Just a year on from the major action RPG overhaul of Assassin's Creed Origins, you'd be forgiven for expecting Assassin's Creed Odyssey to simply retread the same ground. It's building on those ideas, certainly, but with the introduction of dialogue choices and a branching story, a choice between...

Visually stunning; Story choices add more depth; Faster combat; Skills make combat feel more dynamic; Piracy on the high seas; Climbing on the penis of a giant Greek statue

It might actually be; Numerous loading times and other technical issues; Voice acting weirdness; A bit repetitive

The most expansive Assassin's Creed yet recreates Ancient Greece in all its glory but can a game be too big for its own good

Gorgeous scenery and massive open world map; More interesting story and characters than usual and new features like conquest battles and lieutenants work well; Mountains of content

The game often seems far too big for its own good, with a leaden pace and repetition that wouldn't have been so obvious if the game weren't so long; Mediocre combat and stealth; The usual bugs

But with all of these promises holding in the Aegean sea wind, does Ubisoft actually deliver If Homer was still around to recite poetry, I dare say he'd craft another epic called The Misthios (the Greek word for mercenary).

New Exploration mode; Ramming speed; Massive overworld map; Sidequesting and exploring are a way of life; Intricate story; Thought-provoking questions

Can feel grindy; Nobody cares about the present-day story

ASSASSIN'S CREED ODYSSEY is a big risk. Not financially - they always seem to be sure money makers - but creatively. While Ubisoft claims the gap between Syndicate and Origins had been planned, that hiatus coincidentally helped stave off the burnout inherent to an annual series.

Fantastic story with memorable; well-animated characters; A huge; wonderfully crafted; colorful rendition of Ancient Greece; Lovely soundtrack that fits the period; Exploration Mode is a great idea that should be improved upon

Combat is mashy and is often forced upon the player; Aggressive level-gating forces that player to grind; Tags

About fifteen hours into Assassin's Creed Odyssey I met the fabled philosopher Socrates who, during one of our many conversations together, told me that "Every action has its pleasures and its price

Kassandra is a great character; Huge; beautiful world to discover; Engaging missions throughout the world; Mercenaries

Pointless level gating of areas; Combat becomes cumbersome when fighting a group; Some visual glitches and texture pop in at times

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a resounding achievement in world building, environment, and engaging gameplay with occasional problems throughout. Its incredible recreation of ancient Greece is something I'll want to go back to long after I've finished its main story, and its excellent systems mesh...

Many mythological traditions involve some form of demigod, an exceptional individual born from the union of a human and a deity. These heroes accomplish astounding things thanks to their divine heritage, but their mortal sides keep them from joining the ranks of true gods.

Assassin's Creed Origins was a huge triumph for Ubisoft. After releasing a game once a year (sometimes three, even) for seven years, the Assassin's Creed brand was suffering. Origins was a breath of fresh air in pretty much every aspect, and I was content with where the franchise was.

Strong Story; Greece Is Beautiful; Dynamic Gameplay; Streamlined Abilities

Conquest Battles; Slow Opening; No Codex

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is going to be many things, to many people. For me, it's the first time in the series that the hardest difficulty setting -- Nightmare in this case -- has truly taken me to my limits in both execution of skill, patience and in managing frustration.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the most ambitious historic open-world sandbox of Ubisoft's long-running series yet; generous in content and overwhelming (in a good way) in the sheer depth of its multiple gameplay systems.