THE ELDER SCROLLS 4: OBLIVION

Let’s start with an obvious choice, shall we? Bethesda made a big deal of their new Radiant AI system before Oblivion’s launch, and to be fair, it definitely did add quite a lot to the game. Each NPC having their own unique schedules and patterns meant that the world felt dynamic and lived in- but then again, those NPCs were also dumb as rocks. From overreacting in the most hilarious way possible to someone getting attacked in front of them to walking right into an obvious deathtrap to turning a blind eye to blatant crimes being committed to so much more, Oblivion’s NPCs were a very special brand of stupid. Combined with the hilariously bad voice acting, that definitely made for some memorable moments- though not, we’re sure, the way the developers would have been hoping for.

As multiple developers and publishers have proven over the years, single player experiences and prolonged and strong post-launch support aren’t mutually exclusive things. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was a perfect example of that, with the game continuing to receive free quests, a Discovery Mode tour, countless updates, and, of course, two major expansions, over the course of more than a year following its release.

Ubisoft had already outlined their post-launch plans for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla before the open world action RPG launched last year, and it was clear that they have similar plans for it as they did for Odyssey. Speaking recently during Ubisoft’s quarterly earnings call though, chief financial officer Frederick Duguet said that their plans for Valhalla’s post-launch support are even bigger.

After re-iterating that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was the biggest launch in the series’ history (though he did say that that was in terms of “value”, with Assassin’s Creed 3 still having sold more units at launch), Duguet said that Ubisoft is planning “longer and stronger” post-launch support for the game in order to maintain its momentum. Duguet also said that Valhalla was the second-highest selling of all the games that launched on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S last Holiday- one would assume Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was the highest.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has two paid expansions planned. Wrath of the Druids launches this Spring, with The Siege of Paris following not long afterward in the Summer. The Discovery Tour Mode will also be coming soon, while Valhalla is also going to receive regular seasonal updates to add new content and gameplay features.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

It’s been known for some time that Immortals Fenyx Rising (or Gods and Monsters, as it was initially known) started development as an Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offshoot, when the latter’s development team began working on this new project inspired by their latest project’s mechanics and Greek mythological setting. However, the exact circumstances that led to the birth of this new IP are actually quite interesting- in that the developers first got an idea for the game thanks to a bug they were faced with during Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s development.

During an interview with Game Informer, game director Scott Phillips revealed that the dev team encountered a bug that would see players getting aboard their ship in Odyssey and being met with their crew- which was populated not by humans, but by cyclopes. Though obviously not the right fit for Assassin’s Creed, that bug inspired the idea to make a game where something like that could work.

“There was a bug at the time where you’d be sailing on your trireme and instead of having a normal human crew, you’d have a crew of cyclopes,” Phillips said. “We knew that was wrong for Odyssey, but it also sparked this idea of, ‘Actually it would be quite cool if we can break those historical bonds and just go full force into mythology.'”

Assassin’s Creed does use mythological elements quite frequently, especially in frequent years, such as in Odyssey’s Fate of Atlantis DLC- but the developers always have to show some restraint. With Immortals, they were able to embrace that side of their game’s setting.

“We were using the Greek mythology, but within the limit of the brand and the mythology of the brand more than the Greek mythology,” said Phillips. “For Immortals Fenyx Rising, it was the other way around: We wanted to embrace the Greek mythology.”

Immortals Fenyx Rising is due out on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia on December 3. Ubisoft recently detailed its post-launch plans, which will entail three expansions- get more details through here.

METRO EXODUS

At the time of its release, every single Metro game has boasted phenomenal visuals, to the extent that even 2010’s Metro 2033 still looks great, and last year’s Metro Exodus upheld that proud tradition. Requiring a GeForce GTX 1070 or an RTX 2060 or an AMD RX VEGA 56 for the highest possible settings, and with full-blown support for ray tracing, Metro Exodus is by far one of the best looking games you can play on PC right now.