So:
AC-Odyssey: Just finished the main story and am going to go back an do the optional content like the arena's and mercenaries. Origins is by far the superior game of the two and I'd recommend it more than this if you're looking for an AC game. It's worth playing through. The exaggerations of side quests, grinding are a bit overplayed. There were probably two 'walls' I came across. The first was a story quest where I needed 17,000 Drachmae to progress. I was given 3 side quests which netted 2,000 each and already had amassed 9,000 through the story. I purchased a few ship upgrades at this point, not realising they consumed cash as well as materials so went down to 10,000 in total. I went to a blacksmith and sold all the trinkets I'd looted and they were worth 20,000 alone so it didn't block me at all. The second was towards the end of the story, I was level 38 and the next mainline quest was level 41. So I had to go do a few sidequests.
Solid game, very beautiful at times, still not a fan of the sailing in AC. Considering the game is island based, there isn't too much sailing. You can unlock a fast travel point then just use that in the future. Then if you need your boat back, just go to the port and call it. Alexios was an awful voice character, can't speak for Kassandra. I do feel just because you could select Kassandra, this got an extra point or so in the reviews because Origins is just massively better. I think the assassin RPG level could be better. If you don't invest well, you'll struggle to one shot enemies your own level, never mind captains, elites and ptolemarchs. The loading screens are really annoying, they sometimes appear just between dialogue branches. Can tell Ubi have some work to do in optimising the segue into gameplay here.
Spider-Man: Just on the final story mission. Game has been OK - some of the climbing mechanics are trying, getting stuck on stuff jutting out etc. When I first opened it and saw all the collectibles, side missions, tasks, puzzles and hideouts I was blown away. The garish nature looked like a mobile game. The actual art style is very good and the textures are amazing. It's like Arkham-lite meets Infamous 2. Not sure if I'll go back and do the extra side content to be honest. The stealth sections with Miles and MJ aren't actually bad. At least you have some agency in them using the stun gun or the hacking tool. The story is boring and I skipped a lot of cinematics. If you enjoyed the Arkham and Infamous games a lot then maybe this is your bag. If you have other games with your eye on, I wouldn't say this is compelling enough to go out and buy though it is a solid game. It feels very much like a game you've already played in a different spidey suit. For me personally, in hindsight I probably would have chosen to sink my teeth into a different type of game.
Forza Horizon 4: Not long started this. Game is gorgeous. I'm not a fan of the rally handling at all though. I think I still prefer the circuit racing of GT:S rather than the open world nature of Forza. Only just made it into the first season so will update after a bit.
