The Acolyte Podcast

Usually, an IP will tell you what tone it should be. An Assassins' Creed story based on its DNA, I would think, should always be serious with moments sprinkled throughout that can be more light-hearted, funny, etc. Seems as if the franchise has lost sight of this for a while now and it can really make for an awkward playing experience. In this Hot Takes episode, I explain why the games and stories of Assassin's Creed should have a more serious tone. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more (random) Hot Takes!-The Hooded Shadow

The "Assassin's Creed" franchise has amassed over 230 million in sales since 2007, making it the seventh highest selling video game franchise of all time. That is a fact. What also cannot be disputed is that the teams have been chasing the individual success of the two games that have really carried the franchise. Replicating their success both critically and commercially, with maybe 1 and a half exceptions, has proven to be too tall a task for the teams to achieve. In this episode, I have a discussion as to why this is so I hope that you enjoy! -The Hooded Shadow

Many of the recent titles have featured an archetype character instead of an Assassin and therefore, no longer needs to be called Assassin's Creed. So I propose Archetype's Creed after playing as a Greek mercenary, a Viking warrior, and in the same game a Shinobi and Samurai. It seems the Assassins are no longer needed or priotitized in this series about Assassins. So in this episode, I explain why this has taken place and lament the lack of interest in playing as a Brotherhood Assassin by the broader video game audience. Thanks for listening!-The Hooded Shadow

The sworn enemy of any Assassin is the Templars and in 2014 we were sold a game that promised a Templar narrative but served as a poor attempt at being one. You mostly were a hybrid between a Templar and an Assassin. So to go full Templar would be interesting and in this episode, I give my thoughts on that idea. Thanks for listening!-The Hooded Shadow

No hyperbole here...Here's a fun little series of "Hot Takes" that I would love to share with you. These episodes will be released randomly and are just for fun, so I hope you enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

As I revisit more of the Sanctuary Assassins, Amunet is the next one up. Truth be told, I love her character and what we've gotten thus far in the lore and wouldn't oppose seeing one more core story about her time setting up the Hidden Ones in Rome. Stay tuned for the last two Sanctuary Assassins still to be revisited; episodes in September and November. Thanks for listening!-The Hooded Shadow

Now that we have finally entered the era of remakes for older Assassin's Creed titles, the next remake should be a no brainer. So in this episode, I discuss the parameters of a remake of the original game from 2007 and add some additional ideas that could make it an even greater experience. Just a side note, I don't know when I'll do my review of Black Flag Resynced as I'm not too hyped for it but I will likely have one by the end of the year of Season 3. Thanks for listening!-The Hooded Shadow

Back when we were running across the rooftops of Venice, or assassinating Templars in the Crusades, that it was inevitable the Feudal Era of Japan would make an appearance in an Assassin's Creed game at some point. When we finally got the announcement it was happening though, I felt a bit of skepticism after I learned the Odyssey team would be developing it. And despite what personal opinions are for millions of players, this attempt at Feudal Japan was a disappointment. I discuss why that is in this episode, so I hope that you enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

In this continuation of the Unique Ideas series, I discuss some ideas that, in my opinion, would be fun to see and enhance the Assassin's Creed experience for many players. Stay tuned for more Unique Ideas episodes later this year! Thanks for listening.-The Hooded Shadow

"The Emperor's Bane" is the next episode in my Sanctuary Assassin series! In this one, we focus on Chinese warrior Wei Yu who kills the first unifier of China, Qin Shi Huang, and recieved a statue in the sanctuary. I cap off the episode with my own ficitonal experience that would identify Wei Yu as an important figure for the Brotherhood. The next episode in this series will be released in July and will focus on Amunet. Please enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

The "Hidden Blade" is one of the core identifiers of an Assassin and the hidden wristblade's main use is for the assassination of their target. However, in some of the games, we have seen the hidden blade be a middling but effective option for combat but, those games were a long time ago. So in this continuation of the Unique Ideas series, I talk about true hidden blade combat and how cool it actually could be if implemented properly in a future experience. Please enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

Well, it's about damn time that the worst kept secret in gaming was finally revealed. Truth be told, it looks very good, so here are my honest thoughts about the reveal of the remake to a beloved entry and many gamers' favorite Assassin's Creed experience. It looks as if Black Flag Resynced is going to be an insanely good remake of the original. Please enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

Remember back to Assassin's Creed 2's Truth puzzles that, when pieced together, revealed the insane Isu lore of the rebellion of the humans vs their creators (such cool stuff by the way...). And as time marched forward, we were given more and more tidbits through different projects concerning this fascinating period of time. Well, it's not really important to the teams anymore as unfortunately the love and care for this uniquely sci-fi element of the franchise that enhances their world building has largely been neglected since then. So in this episode, I give a detailed idea of the kind of...

"Shadow of the Empire."The next episode of the Sanctuary Assassin series for Season 3 is here! Iltani, the Babylonian Assassin recieved a statue under the Villa Auditore because of her role in the assassination of one of history's greatest generals, Alexander The Great. In this episode, I give my own fictional version of her story and the reason why she is one of the greatest and most influential Assassins ever. Please enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

King Kong vs Godzilla? I'm actually more interested in Hidden Ones vs. Assassins and in this episode, I explore the etymolgy of both groups and their respective names, I breakdown the purpose for the name change from Assassins to Hidden Ones, and why I actually prefer the term of "Hidden One" more so than "Assassin." Stay tuned for more great episodes coming throughout the year. Please enjoy!-The Hooded Shadow

One of the great things about entertainment is that you can like whatever your heart and soul fancies. Even if something isn't widely popular, even if you happen to like it, is ok. This has been a feeling I've had about Assassin's Creed over the last 10 years or so. But as I take a new perspective on the franchise (with the help of Ubisoft's terrible management), and compare the games to others in its genre, I came to the conclusion that Ubisoft is falling behind in many ways. So many games on the AAA level are much better, and I...

For almost 17 years, Ezio Auditore has been the face of the franchise, meaning he is the most recognizable character in the gaming zeitgeist from Assassin's Creed. When you think Assassin's Creed, you think of Ezio and for the most part, every other character was largely forgotten about after the launch of the next game. But now we have had several appearances from Basim and even though he doesn't compare to Ezio, Basim has been firmly established as a fleshed out character and has the potential to continue to be with a few more *possible* stories. So in this episode, I...

Hello there and welcome to the special series for Season 3. This year, I'm going to have an episode talking about each Sanctuary Assassin located under the Villa Auditore from Assassin's Creed 2. These characters have always fascinated me and I've very much wanted to see games or experiences featuring them. Each episode will be dedicated to one of these Assassins and will release bi-monthly throughout the current season. So sharpen your blades and keep an eagle eye on the rest of the episodes. Thanks for listening!-The Hooded Shadow

It's been a crazy journey with Shadows since launch. I'm completely miffed by how this game pretends to be an Assassin's Creed game (up to my standards), but I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised by it considering Shadows was developed by the Quebec studio team. That being said, I just thought with Shadows ushering in a new era of Assassin's Creed, that it would be a great Assassin game, let alone a good game. But here we are. I am "Revisiting" Shadows one more time before I close the book on my least favorite A.C. game.<...

As is tradition, the end of the year brings discussions on many gamers' Game of the Year. For this podcast, I put my own spin on it and give my FGOTY, otherwise known as Favorite Game of the Year. This is a game that I have completed a playthrough of, in the current year, but doesn't have to be released in said year. So, I want to nominate 2016's Watch_Dogs 2. Developed and published by Ubisoft, the Watch_Dogs franchise brought a unique spin to the open world genre where the player can hack digital items (such as phones and...