Tough Decisions
I usually let myself pick up two new games a month, some months that’s an easy decision. Sometimes, three games I’d easily enjoy for dozens of hours come out within just days of each other, and that decision is a lot harder.
Recently, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Atelier Yumia, and Xenoblade Chronicles X were released, and I want to play them all. I haven’t bought any new games this month so I could grab 2 out 3, but buying 2 huge 40+ hour games at the same time is a recipe for me not being able to finish either.
I’ve got history with each of these series, which makes weighing which one I’m most interested in even more difficult. But when time is limited, and there’s plenty of good games to play, weighing these pros and cons is just part of being a gamer.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
This is a series I’ve had a bit of an on again off again relationship with. I dabbled with the early entries, enjoying the second and third games a fair bit. I was pretty new to stealth games, and the series felt novel and fun. I played a bit of Unity, but I skipped most of the entries after 2/3 until I got to Odyssey.
I really enjoyed my time with this entry, enjoying the open world, the improved combat and stealth, and the setting. Eventually, how bloated the open world was began to wear on me, but that was across dozens of hours that I certainly enjoyed. Valhall didn’t grip me quite as much, and I fell off that game a lot sooner.
Shadows seems like a bit of a departure and return to form, with combat and stealth being split up between dual protagonist, allowing you to choose a more specific playstyle. The open world seems to be a bit more focused, even if it’s not anything groundbreaking. I think overall it looks pretty good, and I’m sure I’d enjoy my time, especially since it’s set in Japan, where I currently live.
Now, this game has also been a controversy magnet, and seems to be a bit of an inflection point for Ubisoft as a studio. From that angle, I’m certainly interested in playing it for myself to see what all the fuss is about. Then again, black people in video games don't upset me, so I’m pretty sure I already know where I land on it.
Atelier Yumia
This is the franchise I have the longest history with, stretching back all the way to my childhood. The first (localized) games were back in 2005, though I couldn’t tell you which entry I started with. Starting from Atelier Iris, I’ve played 19(?) different games in the series, though some I’ve certainly played and enjoyed more than others.
This is the newest entry in what will likely be a new trilogy, making this an easy game to pick up since it stands all on its own. I played the demo, and the new open world formula I could see wearing on me, but the core gameplay loop seems strong enough to carry a more repetitive formula.
As a quick note on open world games, since all three releases are open world, or at least pretty close to it. I generally think every open world game becomes repetitive, especially since open world by design is meant to be big, and full of content. Elden Ring, one of my favorite games, became a bit stale by hour 80, it seems basically inevitable.
What makes an open world game work for me, is enough variety to keep things fresh as long as possible, and a good core gameplay loop. If I like what I’m doing enough, I can certainly keep doing it a lot longer. Progression is also important, since if I don’t feel like what I’m doing is actually worthwhile, I have even less motivation to do it.
Tangents aside, I’m sure I’d enjoy this game. I love the synthesis system in Atelier games, and I thought this game seemed to have a more unique tone that I haven’t really seen in other games in the series. I’m sure I’ll get to this eventually, the question is should that be now or later?
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade is theoretically a newer series, though if you trace it’s roots all the way back to Xenogears, it’s almost as old and storied as the Atelier franchise, though with far fewer entries. This gem of a game was originally released on the WiiU, and is finally getting a well deserved definitive edition available for Switch.
I played and finished the original game, enjoying it quite a lot, more so than the first Xenoblade Chronicles game. I was also struggling to justify having bought a WiiU, so a meaty 80 hour RPG was quite the gift.
Now, despite remembering my time with it fondly, I really don’t remember what happens. I vaguely remember the premise, but not the conflict, or really any of the characters. It seemed somewhat MMO-like in that I feel like I was just there for the gameplay, but the gameplay, while surely satisfying, probably went in one ear and out the other.
It’s weird to have memory holed a game, usually my memory for games is better than it has any right to be. Sometimes entries blend together for games that have a lot of entries, but every other Xenoblade game I can remember decently well, so it’s weird to have very little to draw on for this game.
The Verdict
So, where does this leave me? Well, each game I’m sure I would enjoy, they all have great value, and I have a history with each franchise. I also have games that I own and have never finished for each franchise.
In the days before any of these games were released, I dipped back into a different Atelier game, Atelier Sophie 2, which I released I played precious little of. While there’s always new interesting games coming out, there’s also plenty of interesting games in my backlog, and those I’ve already paid for.
It’s definitely a bit of a cop out to avoid a decision on which new release to buy, but it’s also the cheaper option. Those games aren’t going anywhere, and while I do feel a bit of FOMO, I’m sure there will also be sales before long, and those games will still be plenty of fun to play when the time comes.
On the other hand, I’m not immune to impulse purchases, and if I ever feel my interest wane, I might find myself tempted to run out and grab one of these. You never know how things will shift, but the one constant is that it’s never an easy decision to choose which game you give both you time, and your money.
