Assassin’s Creed continues to be interesting. Even though the entire game essentially boils down to …
- Run Around
- Assassinate Guards
- Fight Guards
- Collect Flags
- Pickpocket Dudes
- Assassinate 1 Important Dude Every Two Hours Or So
… it’s still reasonably fun to do all of the above. I’ve discovered that I can just avoid the sidemission types that I find distasteful (Informants and Collect These Flags In A Circle). Granted, there aren’t many choices to begin with, but I’m okay with just pickpocketing, interrogating and eavesdropping my way to success.
I haven’t mentioned it here yet, but I love Fallout 3. I was previously a fan of both the Fallout series and the Elder Scrolls, so when Bethesda made the new Fallout, I was in Best Buy on opening day, buying the Vault-Tec lunchbox (which, by the way, included an awesome concept art book and an equally awesome Nuka-Cola bottle opener.)
Since then, I’ve bought all the DLC. The Pitt, Anchorage, Broken Steel. Last night, right before I was headed to bed, I saw that Point Lookout was available.
Dang it.
I loaded up, fired Fawkes (nice guy, but keeps stealing my XP) and hopped on the dilapidated riverboat for Point “Coney Island By Way Of Louisiana” Lookout.
The framerate was just a touch funny walking through the opening wharf area, which stood out to me against Fallout’s normal high levels of polish. However, another polish-related problem almost caused me to assassinate my TV with my controller. Allow me to elucidate.
The wharf is a burnt-out waterside fair. Nearby, there’s a giant mansion on a hill. Smoke is billowing from the roof. I headed that way (burnt-out skee ball machines give me the creeps).
Now, I need to complain about this, but I’ll do it without spoiling anything. I head for the mansion, to find that there is [DUDE] needing me to help protect him from [GUYS]. Said [GUYS] attack in packs, and do insane amounts of damage. I was a high roller back in the DC area – here I’m getting 20% of my health taken away with every [ATTACK] from a [WEAPON].
It takes a while to get through all the [GUYS] to protect the [DUDE], climaxing in a pretty serious battle where I laid some mines down for extra protection.
The fight finishes. I run past my mines. One explodes (?!). I take damage. [DUDE]’s lousy AI triggers that I must then be a HOSTILE.
[DUDE] proceeds to shoot me, repeatedly. I stand there, helpless and pissed off that I didn’t think to save (and the game didn’t autosave) at any point since I first entered the mansion. A nerve-wracking 45 minutes or so, down the drain. Thanks bunches, Bethesda.