For the first time since 2011, astronauts on American soil have been sent to the American rocket at the ISS.

On Monday the NASA and SpaceX gave the principal strategic explorers from the United States on an American rocket to the ISS since 2011 a "go." The Demo-2 strategic is likewise being called Launch America, has been booked for 4:33 pm EDT on Wednesday, May 27 (2:03 am IST on Thursday, May 28). The Demo-1 crucial the uncrewed experimental drill that propelled effectively in March this year. The Crew Dragon rocket will be taken by NASA space travelers Bob Behnke and Doug Hurley to the ISS.

In this article, we are posting down everything significant that you have to think about this space strategic, it is significant, and where you would be able to watch it.

When Will The Dispatch Happen?

By What Method Will The Dispatch Occur?

The Space Explorers are guided from Kennedy Space Center in Florida's notable Launch Complex 39A, USA, onto the ISS as a feature of NASA's Commercial Crew Program on the Crew Dragon Shuttle. The space travelers will go to the ISS for a long visit, wanted to last over a month. A particular term is yet to be resolved. This is the last significant test for SpaceX's team transportation framework, including the platform, rocket, shuttle, and operational capacities, for operational group missions to and from the ISS. Likewise, this will be the first occasion when the space explorers will test the rocket frameworks in the circle.

Team Dragon should achieve the speed for about 27,000km every hour so as to catch the ISS. The shuttle can dock with the ISS self-rulingly however space explorers will screen the procedure. Subsequent to docking, they will enter the ISS and lead research and tests along will different undertakings. After the activity is done, Crew Dragon will self-sufficiently undock and enter once more into Earth's climate. The storage compartment of the rocket will disconnect from the upper cone-shaped bit lodging the space travelers and burn up in the air. The rest of the rocket will suffer temperatures of 1,600 degrees Celsius and splashdown in the ocean close to Florida.

How To Watch Crew Dragon Dispatch Live?

Dispatch of the shuttle will be communicated live on the NASA TV YouTube channel. It will proceed till the docking of a shuttle with the ISS. You will have the option to watch the live stream on the SpaceX YouTube channel and site also. Guests at the dispatch site are not anticipated. Notwithstanding, US President Donald Trump will be there at the Kennedy Space Center to observe the dispatch.

It is likewise fascinating to take note of that while this is just because since 2011 that space explorers will be propelled to the ISS from the US yet Virgin Galactic has accomplished the objective of taking individuals to space twice since 2018 from the nation. According to a report, on December 13, 2018, VSS Unity took space explorers to a most extreme height of 82.72 kilometers, and later on February 22, 2019, space explorers arrived at 89.9 km over the earth. NASA says that space begins at an elevation of 80kms from the Earth.

Who Are The Space Explorers?

As indicated by NASA, Bob Behnken will be the joint task leader for Demo-2. He will be answerable for exercises like meeting, docking, and undocking, just as strategic while the shuttle is docked to the space station. He was conceived in St. Anne, Missouri, US. He holds a four-year certifications in material science and mechanical building from Washington University. Afterward, he proceeded to procure an ace's and doctorate in mechanical building from the California Institute of Technology. Before entered NASA, he works as a flight test engineer for the American Air Force. He turned into a NASA space traveler in 2000 and from that point forward, has completed two space transport flights. They incorporate STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010. During every crucial, performed three spacewalks.

Hurley will be the rocket officer for the strategic, for exercises including dispatch, landing, and recuperation. He was conceived in Endicott, US. He carrying a Bachelor of Science certificate in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Tulane in Louisiana. Later he attended Maryland 's American Naval Test Pilot School. He was a military pilot in the US Marine Corps before he turned into a NASA space traveler. He turned into a space explorer with NASA in 2000 and has finished two spaceflights. Hurley was a pilot for STS‐135, the last space transport crucial to the US, in July 2011.

For What Reason Is The Dispatch Significant?

NASA propelled the Commercial Crew Program in 2011 to choose private players who could send space travelers to the ISS. NASA resigned its space transport in 2011 and has been depending on Russian Soyuz shuttle for the dispatches. Russia energizes to $86 million(roughly Rs. 650 crores) per seat in the rocket, 

as per a report. Be that as it may, It will cost $55 million (generally Rs. 416 crores) for SpaceX. Dispatch of the space travelers is additionally being viewed as the rebuilding of American pride. In the second 50% of the earlier century, there was a serious space race going on between the US and Russia when their triumphs and misfortunes turned into a renown issue. At present, China is increasing its space program while being left with the US in an exchange war.

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[nicolearabella-blog]

Reflection 3 - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

In movies, it seems as if the bad guy would easily win. The hero is given a huge task, and an example of this would be the action movies that is the Mission Impossible franchise. Ethan Hunt is given absolutely huge tasks, he has a hard time, yet he still manages to save the day. He is able to do this because of his team/friends. It isnt about how fast you do your mission in life, but how you accomplish it.

Everyone has a mission to fulfill here on earth. We all have purpose; we might not be aware of it but we could be fulfilling our mission. The sense of mission is visible in the community when we help each other during unfortunate situations.

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” 1 Peter 2: 21

The possible hindrances in accomplishing one’s mission is when the person feels unmotivated. Motivation allows us to reach for our goals and strive to do better. Lack of unity could also be a problem. This is because without unity the society would not progress but if we all work and help each other, we can reach our goals faster.

I can involve myself as a disciple of Jesus by help guiding those who are in the wrong path. I can also spread the word and teachings of Jesus and apply it in my life as well. With this, I can be like an example to others and they will also strive to be like a disciple of Jesus because they have learned His teachings.

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole world.” Mark 6: 15

We all have a personal mission in life, and God p,aced us here for a greater purpose. It is only a matter of time that these tasks would become harder for us, and there is only one way to survive: the community. We are social people, and we need each other, especially when doing the Lord’s work of helping other people. It might seem impossible, but with the good support, you can reach it.

[sportsleague365]

On Tuesday 6th November, in a pristine exhibition space down Langley St, just off Covent Garden, Football FanCast attended the Unity brand launch event. Having been offered a chilled and slightly sparkling rhubarb-based health drink, we were guided through a series of exhibitions and installations, with Unity and its mission being explained along the way. Through a claustrophobic enclosure, overburdened with discarded plastic containers and wasted packaging – designed to highlight the vast swathes of un-recycled plastic that are currently polluting the oceans and blighting the landscape – we came to a mini indoor sugarcane farm. Atmospherically lit and an arresting sight. Beyond this, we arrived at a maze of sorts. A twisting passage upon the walls of which was inscribed facts and statistics that shed light upon the truly enormous scale of the environmental catastrophe currently threatening the planet and its people. Following the maze, we were introduced to the full range of Unity products being launched that day – personal care and hygiene items with eco-friendliness at the forefront of their design, production and distribution. The blue plastic nightmare room; probably the only indoor sugarcane micro-farm in central London; the maze construct; the Unity products artfully displayed upon bamboo plinths; the long-since-drained fizzy rhubarb juice – they all led to the protagonist of the day, the former Arsenal midfielder, Mathieu Flamini. The Frenchman, along with current Arsenal star Mesut Ozil, founded Unity. In a mocked-up living room set, beneath the busy streets of the capital, Football FanCast sat down with Flamini to discuss the brand, his ambitions, and his life in and out of the game. “The idea was with Unity to create a brand with purpose. I have been close friends also with Mesut [Ozil] now for many years on and off the pitch. My background is towards sustainability. I have been involved in sustainability for the last 10 years. Mesut has been involved now in social equality now for many years. We have maybe two different definitions of fairness. Fairness for me is going to be towards the planet, for him fairness is going to be towards the people, and together, we said ‘okay then, let’s create and do something together. Let’s create a brand which will be respectful to the people and to the planet.’ That’s how decided to create Unity.” Flamini’s passion for addressing environmental issues is certainly nothing new. Having co-founded biochemicals company GF Biochemicals in 2008, he has become an industry pioneer in developing sustainable alternatives to oil-based products. “For me it started ten years ago. When I started to be involved in the biochemical industry I was 24. When I decided to move forward in that direction I had the chance to meet incredible people, passionate people about the problem of climate change and sustainability and research scientists and organisations. These people hold the facts and they hold the solutions also to be able to one day find a solution to these problems, but they don’t have the access to the people. At the end of the day, it’s the people that want the solutions. If they understand the problem and understand what are the solutions, everyone, at their own level, can have a major impact. What we are trying to do, between these people who are scientists and who own the facts, is to try to push these facts and educate the people out there that we can’t react in 15/20 years, we have to react today to be able to build a bright future for the next generation.” Flamini, along with his Unity co-founder, Ozil, believes that they are uniquely placed to aid this process of delivering both eco-friendly products and raising awareness of environmental issues. “We have the possibility today to speak to all people, to speak to the people through social media and through this platform and what wanted is to create awareness, to educate and also inspire. We are followed by many young people and I think it is our responsibility to take the lead and to be able to inspire them and have a positive impact.” Sharing a sofa with the Gunners’ former midfield enforcer, and listening to him passionately explain his involvement in and vision for Unity, it is clear that his energy and enthusiasm for this venture is genuine. Cynicism demands jaded scepticism in this scenario, but Flamini and Ozil are two very well-off footballers who look to have come together with an ambitious plan to do a good thing. “Football has no borders. I think it’s probably the sport that has the largest reach all around the planet, and I think it’s important for athletes to stand up for their beliefs and become leaders. We have a responsibility to show the right example. That’s what we’re trying to do, and I believe more and more athletes are trying to do that. For me everything started with friendship. I’ve been very close with Mesut and for many years we’ve wanted to do something together. So, that’s what excites me and hopefully Unity will be a larger brand that will be able to do much more for the people and for the planet. That’s the idea.” Conversation then segues into Flamini’s playing career, which he is insistent, despite having left Getafe in the summer, may well not be over yet. “Let’s say, I’m at the stage of my life and of my career when it’s not about that it’s necessary to play. It’s more about the project, the experience, and it’s also about the fact that I love football. That has been my passion for many years. I still feel good, so, if there is the right project, the right experience, why not? I haven’t turned the page.” Whilst his time on the pitch may not be over, the 34-year-old already has a long career at the top level to look back fondly upon. Having come through the academy and established himself in the first team at Marseille, Flamini was brought to Highbury in 2004. He went on to enjoy two spells with Arsenal – picking up three FA Cups and becoming a Champions League finalist with the club – either side of a spell at AC Milan, where he won a Serie A title. The Frenchman also represented his country on three occasions. “It’s difficult to pick one memory, but what I want to say is, to have the chance to play for the biggest clubs and to share that with incredible people like Mesut, and to be able to not only be partners on the pitch but partners in life, and to experience all this with great individuals, for me, has been incredible. When you go on the pitch, where we have the chance to play in front of 60,000 people, and all of these people are passionate and give everything to the club, it’s a sort of inspiration. For us, with all these experiences through the years, we want to give back to these people because they gave us so much. Now it’s maybe our turn. It’s time for us to try to give back and that’s an opportunity we have and want to take.” Flamini’s former teammate and current business partner, Ozil, still represents Arsenal. However, plenty has changed since our interviewee’s time at the Emirates Stadium, not least the summer departure of the man who first brought him to England, Arsene Wenger. “He was inspiring. Definitely, I learned a lot by having the chance of working on his side. He’s the one who took me from Marseille, brought me back from Milan, and, of course, for me he’s been a mentor. He has done so much for the club. So, obviously, I think it’s a bit weird for everyone to see Arsenal without Arsene, but it has been an incredible time for me to work with him.” The long-serving Frenchman’s successor, Unai Emery, has made a fine start to life in the Premier League. The Gunners are currently enjoying a 17 game unbeaten run in all competitions under his stewardship. “I think he has been doing very well up to now. It is important to give this opportunity for the new manager to prove that he is going to do well for the club, and he has been proving it until now because I think the results are speaking for themselves. I am glad that Arsenal is doing well and I really hope it will be a very exciting year for everyone.” Things are certainly about to get tougher for the Spanish coach, as he prepares for his first ever north London derby. This fixture – of great significance to all with Arsenal or Spurs connections – returns fond memories to Flamini. “I scored at White Hart Lane, which is a big emotional moment, of course, because I’m quite old fashioned and the derby is a big game with a lot of emotions. That’s one of the great memories I have, because I am not in a position to score every game – I’m more on the defensive side – so for me to score two goals over there was a big moment. So, I will definitely follow this game and fingers crossed everything goes well because there will be a lot of emotion around this game.” Arsenal’s aim for Emery’s first season shall be to keep pace with their neighbours, and hopefully triumph in the race for Champions League qualification. Flamini is certainly optimistic about his former club’s chances of a successful campaign. “I remain an Arsenal fan. I still have a lot of friends playing for that club and I’m really tied to this club still. I mean, I want to say right now we are competing for the title, so hopefully we will still say that at the end of the year. Anything is possible. Football can go very quickly one way or another. As an Arsenal fan, I hope we will be competing for the title until the end. That’s my wish.” Flamini’s positive outlook on the Gunners’ fortunes reflects his countenance. As eager to listen as to speak, he has taken great care and attention in every detail of Unity’s formation, including being very generous in the time he afforded us at Football FanCast. To learn more about Unity and their mission, and to explore their products, visit their website here. #MathieuFlamini #PremierLeague #ArseneWenger

[adorians-unite]

“Assassin’s Creed Unity” Fan Tour of Paris: Explore Paris as a Fan of AC Unity

This series of posts will cover locations around Paris and surrounding areas significant to “Assassin’s Creed Unity”. All locations covered in this series are accessible in the game. Descriptions of each location will cover both real-world historical and in-game contexts, and may contain story spoilers.

Access the Fan Guide: | PDF | Google Slides | Google Maps | Index |

La ‎Basilique de Saint-Denis "Dead Kings” DLC

HISTORY: 

The Basilica of St Denis was built around 475, and in 636 the relics of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, were reinterred in the basilica. It became a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of the French royalty, with nearly every King and Queen from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, including King Louis XIV (who built Versailles Palace), as well as King Louis XVI and his Queen, Marie Antoinette.

The north spire of the Basilica was dismantled in the 19th Century, and plans to reconstruct it will commence in May 2020.

IN AC UNITY: 

The Basilica of St Denis is the centrepiece of Assassin's Creed Unity's "Dead Kings" DLC sequel. In an attempt to thwart Napoleon Bonaparte's plans to procure an Apple of Eden, Arno Dorian travels to St Denis (known during the times of the Revolution as 'Françiade') and delves into the crypts beneath the Basilica to find the Apple first. Arno's descent into the dark and desolate crypts becomes a metaphor of him grappling with depression following the death of his lover and childhood friend, Élise de la Serre.

It is deep beneath St Denis that Arno finds a Temple of the First Civilization that houses the Apple of Eden. Knowing the Apple is a tool too powerful to be wielded by ambitious men like Bonaparte, Arno sends the Apple to the Egyptian Brotherhood for safekeeping. His mission fulfilled, Arno begins to overcome his depression, abandons his plans to flee the country, and re-joins the Assassin Brotherhood to fight for the people of France.

HISTORY

In the 12th Century, the Abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the Basilica of St. Denis and his innovations in structural and decorative features is said to be the prototype for the Rayonnant Gothic style, and provided an architectural model for many medieval cathedrals in Europe.

IN AC UNITY:

The "Eagle of Suger" is a sword that is the reward for solving the "Suger's Legacy" series of puzzle side quests.

HELPFUL INFO:

Basilica of St Denis Official Site

Basilica of St Denis Opening Hours

History of St Denis

[damez1979]

Arno MEETS Napoleon! Assassin’s Creed Unity - The King's Correspondence

[damez1979]

Arno TAKES DOWN Louis-Michel le Peletier in the Louvre!

[damez1979]

Abstergo's DEADLY Server Sweep: Can the Helix Initiate ESCAPE?

[adorians-unite]

“Assassin’s Creed Unity” Fan Tour of Paris: Explore Paris as a Fan of AC Unity

This series of posts will cover locations around Paris and surrounding areas significant to “Assassin’s Creed Unity”. All locations covered in this series are accessible in the game. Descriptions of each location will cover both real-world historical and in-game contexts, and may contain story spoilers.

Access the Fan Guide: | PDF | Google Slides | Google Maps | Index |

La Conciergerie SEQUENCE 03, MEMORY 01: “Graduation”

HISTORY: 

The Conciergerie is a medieval castle that was built as the residence for the King of France in Paris, and expanded in the 13th Century to include Sainte-Chapelle.

During the time of the Revolution, the castle was used as a political prison, where the incarcerated awaited trial. Some of the more famous Revolutionary prisoners included Marat, Georges Danton, Maximilien Robespierre, and most famous of all, Marie-Antoinette.

Today, the Conciergerie it is a museum to the French judicial system and the French Revolution.

IN AC UNITY: 

After finishing his training, Arno is ready for his first mission as a full-fledged Assassin: He meets Pierre Bellec on the rooftops of the Conciergerie, where they witness a meeting between the Templar, Charles-Gabriel Sivert and his associates, Arpinon and Duchesneau, who had been extorting valuables from the imprisoned nobles in the Conciergerie. As Sivert and Duchesneau leave, Bellec and Arno assassinate Arpinon and his bodyguard, and seize the Templars’ ledger of extorted funds.

HELPFUL INFO:

La Conciergerie Official Site

La Conciergerie Opening Hours

Walkthrough: “Graduation”