2/5 ★ – Syrup's review of Assassin's Creed: Origins.

I started Assassin’s Creed Origins in December 2017 after getting it for Christmas. I had been hyped for it after really enjoying Syndicate, and I was excited to dive into something new. The soundtrack was decent but nothing I really remember. The real standout was the Egypt setting—I loved the desert vibe, the architecture, the whole aesthetic. Out of the three AC games I’ve played, this had my favorite environment by far. The difficulty was balanced just right, and while it got a little boring sometimes, it never felt unfair. The story was solid… until the ending. That ending killed the whole thing for me. I hated it so much that I just shut the game off and never went back. I was considering going for 100%, but after that, I didn’t even want to look at it again. It sucks, because up until then I genuinely enjoyed the game, but the way it wrapped up dragged the whole experience down for me. Still, that time in my life was something I remember fondly. I had been really wanting Origins and GTA V, and even though my parents weren’t doing great financially, they still made sure we had a good Christmas. That made the gift mean even more to me. We spent the holiday in New York, and the night I got ACO I played it all the way till morning. Those feelings—staying up on Christmas night, lost in a new game—those were special. Bad ending, great memories.