I featured Atom X some time ago in a showcase for his comic-book Fallout 76 shots. You'll be pleased to know now he has made a return to the blog. Recently featured on Ubisoft Quebec'sFan of the Monthtoday I feature his photography from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
Each holds a dream-like quality, a soft focus giving it them mystical, distant and heroic feel. Not only does this portray the epic nature of the game, but also the nice costume change of Alexios old, blindfolded and grey haired, gives the impression of the hero long after his quest has ended.
Perhaps giving us an impression on what could have become of the hero had the fates been different.
Ubisoft like many games companies has been under the hammer of allegations claims and accused of inequality of race and gender within their games. Sadly media runs on negativity and while people do need to atone for their wrongdoings, I do not feel that the trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla made me feel inferior as a woman or angry at the lack of a female lead.
Despite this Ubisoft being one of the main forerunners for equality and inclusiveness in their games have made a second version of the reveal trailer, replacing our male protagonist with the female alternate.
We have seen death threats levelled at a huge host of Naughty Dogs team as well as various other outcries over other games and their content.
Games are transcending the boundaries of just being games now. We have cinematic masterpieces such as Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2, among others. I think it is time to look inward at ourselves and question whether challenging such boundaries should really cause so much upset. With the next gen consoles on the horizon we are entering a world of gaming never seen before. New exciting ideas, different directions and increasingly challenging narratives. If this upsets and disturbs you, perhaps stick to other great titles that do not challenge the boundaries and take as many risks.
We are supposed to be progressing as a society. Being inclusive of sexual orientation, faith, gender and race, yet while the world is still suffering and we have campaigns such as Black Lives Matter, I still see so much racist abuse and hate within the gaming community.
Love the hobby, love the creativity and the journey, turn your hate where it can be used more productively. If a game offends you rather than reacting on gut instinct look inward, maybe you'll discover something.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be shorter and smaller than some other Assassin's Creed games. I was pretty downhearted to read this news, but many complained about the "bloated nature" of Odyssey compared to the more compact Origins. Personally I loved the more epic scope and did not mind the game taking 128 hours to finish. Like many though I would agree that the Atlantis DLC was painfully slow and padded out. The decision was revealed by Ubisoft Middle East head of communications, Malek Teffaha on Twitter(as translated by VG247 and confirmed by IGN): “FYI, it won’t be the longest or biggest game in the series. They addressed criticism on this one." Hopefully this will mean the game still stands at 40+ hours to finish everything like Origins. I remain optimistic.
If you haven't seen it yet here is the trailer for the much anticipated Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Much like Assassin's Creed Odyssey, you will be able to choose between a male and female character. The game shall also take place across multiple kingdoms, each very different in style. The co-op aspect that was rumoured has yet to be confirmed but I remain optimistic and excited.
As a viking warrior you will take command of a clan that will clash with the Saxons in war. You will be able to shape your warrior through "advanced rpg mechanics"Ubisoft states that "With every choice you make, from political alliances and combat strategy to dialogue and gear progression, you will carve your own path to glory,"
Along with boats, outfit and settlement customisation, there is plenty to look forward to.
Today we have an interview with PeppermintGamer. Both a musician and a virtual photographer. She dips into a variety of mediums to portray her love of gaming and film. Through this interview PeppermintGamer discusses her favourite games, her inspirations and gives us an insight into her musical talents. To see her music please check out her Instagram profile here, as I could not imbed the videos.
As always, I hope that you find the interview as inspiring as I did. Happy reading.
Assassin's Creed: Origins
What inspires you with your virtual photography? What is it that drives you and do you feel the photography links with your musical creativity?
Photography is all about capturing moments in time to look back on and remember. I thought that taking game screenshots is quite similar. I've already been taking screenshots here and there. But when I discovered photo mode in the Assassin's Creed games, I thought, "Why not share them on social media?" It's fun capturing fun, interesting, unique moments in games. I didn't know there was a virtual photography movement until I started seeing the tag on Instagram.
I suppose the creativity behind virtual photography has been making me feel more inspired to play more video game music and try something new.
Assassin's Creed: Origins
Out of all the games you take shots from, which is your favourite and why?
It's difficult to pick a favourite. Right now, it's Assassin's Creed: Origins. History is fascinating and I think it's awesome to be able to explore a virtual world and see what it might've been like back in ancient times. Great photo opportunities too!
Assassin's Creed: Origins
How long have you been playing the piano and do you have any other musical talents?
I started taking piano lessons at least 15 years ago, I think. I am a very musical person! I have choir, concert band, and orchestra experience too.
GRIS
In your music what/who would you say your biggest inspirations are?
Believe it or not, I completely stopped playing the piano for a couple of years because I was so tired of the stress and pressure of piano lessons. I wanted nothing to do with it and didn't think of enrolling in music when I started high school. But my friends in peer pressured me into signing up for music class and from there I kind of found love for music again. My high school music teacher was so inspiring and amazing.
AER Memories of Old
To others out there looking to express themselves more, what advice would you give them?
From an artistic sense, don't be afraid to try new things! Never say you are terrible at or can't do something and use it as an excuse. You don't have to be good at something to express it or share it. The more you practise and get feedback, the better you'll get!
A drawing by Peppermint Gamer
Now back to virtual photography. What games are you most looking forward to playing and taking shots of next?
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey for sure! I've had it for a while but I'll get to it eventually. Same for The Witcher 3! I do want to buy Metro Exodus and Plague: A Tale of Innocence as well!
Today marks the day of a new Assassin's Creed Odyssey patch by Ubisoft. The update itself is around 4GB and sees some graphics card crashes for PC, text alterations in the Spanish language version of the game, along with some notification fixes. Most importantly the update offers a free outfit and weapon inspired by Ezio from the earlier games in the series. Long term fans and newcomers alike will get a kick out of this very different, nostalgic and beautiful outfit compared to the others found in the Greek world. In some other games in the series we have already seen the outfit make a return.
Bayek from Assassin's Creed Origins wearing the Ezio Outfit. Shot by me
Although in Odyssey it boasts not only individual pieces of armour for further outfit customisation, but also stat boosts. As you would probably guess each piece boosts the Assassin damage and critical hit damage. If combined and worn as one piece it gives a zero cool down to the duration of Hero's Strike on a successful parry. Whichever platform you have the game on, the set is unlock able via the games Ubisoft Club page and is free. I got the game today on PS4 having already completed it on Xbox and could unlock it instantly. To all of the assassins out there: Have fun!
Alexios freshly formed and already donning the new threads. Shot by me.
Once again thank you to afarcryassassinfor highlighting this to me this morning. It was very exciting news to wake up to!
