The Acolyte Podcast

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...

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...

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 an...

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 actu...

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...

"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...

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...

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...

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...

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 throug...

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 a...

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, t...

Recently, Assassin's Creed Mirage got an update that stated a total of 10 million+ players have played this game. As an attempt to return to form, or a "back to the roots" if you will, it has been a well recieved entry from many core Assassin's Creed fans and the numbers (along with the help of massive updates) proves this. So, as I revisit Mirage once more, I look fondly upon a game that does tru...

Who's better than the legend himself? Ezio Auditore da Firenze is my number one favorite character in the franchise and narrowly edges past Bayek for that distinction. I don't have to explain anything about Ezio, so enjoy!! -The Hooded Shadow

For almost 30 years, Lara Croft has been a mainstay in the video games zeitgeist. She is one of the few recognizable female characters, and a badass one at that, that has had so many unforgettable globe-trotting adventures. My introduction to the Tomb Raider series started with 2018's Shadow of the Tomb Raider and a few years later I played 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider. Each game ended up having...

As a passionate history nerd, the Viking Age fascinates me greatly. So when it was announced in 2020 that the newest game would be set in this era, my hype was comparable to only one other game in the franchise, Unity. I was so hyped, that it was borderline unhealthy. Jokes aside (kind of...), I couldn't wait to see how a Viking would navigate the conflcit of the Assassins (Hidden Ones) and Templa...

This episode is a companion piece to my 3-part review of Assassin's Creed Shadows released earlier this season. I just had a desire to make this and express my true feelings about the game after the smoke cleared, many months later. "Shadows Broke Me" is inspired by an infamous video titled "Odyssey Broke Me" by YouTuber LaZzerZ. I explain everything I currently feel about the franchise and come t...

In this episode, I'm revisiting 2018's game expansion "Legacy of the First Blade, Episode 1." This expansion's first episode introduces us to legendary sanctuary Assassin, Darius ,  who is the first weilder of the iconic weapon of the Assassins, the hidden blade. The first episode of this expansion shows a bit of backstory for Darius and is, honestly, really great to experience as an Assassin's Cr...

One of my biggest critiques of Assassin's Creed has been the lack of memorable protagonists with most of the games released, especially the more recent ones. The early days featured most of these  memorable characters such as Edward and Altair, but it is Ezio that still remains the most iconic of the bunch. So when Bayek came along in Origins, he instatntly won over the hearts of many Assassin's C...

Altair Ib'n La Ahad was the first Assassin that we came to know and who set the standard for the prototypical Assassin. We get to see many phases of Altair's life not only in his respective game, but in "flashback" sequences during the story of Assassin's Creed Revelations; as well as other books and comics. So the "grandfather" of the Assassins ranks very highly on my list just by principal alone...

The modern Hitman games (World of Assassination trilogy) have seen major success as a constantly updated, almost "live-service" style project. Unlike traditional live-service models, which prioritize small updates or items such as weapons and skins, Hitman takes a unique approach. So in my newest "Unique Ideas" episode, I discuss what I'd like to see happen with the live-service design for Assassi...

Way back when, one of the most requested settings from fans was for the series to tackle Ancient Egypt and in 2017, Asassin's Creed finally delivered. Origins marked a shift in the design of the franchise and in hindsight almost serves as like a "soft reboot." As for me, from minute one to the last cutscene, I loved Origins despite it's different direction. And even though this was the moment that...

Everybody's favorite pirate and the main character of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, is one of the most memorable characters in the franchise. Also, the game has the overall best writing and best cast of characters that help elevate Edward into my Top 4. This handsome, witty, and very stubborn Welshman earns his spot on my favorite charcaters ranking list. Thanks for listening! -The Hooded Shado...