As I'm sure most expected, this game clearly bears the hallmarks of a Valhalla DLC turned full game release.

That's not to say Ubisoft Bordeaux didn't try to make the most authentic old-school AC title that they possibly could. There is genuine passion for the series within this game and given the development time, and the foundation this game was built upon, I believe they did probably as good as you could expect.

Compared to the gameplay offered in Valhalla, I have to say there is a noticeable difference in Mirage when engaging with the stealth system. Is it perfect? No. Whilst the detection AI has been improved significantly from Valhalla's, particularly helped by the changes made to enemies cones of vision, you're still able to kill someone about 10 centimetres away from their friend and they'll be none the wiser. However, the most transformative change comes from the addition (or re-addition) of stealth based tools i.e. smoke bombs, traps, throwing knives etc. These items used to be standard features of older titles, however the majority of these were done away with over the past couple of entries. The feeling of planning your kill and deciding the timing of your smoke bomb so that you're able to confuse your target, hide your kill and facilitate your escape is something I have truly missed. Not to mention the options and avenues throwing knives, traps etc. open up whilst engaging with the stealth system.

Parkour, once a staple of the series, has pretty much been eradicated over the course of the RPG trilogy. Does this game revitalise the parkour system, bringing back the glory days of considered, snappy climbing that required planning and skill to execute in the most efficient way possible? No. However, much like the stealth system, though to a lesser degree of success, you can see that Ubisoft Bordeaux also tried to innovate (or more accurately revert) the parkour system. It's now no longer possible to just run forward and climb over anything then jump off without sustaining fall damage. To navigate Baghdad you will need to engage a little more of your brain than required in Valhalla. More obvious handholds are visible, white sheets mark the beginning of well-crafted parkour paths, and stealth arenas offer decent opportunity for navigating stealthily. It's still obvious that the parkour system was built upon distinctly shaky parkour foundations, and despite the additional animations, rooftop pole vaults and much tighter city design that lends itself a lot more naturally to parkour and assassin's in general, it's hard to shake the feeing that you're playing as a quicker, more agile and skinnier Eivor.

By far the weakest part of the game was the story. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece and we certainly didn't get one. The characters were by and large forgettable and uninteresting. The side mission where Basim saves a young Haytham was a nice touch, however I have forgotten most of the plot and the story beats were never engrossing enough to consider this a game worth playing for it's narrative.

Now, where Ubisoft Bordeaux absolutely nailed this flashback to the old titles is in the world design, setting and atmosphere. Baghdad is a fantastic setting for Assassin's Creed. Each district feels distinct and unique, with the architecture lending itself well to the typical AC gameplay formula of rooftop navigation and ground to roof parkour paths. The colour palette used invokes memories of AC1, which was a conscious choice by the developers, but it absolutely works without feeling like nostalgia bait (minus the blue filter option that makes everything look like Acre from AC1). For me, the city and it's fantastic gameplay-focused layout really helped with separating this title from it's roots of Valhalla DLC.

A special mention once again to the soundtrack, composed by Brendan Angelides. Music is one of the most important parts to any game, which I feel is especially true for this franchise. Brendan does a fantastic job invoking real emotion, whether it's Rooftops, The Bureau or Daughter of No One (my favourite songs from the OST) the music always helped immerse me in the setting and the world, and made navigating through Baghdad a real treat for both the eyes and the ears.

Overall, I'm happy that Ubisoft decided to greenlight this as a full release. What was once most likely seen as a chance to nostalgia bait old-school AC heads was laboured on by Ubisoft Bordeaux with enough passion and love for the franchise to churn out a title that did replicate enough of the assassin fantasy of older AC titles to warrant a true go at a full blown 'back-to-roots' AC game, which as of a couple days ago seems to be in development. I'm looking forward to seeing what this studio is able to do with more time, resources and hopefully freedom to innovate on the old formula, as opposed to gutting it and changing formulas entirely.

I initially purchased this game on a whim during a quieter period of gaming releases in 2015 on the Playstation 4. I knew nothing of the Witcher universe, hadn't played any of the previous games or read any of the books. I've never quite had an experience like playing this game for the first time before or after it. I ended up sinking around 300 hours or so over two playthroughs before the DLC's were released.

I did a 'definitive' playthrough on my PC, fully modded to improve the vanilla combat (not offensive by any means, but definitely not it's strongest aspect) and adding hundreds of graphical and immersive mods which transformed this into the most immersive and visually appealing title I've ever played. There's something truly special about this game and universe. The writing and quest design, especially for the side content, is still the best I've ever experienced. The main quest is admittedly not the best in the world, but the characters, both main and side, are so believable and the writing so engrossing, that the fetch quest that is the main story is still enjoyable to play through.

The side quests are where the game truly shines. There are so many memorable quests, big and small, which feel (and sometimes do) like they have a genuine impact on people within the world, whether direct or indirect. The impact of your choices and what stories you chose to engage with or ignore influence the space you play within and the characters you interact with. This was something I hadn't experienced before (not to this level at least) and it's a testament to the time and effort the developers put into the game.

For me, the real star of the show though is the world in which you exist whilst playing this title. The desperation and desolation of Velen. The striking and resplendent Oxenfurt. The mix of clean and affluent and dirty and violent of Novigrads' districts and residents, which feels like a real melting pot of different individuals and social classes - all seasoned with a mix of racial tensions, discrimination and radicalisation all stemming from the Church of the Eternal Fire. The picturesque snowy tundras, mountains and hamlets of Skellige - which feels like a wild land where humans have managed to settle, but danger and mystery is still rife in the many thick forests that paint the Isles. And the best area of all, Toussaint, a truly magical world space which was such a contrast compared to the mainly war ravaged areas of the main game, which made it all the more memorable.

I am a sucker for gaming soundtracks, and the quality of a games OST has a direct affect on my enjoyment of a title. It's not a big surprise then that the Witcher 3's OST is absolutely fantastic. Marcin Przybyłowicz did a great job, creating pieces that fit each area perfectly. A special mention to Piotr Musiał and Mikolai Stroinski as well, who helped create the music for the Blood and Wine DLC - without which my enjoyment of Blood and Wine wouldn't be anywhere near the same.

A mention on the DLC, Hearts of Stone was a fantastic addition to the game, with a gripping story and an antagonist the player had already met within the first 30 minutes of starting a new save, who somehow knew who Geralt was seeking in White Orchard, and where they currently were - joking that he wasn't omniscient, a great forshadow. He's an antagonist who felt truly menacing, a literal devil of this universe, who lives up to the image of these creatures - written fantastically and performed even better by Alex Norton. The second piece of DLC, Blood and Wine, is frankly big enough to be a game by itself, and I believe would be released as such by other developers (and the current CDPR if we're being honest). Toussaint is an idyllic location, especially in comparison to the other world spaces you've experienced throughout a playthrough, and the abundance of content available here is absurd given the price of the DLC on release. It's deservedly mentioned when speaking about the best DLC's of all time.

It's not a perfect game, it has its flaws (middling combat, slightly cookie cutter, by the books main quest) but it's an enthralling, epic adventure where you can spend 150 hours or so forging attachment and relationships to the characters you meet and just exist and savour this world that's utterly believable, dark and gritty as well as totally fantastical and immersive all at the same time. It's one of the best games ever made, and my favourite title I've ever had the pleasure of playing.

Starfield is a plate of non-descript beige carbohydrates in video game form. I was looking forward to delving into another Bethesda game world, which have always gripped me instantly and have kept me engrossed for many dozens of hours over a number of titles. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Starfield.

I'm not sure what went wrong here, but I've never had a duller opening 15 hours to a game in my two decades of gaming. I disagree strongly with the notion that a game that takes 10-15 hours to 'get good' (it doesn't by the way, having sank 60 hours in since early access) can be lauded as a masterpiece or the game of a generation or honestly even a 10/10 game - which is a sentiment I've seen a number of times already. Some of the best games of all time are beatable in less time than this game supposedly takes to finally become enjoyable.

I won't discuss and critique the shallow RPG mechanics, or boring main story, or floaty combat and brain-dead AI, or the frankly astounding number of loading screens and laughably bad space flight / combat and overall exploration, or the ugly character models and general colour palate, because honestly I don't feel like wasting anymore of my time on it.

I'm glad people are enjoying this title, this is what video games are all about - and if someone is able to get immersed and appreciate this game for all its perceived qualities then that's great. I just don't count among that number.