The Acolyte Podcast

In this episode of "Revisited: Assassin's Creed," I am going back through the black sheep of the family. Assassin's Creed Rogue continues the design formula of AC3 and Black Flag and gives a setting in the Seven Years War in Canada and the northeastern United States. I have a very volatile relationship with this game, so please check out the episode to find out why! -The Hooded Shadow

We see Adewale ' appear in a few experiences throughout the "Colonial Era" of games and he is eligible for this list because of Freedom Cry . And I immensely enjoy his character but sadly we don't get a lot from him throughout these experiences. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Part 3 of my review of Assassin's Creed Shadows . In this final review episode, I give my final thoughts about the game and give my ranking of the newest entry into this long-standing franchise. Please check out Part 1-Narrative and Part 2-Gameplay if you would like. Thanks for listening! -The Hooded Shadow

Here is Part 2 of my review of  Assassin's Creed Shadows and in this episode, I will be discussing my thoughts about different aspects of the gameplay. Part 3 will be released next week and will reveal my final thoughts and Tier Ranking. Also, Part 1 is out now! -The Hooded Shadow

Here it is...my review of the newest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise, is a 3 part review and will be released sequentially over the next couple of weeks. Part 1 is all about the narrative! Please enjoy and stay tuned for the other episodes on Assassin's Creed Shadows . -The Hooded Shadow

In this episode of "Revisited: Assassin's Creed" I'm giving another look at one of the most popular games in the franchise. My original Tier Ranking episode of Black Flag states that I think this is an amazing pirate game but just an ok Assassin's Creed game. I still feel that way but I give a bit more nuance here. Also, this is a good time to revisit with the rumored remake being revealed later t...

A brand new game from Chinese developer 24 Entertainment and NetEase just released a trailer for "Blood Message" and it has taken the video game world by storm. Interestingly enough though, the game looks like it takes all the best parts of games like Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, and God of War and brings them together to create what is seemingly an amalgamation of all the best of what they offer.

Welcome back to the ongoing "Unique Ideas" series. For the first appearance in Season 2, I want to give some love to the most iconic weapon for any Assassin , the hidden blade . For their need of giving players the autonomy of open ended play styles and builds but not allowing customization of the hidden blade is asinine. So, I decided to give my two cents on a "unique" way to achieve this while k...

Making his first appearance in  Assassin's Creed III,  we get to meet the father of main protagonist Connor and son of  Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's  Edward Kenway.  In the prologue section of  ACIII,  you get to take control of  Haytham  for a few hours. While oozing charm, charisma, and badassness, Haytham just  barely eeks into my Top 10 of favorite characters for reasons that aren't his f...

The Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, despite how relatively unknown a time period it is, was actually a very pivotal time in the history of the world. It has been said that this era was the progenitor to modern capitalism because the Dutch were a viable world power, that for a time, was competing with other major superpowers like France and England in economics, military, etc. In a way, this...

In this next episode of my "Revisited: Assassin's Creed" series, I discuss the game that really changed the game for the brand in a lot of ways. This game is also where my entry point into the franchise is. But all in all, Assassin's Creed 3 is a polarizing game and one that leaves it's mark. Thanks for listening! -The Hooded Shadow

The Red Dead series is very special to me. Not only does it feature my favorite time period in history but both games have a narrative that has stuck with me to this day. In this episode, I discuss if there will be another game in this franchise and what years it might be set in. Also, the first game, Red Dead Redemption is now 15 years old this month and I want to give love to these games that ha...

Connor's spot amongst favorite characters always leads to heated discussions and opinions. And while he is far from the best character, he certainly isn't close to being the worst. I understand his motivations and I appreciate his convictions. Here is my episode ranking Connor Kenway.

Both World Wars were a very pivotal time in shaping the world in the early 20th century. This setting has also been done countless times throughout all forms of entertainment, most notably, movies and video games in the since the turn of the century. This era has been a somewhat highly requested setting for Assassin's Creed  fans for many years and I don't think it makes for a good setting in a ma...

Revelations is an incredible experience. The culmination of Ezio's story. The finality of Altair's journey. The setting. The music. The best weapon introduced in any game ever, the hookblade. Assassin's Creed Revelations may be some people's least favorite Ezio adventure and despite this, however, it has recieved a lot more love in recent years. This final chapter of Ezio's  story provides an expe...

One of the coolest secrets you can find in  Assassin's Creed Syndicate  is a Rift that transports you forward about 50 years to World War 1 era London. Here,  Lydia Frye  is introduced. And while she is amazing for the time you play as her, it is very short-lived, unfortunately.

One half of the "Frye Twins." Leader of the Rooks. The main star of  Assassin's Creed Syndicate . One of my least favorite characters, Jacob Frye.

Back in 2017, it was announced that Netflix was going to make an  Assassin's Creed  series for it's streaming service. It was announced again in 2020 that they could make any live-action, animated, or anime project for their platform. Then, in 2022, this partenrship was once again announced with a showrunner in place. Close to 3 years since, we haven't heard a peep about the status of the series u...

Howdy partner! An  Assassin's Creed game set in the Wild West is surely an interesting prospect. Even though there was an in-game teaser email (found in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag ) regarding this possible time period, we have yet to see this franchise tackle the Wild West setting. And after many years of surveys and comments for this time period being highly requested by many fans, I don't b...

Welcome to the "Revisited Series!" In this series, I am going back through each mainline Assassin's Creed game and "revisiting" them (see what I did there...). After ranking the games in Season 1, I made more bite size episodes about each game to bring closure to my thoughts about them. I appreciate you listening! - The Hooded Shadow

We finally made it...and what a journey it has been. Finally, we are getting the setting that has been atop most fan's wishlist and the one I've been waiting to immerse myself in an Assassin's Creed game for more than a decade. Here are my pre-release thoughts and musings on how I feel about  Shadows  right before it launches. Thanks for listening! -The Hooded Shadow

In this "Revisited Series " episode, we are looking back at one of the most beloved games in the franchise. It is often referred to as the best Assasssin's Creed  game ever and it is a shining star amongst its peers within the games industry. The game that solidified the franchise as a beheamoth and one that is here to stay; in this episode I am revisiting Assassin's Creed II.  Each "Revisited Ser...

After striking a deal with a Saudi backed investor "Savvy Games Group," it looks as if Ubisoft will create a DLC for  Assassin's Creed Mirage after all. We may see it sooner rather than later. Furthermore, what stories are they going to potentially tell? I explore three interesting ideas in this episode. Please enjoy! - The Hooded Shadow

Eivor is the main character of  Assassin's Creed Valhalla. She is a character who suffers from the design principle of wanting the players to have a defined character versus having freedom of dialogue choices; and in addition, the structure of the story does Eivor no favors in shaping her character. Lastly, spending hundreds of hours with her gets boring really fast. Here's my ranking and please e...