3: Zero Punctation: Assassin's Creed Origins

3: Zero Punctation: Assassin's Creed Origins

The following is a comment I have left on the Video "Assassin's Creed: Origins Zero Punctuation Review" by the Escapist

"As a longtime fan of Yahtzee, I now feel that this video is an excellent summation of everything wrong with Zero Punctuation. Namely : arbitrary and inconsistent complaints and points, misrepresentation of the game itself,  and repeated bits of "humour" that's really just his rants with the odd joke thrown in.

Firstly, I do agree when Yahtzee complains about games that let their microtransactions overshadow the game itself. However AC Origins Is not as guilty as the game doesn't front load or push them in the players faces (ideally they probably shouldn't be present but this isn't as bad as it could be).

Now onto my points at the start of the comment.

Throughout the video, Yahtzee has criticized stuff like quantifying gameplay elements,  enemy levels,  and requirements to do side quests etc. It seems his main problem here is that the game is an Assassin's Creed RPG made by Ubisoft. Recall that many of those "complaints" he has listed are core features of games like Borderlands, Witcher and Horizon Zero Dawn. (All games Yahtzee hasn't really enjoyed but are loved by gamers). Since AC Origins was inspired by Witcher and Horizon,  is it not reasonable to expect More RPG elements in the game?  Yahtzee isn't criticizing the application or execution of these elements,  he's complaining that they exist at all (imagine someone complaining that Borderlands and Witcher are open world RPGs).

The main place Yahtzee misrepresents the game is the combat. Recall in prior titles such as 3-Rogue players could chain counter kills together with little effort. Here, players actually have to worry about positioning, number, and types of enemies and what kind of equipment they have etc. In other words, more skill required here (and there are higher difficulties). 

Finally, count how much and how long Yahtzee hates on Ubisoft and the game. It's basically hammering the same point over and over again. Yes, Yahtzee we know you hate the company,  can you give us a decent or at least enjoyable review?  This vitriol adds nothing to review but to seemingly pad it out.

(also remember how he praised Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas for giving him lots of freedom while criticizing the notion of freedom in Fallout 4?)

In conclusion, this video is a failure on multiple levels. It doesn't work as a review because of Yahtzee errors in describing the product. It doesn't work as parody or satire or comedy because it's "humour" mainly involves rants with no substance. Did Yahtzee make this in 3 days or something?  I enjoy the irony of Yahtzee criticizing Ubisoft for lying about their works or making them boring.

But I guess "this is what it feels when a work is made by an accountant rather than an artist with a vision".