#76: Assassin's Creed: Rogue: A Change in Perspective

All the Shin Megami Tensei games on my queue have been completed, for now. I think it is time to get back to basics with a true Press Start to Discuss column. Fortunately for me, Ubisoft has seen fit to continue their pattern of yearly Assassin's Creed releases. I do not know exactly what it is about that franchise, but it strikes the right balance between interesting game mechanics and noticeable flaws that it makes for extremely fascinating discussion, in my opinion. There are always lessons, both good and bad, to be learned from them. Now that Assassin's Creed: Rogue has been released, this week will be dedicated to analyzing it in my signature style. But before we begin, I would like to make clear that I am assume some level of general knowledge regarding the Assassin's Creed franchise. Further, this article will remain spoiler-free, since the game is still very new. Having said that:

One of the central premise of Assassin's Creed: Rogue is that it twists the typical dynamic of the franchise, where players typically take the role of a notable Assassin against the Templar Order. Rather, in this instance, the player character is someone who is trained as an Assassin. However, this character, Shay Patrick Cormack, later abandoned the Assassin Brotherhood after a series of traumatic events, joining the ranks of the Templars. Though parts of the game feels like any other Assassin's Creed adventure, particularly Black Flag, there are a number of ways mechanics are altered such that the player can feel what it is like to be a Templar, going against trained Assassins (aka Player Characters). It is these mechanical twists that I wish to discuss, because they provide the basis for how Rogue differentiates itself.

One of the first, and most obvious, way in which it does that is through the ambushes that are found throughout the open world. When exploring many of the major settlements in the game, like New York, players may begin to hear whispers from somewhere nearby. This is an indicator that an enemy is lying in wait for an ambush. Turning on Eagle Vision during this time will display a compass similar to the one from previous Assassin's Creed games' multiplayer modes. The compass points to the direction of the would-be predator. Getting closer to the enemy will result in the compass's arrow getting wider, and likewise in the reverse direction. Given this knowledge, the player must choose between staying away or trying getting the drop on their wannabe assassin. Failure to do either of these things will result in a successful ambush, and the loss in a great deal of health. Ultimately, this mechanic helps players understand just what it is like for Templars to walk around, constantly in fear of an assassin ambush. Traveling around openly becomes more difficult, and players need to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.

The second inversion of mechanics exists in the sea-faring mechanics, which came right from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag largely unchanged. As was the case in Black Flag, performing illegal actions at sea will increase the player's notoriety, GTA-style. However, instead of bounty hunters going on the offensive, it will be Assassin vessels that pursue the player. Rather than engage in ship-to-ship combat, Assassin ships will ram into the player's ship, The Morgan, and attempt to board it. Though these enemies are just the same types of foes the player would fight on the high seas, they are given the distinct advantage. This is because the player is robbed of the initiative they would normally be afforded in a boarding section, unable to fire guns and pick foes off before the boarding process. Furthermore, the enemy stuns the player's crew during the attack with smoke, delaying the counterattack. The end result is a greatly increased chance for loss of crew members, heightening the danger of attacking ships in the open. As a whole, this offers a taste for what it is like to be on the other side of the boarding process.

Another interesting way that Rogue shifts perspectives on old mechanics is the Assassin Intercept side-missions. In previous Assassin's Creed games, starting with Assassin's Creed 2, there were a number of pigeon coops scattered throughout the open world. The courier pigeons within had messages which the player could use to activate optional assassination side-quests. Rogue changes this paradigm slightly. Since the protagonist is a Templar, not an Assassin, he has no reason to hunt down these targets. However, he has much reason to keep them alive. When he comes across a courier pigeon, he can capture it and steal the message written on it. At that point, the Assassination Intercept begins. Once the would-be target is located, Shay has a certain amount of time to kill all of the Assassins going after him/her before they begin their attack. If he fails, he will need to resort to defending the target as they are bombarded by all the remaining Assassins. Again, this is interesting because it takes an old mechanic and allows the player to experience it from a new viewpoint.

Even the assassinations play out differently than they usually do. In most Assassin's Creed games, the player will take a target unaware. In story, the intended victim is not aware that they are currently being pursued until the player reveals themselves. That way, the onus is on the player to plan out their approach so that they kill the given target and advance the plot. Rogue tends not to do this. More often than not, the Assassins that the protagonist goes after are well aware that they are about to be attacked soon. As a result, these encounters feel more like boss battles than anything. Each target has an ambush waiting for Shay, dependent on their expertise. It is up to Shay to overcome these ambushes, completing his objective.

And that ultimately ties into why Assassin's Creed: Rogue is so fascinating. The designers were not content to just allow players to go through the motions, just for the other faction. Rather, the mechanics are tailored to the concept of an Assassin going "rogue" and joining the Templars. It explores how the same tasks are different when taken from the another perspective. Even though the controls and overall framework are still the same as they were in Black Flag, the differences are enough such that the feel of Rogue is wholly unique in the context of the franchise. It is one of the more interesting explorations of alternate viewpoints that I have seen. While it will not attract new fans to the franchise, Assassin's Creed: Rogue does well to offer a fresh take on old concepts.

The Texture Pop: Episode 17: Ubi-bros

Unfortunately, Garrett wasn't feeling very well when we recorded this podcast, so he skipped out. He'll be back next week, but in the meantime the rest of us recorded our usual shenanigans... and called it an episode of The Texture Pop.

BTW, we also had no viewer questions this week. Don't forget to send yours in at thetexturepop@gmail.com .



0:00:00 Introduction
Anime discussions go on. I both show how much I know and how much I don't know about anime. Also, I hijack the host-gig to get this shit started.

0:04:20 Sam talks about some strange idea he got.
It sounds spoopy.
Then we discuss humping monitors?

0:08:30 We struggle to talk about gaming news.
Remember, we are a video game podcast. This should theoretically be easy.
We discuss new releases.
Jim Sterling going indie also came up in conversation, along with its potential implications.

0:17:50 Fuck it! Let's talk about Assassin's Creed: Unity (and start my turn).
It is amazing how it does some things very well, and other things so terribly poorly. It is worth noting though, that there is merit to AC: Unity. It's not irredeemable, but they really will need to step their game up in order to make up for this game's flaws.
Really, this conversation stands on its own. There is no need for me to add anything more to it. Besides, a Press Start to Discuss column will come out in the next few weeks about it, so I can discuss more then.

0:48:50 I also played Assassin's Creed: Rogue.
And if you enjoyed Black Flag, there is a high chance you'll like Rogue. In the way Unity draws much from AC2, Rogue draws much from Black Flag.
Aside from that, the plot is just so much more interesting in Rogue than it was in Unity, that I am surprised that this wasn't the main attraction.

0:59:30 Chris got Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
And was tempted by Amiibo. After all, we know his history with Disney Infinity. Honestly, the Amiibo's seem pretty worthless to me. Then again, I've never been a huge Nintendo-guy.
On the other hand, the game itself is excellent. Not much more I can add to the conversation here.

1:24:30 Sam has been playing Far Cry 4.
It sounds to me, like FC4 fell victim to what seems to be Ubisoft's new business model. That model is "make the next game almost exactly like the last one, doing little to change things up". It's working, but I doubt it will be sustainable.
It's basically Ubisoft game.

1:41:15 Sam played Dragon Age: Inquisition.
I know I've repeatedly said that I hated Origins. However, if I am being honest, I am intrigued by Inquisition. What I've seen looks interesting enough to play on Easy. Again, I have not played it, so I comment no further.

2:04:00 Sam picked up a new Hatsune Miku: The New One.
And we talk about anime... again.

2:13:40 Wrapping Up.
And I talk about renovating cafes.
And don't forget: thetexturepop@gmail.com

Impressions #20: Shin Megami Tensei IV

And now, we have reached the end of a long, long “Season of ATLUS”. After investing untold hundreds of hours playing ATLUS games and subsequently writing about them, we have reached the end of my queue. The last game in my list also happens to be one of the first I purchased for my 3DS: Shin Megami Tensei IV (SMT IV). Released in May of 2013, SMT IV attempted to bridge the gap between the classic feel of Shin Megami Tensei and the burgeoning market growing as a result of the success of the third and fourth entries of the Persona franchise. The end result is something that intriguingly shows how ATLUS has grown as a development house over the years.

As a Shin Megami Tensei game, many of the franchise staples have been brought back in full force. Players recruit demons into their party and use them to fight against other demons. The Press Turn System, which I have discussed several times before, makes a return as well. In order to make sure that the player party is as strong as possible, it is also necessary to regularly fuse demons together to create new ones. None of this will be surprising to anybody who has played an SMT game or read about them. These are classic elements one fans have grown to expect.

However, a lot of these elements have been retooled in order to improve the overall accessibility of the game. In particular, the fusion system received a huge update. Previous SMT games had the player go to a specific location in order to fuse demons together. They could also register demons in a compendium to be re-summoned later for a fee. When fusing, old games had a menu displaying all the demons possessed by the player, and it would display the expected result of the fusion. Skills inherited by the result would be semi-random, determined by a compatibility algorithm. Though serviceable, a lot of more casual players bemoaned how difficult is was to learn and master this mechanic. Since it was necessary to do this in order to remain stronger than the enemies, it was a valid complaint.

SMT IV greatly improves the usability of demon fusion, with the intention of giving players a greater degree of control. First off, instead of needing to go to a specific location, players can perform fusion at any time by accessing the main menu. The other major improvements is that the resulting demons skillset is determined by the player. Given the list of the demon's initial skills, and the list of every skill the parents know, players can select the skillset of the result.

Such changes are already a massive upgrade over the old methods, but the improvements extend further. Rather than having to laboriously go through every possible combination to figure out what players want to fuse together, SMT IV utilizes a search function. When the player enters the fusion menu, a list of options appears on screen. These choices all represent all the possible filters that can be used in the search. They range from the inclusion/exclusion of specific demons in the fusion, to specific races, elemental affinities, or skills. It is even possible to include demons from the Demonic Compendium in the list of fusion fodder. The results will be listed in the form of what demons can be made, given the current criteria, and the list of all combinations that will lead to each possible result. Once the fusion combination, and the result's initial skill set, have been determined, then the fusion will commence. As a result of all of these changes, players have a large degree of freedom in how their party develops, more so than in any SMT game before SMT IV. This turning away from random number generators in fusion grants great leeway in how the system works, and even unskilled players will quickly be able to make useful demons in this manner.

Other anti-frustration features include the ability to save anywhere, without needing to find a dedicated save point. At the same time, the game only gives the player two save slots, so some discretion must be advised on how often and where one saves their game. And even should players die in battle, that may not necessarily mean game over. For a small fee, the ferryman Charon will return the protagonist to the world of the living, just before they died. Should the fee be too high, it can be placed on a tab. Upon another death, if the player does not have enough money to pay off the current death, along with the tab, it will be a Game Over. The game is willing to give players leeway, when this is taken into consideration along with changes to demon fusion. However, because of that, it demands more from them in the middle of a fight.

While this is a very accessible SMT game, it is still an SMT game. Battles will often be decided quickly and decisively, thanks to the Press Turn System. Like in previous entries in the franchise, this system rewards smart play and punishes mistakes by giving or removing turns to both the player and the enemy. In order to further this reward/punishment dynamic, a mechanic was added called “Smirk”. If the protagonist or one of his demons exploits an enemy weakness (or blocks/dodges an attack), there is a chance they will smirk. When that happens, their attack power, accuracy, critical chance, and dodge rate are all greatly increased, and any attacks against their weakness are an automatic miss until their next turn. While this bonus is powerful, enemies and bosses can (and will) also gain smirk when they exploit the player's weaknesses. In this way, it becomes even more crucial for players to both discover and exploit enemy vulnerabilities while covering their own.

In any case, most battles, even boss battles, do not take very long. It is relatively easy to see whether or not the player is likely to win a battle by just looking at the state of the battlefield. It is interesting how the convenience features both have the potential to attract many new fans to SMT from the likes of Persona, while also having a chance to alienate them if they come unprepared. Likewise, classic SMT fans may pridefully scorn the convenience features, but enjoy how battles play out.

The story also has the potential to be equally divisive. While the actual story is not worth talking about too much, one of the important factors is that the player is regularly forced to make choices during dialog. Each of these choices shifts their alignment more towards Law, representing a desire to maintain the status quo, or Chaos, representing a desire to impose great change. The three companions that join the protagonist for most of the adventure each represent a viewpoint along this scale: One of Law, Chaos, and Neutrality. Whatever the player's alignment is at the start of the endgame will determine which ending is attained.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this idea, as archaic as it is. However, the execution has a major flaw. Said flaw is that there are many events in the game, required to complete the story, that affect the alignment of the protagonist. For example, accepting one quest as a part of the main plot moves the player closer to Law. However, if the quest is refused, the quest giver will simply tell the player that they will be here if they change their mind. No progress can be made until the quest, and resulting alignment change, is accepted. On the whole, the sum of these events skews heavily towards Law, which means one practically needs a walkthrough in order to be Neutal. For Chaos, it is necessary to heavily commit to Chaos at the start of the game. Since, like most SMT games, Law and Chaos are both different forms of suck, Neutral is clearly the only good ending. This leads to a lot of needless frustration.

On top of that, the characters themselves rarely ever feel like nuanced, dynamic people. Even in the case of the protagonist's friends, most NPCs in the game act more along the lines of caricatures, designed to embody and spout their given life philosophies. For players used to the type of characterization seen in Persona 3 and Persona 4, this can be very disappointing. However, classic SMT fans will probably come in expecting this. Combined with the impact on alignment, the story is very hit-or-miss. I did not mind it, but nor can I say that I thought it was particularly good.

Overall, Shin Megami Tensei represents an intriguing and enjoyable compromise between the notoriously difficult SMT games, and the more approachable Persona games. As someone who enjoyed both, this was a game that entertained me thoroughly. The fusion system is, hands down, the best fusion system that has ever been in an ATLUS game, with a great combat system to boot. Having said that, it is not for everyone. Fans of one franchise looking to break into the other franchise, or those simply looking for an alternative to more slower-paced RPGs, will find themselves welcome. If you consider yourself in any one of these categories, I would strongly recommend giving this game a try. Who knows? It might hook you as much as it did me.  

The Texture Pop: Episode 16: *Skype Call Noises*

0:00:00 Introduction
My quote is courtesy of FF XII Fanfics. It's really one of the best thing I've seen on the internet.

0:01:50 Viewer Questions
For once, we got questions from multiple people. This means we're that much closer to being relevant.

"What is your favorite video game composer / video game soundtrack?"
I don't have much to add to what was said. I stand behind my answers.
     Jesper Kyd, for the soundtracks to the early Hitman and Assassin's Creed games.
     Shoji Meguro, for the soundtracks to... most PS2-era ATLUS games, particularly Persona 4 and Digital Devil Saga 1/2
     And last (but definitely not least) Daniel Korb/Ashley Barrett, for their AMAZING work on Bastion and Transistor.
There are a LOT of good video game soundtracks out there. Great question.

"What games that are either out right now, or coming soon, would you recommend [for the Wii U]?"
I recuse myself from this question.

"Have any of you guys played Terra Battle yet?"
In which I use this question to bitch about sponsored articles. Still, the game sounds interesting.

0:24:10 We discuss Sega and Sonic Boom.
And that's terrible.
But, this allows us to talk about Valkyria Chronicles, which is the good thing that Sega did in recent history. I'm so glad that people are enjoying it. After all, it's one of my favorite games on the PS3.

0:31:50 I have finally beaten Shin Megami Tensei IV.
An Impressions piece on the game will be released in the next few days. Until then, you've heard a lot about my thoughts on this game already.

0:38:15 I have beat playing Assassin's Creed: Rogue.
One thing that I find interesting about Rogue is that it flips some elements of the game, so that you get a feel for what it's like to be a Templar. We touched on that in the cast by talking about Assassin Intercepts and being boarded, but there is another way this happens. As you run around towns, there are assassins who are out there trying to kill you. So you play a bit of a cat-and-mouse game with them, trying to kill them before they kill you.
And then we spend a lot of time talking about the Assassin's Creed franchise.

0:44:30 I've been getting weirdly into Plauge Inc.: Evolved
And the Steam workshop makes it really, really fun to play.
Not much to say, although you can probably get it for cheap and its worth it for a few quick games.

0:46:25 Chris has been (disconnected)
Well... actually we all were. This is because my computer shut off (for a reason I won't discuss) and I was hosting the call. That's why it took me so long to reconnect to the conversation.

0:46:50 Chris has been (not) playing Hyrule Warriors.
And has been getting to his backlog.

0:48:08 Chris has been playing and enjoy Disney Infinity 2.0
And enjoying it.
We talked a bit about Chris Frankin's (aka Campster/Errant Signal) video on the game.
In short, Disney Infinity 2.0 really does address most of the complaints people had regarding the last version.

1:00:50 Garrett has been playing League of Legends.
And I really wish I knew more about League, because it would make my commentary more meaningful.

1:04:00 Garrett did a lot of things this week.
And he's going through them too quickly to comment on.

1:07:45 Sam has been playing Advanced Warfare
And he pressed E to pay respects, with Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey.
So... the story is about as derivative as it sounded.
Then we discuss many other shooters during this time.

1:16:35 Sam has been playing Alien: Isolation and The Evil Within
And The Evil Within earned his ire.
This led into an interesting discussion regarding how horror games elicit different reactions from different people, despite feeding them the same stimuli.
We also discuss stealth games afterward.

1:25:20 Sam played Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Enslaved is an interesting game, because it's not that fun to play. However, it is still very much worth going through at least once, just to experience the story.
It leads into a discussion regarding how games like ICO and Enslaved use mechanics to help players grow more attached to NPCs.
It's a game that requires a heavy-interest in story, and a willingness to overlook mediocre gameplay.

1:32:00 Sam talks about Valkyria Chronicles.
Which gives me a reason to bitch about Valkyria Chronicles 3 not coming to US.

1:34:30 Sam touched This War of Mine.
And we go into a conversation regarding setting up and violating expectation, and how that can impact the enjoyment one gets from a video game.
I remember an interesting study I saw on the Food Network once. In a supermarket, a man had people taste-test a product, calling it "Salmon Ice Cream." They hated it. When he tried again calling it a "Cold Salmon Spread" and putting it on a bagel, people changed their tune.
When it was labeled "ice cream", people expected something sweet. When that's not what they got, they were disappointed. On the other hand, the different label set up correct expectations, so people were pleased. In terms of games, this might go far in explaining why we all felt disappointed by what This War of Mine turned out to be. Like Dead Island, they set up expectations incorrectly.

1:39:00 Sam played Dragon Age: Origins.
In preparation for Inquisition (which is out, as of the time of this episode's release).
Which makes us talk about Dragon Age. I've gone on record saying how much I dislike Dragon Age.
To be clear, Inquisition wasn't out when we recorded this. This is all speculation based on revealed information.

1:44:15 Sam tried to play more Bayonetta 2.
And we talk about it's few flaws.

1:46:00 Chris brings up Adonisus's question about Shonen Jump.
Sam tells us a story about his first time with Shonen Jump, and his plunge into weeaboo-ness.
Anime gets discussed.

1:55:30 Wrapping Up.

The Texture Pop: Episode 15: Floppy Devil Dick (and Minor Site Update)

BTW, because I have been extremely busy these past few days, there will not be another article posted on Saturday. I apologize for this. Having said that, onto the usual shenanigans.

0:00:00 Introductions
And you get a glimpse of what it's like behind the curtain.

0:01:55 Viewer Questions
From our usual source:

"Why do so many people seem to hate Skyward Sword?"
Like I said during the cast, my opinion on the matter is purely a matter of speculation. Having said that, what I strongly suspect was the case is that the new style of play greatly affected the design.
It's a problem you see in games like Deus Ex and Dishonored. Since the design can't assume that you have certain items in your inventory (because you may or may not have any given item), it needs to be theoretically possible to beat without using any of the equipment they may or may not have obtained. They can be used to make your task easier, but it must still be possible to complete it without any of that optional equipment. Previous Zelda games make players feel like they are building their character's power over time. With this type of design, that is much more difficult to pull off.
Of course, other issues like unresponsive controls and an annoying side character would also be contributing factors, but I would posit the fundamental change in game design is the primary reason.

"Did any of you guys read Shonen Jump back in the day?"
Of man, I wish Sam was present for this discussion. He would be able to provide a more interesting conversation than either me or Garrett.

0:11:45 Chris brings up Dawngate (and its cancellation)
Though I would hardly call myself an expert, I can hardly call this surprising. The MOBA space is super competitive, and you need to make yourself stand out if you want to do well.
For the record, the incomprehensible blurb that came out of my mic was me jokingly referencing The Old Republic.

Then, we start talking about MOBAs in general. And the call dropped in the middle of our conversation.

0:23:20 Chris beings up Blizzard's new shooter, Overwatch.
After you get over the initial wave of "THIS GAME LOOKS AWESOME!", and you stop to analyze it, you wonder how good this game will be.
Blizzard has never made a shooter before. Further, this is a multiplayer-only, character-based shooter. Beyond that, the last game with such a colorful-looking initial trailer was Overstrike, aka FUSE.
This could do well, but on paper it looks like it's almost destined to fail, once you get passed the initial shock. On the other hand, Blizzard has a proven record for turning anything into a gold mine. I will be interested in how it develops over time.

0:33:30 Garrett plays Neotokyo.
Which sounds like a very fascinating Source mod. Unfortunately, I cannot comment any further.
And of course, ANOTHER Destiny reference. We're the best Destiny podcast on the interested.

0:46:00 Garrett has been getting into SMITE
And talks about how it blatantly steals from League.
Then, we discuss Adam Sandler movies. I'm not sure why.

0:56:05 I have been playing more Shin Megami Tensei IV.
And I have gotten to the point where the difficulty curve begins to level out. SMT fans know about this point, but I explained it a lot here.
I didn't say this during the cast, but I think part of why I have been enjoying the side-quests is because the game does a great job of making them available and easy to access. All you need to do is drop by a tavern every once in a while to see what's come up on the bulletin board.

0:59:50 I have been playing Binding of Issac: Rebirth
It is a major improvement over the base game in so many little ways that I really recommend it to anyone who played the original. There's also so much more content added to the game that the higher price is justified. No matter which system you get it for (PC, PS4, or Vita), you will definitely be getting your money's worth.
Having said that, it is not a game for everyone. If the old game wasn't great for you, this probably won't change your mind unless your issues were mostly technical in nature.

1:12:45 I played my first game of One Night Ultimate Werewolf.
For those who want to know more, you can watch Table Flip play the game here.

1:15:50 Chris has played more Hyrule Warriors
And we didn't talk much about it because Sam was absent.

1:18:45 Chris bought a copy of Dante's Inferno.
And I apologize to him on his behalf. No one should be subjected to that game.
On the positive side, it made the title for this episode very, very obvious. (I still think "Satan's Dick and Tongue Nipples" should have been the title, but we still chose very well.)

1:31:20 Wrapping Up
Yep.
Remember, send us stuff at TheTexturePop@gmail.com if you want us to talk about you on the air.