Rimworld is life.

I've been playing Rimworld since its alpha days, and was hooked the second I got into it.
It's so much more than a colony-sim, it's a storyteller, and it truly lives up to that title.
I've clocked in over 2000 hours, and continue to do so on a daily basis.
Not only is it supported by a VAST modding community, it's got a range of incredibly fun DLC's and settings that allow you to play as a teenage lord of the flies spacecamp, cannibalistic beavers herders, or pacifist pigmen with a penchant for potato farming.
I've cultivated legacies of families, generations of heroes. I've lost colonies to ashes as mechanoids descend, only to reclaim the fallen ruins and start afresh.
I've played solo colonist playthroughs, massive city-sprawling challenges.
I doubt I'll ever stop playing.

Ah, where to begin. Whether it's walking through grassy fields to the lilting tones of the ASMR-like soundtrack, or scaling vast mountains and watching your stamina bar dwindle only to just reach the top in time...

The story keeps you going at a solid pace, with a fresh take on the radar tower mechanic, whilst the side quests keep you coming back for more each time.

The Shrines are the secret weapon in the games arsenal though, and I've completed them all. Lateral thinking and a smattering of mini-boss arenas keep you entertained for hours, giving you that little rush of dopamine every time you resolve a problem.

Easily one of my top 10 games of all time.

Authentic, true to the source material, gives you that cosy feeling you had as a kid reading the books. Oozes with British WB charm, with a captivating story and plenty of side distractions.

Fantastic; just one more click, and 3 hours later...

Don't delay, kick a spartan off a clifftop today.

Spartan kicking a soldier off the top of a Greecian mountain and watching their body tumble to its inevitable demise is one of this games most fabulous joys. Couple that with the sailing side-attraction mechanics of AC's Black Flag, the beautiful recreation of the Greek Islands and a formidable and dynamic Bounty Hunting system where you can encounter mini-boss battles absolutely anywhere at any time, and this makes it easily one of the top 3 AC games of all time.

The only critique is the story; it's dull, and drags on for far, far too long. It also suffers the same criticism more recent AC titles have faired, which is that it shouldn't really be labelled as an Assassin's Creed title.
Ancient Greece simulator 2018 would have sufficed.

I still find myself going back to play this regularly even now.

Now THIS is podracing.

After a serious diversion from Ubisoft in what made the AC games so special, we return to a more contained environment with Assassin specific gameplay.

Bagdhad is a joy to explore, from the dunes to the cramped city sprawl. Whilst it lacks in specific side tasks, it does make up for it with a fluid sense of just 'being' an Assassin; running from rooftop to rooftop, taking out targets with a plethora of conceivable tools. There's no silly grappling hook launchers or magical spears, it's just back to smoke bombs, swords and blowdarts.

If the future of the AC series looks like this return to form, they are back on track.

Special note for the devs creating a fantastic patch update, which significantly improved the parkour and presented us with a great New Game + option.

REPETITIVE and weak core game loop

Stunning city to play in, just so much squandered potential
Repetitive, dull story, weak characters.

Beloved London recreated in gorgeous detail
Clever concept of being able to play as any NPC, but falls short with a few of its functions
Awful driving mechanics, resorted to getting the tube everywhere
(Hey, just like RL London!?)

Main critique - INCLUDE A GOD-DAMNED CHANGE TIME OF DAY MECHANIC UBISOFT!

Docked a point for it being far too similar to MS1

2022