Nerdly » ‘Marvel Splendor’ Board Game Review

I really got into the hobby around March 2017 when I received Small World, Lords of Waterdeep, and Betrayal at House on the Hill for my birthday. I had played games before, but didn’t start buying and really playing until around this time. In June 2017, I downloaded BG Stats and started recording my plays. On July 16, 2019, I hit 100 unique games played. This is my ranking of those games.
I’m putting the number of plays for each game so that you may see at what point my judgment is coming from. Sometimes a game needs multiple plays, sometimes one is enough.
20-11: https://www.reddit.com/boardgames/comments/cjdnev/the_top_100_that_no_one_asked_for_2011/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app
10. Gloomhaven - 16 Plays – I wanted this game just to have it. BGG number 1, tons of hype, tons of stuff, and a genre I didn’t have or have had even played. The idea of just owning Gloomhaven appealed to me. I like playing games the most, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also like curating a collection. I watched the review from Shut Up & Sit Down and the card play instantly intrigued me; it just seemed so simple. Pick two cards, play the top half of one and bottom of the other. This game looks like a bear, but if you have someone experienced playing who can handle the monster movement and all the little rules, you can teach this game very quickly. I get that it’s not for everyone. The setup can suck, the scenarios can take a long time, the scenarios are a tad repetitive because the goal is usually just “kill everything”, and it’s the f word….fiddly. The experience is so rich though. I love the discussion of how to tackle the problem at hand. I love that your characters have certain traits that you have to adapt to and certain goals that may be beneficial for you, but not the team. The leveling up is so much fun, you get to make your character even better, you become more powerful, you’re watching it grow. I think the story has been a mess. Mainly, it’s because of the “choose your own path” that the plots get broken up. I read the scenario text to the party, but I’m not sure anyone listens or if anyone cares. It doesn’t matter, the game still feels like it has a narrative and purpose, if not to just fulfill characters missions and see them play out. I love Gloomhaven.
9. Azul - 19 Plays – This is my under an hour game of choice. I want to play this with gamers, family, coworkers, it doesn’t matter. This is the perfect game for non-gamers if they’re willing to play something and it’s the perfect filler for gamers. The rules are easy to teach and it’s not hard to do well on your first play, perfect for non-gamers. The drafting is interesting and mean if you want it to be. The tile placement creates tough decisions and deeper strategy than you first realize, perfect filler for gamers. I really like to see the depression on my friends face when he sees 5 red tiles coming his way in 3 turns and he has nowhere to put them but the floor of negative points. Hahahaha, suck it Alex. I love Azul.
8. Raiders of the North Sea - 5 Plays – I was told in at least two of my past lists that I needed to play Raiders of the North Sea…I am a man of the people. This is my absolute favorite worker placement game. More interesting and less basic than Lords of Waterdeep. More streamlined and elegant than Architects of the West Kingdom. And plays into its theme more than Viticulture. You get one worker. One. Place that worker, take the action, pick up another worker, and take that action. That’s a super cool way for action allocation. Another worker placement game that doesn’t necessarily block out anything, but you can block the order which can be just as harmful and because different color workers do different things, you could hurt someone that way. If they need to draw cards and they need a gray worker for their next turn, but you put a black worker on the draw cards space, well, tough. I’ve added the Halls of Heroes expansion and it truly makes the game better. Some expansions can make a game too convoluted and some just add more of the same. I think Raiders’ expansions get it right. I love Raiders of the North Sea.
7. Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game - 23 Plays – Let me be honest for a second. I mean, I haven’t been lying up to this point, that’d be a weird thing to do. But this is honest too, this game is in my top 10 strictly because it’s Marvel. I have the Core set, Paint the Town Red, Dark City, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man and Secret Wars Volume 1 currently and I will continue to get expansions because I want all the heroes and villains. This game is a semi co-op, but I strictly play it as co-op. We count up our points at the end, but we don’t play trying to be the ultimate winner, we play to win as a team. Spider-Man doesn’t care about being the best hero, he just wanted to be a part of the Avengers. I love all of the different mechanics that have been instituted. The millions of scheme and mastermind and hero combinations really provide a different experience each game. The strategy does usually remain the same…get stars early, get hits late, cull when possible. So, that’s a bit of a knock, but the schemes and masterminds can disrupt that a little bit. Some plays can be impossible to win and some can be impossible to lose. I just have a great time playing a game with my favorite characters of all time and discovering new villains and trying to stop them from whatever they’re up to. I’m not sure this game would be top 10 with another theme, but that’s ok, because it is Marvel and it’s great. I love Legendary: Marvel.
6. Clans of Caledonia - 13 Plays – The milk faction is overpowered. I did see it lose in the last game I played though in what I considered a weird victory for myself and the reason I love this game. This game is all about the money. You want to be taking as many actions as possible and actions cost money. You have to know what contracts to take, when to upgrade, when to buy and sell and when you should be putting out buildings or animals to produce instead of buying. You also need to focus on the end of round scoring, where others are placing their buildings so you can feed off them and end of game scoring. There’s a ton to focus on. The game is very easy to teach for the most part. Every action is simple and takes 10 seconds to execute. But let’s get back to my last play and what made it so bizarre. I got a lot of contracts early that mainly focused on meat, so I was filling those contracts when they were cheaper, but because I had to slaughter my cows and sheep, I really had nothing on the board come round 4 and 5. This is usually a huge issue for a multitude of reason. Nothing on the board means little production, which means little income, which means less actions and it means not having settlements (important for end game). I was set up the opposite of what I wanted. I thought I was going to be in last for sure. I was the first to pass and would sit there for 20 minutes waiting for the round to end and I had the fisherman clan, so my workers couldn’t be upgrade to make more money. I thought I was in a huge hole. But I wasn’t. I completed 5 or so contracts in the first 2, maybe 3 rounds. I finished with 6 contracts, which got me points for the most. I also mentioned all of my contracts had meat, which was one of the end round scorings. And finally, most of my contracts were of the rarest goods, which scores more than the other contracts of the other players. I won without having actions, or money, or land and that’s what I love about this game. Everything I thought was necessary for a viable strategy can be turned upside down. I love Clans of Caledonia.
5. Concordia Venus - 4 Plays – Another newer game to me and another game that was put on my radar by Shut Up and Sit Down. I don’t always agree with SUSD, but they’re so entertaining that I’ll watch everything, and I can usually tell if I’ll like a game whether they also like it or not. The next three games, they did not like very much. I feel like a broken record here, but Concordia delivers simple mechanics with strategic depth. The hand management is so awesome. You may want to hold on to cards until someone plays their Diplomat so they can’t copy your awesome card. But the awesome card is awesome and it’s always better to do something awesome than not do something awesome. I love that scoring doesn’t happen until the end. You think you’re doing well, but so does everyone else. I can’t wait to play the team version of this game, which is the reason I finally pulled the trigger. A euro game that is played in teams was so interesting. But I’m fine never playing the team game. I’ll play base Concordia any day. I love Concordia.
4. Root - 5 Plays – The theme probably could’ve been anything, but I’m so glad its woodland creatures. I have so much fun explaining this game. The capitalist cats rule over everything, they’re the power player, but no one likes them. The birds are the previous regime, built on order and honor looking to return to previous glory. The mice, rabbits and foxes hate both parties. They’re the common man, looking to rise up and take back the forest for themselves. The raccoon doesn’t give a crap about anyone. He’s only looking for personal prosperity and will help whoever will help him, one of the great board game characters of all time. The otters are merchants, looking to make a quick buck off the war. And finally the lizards, the cult, and a faction that is hard to win with but harder not to have fun with. This game is super asymmetric and that can be hard to learn and teach and strategize for. Most factions follow the same basic rules for movement, fighting and crafting though. Everyone has the same goal in mind. Get to 30 points. Now the 30 points is going to be achieved differently by every faction, but the real problem is knowing how quickly each factions can get points and knowing when to stop them. That’s why I think Root is best with the same group as much as possible. I would suggest switching factions each game, so that you learn what makes each tick. Five plays in and I’m now starting to see the strategy of each faction. Example, it’s not a benefit to attack the raccoon because you can’t get points by doing it, but you have to. Someone has to. Or he’s going to leapfrog to victory. The game requires the players to balance themselves, which is hard to do without multiple plays. I’m looking forward to playing this in my monthly Root group and discovering all that it has to otter, I mean offer. I love Root.
3. Terraforming Mars - 15 Plays – If I had a consensus ranking of my friends who have played games with me, I think Terraforming Mars would be number 1. No matter who I introduce it to, they love it instantly and have requested to play it again. I haven’t had it for very long and already have 15 plays. The game isn’t short either, which speaks to how well they like it because most people don’t want to play a three hour game. It doesn’t bother me, but I’m just saying most people. I did have to establish a “No Terraforming Mars after 10 PM” rule after we finished a game at 2:30 AM and I was waking up at 6 AM for work, and I still had dishes to do! The drafting is great for one distinct reason, you can hate draft and it doesn’t really hurt you. You keep the card from someone else, but you don’t have to buy it, you just discard it. Don’t tell me drafting is what prolongs the game either. It adds a few minutes every round sure, but everyone is handpicking their cards so their engines get going faster. I enjoy engine building and I enjoy drafting, so this hits home. It’s not without its flaws, but they’re fairly minor. The components are trash. I refused to play with the player boards. I had to order some wooden ones off Etsy before I was even willing to play. The expansions aren’t great, besides Prelude, Prelude is essential. The expansions are ok, but we rarely choose to play with them. We’re pretty much fine with the base game as it stands. It’s an elegant engine builder with as much interaction as your group decides it wants. I love Terraforming Mars.
2. Scythe - 29 Plays – MY FLAIR ISN’T NUMBER 1!? WHAT A FRAUD! Look, I picked my flair when I first found this sub and I haven’t changed it. It’s still my number two. I think some people lost some money here though. I had been in the hobby for like 3 or 4 months when I bought Scythe. I wanted a big box, hyped game to finally break out of my “gateway game” phase. I actually got this on Prime Day in 2017 when there was glitch and I got this, Pandemic Legacy and Splendor for $60 total. I was so excited when it came, I instantly set up a 5 player game night for Scythe. After that first play, I was hooked. The setting and art was beautiful. The components were supreme. This felt like a board gamer’s board game. Pieces on a map that could fight, but that’s a red herring. You have to remember the time period of this game is post war. The people are sick of war. The goal is to be the most prosperous, which comes with running a well-organized and popular country. Don’t ignore battles completely though, you still have to prepared for any threat or be ready to go after someone that’s about to make a big move. I understand this game isn’t for everyone. It can be slow to start. It looks like a straight up war game when it isn’t. I’ve played this game multiple times with someone who hates it and those experiences have been awful. Scythe is so much more enjoyable when everyone embraces the theme and mechanics. If someone doesn’t, then you can pretty much ignore them and that’s not going to be fun for anyone. I’d rather not play Scythe, than play it with someone who doesn’t like it and they think they’re doing me a favor, because I know how fun it can be when all players like it. I played the Fenris campaign with 3 friends and it was some of the best board gaming ever because of how into it we were. I have completely upgrade Scythe. Legendary box, Broken Token insert, realistic resources, metal coins, painted minis, and every expansion besides the modular board. To summarize, everything about Scythe is great to me. The art, the components, the action efficiency, the subtle interactions, the not so subtle interactions, the scoring, the theme, the campaign…it’s all great. I love Scythe.
1. Pandemic Legacy Season 1 - 16 Plays – We did it guys. My number one game is Pandemic Legacy Season 1. The best gaming experience I have ever had was playing through this with my cousins and one of my best friends. I stated earlier that I thought Pandemic was a near perfect design already, but now each game has changes and surprises and discovery. The twist had me out of my chair. That was such a cool moment. We went 12-4 in our 16 plays, but every game was close. Yea, the story is pretty linear. Every person gets the same story at the same point in time, but that doesn’t matter. I was engaged with the story. Each added element every month gave us something new to work with. We had some great “pulled that out of your butthole” moves after conversing for 15 minutes when what we should do finally just clicked. I shadowboxed my copy and I look at it every day and think about the special moments that came from it. I loved Pandemic Legacy Season 1.
That’s it. 100 games. I will be writing an epilogue of sorts soon. Thanks for reading.

Game Information

Game Title: Assassin's Creed Origins
Genre: Action-adventure, open world
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC
Media: E3 2017 World Premiere | E3 2017 Gameplay Trailer | E3 2017 Conference Presentation
E3 2017 Building an Empire UbiBlog | E3 2017 'Mysteries of Egypt' Trailer
Interview - Why Egypt is the Right Setting for Origins
Combat Breakdown | Story & Narrative
Gamescom 2017 Cinematic Trailer | 'Game of Power' Trailer
'Order of the Ancients' Trailer | 'Birth of the Brotherhood' Trailer
Stealth Gameplay
'Tales from the Tomb' Compilation
Post-Launch & Season Pass
'Legend of the Assassin' Launch Trailer
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal ^Info
Publisher: Ubisoft
Price: $59.99/£49.99/59,99€ (with micro-transactions)
Release Date: October 27, 2017
More Info: /assassinscreed | Wikipedia Page
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 84 [Cross-Platform] Current Score Distribution
MetaCritic - 81 [PS4]
MetaCritic - 85 [XB1]
MetaCritic - 84 [PC]
Organically arbitrary compilation of main games in the Assassin's Creed series -

Entry	Score (Platform, Year, # of Critics)
Assassin's Creed	81 (X360, 2007, 77 critics)
Assassin's Creed II	90 (X360, 2009, 82 critics)
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood	89 (X360, 2010, 81 critics)
Assassin's Creed: Revelations	80 (X360, 2011, 77 critics)
Assassin's Creed III	84 (X360, 2012, 61 critics)
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag	88 (PS3, 2013, 36 critics)
Assassin's Creed Rogue	72 (PS3, 2014, 53 critics)
Assassin's Creed Unity	72 (XB1, 2014, 59 critics)
Assassin's Creed Syndicate	76 (PS4, 2015, 86 critics)

Reviews

Website/Author	Aggregates' & Critic's Score	Quote	Platform
Kotaku - Kirk Hamilton	Unscored ~ Unscored	Assassin’s Creed Origins is ungainly and uneven, beautiful and frustrating, expansive and unexpectedly conservative. It won’t challenge the palate; rather, it is a prime example of video-game comfort food. It’s here to be slowly enjoyed, offering a seemingly endless supply of gorgeous locales and steadily-filling progress bars. If Ubisoft is a digital travel agency, Origins provides one of the most sweeping, enveloping destinations they’ve yet offered. Come for the beautiful recreation of ancient Egypt, stay for the beautiful recreation of ancient Egypt.
VG247 - Brenna Hillier	Unscored ~ Unscored	Assassin’s Creed Origins is not a dramatic departure from the formula as we last saw it, but manages to be much more fun and feel way more fresh than any entry since Brotherhood and Black Flag. It plays to the strengths of a genre Ubisoft helped bring into the mainstream, respects the player and their freedom, and allows them to beat up crocodiles. I’m into it.
Ars Technica - Daniel Starkey	Unscored ~ Unscored	A shining example of what exploration-based games can be, dropping many of its franchise's worst traits even while being sometimes held back by the mundane. Buy it.	PS4
AngryCentaurGaming - Jeremy Penter	Wait for Sale ~ Wait for Sale	This is actually a 'Wait for Sale'. Make no mistake, I loved a good deal of this game and travelling across this world is so frigging awesome-looking. Unfortunately, that's offset by a battle system that just wasn't as slick as say Zelda's, which I think it's trying to crib from, and the bugs that obviously got in the way. The game looks absolutely beautiful at times, but it does have a couple issues with pop-in and so forth. I think this is a title that, with a couple of patches, really could make me enjoy the part of the game that the game wants you to enjoy the most when it comes to change, and that is the battle. It just has some issues right now.
Eurogamer - Christian Donlan	Recommended ~ Recommended	Assassin's Creed returns and its vast and evocative Egypt inspires wonder - even if much in the game remains familiar.	PS4
GamesRadar+ - Louise Blain	100 ~ 5 / 5 stars	As beautiful as it is deadly, Origins' Egyptian playground is finally everything you wanted the Creed to be.
Saudi Gamer - سندس الخباز - Arabic	100 ~ 10 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins took an amazing new direction with a brand new story, new world, and new hero. The story is quite epic and it presents some of the most important historical events and characters in Egypt. I loved the variety of targets and how each boss has a complete different approach that changes the combat strategy and gameplay.	PS4
GameSpace - GameSpace	97 ~ 9.7 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins is a breathtaking sensorial odyssey. It is the MMO I have been waiting for without the MMO part and boy would my heart skip a beat if it were massively multiplayer online. Ubisoft has won a new superfan.	PC
SA Gamer - Garth Holden	95 ~ 9.5 / 10	Moving away from the industrial sausage machine to a bespoke creation oozing with attention to detail, history, love and satisfying combat, Ubisoft is back in the ring, ready to take on other open world contenders.	PS4
Oyungezer Online - Utku Çakır - Turkish	93 ~ 9.3 / 10	It's a magnificent restart for the Assassin's Creed franchise. Origins slowly but surely follows in the footsteps of The Witcher 3.	PS4
Forbes - Paul Tassi	93 ~ 9.25 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins improves from its past few installments in almost every way, yet it never quite reaches the heights of the games it tries to emulate.	PS4
Hobby Consolas - Álvaro Alonso - Spanish	92 ~ 92 / 100	Origins can pretty much be considered one of the best entries in the series (if not the best) for introducing a myriad of changes, all for the best, and making the series advance in the same way Assassin's Creed II did back in the day. Put it into a sarcophagus next to the pharaohs, because this game is worth of the Valley of the Kings.	XB1
IGN Middle East - Islam Ibrahim - Arabic	92 ~ 9.2 / 10	Ubisoft has promised that Assassin's Creed Origins will bring the series back to its roots, but it surpassed its roots. It provided amazing RPG system and led us to a journey we would never forget in Ancient Egypt.	PS4
Critical Hit - Noelle Adams	90 ~ 9 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins is a pharaoh's tomb chock-full of shiny treasures for gamers, especially those fascinated with Ancient Egypt. The side quests may feel a little repetitive, but the credible, nuanced characters and diversity of the main plot make up for it. And with so much to explore and do in its jaw-dropping setting, Origins is exceptional.	PS4
Gameblog - Julien Hubert - French	90 ~ 9 / 10	If Assassin's Creed Origins is not perfect, it perfectly understood what it had to do to regain the hearts of the players and fans of the series. In addition to delivering the mysterious and fascinating ancient Egypt on a silver plate, in an absolutely gigantic open world, full of activities and secrets to discover, it succeeds in transforming its gameplay by brilliantly integrating RPG elements and completely renewing, with no less talent, its combat system. It will literally absorbs you for dozens and dozens of hours. Assassin's Creed Origins succeeds in taking care of its fans and its fundamentals, while starting its own revolution. We can only hope that the next episodes will keep this momentum.	XB1
Digitally Downloaded - Matt Sainsbury	90 ~ 4.5 / 5 stars	This is the best game in the Assassin’s Creed series. That extra year of development time has really helped Ubisoft find its creative centre again, and craft something that feels both fresh and energised. I could take or leave the shifts in gameplay to make this more like the loot-grind RPG-likes that dominate blockbuster game development now, but when Ubisoft is playing so beautifully within a fascinating period of history, all I care about is how utterly engrossed I am with the storytelling.	PS4
IGN - Alanah Pearce	90 ~ 9 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins is a deep-dive into a truly stunning realization of ancient Egypt, with a rich series of cultures, genuine characters, and more mission variety than any other game in the series. The combat is challenging and thoughtful, and while the loot system doesn't match up to games like Destiny 2, there are enough different weapon types and enough enemy variety to keep you swapping between weapons, catered to the situation. The RPG elements encourage challenges of their own, and even despite a handful of bugs, I desperately wanted to keep playing.	PS4, XB1, PC
Game Revolution - Paul Tamburro	90 ~ 4.5 / 5 stars	The extra year of development time paid off and ensured that Assassin’s Creed Origins likely wouldn’t underwhelm its audience by repeating its past sins. Instead, it modernized itself by adopting a more open structure and intuitive set of controls and gameplay systems, effectively marking a new chapter in the franchise. It’s fitting that Origins showed the birth of the Assassin’s Creed while also indicating the much-needed rebirth of the Assassin’s Creed series.	XB1
Eurogamer Italy - Lorenzo Mancosu - Italian	90 ~ 9 / 10	Assassin’s Creed Origins is one of the best open-world action games of this generation. The setting is quite evocative, the plot is engaging and there are also good endgame activities. The Creed is reborn.	XB1
Press Start - Brodie Gibbons	90 ~ 9 / 10	I fell out of love with Assassin's Creed a long time ago, but Origins has recaptured the magic that made the series a powerhouse all those years ago. With its humble protagonist, whose outlook on life is clouded by relateable and crushing heartbreak, and a world so detail-rich, it's hard not to be floored by everything Origins manages to be. Assassin's Creed Origins is the definitive action-adventure game of the year. It's a wild power fantasy that satisfies not only a curious thirst for knowledge but both bloodlust and wanderlust to such lengths it's almost gluttonous.	PS4
IGN Spain - David Soriano - Spanish	90 ~ 9 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins manages to combine familiarity with revolution. Its RPG mechanics, new combat system and equiment management make you feel a fresh enough experience. The map is huge, beautiful and detailed, supported by an outstanding artistic direction. Unfortunately, the narrative fails to captivate us to make it closer to perfection.	XB1
EGM - Ray Carsillo	90 ~ 9 / 10	Assassin's Creed: Origins delivers a robust experience that mixes up the traditional Assassin's Creed formula in a way that's fresh and fun to play—but which also harkens back to the series' roots in some welcome ways, too. It marks an evolution fans might not have even known they were waiting for, delivering one of the best overall experiences we've seen yet from the series.	PS4
Twinfinite - Ishmael Romero	90 ~ 4.5 / 5	What we have here is a game that is more than it seems. Origins is a fitting title because there are a lot of beginnings to witness, many of which will pique the interest of lore aficionados.	PS4
Cheat Code Central - Sean Engemann	90 ~ 4.5 / 5 stars	Assassin’s Creed is one the greatest action-adventure franchises out there, though its hidden blades have been dulled of late from overexposure. After its brief sabbatical, Assassin’s Creed: Origins enters the arena glistening in the Egyptian sun with quality and quantity. Whether you’re a devout member of the Creed, someone who’s fallen off the hay wagon, or even a prospective new member of the Brotherhood, this is the time to dig your blade deep into a succulent new Assassin’s Creed.
We Got This Covered - Jon Hueber	90 ~ 4.5 / 5 stars	Assassin's Creed Origins is a triumph, taking the series back to the beginning and allowing players to partake in the genesis of the war between the Templars and the Brotherhood of Assassins.	PS4
GameSkinny - Sergey_3847	90 ~ 9 / 10 stars	Assassin's Creed: Origins takes all the best elements of the action-RPG genre, and gives you a complete freedom to use them all in the gorgeous setting of the Ancient Egypt.	PC
Gamestar - Dimitry Halley - German	89 ~ 89 / 100	Although Assassin's Creed: Origins doesn't overcome the Ubisoft-formula, it perfects it into an excellent open-world adventure.	PC
Pure Playstation - Kyle Durant	88 ~ 8.8 / 10	Ubisoft needed to recapture the magic that made the series great in the first place, and it seems it has done so. It's just all the quintessential problems within said magic tag along for the ride.	PS4
GamePro - Linda Sprenger - German	88 ~ 88 / 100	Assassin's Creed: Origins is formulated, but because of the great story and the motivating RPG system it is the best part in a long time.	PS4
Areajugones - Christian López - Spanish	87 ~ 8.7 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins performs remarkably in every aspect and shows a final and finished product, leaving behind the ghosts that had this franchise. It's a title that every fan of the series should play, because it correctly maintains the essence and implements fresh and fun elements to the series. To sum up, Assassin's Creed Origins is the renewal that the saga needed.	PS4
Atomix - Pamela Lima - Spanish	87 ~ 87 / 100	Besides some minor technical and A.I. issues, Assassin's Creed Origins merges up as an astonishing, dynamic world where Bayek begins the history of the franchise. It surely represents a great way to celebrate 10 years of Assassin's Creed and a redemption chance for Ubisoft as a developer.	PS4
COGconnected - Erin Soares	86 ~ 86 / 100	If you’ve been a fan of the series since the very beginning, let your faith in the series be restored, because Assassin’s Creed Origins is definitely the best title to come out of the popular series in a long time, if not ever. While there are still a few issues to be found within the game, the majority of problems found within the last few iterations in the Assassin’s Creed series have been replaced with nothing but beauty and adventure. Ubisoft has brought us a not only a captivating story in the perfect setting of Ancient Egypt but also a graphical masterpiece that is nothing short of breathtaking.	PS4
DualShockers - Noah Buttner	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin’s Creed: Origins may not be as revolutionary of a release in the open-world, action adventure RPG genre as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it does provide an expansive single-player experience, filled with hours of memorable content without having to purchase anything extra. Assassin’s Creed: Origins is the most memorable entry in the series in years, answering age-old questions like “why are assassins missing their ring fingers?” and is an excellent game to start with if you’re a newcomer. While the story wasn’t consistent in quality throughout the entire game — and I didn’t know what was going on or what the stakes were at times — it culminates in a payoff that any fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise will nerd out about for a long time.	XB1
Game Informer - Suriel Vazquez	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Expanded progression, open-world freedom, and a fascinating backdrop make for an enticing origin story.	XB1
Spaziogames - Yuri Polverino - Italian	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins is a beautiful open world action-adventure game, a real reborn for the Ubisoft saga made possible by a fresh new combat and quest system. The story is passionate and the character of Aya is very cool. Perhaps the game is not perfect and had some trouble of game design, but we can surely say that is very good and a perfect way to follow for the next chapter.
PlayStation LifeStyle - Ahmed Mohamed	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin’s Creed Origins blew my expectations away in so many areas, but there’s still something missing that made the likes of Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood so special. However, this is most definitely the best title since then, and one that I’ll be jumping back into very soon. The new combat system makes for some incredibly satisfying moments, while the design of the world is only matched by the likes of The Witcher III. Ubisoft Montreal can be proud knowing that they’ve delivered a level of AAA-production that likely won’t be seen again until Cyberpunk 2077 rolls around, but there’s just that last leap of faith that needs to be made to once again deliver a generation defining game.	PS4
SegmentNext - Omar Majeed	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin’s Creed Origins is a step forward but not a complete overhaul of the franchise.
Polygon - Colin Campbell	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	In essence, Assassin’s Creed Origins is much the same game as the original Assassin’s Creed, which came out a decade ago. It’s a formula that people like to play, and it’s certainly been honed and improved over the years. Origins is, then, undoubtedly the best iteration of this formula yet. But I yearn for a fresh approach and new ideas, something that astounds the senses as much as the wondrous world this game inhabits.	XB1
IGN Italy - Gianluca Loggio - Italian	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	A new beginning for Assassin's Creed, with a lot of new elements. Not a perfect game, but a good open world with marvellous locations.	PS4
GearNuke - Khurram Imtiaz	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins manages to rejuvenate the series with a solid foundation built on a fun combat system.	PS4
GamingTrend - Hunter Wolfe	85 ~ 85 / 100	Assassin's Creed: Origins is as much a departure as it is a homecoming. Revamped combat mechanics defibrillate the series with much-needed challenge. The guided open-world design encourages and rewards exploration unlike any Assassin's Creed game before it, and takes place in one of the series’ most memorable settings. But at the end of the day, and despite some growing pains, Origins is a culmination of the best aspects of the series. And for that, some hiccups in the transition to full-fledged RPG are a fair trade.	XB1
Stevivor - Jay Ball	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	The best in the series, by far.	PS4
Player.One - Zulai Serrano	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins is a much-needed reboot for the franchise. Its massive areas to explore not only look better than ever, but will keep you entertained for for a long time.
Reno Gazette-Journal - Jaosn Hidalgo	85 ~ 8.5 / 10	Assassin’s Creed returns with a polished take on the franchise’s mechanics as well as stunning visuals and vistas that will make you feel like a virtual tourist of Ancient Egypt. The gameplay itself doesn’t stray much from the classic formula, which can be good or bad depending on your view of the series’ gameplay. Improved combat, however, combined with a nicely crafted world and an intriguing protagonist make Assassin’s Creed Origins a worthy entry in the long-standing franchise.	XB1
PC Gamer - Christopher Livingston	84 ~ 84 / 100	A brilliant setting, new systems, and familiar features blend together for a strong prequel to the Assassin's Creed series.	PC
TheSixthAxis - Gareth Chadwick	80 ~ 8 / 10	After taking a year off, Assassin's Creed is going through a transitional period and taking players back to the very founding of the Brotherhood in Ancient Egypt is symbolic of that. The vast new setting, the improved combat system and moving the series towards being a real action RPG have injected this series with a new life.	PS4
Gaming Nexus - Randy Kalista	80 ~ 8 / 10	Origins was worth taking the year off. Egypt will be hard to top as a location. The series' dry, ironic, corporate sense of humor is still dull. But nobody can beat Assassin's Creed's architectural history lessons, even if you're still just stabbing folks and jumping out the window while you're sightseeing the entire timeline.	PS4
GamingBolt - Pramath	80 ~ 8 / 10	Almost at the cusp of true greatness, but not quite there, Assassin's Creed Origins is nonetheless a rousing adventure that truly manages to reverse the franchise's momentum after the double whammy of Unity and Syndicate.	PS4
Hardcore Gamer - Adam Beck	80 ~ 4 / 5	The extra year of development has helped Assassin's Creed as a whole, as Origins is the next level for the series.	XB1
Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus	80 ~ 8 / 10	Assassin's Creed: Origins manages to be both experimental and safe. It tries a lot of new things, but it never ventures too far from the Assassin's Creed formula. There's a lot of potential in Origins, and it'll be exciting to see how the new features evolve in future games. Fans of Assassin's Creed should find a lot to like, and it may be time to revisit the battle between the Assassins and the Templars.	PS4
Gadgets 360 - Rishi Alwani	80 ~ 8 / 10	All in all, there's more than enough to give Assassin's Creed Origins a go. Revamped combat, a fantastic representation of ancient Egypt, and a world crammed with things to do, Assassin's Creed Origins is a return to form of the franchise that has us optimistic on what to expect next.	PS4
TrustedReviews - Jordan King	80 ~ 4 / 5 stars	Assassin’s Creed Origins is the revitalisation I was desperately hoping for. My cautious optimism has been rewarded by an excellent open-world adventure that could lead to an exciting future for Ubisoft’s blockbuster franchise. While it lifts its finer ideas from other open-world titles, it executes them well enough to form a whole that entertained me for hours and hours. It’s a shame the narrative eventually jumps the shark, or this could have been something truly special.
Destructoid - Chris Carter	80 ~ 8 / 10	I was really torn in assessing Assassin's Creed Origins, as it hits several of the same lows as the rest of the series, with its sometimes uneven mission structure and janky physics. But given that they now have the formula down to a science and didn't rush it out the door, all of that is a little easier to deal with than its predecessors. It was a big risk trying so many new things at once, but it worked, and the setting carries it.	PS4
Shacknews - Chris Jarrard	80 ~ 8 / 10	ACO has almost everything going against it, and somehow managed to win me over. Just moving along in the game world is rewarding on its own.	PC
Attack of the Fanboy - William Schwartz	80 ~ 4 / 5 stars	Not completely back to the drawing board, Ubisoft takes some of their better old ideas and blends them with new ones to make one of the best Assassin's Creed games to date in Assassin's Creed Origins.	XB1
Leadergamer - Alper Dalan - Turkish	80 ~ 8 / 10	That's how you surpass your roots.	PC
VideoGamer - Alice Bell	80 ~ 8 / 10	Assassin's Creed Origins has vastly improved combat and an astoundingly beautiful world to explore, but it felt a little afraid of going all in with its new direction.	PS4
TrueGaming - خالد العيسى - Arabic	75 ~ 7.5 / 10	Assassin's Creed: Origins is a good gaming experience with a lot of content but the story failed to impress, and while the game changed a lot of thing, it didn't bring anything new for the open world genre.	PS4
GameZone - Daniel R. Miller	75 ~ 7.5 / 10	Assassin’s Creed: Origins is truly unique compared to its predecessors, though as an Action RPG, it replicates many of the same mechanics you will find in its contemporaries. Regardless, it is a lovingly crafted world worth exploring.	PS4
CGMagazine - Cole Watson	75 ~ 7.5 / 10	Assassin’s Creed Origins brings Ancient Egypt back to life with the best sandbox world Ubisoft has made to date. However, a half-baked combat system and poor RPG mechanics sour parts of the experience.	PS4
GamesBeat - Stephanie Chan	75 ~ 75 / 100	Assassin’s Creed: Origins offers a rich world and a compelling story at first, but it’s waylaid in part by the repetitive side quests and a weaker second half. If you’re hoping to learn more about the Animus and Abstergo, then you’ll be disappointed because you’ll spend most of the game in ancient Egypt. But if you just wanted to show up and kill some dudes while touring the pyramids and gawking at the splendor of Alexandria at the height of its glory, then you’ll come away satisfied.	PC
New Game Network - Alex Varankou	73 ~ 73 / 100	Assassin's Creed Origins does enough things differently to warrant a look, but there is still something left to be desired. It's a lengthy game in a huge and varied open world that provides a foundation for what's to come, but it doesn't quite offer the breakthrough that the series was probably looking for.	XB1
Easy Allies - Michael Huber	70 ~ 3.5 / 5 stars	Assassin’s Creed Origins isn’t the reinvention of the prolific franchise that many had hoped for. Instead, it refines the formula put in place a decade ago while telling an important story about the Assassins. Ancient Egypt is a compelling playground to explore, and the RPG elements make it easy to stay engaged. If you love the franchise, Origins is an easy recommendation. Just don’t except much change. Written	XB1
GameSpot - Alessandro Fillari	70 ~ 7 / 10	In charting out a new storyline and the largest setting for the series yet, Assassin's Creed Origins makes a few stumbles along the way.	PS4, XB1, PC
Paste Magazine - Garrett Martin	70 ~ 7 / 10	Like real life, this game will overwhelm you. The key is to find your own way through it as best as you can, whether it's beelining straight to the next key milestone or taking the time to wander and discover both your neighbors and yourself. It's a familiar adventure, but not a forgettable one.
Slant Magazine - Justin Clark	70 ~ 4.5 / 5 stars	Assassin’s Creed has been reinvented, and while Origins doesn’t necessarily push the envelope, it does set a strong stage upon which future titles are better equipped to do so than its predecessors ever were.	PS4
M3 - Viktor Eriksson - Swedish	70 ~ 7 / 10	With Origins Assassin's Creed is better looking and bigger than ever, but the series still has a long way to go in things like story telling and mission design.	PS4
PC World - Hayden Dingman	70 ~ 7 / 10	There’s a wondrous world to discover (or at least a wonderful Egypt), an enormous sandbox with plenty of forward-thinking systems to build upon. Now Ubisoft just needs to find a protagonist to make the next journey worth it.	PC
RPG Site - Kazuma Hashimoto	60 ~ 6 / 10	Embracing a more RPG approach, Origins's engrossing open world experience is marred by persistent glitches and a narrative that suffers from poor pacing.	PS4
Digital Trends - Mike Epstein	60 ~ 3 / 5 stars	Assassin’s Creed Origins is what happens when you make a game without a vision for how players are supposed to engage with it. So many of the changes made to the game feel as if they were made in a vacuum, without a question as to whether they make sense together in the context of a long-running series. Not all games need loot. Not all games need RPG mechanics. As this franchise turns the corner into a new chapter of its never-ending tale, its developers would be wise to keep in mind (and pay a certain reverence) to what made the series special in the first place. While Origins keeps alive its narrative, the series’ most important component, there are certain mechanical elements of the series that deserve the same unequivocal respect.
Metro GameCentral - GameCentral	60 ~ 6 / 10	A missed opportunity to reinvent the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which offers only incremental improvement and too many old problems.	PS4