#assassins creed II imagine

[temeyes]

play time before bed

[eziosofia]

Random AC 2 detail: just realized that one of the viewpoints in Venice is actually the church where Ezio and Sofia got married in, according to the Revelations novel.

[silver-horse]

[dragonagehumor]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay trailer has dropped! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTNwHShylIg

Varric, of course, had all the funny lines:

*Ventari appear* "I hate these a-holes."

"Well, we're not in Minrathous anymore." (You're not in Kansas, either!)

"It's a pride demon! Damn thing probably sensed Solas's ego!"

"Hey, Chuckles. Hope I'm not interrupting."

Jokes aside, the combat system will throw some people for a loop. It reminds me of a cross between Assassin's Creed and the later Final Fantasy games. The one boss fight we saw had telegraphed strike points, which dredged up some frustrating EverQuest II boss fight memories for me.

I imagine there will be a wild mix of opinions on what we've seen so far. I still plan on playing, because I love the story these games have... but probably on easy mode, because I suck at active combat. ;)

Looking forward to finally having fresh Dragon Age jokes to share later this year!

[jolalibrary]

okay but I have brain rot for…

assassin!joel miller x f!reader 👉👈

like think assassins creed II — I blame Florence for this, @ghostaholics and @thetriumphantpanda for not telling me this is a bad idea 😂

below is just imagine style bullet points of my brain rot. they may not make sense but look, if this is something we want, the rot is there. warnings; assassin behaviour, hints at smut, Jo making people fall in love as usual.

• imagine joel discovering that his family have been executed: sarah, tommy, tess—all gone. fleeing when he realises his face is on posters, going to a distant cousin's house only to find out his heritage of being an assassin. and he wants retribution, wants blood, wants the people who made the call to pay. so he trains (think of the arms 💪🏼)

• it’s some years later, when he returns to the city to enact revenge, when he first meets you. some woman of high standing, living in your uncle’s house—learning to paint. Joel hears a disturbance and sees some guards shoving you around, your fist connecting with one before it gets nasty, and he swoops in, saving you. you leave behind some brushes in your dash to get home.

• he finds you some days later, your eye-catching sight of him as you continue to paint. “I know you’re there, assassin.” and he eventually shows himself, handing you the brushes back. you’re eyeing him, waiting until he steps back into the shade, thanking him as he makes his exit. there’s more back and forth, accidental run-ins, him spotting you in places you shouldn’t be, until one day, when his grunts and silence don’t seem to work, he asks if you have a death wish. “you’re blade is blunt.” the tip of your brush pointing at the one on his wrist, “I can help you with that, for the death wish.” you kiss him, soft, chaste—enough to render him silent and still, but not an invitation for him to do more. he declines the offer of your help with his blade, but takes your handwritten note with your address.

• joel checks in on you, tells himself its just to be sur. but he does it more and more frequently. once finding you reading at your balcony. another time painting, and he’s pretty sure you clock him again. another you’re crying, something that pulls at him but he ignores.

• it isn’t until his wrist blade snaps that he comes to your room later that night, entering via the balcony. you tell him your uncle knows a maker, someone who can help him. and he protests, that this is dangerous, but you argue back that you want to help. but he needs you to know, so he continues and continues about what he does to people, what he does to those who have killed his family—how he does it, that vengeance won’t end when the last head rolls—watching tears fill your eyes. that there is always more, more injustice, more poison to rid, and then you grab his arms, pulling him from his speech. “then rid it, Joel. remove it. make the city something to be proud of.” he’s taken back, but you kiss him. something he deepens this time. whispering you don’t care, pressing it to his lips. more words whispered between kisses, between you removing his layers: I don’t care, I understand, I get it, I’m yours. and the latter spark something, a possessiveness rising in him, as you strip the last thing from him that makes him the thing that perches on rooftops.

• secret kisses where his hood remains up, and your hands slide around the inside of his cape. tucked away in alcoves of the city, you making threats that he best show up tonight, and he never makes promises—because his line of work doesn’t allow for them—but he kisses you like he wishes too.

• pulling you into an abandoned house when you’re on the way to an event—you having ditched your chaperone, knowing he is always watching. the skirt of your dress lifted, his hand between your thighs as you ask if he’ll be “keeping a look out for me tonight?” and his ministrations increase, his mouth ghosting over your whimpers and the way you say his name, before he tells you, “best believe it.”

• it’s a lot for Joel to trust people. and while he usually doesn’t come to you when he’s hurt (just appears with new bruises and fresh scars) one night he doesn’t think of anywhere else to go. the wound is bad, landing awkwardly on your balcony—unaware you’ve been scurrying away medical supplies from the market for weeks, just in case. you stitch him, apply ointment and bandage him. eventually curling up to his sleeping frame. he wakes with a warmth on his good side, pain pulsating on the other, opening his eyes to a sleeping you—a version he doesn’t get to see, doesn’t get to experience. a stolen, perfect moment that solidifies how much he feels for you, and also how dangerous all of this is. but when you open your eyes, he forgets, pressing gratefulness to your lips. then he spots how your nightdress is stained, ruined, realising that he’s done that—poisoned it in the same way he has your life.

• one time, he’s a little late to save you from a handsy, out of control “suitor” throwing the man out the window into a hay bale so he can tend to you, not wanting you to see his violence—even if you hear about it, the entire city speaking on him. he begins to blames himself, that he’s old. that you deserve better. but you just let him ramble until he’s out of words, and then you kiss him, “because I choose you, Joel.” he doesn’t say what those words mean to him, but he shows you later. he does worry what he’s doing to you by letting you keep getting closer, knowing full well he’s doomed you, in a different way than you’ve doomed him.

• when a kid breaks into his HQs, he takes one look at their frizzy hair and dirty feet, and asks why they’re here. the girl, Ellie introduces herself, said Marlene sent her to him, that she was told he’d look after her—know what to do. that there’s still ties between the fireflies and the assassins. he tells her to bathe, while he sends a pigeon to you to bring clothes for her. you meeting Ellie, and her enamoured with you and your kindness, something Joel knows all too well himself.

• time goes on, him and your relationship never delving out of a situationship. your uncle pushing more for you to marry, Joel stealing moments here and there with you. behind statues and marble pillars, down quiet streets and in your bedroom—hand over your mouth so no one in the house knows you’re not alone as he fucks you, his praise whispered in plenty. “because you’re so good for me, always taking me so well”—you leaving half-moon marks in his side as he does so, leaving a bit of you on him, the same way he leaves bruises on your hips.

• when Joel discovers your Uncle is someone involved in the demise of his family he experiences a conflicting array of feelings rising in him. so much so, he interrupts you during an art class—pulling you outside to tell you, to ask you if you knew. but he can tell instantly from the way your eyes widen and shimmer, that you don’t. and so, the two of you begin to work closely together, to unravel the mysteries that is your uncle.

• until one night when you learn it all, what your uncle did to his brother—your own father—Joel in the wings, hearing it all: from the confession to the way your heart shatters. that your uncle sent your mother away so he could find you a suitor of his choosing, and it isn’t until the house goes into lockdown, do you find yourself separated, trying to find Joel, running and running until your uncle’s hand is coated in his blood and Joel is on the floor. and you don’t think, don’t even question, taking one of the blades from Joel’s belt and holding it to your uncle’s neck, a choice there, but there’s no shake in your hand. feeling, slowly, Joel’s hands come around your waist, giving you the strength.

[ghostermctoaster]

Ciao!

So, uh, welcome to my blog! There’s honestly not much going on here. I draw and write and I get lucky if even get ten notes on my posts because I really only post my ocs :’)

ANYWAY.

If you see two (maybe more??) goofy goobers tromping around in here, the little gay Greek/Italian dude with silver hair is Alex and the bisexual Colombian blond is Alystyr.

These are my two original ocs that I’ve grown and developed since I was REALLY young. Like- these bitches old as FUCK.

*ahem*

~~~

ABOUT ME:

I’m gender-fluid, asexual, and demiromantic! Any pronouns go (she/he/they)

Boys 🫶🫶

I’m Italian/Irish (I’m a fucking redhead BURN ME *SOBBING*)

I’m the oldest of 4 children, I’m super grungy, but like also kinda chill??? 😭

ADHD/autistic

I love all of Rick Riordan’s books, the PJO show was so well made, PRAISE LEAH SHE’S AN AMAZING GIRLBOSS

~~~

I’ve read all of the following: The Hunger Games, Diverent, I’ll Give You the Sun, Wings of Fire, Harry Potter (didn’t like that one-), The Chronicles of Narnia, Vampire Academy, Twilight, Crave, ALL Riordan books doing with mythology (PJO, HOO, TOA, KC, and MCATGOA)

My favorite shows: Voltron: Legendary Defender, Gravity Falls, The Owl House, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Dragon Prince, Stranger Things, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wanda-Vision, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, Heartstopper, a lot more but I’m tired and can’t remember

MOVIES!: Cruella, Do Revenge, Luca, ALL MARVEL (well- no. Not all of it, but most), The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2023), Mean Girls, The Greatest Showman, there’s more, but again, I tired

Video games: Hades, Hades II, Minecraft, FNAF (all games), Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Mario Brother’s franchise (because I have a little sister who forces me to play-), Dead Plate, Married in Red, anddd…that might be it

Bands/Artists I like/love: My Chemical Romance, OneRepublic, Shawn Mendes, 5 Seconds of Summer, Olivia Rodrigo, Sia, Lauv, Imagine Dragons (FUCKING SUE ME), Halestorm, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Lil Nas X, twenty one pilots, Cavetown, Coldplay, AJR, P!nk, Vance Joy, Halsey, Melanie Martinez, Mad Tsai, Paramore, Jake Webber, Magnolia Park, Jelly Roll, Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, and more!

~~~

Uhhh…hmm..well, I really like Monster, my favorite is Mango Loco. I consider myself to be friendly, I’ll talk to anyone so long as you respect me and boundaries and whatnot. I’m an ambivert so if I seem like I’m being shy, I just think you’re really cool and I don’t wanna fuck up making a potential new friend. If I talk to you like we’re already friends instantly, go get checked for autism /JJJJ

Anyway! All likes and reposts are so, SO appreciated and I cherish them all. Thanks for getting to know me! Feel free to DM or crash in the ask box.

PEACE AND CHICKEN GREASE 😘

[fanworldbuildingfun]

I am sorry (narrator voice: that was a bold lie) to intrude, but... Allow me to toss in three other Bayek outfits, two of which can even try and make a claim at being practical and not pure fanservice

Those being the Black Hood set (which is lovely, makes you pay attention to them eyes, and has the highest looks-to-practicality ratio. Note this one also boasts killer boots just a bit shorter than concept-art Ezio’s!)

Next on the list is Servant of Amun set, which gets less practicality points, but more than makes up for it in sheer artistry. Personally, I also like this one without the helmet part but who knows. Maybe someone digs the mask. I know I did when it was Nefertiti 

And the last but not the least, a set of pure indulgence and gratitious eye-candy-ness: Cerqet’s Carapace (this one, I think, has the best headpiece of all the Bayek sets we got. They already made such expressive eyes for Bayek, and I applaud them for making quire a few sets that draw even more attention to them. This being chief of them)

Probably gonna sound a bit weird here, but, anyone else just have a thing for Ezio's boots in the AC2 trailer?? Have some music playing as I write, and literally every video with Ezio shows the scene where he jumps off the beam at the end and kinda does a 'superhero landing', and I'm always just like 'ugh, those boots.' Everyone else has to have an aspect of an AC character's clothes they just can't explain liking so much, right...?

The boots in question:

I don't blame you, those are some sexy boots.

Also...

They seem to be based on Ezio's final concept art

Because his in-game boots in AC2 look like these:

I guess it could be the same boots if Ezio was to flip the collar?

As for... aspect of an AC character's clothes I can't explain liking so much... I was thinking of Hope Jensen's Assassin Robes but I can easily explain that as me having a soft spot for her kind of clothing design (the frills, it's the goddamn frills and ribbons).

And then I remember...

I really like the yellow fabric on Bayek's default outfit.

I don't really know why? It just looks... nice to me.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #85: The Old Guard, but make it Assassin's Creed

My brother has always been a big fan of Assassin's Creed, but I never gave the games a shot until recently, when it seemed a natural progression from all the Crusades research I've been doing for The Old Guard fic I want to write but probably never will. Once I realized Isu bullshit could be a perfect explanation for TOG immortality, this (incredibly self-indulgent) crossover was born.

Or: What if Merrick Pharmaceuticals was a competitor of Abstergo Industries?

Just imagine it:

Pharmaceutical research is an expensive, cut-throat business. Viagra is a $2 billion dollar a year industry. Humira, the blockbuster drug of 2018, sold nearly $20 billion in the US alone. So I imagine if you're a pharmaceutical CEO of limited morals and great ambition, it might seem like a better idea to steal ideas from your competitor who seems to hit it out of the ballpark every time instead of pouring billions of dollars into what may turn out to be an unfruitful venture.

Enter Hugh Merrick, father of Steve Merrick and founder of Merrick Pharmaceuticals. Needing a blockbuster and desperate to get one over on Abstergo, he hires a hacker to slip into Abstergo's servers and find him the ripest, juiciest plum they can sometime in the early 2000s, before the (modern) events of the games or the 2019 TOG movie.

The hacker comes back with the schematics for the Animus.

The idea of genetic memories seems absurd, but Hugh figures that if Abstergo has been using the Animus since the 1980s to get ahead, there's no reason he can't do it too - all he needs is a single Piece of Eden and all his problems are solved.

Hugh builds the Animus and has the hacker go back into Abstergo's systems looking for a candidate to put into it. But finding someone with Assassin blood seems dangerous - they're likely to be an assassin too and could be dangerous if they try to escape, plus the Templars killed off nearly all of them. Templar descendants are out because most are Templars themselves and if Hugh's plan is to succeed he heeds to stay off their radar for as long as possible.

The hacker returns with Abstergo's list of people who may be useful if all other avenues fail. It contains a list of people who were peripherally involved during the invents that interest them - mainly high-ranking courtiers close to Popes Alexander VI and Julius II - and their descendants. They might know things about events of Ezio's time.

Enter Joe and Nicky.

For the past few hundred years, their primary cover identities involve being the children or grandchildren of their previous cover story, all the way back to their first deaths. There are fewer questions and you get to "inherit" all your old stuff.

This method has worked quite well for them - until Merrick learns that their "ancestors" were part of the court of Pope Julius II from 1497 (when he was still Bishop of Ostia) until his death in 1513. Nicky was his private secretary, Joe was a court painter, and contemporary sources suggest they were highly placed enough to know whatever Pope Julius II knew about Ezio's apple. Such as where Ezio might have hidden it.

It's not an unreasonable plan, except for the pesky fact of Joe and Nicky's immortality. After all, the animus is designed to draw on genetic memory, not the subject's own memories. And even if it can be used to view memories laid down in their own genes 500 years ago - which is doubtful, - there's a high likelihood of it killing them - and if Hugh were to learn of their immortality, things would only get worse for them. But they have little choice once they're captured and brought to Hugh's secret research bunker somewhere north of Inverness.

What follows is a largely self-indulgent stroll through the more interesting episodes of Joe and Nicky's life together.

Nicky's first go in the animus is a jumbled, confused mess as Hugh's tech minion learns the ropes as she goes. Nicky ends up hopscotching through his early memories - for instance, a memory where he's learning how to use a sword as a young squire jumps to him using the same move during the Siege of Jerusalem. That strand of memory continues on for a bit until another interaction gets him sent into the memory of another battle/training session/conversation with the person in question and so on.

Joe's first time in the animus goes a little better, as Hugh realizes that his minion needs to learn how to program the animus before they put their most valuable subject into it, and so let's her learn with Joe. Hugh's minion (who is really beginning to regret taking this job) succeeds, pulling Joe into the genetic memory of one of his ancestors: al-Kahina, an Amazigh religious and military leader who led indigenous resistance to the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. There should be suggestions of a Sword of Eden somewhere in events, but since they don't share Precursor knowledge, Hugh's not interested in letting the memory play out.

Nicky's second session gets them to the time period they want, but his memories have next to nothing to do with the PoE. The same holds true for Joe, when his second session puts him through his POV of that time period. And though Hugh has his minion take them up and down every memory of that time period searching for the smallest hint of anything that might point them in the right direction, there's nothing to find.

Or, rather: Nicky and Joe did meet Ezio once or twice, in waiting rooms or reception areas or the like, but they spent that time talking about art, or the weather, or philosophy - nothing about politics, or Ezio's travels, or PoEs at all.

Otherwise, most of Nicky and Joe's memories of early 16th century Rome involve Joe's rivalry with Michelangelo, who among other things persisted in flirting with Nicky even after he made it clear he wasn't interested. (Joe was, among other things, responsible for getting Michelangelo the commission for David in Florence to get him out of Rome and away from Nicky.)

There's some Vatican politics as well - Nicky's part in organizing the Swiss Guard, Joe's in organizing the Vatican Museums, and the removal of the Borgias from power - and some global politics - the 1503 dispensation for Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, etc. But most of their memories are largely Joe and Nicky being Joe and Nicky in the High Renaissance (and rather hating their jobs, as neither of them particularly like working for Julius II but were blackmailed into it to avoid being labeled as Ottoman spies.)

This goes on for several days until Hugh orders his minion to start looking for the memories of other "ancestors" - essentially, to refine the animus and her technique while he gets his hacker to find better candidates for the animus. And if this accidentally destroys Joe and Nicky's minds in the process? So be it. The plan was always to kill them at the end of their usefulness anyway.

Hugh's minion spends a day doing as asked - there's a few tantalizing glimpses of Joe and Nicky at the court of Kublai Khan in the 1270s - before she has an opportunity to act on the guilty conscious that's come to plague her.

The minion helps them escape - destroying the animus, wiping the records, and blowing the place sky high to cover the bloody swath they have to cut to get out of the secret research bunker. Amongst the casualties is Hugh Merrick, propelling his son Steve into position as youngest CEO in Pharma.

Joe and Nicky rejoin Andy and Booker - who'd been doing their best to cut their own bloody swath through anyone tangentially related to the mercenaries who kidnapped their brothers - and decide to turn their attention to tracking down PoE and destroying animus technology wherever it can be found, believing there are no peaceful uses for either. As a glad you escaped present, Booker tanks Merrick Pharmaceutical's stocks so badly the company never recovers, eventually going bankrupt.

As for the minion? Maybe she's a young Rebecca Crane prior to her recruitment by the Assassins and it’s her experiences with Hugh's animus that get her recruited by the Assassin Order. Maybe she's just a random OC who sets herself up with a new identity halfway around the world and watches gleefully as Merrick Pharmaceuticals and Abstergo Industries both eventually crash and burn.

Bonuses include: 1) Joe and Nicky being the most passive aggressive kidnapees in the history of kidnappings - on the face of things, going along with exactly what Hugh asks of them, but doing their best to focus on innocuous memories and figuring out how to purposefully make memories "skip" between similar episodes without Hugh ever noticing the glitch. Also, playing up the Bleeding Effect so that by day three they're only speaking in Medieval Italian; 2) Hugh being a better class of villain than his son. Immoral? Unethical? Yes, but in a sophisticated businessman way, not a jacket and hoodie, stab a man with a letter opener type way. For some reason I'm imagining him as Jean-Luc Picard, if Picard ever had a Mirror Universe alternate; and 3) Interludes of Andy and Booker searching for Joe and Nicky after they've been kidnapped. This should be part action-thriller along the lines of Taken, part buddy comedy, and involve an arc wherein Andy learns of Booker's deep unhappiness with his immortality and helps him come to terms with the feelings that would have otherwise eventually led to the events of the 2019 movie.

And that is surprisingly more than I thought I would have had. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you decide to do anything with it.

More TOG Fic Ideas | More Terrible Fic Ideas

[chained-jones-fn]

☭

@io-jones

[Note: Imagine Jonesy has gone into a Zeronesy mode and has lost control of himself]

Battle Theme: The Only Thing They Fear is You - Mick Gordon (Doom soundtrack) (but their actual battle theme starts with the build up that starts at 1:20) OR Venice Escape - Jasper Kyd (Assassin's Creed II soundtrack)

Battle Intro: "I can't hold it back anymore....no matter how much I try to respect your decisions....no matter how I deserve it....You still hurt me....I will...I will make you pay..."

Victory: "...how does it feel...to be beaten by your own dog...?"

Defeat: "....grrrrr...i'll have my revenge...one day...ONE DAY...ONE DAY- YOU WON'T CHAIN ME FOR LONG!!!"

Assist: "CMON CMON UNLEASH ME I WANNA HURT PEOPLE I WANNA FIGHT TOO HAHAGH"

Dual Strike: "ONE CHAIN ISN'T ENOUGH FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE."

Defending: "STAY FUCKING BEHIND ME ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

Taunt: "EVEN DOCTOR SAYS WORSE STUFF THAN YOURS"

Reacting to Taunt: "...grrrrrr..."

Flee: [Jonesy goes back to his normal form, falling to the ground]"Stop...this hurts! It hurts!"

Reacting to Flee: "RUN COWARD, RUN LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO, I WILL CHASE YOU DOWN UNTIL I'M BREATHLESS ANYWAYS."

Tie: "...pure luck..."

Perfect Victory: "...I win...bastard."

Finishing Move: "We could've talked this through...but you decided to be an asshole."

[aralezinspace]

Sweet Nightmares (The Tale of the Blade in the Dark) Part II

A single Hidden One goes against Dream of the Endless, and gets way more than they bargained for. One does not emerge from a nightmare unscathed. Previous ~~~ Next

A/N: (crossover with Assassin's Creed) My contribution to @roguelov's Sweet Nightmares challenge! Parts 3 and 4 coming later this week. Enjoy! gif by @honeybeezgobzzzzz Tagging @fangirlmary (sorry I forgot to tag you in part 1!) also tagging @alteon77 cuz omg another appreciator of this super niche but awesome crossover concept!

Warnings: AFAB, named, they/them reader, blood, nightmare!Morpheus, some Endless style torture, copious use of petnames

The Hidden One was surprised when they regained consciousness, having accepted their end at the hands of their target. Anger bubbled inside them: the Mentor and Council had sent them after Dream of the Endless out of fear and arrogance, but they wouldn’t pay for their foolishness- their blade would.

They had to get back to the bureau, rest and recover, and get some answers from their Mentor. Trying to take any action before that would be futile. They started with small movements- twitches of their fingers, bending their knees and elbows, assessing their body’s range of motion. Nothing seemed to be broken or out of place; that was good. They turned their head slowly side to side, grimacing as it ached with the motion. They let their eyes open and continued to move their head.  

Once fully conscious, they took stock of their surroundings: the walls were dark gray stone with lanterns hanging from iron hooks every few feet. The floor was also gray, at least where it wasn’t covered with various ornate rugs in every shade of blue imaginable. A large potted plant was tucked into a corner, the leaves the most intense shade of emerald they had ever seen.

They were laying on a mattress stuffed with what felt like straw, held up by a dark wooden four-post bed frame, a larger version of the rooftop garden they had sheltered in. Across the room were two intricately carved doors of the same dark wood, softly glowing in the lamp light. From across the room, the designs appeared to be vines, dotted with flowers they couldn’t name. The room was cool, the air slightly damp- it had settled like a film over their skin for however long they had been unconscious. 

They slowly sat up, the wound in their side twinging unpleasantly. It had been cleaned and covered with fresh linen bandages, the scent of an herbal salve tingling their nose. They noticed with a jolt of panic that their robes, armor, boots, and weapons were missing, leaving them in their still soaked and blood-stained shirt and breeches. A faint smear of red stained the sheet where they had been laying.

Moving slowly, carefully, they swung their legs over the side of the bed and stood up, leaning on the nearest post as their body lodged its complaints about being upright. The stone was cold on the soles of their feet, the fibers of the rug warmer but scratchy. They took one shaky step towards the door, then another. They leaned heavily against the dark wood when they reached it and grasped at the bronze knob- locked, as expected. 

“You really should be resting.” 

The phrase would have been a gentle admonishment if not for the hard undercurrent of a threat that wove between the words. The Assassin jumped into a fighting stance, grimacing as their wound protested the sudden movement. Once again they were facing Dream of the Endless, and at a distinct disadvantage. How the hell had he gotten in here, and without them noticing? 

Morpheus prowled slowly towards them, almost gliding over the floor. His obsidian robes trailed gracefully behind him, the flames at the bottom of his cloak flickering gently. The light they gave off would have been comforting if the whole purpose of the display wasn’t intimidation. He was somewhat impressed that they unflinchingly held their ground rather than retreat. Whether it was bravery or stupidity, they certainly had some nerve. He leaned over them, forcing them to look up. 

“Come now, little blade,” he rumbled, “We don’t want you to break just yet.” He lifted a hand, and at that, the Hidden One did flinch. A gentle vortex of sand swirled up from their feet, lifting them off the floor and depositing them back onto the bed. 

They sat for all of two breaths before standing again, their heart racing in their chest. They stared down the Dreamlord, trying to appear braver than they felt. Morpheus frowned; their tenacity had quickly become irritating. “Do not test me,” he warned in a low growl, the room darkening as he took a step closer. The flames of the lanterns shrank in on themselves, the flames of his cloak creeping higher up the fabric, burning brighter. “Your Mentor dared make an attempt on my life, and for that alone I could have killed you many times over by now. Do not. Test me, little blade.” 

The Hidden One shivered again, their eyes falling to the floor, their tongue forcing a whimper to the back of their mouth. Better to back down and live. Rather than sit again, they took a few steps back until their back thumped softly against the stone wall. Dream frowned: not quite obedience, but better than obstinance. 

“Better…” he drew out, lifting his hand again. “But not quite.” Ribbons of sand streamed from his fingertips to circle the Assassin’s wrists. With subtle twitches of his fingers, Morpheus directed the sand to raise the Assassin’s hands over their head. They shouted in pain, the movement stretching their fresh wound back open. When their hands were firmly pressed against the wall, the sand hardened into iron cuffs, keeping them locked firmly in place.

The Hidden One struggled and squirmed, panicked breaths sticking in their throat. Their blouse had ridden up, exposing the slowly growing patch of red in the crisp white bandages. Morpheus loomed over them, tendrils of darkness weaving and writhing around him. “Now then…” he purred as he grabbed a fistful of thick hair and yanked their head back to better see their face. 

He had already seen their features, of course, when he brought them back to the Dreaming. The Nightmare King began to stir and rumble awake at the sight of the blood still staining their skin, their eyes sparkling with fire and vulnerable tears. Beneath that however, was a deep, churning well of fear. Good, they should be afraid. He had such plans for his would-be assassin, for them and their brotherhood. 

He trailed a sharp talon down their cheek, leaving a raised line of pink in its wake. “I could easily break your mind to find what I desire. However, I cannot deny that you have intrigued me. Therefore, I will allow you to attempt to earn back your life. But, for the moment, it is mine, little blade.” He paused, a sadistic smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Let’s start with a name. Who are you?”

“No one,” they spat quickly with far more bravado than was probably wise, even if their voice did tremble a little, “I am but a blade in the crowd.” 

He moved without thinking, too fast for them to track. His palm cracked loud and sharp against their cheek, turning their head with the force of the blow. Their skin smarted and immediately began turning red. He didn’t say anything, merely quirked his brow expectantly. Black eyes glowed with silver fire as what looked to be black flames seeped out of his skin. 

The Assassin swallowed hard. “Yeraz,” they choked in resignation. “My name is Yeraz.”

“Yeraz…” Morpheus drawled out the name, let it linger in the air for a moment before disappearing. Yeraz shivered as it vibrated with power. No one had ever said their name like that, like it was the key to unlocking every desire known to man. Like they could see into the deepest parts of their being, just by saying the name. Like a caress, like the ghost touch of a knife. Morpheus continued, “And you are a Hidden One, yes?”

Yeraz debated what to tell him for a brief moment. He had probably seen enough to deduce the truth and was just drawing this out for his own amusement. And they didn’t want to consider the consequences of lying. Rather than speak, they gave him a quick nod. 

“I figured as much,” he whispered. Dream leaned in closer, deeply inhaling the scent of blood, sweat, and spice from the spot behind their ear. “Little Yeraz, fragile blade…” his tongue flicked out to a lap at a speck of dried blood on their neck. The noise he let out was somewhere between a growl and a hiss, clearly pleased, clearly loosening the leash around his self control. “It would be so very easy to snuff out your life, like one of these lanterns. And while I have not discarded that possibility, I am offering you a choice.” 

He pulled away just enough to meet their gaze. Yeraz got lost in his eyes, falling into the infinite black abyss. The entire night sky was staring back at them, peering deep into the center of their being. The breath caught in their chest- the skills and mantle of Master Assassin fell away, lost in the darkness, leaving behind a scared, vulnerable human with a knack for survival who had finally met their match, and was extremely out of their depth. 

The black abyss had opened around them, and there was no swimming with or against the current, no outwitting its nature. They could only drown. 

“I am prepared to send you back to your Brotherhood and arrogant Mentor, alive and intact, but undoubtedly mine. My blade in the crowd. Remain in the service of your Brotherhood if you like, if you can, but your first allegiance is to me and mine. To the Dreaming.” He smiled, revealing pearlescent, angrily sharp teeth. A tongue too long and pointed to be human slithered out of its toothy cage to flick over another smear of blood, this one at the corner of their mouth. Yeraz inhaled sharply and flinched away, drawing a haughty, rumbling laugh from the nightmare before them. 

“Simply,” he purred, “Your life is mine, or it is forfeit. Which shall it be, little blade?” 

~~

Yeraz shivered. No doubt remained in their mind what the Nightmare King intended to do: claim them, or kill them. If he couldn’t have them, no one could. “I…” Dream raised an elegant, expectant brow, not amused to be kept waiting. “I accept your terms, Nightmare King.” 

“A wise decision,” he murmured against their mouth with a smug grin. 

As if there had been any other choice. 

His scent of stardust and sand after a rain overwhelmed Yeraz’s senses, their mind going slightly fuzzy. A frigid hand ghosted softly down their wounded side, his fingers coming back stained red, rubies on snow. The bandages floated to the floor, once again exposing the hideous tear in their flesh. “Oh dear,” he cooed, sounding more excited than concerned, “You’re bleeding again.” He moved slowly until he could feel the warmth of Yeraz’s skin in the air against his palm. Then, like a striking cobra, his fingers clawed into the wound and flesh around it, squeezing ever so slightly. 

Yeraz screamed and threw their head back, the ache from their skull colliding with the stone lost under the lightning bolts of agony from their side. Morpheus let out a short growl of pleasure and dug his fingers in even deeper. Their shrieks bounced and echoed off the walls.

After a moment, he removed his blood-smeared fingers and observed them under the flickering lantern light. Yeraz’s eyes were hooded and they panted for breath, their wound throbbing in time with their pulse. They watched in detached horror as that tongue slid out of his mouth to twine around each finger in turn, licking away the fresh blood that stained them. It was hot and thick, still sharp and sweet. A growl rumbled low in his chest, a predator getting the first glimpse of their prey, relishing in the chase to come. 

He had already laid claim to their life- their mind, their heart- now it was time to lay equal claim to their admittedly lovely physical form. Break them apart into the ores and metals that originally made them, then reforge them into a weapon of his own design. Stamp his crest into his blade in the dark. 

“You will be my finest weapon,” he purred, lifting a gently closed fist to his mouth,  “But first… I must break you.” 

Terror lit up Yeraz’s nerve endings. They were no stranger to pain, to being pushed to their limit and then further still, but this was beyond them. Dream of the Endless was a being of his word- he would send them back to the Brotherhood alive and intact, but Yeraz would forever wish he had killed them.

Long, bony fingers slowly uncurled like a flower revealing its petals. Black eyes flickered with silver sparks of excitement. He pursed his lips, almost like he was about to bestow a kiss, and blew softly into the palm of his hand.  

Yeraz turned their head away, but couldn’t escape the hundreds of fine grains of sand that floated on that whisper of wind. They closed their eyes, tried and failed to avoid breathing it in. They felt their mind go fuzzy, frayed and disintegrating around the edges. The pain from their wound gradually faded, their entire body floating sluggishly a sea of honey.

When they opened their eyes, they were no longer surrounded by walls of gray stone. They were no longer even in a building. 

They were surrounded on all sides by millions of stars, the sky behind the points of light fading from the lightest blue to yellow and green and red, to the darkest black and back through every hue again, every iteration of the night sky existing in the same moment. Silver, glittering space dust floated and twirled between the stars.

Yeraz would have found it breathtakingly beautiful if their breath had not already been stolen by fear. 

They hovered in the middle of the star-filled void, feet dangling over nothing, their hands still lifted and bound above their head. They panted frantically for breath, trying to keep their panic at bay. Every fiber of their being screamed at them to get away, that they would not live through whatever the Nightmare King had planned.

[justvir]

I just made a huge crossover...can you imagine Ezio Auditore from the Assasin's Creed saga (or any other assassin) fighting in a RoR round for humanity? like🤯🤯

(he would probably lose but still...)

(i want to replay for the first time Assassin's Creed II😭)

[fanworldbuildingfun]

With Valhalla behind, I have some serious questions about what the Underworlds in Curse of the Pharaohs DLC were

Were they simple hallucinations? Or were there not unlike Yggdrasil, a simulation? And if so, were they a remains of Isu simulations, or something that humans repurposes for their own needs as they discovered the locations? I’d be really curious if it was the latter. Having the Valley of Kings as some kind of unclaimed experimental playground… That was adjusted to reflect local beliefs, would be fascinating. And it’s not like it would be THAT far-fetched – not when the pharaohs were shown to be using an Apple, and to apparent great success

But then, that begs the question: how were the people who were within the simulation, were accumulated? Were they actual imprints of living people, or were they, too, randomly generated simulations? I’m honestly leaning towards them being imprints of the living – but then, how would they have been collected? Were they people that were “in vicinity” of the priests of Amun who carried the apple?

And finally, how did Bayek manage to enter the simulation? Were they a physical manifestation, like a large-scale version of clones we see in Assassin’s Creed 1 & II? Or did Bayek get “knocked out” in the light tunnels, and experienced it all in his mind? (as is the case in Yggdrasil?)

Regardless of either I – it’s astounding how the system could have survived, and managed to replicate such intricate worlds. By comparison, the simulation in Valhalla is simplistic. Repetitive. Doesn’t show much aside the main building and some measure of fields outside of it. And the tech enabling that is *gigantic*

Nevermind the actual AU possibilities for the Field of Reeds/Duat/Heb Sed/Aten. I’m still surprised there are no stories in Origins tab of Ao3 that explore what could have happened to Bayek if he lost in any of said locations. The angst of being trapped in one of the simulations alone has – so much potential. I’ve already tagged the Nefertiti gifs with my tiny dark AU idea. But I shall repeat it here – imagine Bayek losing the fights and being trapped, eternally, as medjay serving any of these Pharaohs. Well, maybe not Akhenaten because that would be just too cruel to Bayek and his faith.

[the-lady-hestia]

Now is an excellent time to get into a weirdly niche indie game!!

AAA game dev studios suck and the games they make are Not Great so instead of spending $70 on some garbage made by people who exploit their workers, pick up something made by some random nerds in a garage over the course of 3 years that costs $20 at max.

My recommendations:

1. Hades or Hades II (literally some of the greatest video games ever made. Rogue-lites based on Greek mythology that have an insanely deep and powerful story about family and fighting like hell)

2. Outer Wilds (timber-punk exploration/discovery game about an astronaut coming to terms with the death of the universe. You can truly only play this game once because of how the narrative experience of the game works and it will hit you like a truck. I cannot recommend this game enough plus I need more people to play it so the brain rot can spread)

3. Satisfactory or Factorio (two different factory building sims, the first is sleek 3D first person and the second is grungy top down isometric. Both will have you playing for hours and suddenly realizing it’s 5:00 AM. Fun times. The factory must grow.)

3.5 if you really like factory sims, try out Dyson Sphere Program. The game was originally developed in China and the localization is … interesting but if you’re up for it, it’s a factory sim that has inter-galactic levels of scale (as in I have a save where my factory on one planet is partially supplied by cargo ships carrying resources from an entirely different star system.) Again, you will suddenly realize it’s 5:00 AM after playing and losing track of time. The factory must grow.

4. Noita (imagine if you wanted to read the Wikipedia pages on alchemy and magic in general. Front to back. Take that, make it a hard-as-fuck rogue-like, and then throw in random monsters and other weird shit from Finnish folklore. That’s Noita. TLDR; Wizard game with so much hidden details and weird shit it’s a little scary. The core game loop is wildly addicting tho and you will find yourself saying “just one more run” like 7 times)

5. Literally anything in the borderlands franchise. That entire franchise goes so incredibly hard. I’m personally partial to BL2 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlnds (because I’m a dork)

6. The Stanley Parable (you’re already on tumblr, play the goddamn Stanley Parable)

Anyways stop buying AAA games like in general. You don’t need the latest COD or Madden or Assassin’s Creed. They aren’t gonna be good. Buy indie games and have your mind blown by a ridiculously good time :)

SAG-AFTRA IS STRIKING AGAIN

This time, for video games.

Some key information:

They are striking so all performers will have protection against AI

The struck companies are those signed to the Interactive Media Agreement

The listed companies by SAG-AFTRA include Activision Productions Inc, Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc, Electronic Arts Productions Inc, Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc, Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc, VoiceWorks Productions Inc and WB Games Inc. Though this may not be everyone.

Important things from the FAQ:

Some games from struck companies are non-struck (due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement still being in effect)

Localisations will be affected if covered under the Interactive Localization Agreement

Actors who are part of SAG-AFTRA cannot work for non-union or independent/low-budged productions during the strike unless they are signed to an Interim Interactive Media Agreement, Interim Interactive Localization Agreement or a Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement

Similarly to the previous strike, struck work cannot be promoted. This includes accepting awards for performances in struck games. This does NOT include hosting/performing a skit at an awards show and San Diego Comic Con (the latter due to the close proximity to the calling of the strike)

As implied by the point above, SAG-AFTRA performers cannot partake in panels related to struck games or companies, including finished games produced by struck companies

The best way to check if a game is struck is to use the search tool provided by SAG-AFTRA

Most importantly: You are NOT being asked to stop playing video games, as highlighted in the FAQ for creators and streamers. This does NOT cross the picket line. Though please do talk about the strike and show your solidarity

I expect to see the same amount of support from y'all that we saw in the last strike. Just because it's video games doesn't mean performers deserve any less support and protection.

Also please reblog with any additions (with sources - we are NOT here to spread misinformation)! And please correct me if anything listed here is incorrect.

SOURCES:

Video Game Strike FAQs | SAG-AFTRA (sagaftra.org)

SAG-AFTRA Members Who Work on Video Games Go on Strike | SAG-AFTRA (sagaftra.org)

[dontreadthisgamereview]

My Top Games of All Time List

This is my Top Games Experiences of All Time List. The rating of this is based on memories. I know some of these were in different orders on my lists for the previous years, but this list is based on how I feel about them today, which may change again in the future.

I've put a "thought" next to each. Some of these you can click on. Some of these you could play someday. I'd recommend trying any!

The Tops

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

My best game experience. I live in Michigan, so the waters of the Greek Isles? Like nothing I've experienced, but this game helps me imagine it. Then, place a great game in this world? Like, So Much game too? Great. Just great.

Saints Row the Third

My original experience with is what I chase in every video game I played. It was just… fun. Stupid, but exciting fun. It's wacky in story and style, you collect stuff, and you the skill tree is addicting. All about this.

Read Dead Redemption

This game impressed the heck out of me on first playthrough. It was so epic. The different biomes and acts to the game and different cities. It was not only sprawling in space, but in story and scope.

Control

To me, this game was all about the details. In the effects, in the environment, in the lore. Also, gameplay was slick and mood was awesome.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Nothing like this story. It felt like a prestige TV series, but not a boring something to watch but an exciting thing to play.

Batman: Arkham Knight

This is my pick to represent the entire series. This is not everyone's favorite, but it really grabbed me some reason. I love the city, the shooting, the "refresh" of the action gameplay, and it was one of the first Photo Modes I played with - which blew my mind.

Far Cry 6

Not only best of the series, but best FPS-Open-World period.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Thick with style, short, impactful.

Bioshock

Great graphics, style, and in-game storytelling.

Fallout 3

My intro to open world games. Massive game.

Duke Nukem 3D

My intro to what FPSs could do.

Doom II

My intro to FPSs.

Sonic 2

Perhaps the first full game I beat. I was really proud. Replaying enough to get this one "programed" this soundtrack into my head…

Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)

Playing back in the day at a friends was just simply a good time.

Resident Evil Village VR

Wacky, weird, and great in VR.

Tomb Raider (1)

Formative.

Sam & Max Hit The Road

Formative.

Tom Clancy's The Division

One of the best open-world (modern-city) games in my opinion. This one in a quarantined New York City. No cars, so all walking on foot. The cover based shooting felt really "professional." Super slick.

Dead Rising 2: Off The Record

The benefits of the sequel tech, but also an unprecedently "redo" with a redirection to wild fun. Super great.

Watch Dogs 2

The best open-world (modern-city) games in my opinion. A solid story with great style and so much to see. Lots of great touches and unique things to the series. Far better than the original. Just try it!

The Evil Within 2

This was the only game that made me feel kind of sick in my throat from some of the horror elements. So, definitely impactful to me.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

I thought this series was great. Some parts felt too long, but that's what also gave it the feel of accomplishment after you spent so much time in a world and completed it. The best "building" game in my mind.

Ultimate Spider-man

The first of the Spider-man games that really clicked for me. This was a great experience for me at the time. I played several times. I loved the style.

Resident Evil 2 (remake)

The best remake of anything I played. Genius.

Super

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best in this series so far. Flawed, yes, but the experience at the time was unparalleled.

Prey

It takes a lot from other games, but it does it well!

Akiba's Trip

I like the cut of this games' gib.

Marvel's Midnight Suns

By far the best of the "series" of isometric Marvel strategy games.

Star Trek: Resurgence

Best Star Trek game, and one of the best sci-fi Adventure Games I've played.

Bully: Scholarship Edition

I loved the world and how it opened up, the seasons, the stories, the "classes minigames," etc. It didn't have the "highs" of some other games, but there really weren't any "lows" in this game in my memory!

TRON 2.0

Better than the movies to me. It just made a lot of sense, and also played darn well.

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts

The best vehicle builder game in my opinion.

Metal Gear Solid V

Other than Death Stranding, this is the only Kojima game I've played all the way through. And I’m putting this one on the list instead just because it got me just as much or more weirdness, but faster.

Tomb Raider (reboot)

This really shocked me in how "cool" a reboot could be. Many things from this game I won't forget. Best in this series in my mind.

Astro's Playroom

Slick as heck.

Luigi's Mansion 3

The only one of the series I've played, but I'm guessing the best. This is just really great.

Freedom Fighters

I've been playing recently even.

GTA San Andreas

The best one in my mind. There was nothing like the Act change where you had to go into exile. It made you do new gameplay, explore new areas, all these things in the same game.

The Crew

Some people rip on this game as not being exactly a street to street rebuild of the United States, but that would be terrible. THIS is the best version of a real coast-to-coast driving game thus far. Technically, The Crew 2 has better graphics, but that's not even a game. THIS is a game. It's not just a tech demo like the sequel.

Super Mario Odyssey

Perfect game.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

See our podcast episode about this: link

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

The best LEGO game in my mind. Fully of characters and places and styles and jokes and it's completely beatable.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War

This series is wild. This is the most advanced in this series thus far.

Hitman: Absolution

The best in the series in my mind. This was the last before a reboot.

Katamari

Of course.

No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way

Back in the day, this was packed full of gameplay and style.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Back in the day, this was slick.

Ratchet & Clank - A Rift Apart

The best of this series. Looks like a Pixar movie and plays great too.

Rocksmith

I learned some bass using this.

Blood and Truth

The first VR game I played that was a "real game." Not to mention, unique in being a fast paced shooter.

Sniper Elite 5

I liked this entire series, so this is the most advanced version thus far.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole

This game literally surprised me in how actually funny it was. Best South Park thing, better than the show.

Sunset Overdrive

Some people rip on this one online, but I love the weird and wacky style, and the gameplay is fast and unique.

Sacred 3

A game I played long after its release, but it was just a fun and fast paced game.

The Godfather: The Game

A strange game I played on PC. Some pretty unique ideas, lol

Uncharted 2

One of the best in the series in my mind.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

It was the best game I played that summer, when I was really lonely at my internship in Ohio.

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance

The best of the series in my mind. I really liked how slow the story started, from your family owned business to being part of the Rebels.

Resident Evil Revelations 2

This game was a weird one, but when I played the collection of the episodes - it was a like playing a "hidden" game no one knew about. Oddly, one of my top RE games.

Guacamelee 2

One of the few "hard" games I've played all the way through. But, it was all doable!

Void Bastards

A viable rougelike. And now that I think back, a Boomer Shooter too?

Dead or Alive 4

What can I say? Good gameplay, wacky style, and the FPS on Dreamcast was wild.

Great

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Great style. Nothing like it in an FPS.

HUNTDOWN

Unique retro style game with slick, die and repeat gameplay.

The Medium

One of the few "real horror" games I've played. But it got me really engaged and I enjoyed from start to finish.

Prototype 2

Best of this series. This game is extremely playable.

Dance Central 2

I first played this series at a friend's, then I bought the whole setup. I don't know where my Kinect got to…

Shovel Knight

This one really surprised me. I hadn't played a lot of "hard" games like this one, but it played SO well.

Fallout 2

I played a lot.

Bulletstorm

'tude

FEAR 2

A good one in the series. Story is all out of whack, but allows for a great game "world."

Titan Quest

I never did the Diablo thing, but this one grabbed me for some reason. I played through several times.

Alien: Isolation

Superb style and pacing.

Alien Shooter: Vengeance

I played back on PC in the old days. I really never played anything like it before, or since.

Crackdown 3

I liked the series, and this one is the most polished.

da blob 2

I don't think about often, but I remember fondly.

Dishonored 2

The best of the series for me. Like the original, but amped up.

Star Wars: Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight

The best star Wars game I played for a long time. A great mix of the FPS, the lightsaber, characters, and even FMV stuff!

Star Wars: Tie Fighter

I still remember flying with Vader, and really hoping he would approve of me.

Trover Saves the Universe

A groundbreaking VR game, but also game. It was subversive to what a game "should be" like. This game usually goes left when it's supposed to go right.

The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition

One of the few puzzle games I completed. The style and world was trippy/cool.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

The best of the series in my memory.

Dying Light

Not a lot from this games sister series grabbed me really, but this one did. I felt like it just all came together "right."

Freedom Force

One of the first games with a deep style I played. Then I found out who John Kirby was later.

Hitman (1)

I had some good memories with this one.

The Witcher 3

Iconic.

Sackboy Adventures

The only Playstation platformer that rivals Nintendo ones.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

I loved the style on this one. I think I near 100%'d it.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst

I liked the original, and this one made it playable. No other gameplay like it that I know of.

Portal 2

The original is slick, but this one is a full game.

Red Faction: Armageddon

In this game, you really can destroy everything in it. Even walkways you need to continue on. Thus, they have a "nanotech" tool to rebuild stuff. It's the only way a game can really let you destroy everything in the space.

Remember Me

A unique sci-fi game with super cool ideas. Great style too.

Life is Strange

I never got much into sequels or other "emo" games, but this one hit me at the right time. Love the soundtrack.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas: 2

I played this one way back. Best of the series in my memory.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

The best of the series for me. It uses the top tech, and it's short.

Titanfall 2

Best pilot/mech gameplay I've had.

Outlast II

Some scary memories from this one. Very dark, as in almost no light in some scenes. It's an experience.

Steam World Dig 2

All these Steam World games are quality, but this one grabbed me and was easy and short enough to finish.

Detroit: Become Human

This game seems to be made fun of by a lot of people online, but I started, was engaged, and finished. The best David Cage game I've played.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

The only fighter jet game I've ever started and finished. So, in my mind, the best one.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Gameplay wise, my favorite of the new series.

Cat Quest

A unique hack and slash game where you mostly play on the "map" screen. Good sense of humor and fun.

Journey to the Savage Planet

FPS Roguelike with a great sense of humor.

Honorable Mentions

Mass Effect 2

Best in the series.

The Saboteur

One of the first games I felt like I wanted to "get everything on the map."

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

The entire series was interesting, but this was the best playing for me.

Dead Space 2

The better of the two

Monkey Island 3: The Curse of Monkey Island

Encapsulates a certain sense of humor. Made me wish for warm climates.

Majin and the Forbidden Kingdom

Interesting puzzle game.

FF9

The first half was solid.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Actually… a good Cover-Based-Shooter for the time.

Alice: The Madness Returns

Took the idea of the original, but made it look and play good!

Shadow Complex

A PS Now discovery. Quite fun.

Slayers X

A perfect homage.

Amped 3

I remember using my digital camera to take some videos of my screen of replays of my best runs.

SSX (reboot)

Introduced me to some great music.

Bayonetta

You can't deny the style, but I never got into the gameplay.

Beyond Good & Evil

Could have been greater, if they were only a bit more focused.

Binary Domain

Uniquely experimental. I enjoyed playing with friends.

Nights of Azure

Unapologetically alternative

Black & White

Interesting attempt, if nothing else.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone

I didn't like this series of the movies, but I liked this.

Captain America: Super Soldier

At the time, this was alright.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Not many of these grabbed me, but this one did perfectly.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Had a lot of fun sci fi ideas. A good looking game for it's time.

Conan

Okay. It looked good. It had topless women in it on PS3.

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Dark game with mix of investigation and grimy violence.

Dark Void

The best "jet pack" game I've played. Activating it indoors had a 90% chance to kill you, just like you'd expect!

Dante's Inferno

The goth, metal, emo, dark, in your face style was unique and not really done to this extent again. It went all in on style, with only tolerable gameplay.

The Darkness II

I was considering putting the first one on here because of its innovations, but this one was better to play.

Deadpool

One of the most humor based games I've played. And gameplay is o.k.

Fable

Great sense of humor and style. Better than all the sequels in my mind.

Far Cry 2

I just remember having to keep getting these very hard to find malaria pills to stay alive. Not many games have your character just die if they can't find an actually tough to find item.

Folklore

Felt like an indie comic somehow. Odd style.

Freelancer

Early "open world" stuff.

Tearaway: Unfolded

Full of gimmicks and weirdness. Hard to forget some of the strange things they tried.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

Simple and unique gameplay. Would make a good, modern mobile app.

Lollipop Chainsaw

Trash. But, like, as in "Trash Cinema." As in, good.

Lost Planet 3

I'll never forget the feeling of being a lone contractor on this hostile ice planet. It was one of the first games with a "vibe" I remember

Metro Exodus

I always wanted to like this series, and the is the one that allowed me

Murdered Soul Suspect

Never seen an adventure game with this kind of plot before, or since

Oni

Very unique, experimental gameplay. No one did this control scheme again, but it was a unique idea for the time.

Overlord

Great sense of humor and unique (gameplay)

Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain

I remember trying to wrap my head around the plot/mechanics of this. Both might have been beyond me at the time

Splatterhouse (PS3)

Tough to play now, but parts were striking upon release

Gal*Gun 2

Nothing like it (except for Gal Gun 1)

School Girl Zombie Hunter

Very unique

[ryanmeft]

Assassin's Creed Locations Ranked Part 4

After a bit of a hiatus so I could work on my book and write movie reviews, we're back with part 4 of my list ranking every playable location in the Assassin's Creed series. As a refresher, a playable location is an area you can freely traverse and explore for secrets and missions, so places like Portugal in Rogue and the hidden tombs in II don't count. This entry covers some great historical and mythological locations that didn't quiiiiite make the top ten. We'll cover the top ten next time, so stay tuned to see which of those ten ended up where, and to get incredibly angry at me when your favorite isn't where you wanted it to be. Fun times! Here are the links to the previous three parts. Now, let's get moving. Part 3: https://ryanmeft.tumblr.com/post/731083916756336640/assassins-creed-locations-ranked-part-3

Part 2

Part 1

15

Atlantis (Odyssey: The Fate of Atlantis)

Odyssey’s Fate of Atlantis DLC had three chapters in three different places from Greek myth, but ever since our first tantalizing glimpse in a sidequest, visiting the fabled city itself was the big draw. It didn’t disappoint. Not only was the self-contained story pretty good, but Atlantis was successfully brought back closer to Plato’s description of concentric circles and military culture. There were both towering spires and underground secrets, and intrepid explorers could even carry themselves out from the artificial metro area to the more natural borders of the land. Atlantis promised a lot, and delivered on it.

14

Rome (Brotherhood)

A lot of people were probably kind of puzzled at the fact that, aside from a brief mission at the Vatican, we never visited Rome itself during Assassin’s Creed II. If you happen to also be my particular kind of crazy, you may know that the Renaissance was driven by the other cities in Italy, while any part of Rome not directly under church control had long since degenerated into a disease-ridden backwater virtually irrelevant to world progress. Brotherhood captures exactly that. This Rome is a dim shadow of the capitol of the ancient Empire, consisting almost entirely of wasted ruins of once-great temples, shabby houses, and pushy merchants hawking their wares. It’s not without some remnants of grandeur, but it evokes more sadness for a lost era than anything else. And naturally, the hidden tombs are still the highlights.

13

Elysium (Odyssey: The Fate of Atlantis)

The first of three areas you’ll visit in this episodic DLC, Elysium is, like Aaru, an idealized, paradisaical version of ancient Greece, with flowing fields of flowers uninterrupted by man and sparkling, wide rivers circling around the feet of towering clifftop cities where gods and accomplished mortals drink and feast in idyllic surroundings. Ok, I may be exaggerating that last bit, as the game doesn’t render the inhabitants of paradise in any real way---no Piece of Eden-induced apparitions of Hercules or Odysseus will be found here. Elysium so thoroughly evokes heavenly bliss, though, that it’s not hard to let your imagination fill in the blanks. In some ways, it’s even better than the normal Greece of the main game, because it’s contained enough that it never outstays its welcome.

12

Paris (Unity)

Due to being borderline unplayable at launch, Unity remains a divisive entry in the series, but there’s one thing practically everyone can agree on: revolutionary Paris is jumpin’, man. Moving up a generation, Ubisoft Montreal took full advantage of the extra horsepower to massively increase crowd sizes and behaviors, the scope of the environment, and to render famous landmarks in exquisite detail. Paris is a place where the revered meets the depraved, from the towering spires of Notre Dame to seedy-but-lively cafes to grisly murders in dark alleys, all set to the backdrop of a violent revolution. The great accomplishment of Unity’s Paris is that the city is an ancient place with a life apart from the famous events of the late 18th century.

11

Ireland (Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids)

Much like how it is an extreme disappointment to see the fertile history of China’s Warring States Period relegated to a B-list mobile game, it was also a bit of a sting when we realized the only Ireland we were likely to get from the series was this DLC. Still, the Emerald Isle got a better shake than China likely will. Mechanically, there’s no differences in exploration or traversal, but the famously greener pastures, the shadowed, rocky paths that feature in so much Irish folklore, and the renowned passage tombs successfully make it feel like you’re in a new place. The story is even interesting, which is quite frankly more than you can say for most of the open world game DLCs. Still, if we never return to Erin for the more dramatic later periods in its history, it’ll be a shame.

And that's it for this entry! Come back next time to see which games shook out where in the top ten, and remember to please share my blogs if you like them.

[septimaseverina]

OKAY. LET'S SEE. IF MY GUILD'S LEADER DOESN'T START THE GUILD EVENT, WHICH THE PARTICIPANTS IS GOING TO GET 'GENERAL' KENOBI, THEN I WILL QUIT THIS GAME. MY GOALS ARE CASSIAN ANDOR (that I have achieved it already) and OBI-WAN (In every version, I've got 'Ben' Kenobi now. I still play for General Kenobi and Master Kenobi).

YET, WHILE I PLAY, I'M ENJOYED THE ALL-NIGHTSISTERS AND THE ALL-FEMALE-FORCED-SENSITIVES UNITS SO MUCH. IT'S KINDA LITTLE REVENGE TO MY EX (yes the one who also loves Star Wars, but he complains that Andor is suck.Kriff him) AND EVERY MALES WHO I HAD BEEN DATED, ALSO SAY THAT LADIES IN STAR WARS ARE NOT NECESSARY - EXCEPT PRINCESS LEIA. ALL OF THEIR POWERS AND ABILITIES ARE PROVED BY TAKING DOWN ALL DARK-SIDE-SQUADS MANY TIMES IN AREANA BATTLE.

AND I'M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY THAT I HAVEN'T PURCHASED THE NEW VERSIONS OF SW BATTLEFRONT I+II YET. SINCE, AT FIRST TIME I WAS UNABLE TO PLAY PS1 FOR MANY YEARS AND I MUST STUDY HARD TO ENTRANCE THE UNIVERSITY. MY BEST FRIENDS FOREVER PERSUADE ME TO PLAY ASSASSIN'S CREED AND DISHONORED. JUST IMAGINE. WHICH GAME CAN MAKE HISTORY+POLITIC GEEK LIKE ME ENJOY SO MUCH UNTIL I DIDN'T WANT TO WATCH FILMS, MOVIES AND TELLY SERIEES FOR MANY YEARS.

ANYWAY, I'M GONNA PURCHASE SW BATTLEFRONT I+II FOR SURE. BUT FOR THE NEXT TIME, WHEN STEAM IS ON SALE AGAIN. THIS LUNAR NEW YEAR'S SALE IS TOO LATE. I HAVE TO SAVE THE MONEY FOR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS.