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'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' And When Length Counts Against A Game
2019 BMW 3 Series gets trick chassis and iDrive tech, $40200 price tag
Major Complaints About the iPhone XS Are Stacking Up

'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' And When Length Counts Against A Game

Posted: 02 Oct 2018 05:38 AM PDT

Assassin's Creed OdysseyUbisoft

Yesterday, the embargo lifted for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey reviews, and reactions range from it being “the best AC game ever made” (IGN) to “it’s very good but probably falls short of Origins, Black Flag and 2” (Me). But one frequently cited complaint in both my review and others is the sheer size of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I know that many reviewers, even with about 10 full days of time with the review copy, weren’t able to finish by embargo, and may not even finish by launch this Friday.

I didn’t think I was going to either, but finally, after 55 hours, I managed to tie up all four of the game’s major storylines with half a day to spare to actually write my review. And I think it’s time to talk about why a game like this feels the need to be so damn big and long, so much so that it actually works against it.

When I say it took me 55 hours to beat Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, this is not me and my open world OCD trying to clear every question mark on the map and explore every nook and cranny. That is what I would consider close to the minimum to beat the game. This isn’t a title where you can rush through the main story in 15-20 hours then spend another 60-80 exploring and 100%ing the map. Odyssey locks almost all of its “important” quests behind lengthy leveling gates. What that means is that you do what main quests you can, then you do side quests to get more chunks of XP, then when you run out of those, you literally clear landmarks until you’re finally the right level to continue the main questline again and the cycle repeats. Given that for instance, hunting down the final ring of cult members is a level 50 endeavor, you essentially have to hit max level to beat the game, and through sheer XP accumulation alone, that takes no less than 50 hours of gameplay.

This is not even including going on to 100% the map afterward, or doing any of the endless “a settlement needs your help” generic bounty board quests that I did exactly one of in my entire playthrough. Yet it still took me this much time.

Assassin's Creed OdysseyUbisoft

For some, I know that this sounds like a good thing. There is a “dollar per hour of entertainment value” crowd that I know will love the idea that a game takes 50+ hours to beat and 100+ hours to clear, meaning the “value” of the $60 is increased over say, a game that takes 15 hours. Given how expensive gaming is as a hobby, I can understand that point of view. But I just don’t agree with it. To me, playing a game like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is watching a six hour movie instead of a two hour one. A forty episode TV season instead of a tight ten.

In short, I think more games need editing, and these sprawling masses of land and grinding and quests don’t often feel like they justify the investment.

Sure, there are exceptions to this. Take something like The Witcher 3, a game Assassin’s Creed is desperately trying to emulate. You can easily put 100+ hours into that game, and yet A) the quality is higher so it feels like less of a chore and B) CD Projekt Red only puts out games like twice a decade. Similarly, I except Red Dead Redemption 2 to be very long, but this is a sequel coming eight years after the original. 100 hours after waiting that long makes a bit more sense.

But not so with Assassin’s Creed, a series that we see new entries from every 1-2 years, to the point where be tasked with another 50+ hours of the same kind of thing feels exhausting, even if the game itself is pretty good. I’m at the point where I would love to see the size and time investment of an AC game cut in half. I’d even pay the same price for it. I just think it would be a better overall experience, and work out better for everyone.

Assassin's Creed OdysseyUbisoft

While as I said, there is that “dollar per hour” brigade, there is also the vast majority of players who can’t even finish a five hour Call of Duty campaign. The number of people who actually see the end of most video games is astonishingly low, and gets lower the longer the game is. I would be amazed if more than 5-10% of players ever beat Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and play as much as I have, so what’s really the point of a game being this massive?

The other factor here is that we exist in an industry where rampant crunch crushes developers who are trying to make these sprawling games. As I kept playing through a game that felt like it should have ended twenty hours ago, I wondered how many man hours it took to keep it going. How much less could Ubisoft’s team have crunched if this game was simply a bit more reasonable in scope? It all just seems like a waste.

Again, context is key here. As I said it feels more logical for some titles to be longer, but for others it may be a hindrance. I probably would have liked games like God of War and Spider-Man less if they demanded 50+ hours from me at baseline, rather than 15-25 and then more if I really wanted to hunt collectibles or do New Game+. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey feels like it’s eating my time against my will, holding the end of the story hostage unless I donate several weeks of my time to it and it alone.

Assassin’s Creed is in a better place as a series now than it has been previously with two solid entries in two years, but it’s time for another break (and one is coming) and to reflect on whether it’s necessary for these games to try to crush its players (and developers) with their sheer size.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read my new sci-fi novel Herokiller, available now in print and online. I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy.

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2019 BMW 3 Series gets trick chassis and iDrive tech, $40200 price tag

Posted: 02 Oct 2018 12:30 AM PDT

The seventh-generation BMW 3 Series has a clear objective: To once again be the benchmark by which all other luxury/sport sedans are measured. A drive in a preproduction prototype made a solid first impression from a dynamic standpoint, and now, at this week's Paris Motor Show, I can bring you the full smattering of details about BMW's all-important G20 3 Series.

BMW will initially offer the 2019 3 Series in 330i and 330i xDrive guises -- the former with rear-wheel drive, the latter sending power to all four wheels. Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 engine, with 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque -- gains of 7 and 37, respectively, over the 2018 model. This is essentially a reworked version of the 2.0-liter engine found in the last-generation 3 Series, and it's a smooth, refined powerplant. BMW says the rear-drive 330i will be able to hit 60 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds, which is actually one-tenth of a second slower than its predecessor, though still respectably quick.

More powerful M340i and M340i xDrive models will arrive next spring, with "a new six-cylinder inline gasoline engine," according to BMW's statement. My best guess is a massaged version of the 3.0-liter turbo I6 BMW uses in its other 40i-badged cars, and the automaker says this new engine will produce 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque -- healthy increases over the 320 horsepower and 330 pound-feet offered by today's 340i sedan. BMW also says this new M340i should be capable of sprinting to 60 mph in about 4.2 seconds. And really, this increased power and better performance just better aligns the M340i with the sportier versions of competing sedans, like Audi's S4 or the Mercedes-AMG C43.

But get out your sad trombones, folks: BMW confirms the new 3 Series models will only be available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. That's right, regardless of engine, the six-speed manual is dead. No matter, the eight-speed auto is a great transmission, firing off smooth, quick shifts, and even works with navigation data and the adaptive cruise control radar to make sure the transmission is always on its best behavior. For example, map data will tell the 330i to hold gears if it knows you're moving quickly through tight bends. And if you're approaching a lead car in traffic, the transmission will downshift in advance to use engine braking in order to reduce speed.

As for future powertrain offerings, BMW says an "iPerformance model with the latest plug-in hybrid drive technology" -- which will simply be called 330e -- will arrive in 2020.

The new 3 Series is 121 pounds lighter than its predecessor, but keeps its perfect 50:50 front/rear weight distribution. The body structure is 25 percent stiffer than before, with as much as 50-percent improvements made in specific areas throughout the chassis. Combine that with excellent new suspension technology, and the 3 Series is poised to offer truly excellent handling on both smooth highways and bumpy back roads.

The big trick up the 3 Series' sleeve is its set of lift-related dampers, something I discussed in detail during my prototype drive this past summer. Basically, this system "adds extra hydraulic damping at the front axle and a compression limiting system at the rear," according to BMW. In not-so-technical terms, it means the car is both more comfortable over broken pavement and more natural in the way it rebounds. But it doesn't come at a loss of overall control or firmness under more dynamic settings. It's the best of both worlds.

The G20 3 Series' front fascia is heavily sculpted, and uses a single-frame kidney grille.

BMW

BMW will use these lift-related dampers on both the standard and M Sport suspensions, the latter of which gets more rigid bearings, additional body struts and firmer springs and antiroll bars. The M Sport setup also lowers the ride height by about half an inch.

Opt for the Adaptive M suspension and you get more traditional damper technology, which combines the M Sport setup with electronic adjustability. Drivers can switch between Comfort and Sport profiles, as well as a fully Adaptive mode that makes adjustments based on driving style. I'll be eager to test the Adaptive M setup to see if it makes a noticeable improvement over the lift-related system. But from my test on German back roads -- as well as the Nurburgring -- I can't imagine people finding much fault with the new standard setup.

The one improvement I'm really hoping for involves the steering feel, or more importantly, the lack of it in the previous-generation 3 Series. Variable sport steering comes with the M Sport and Adaptive M suspension setups, and BMW says it's "more direct in its responses, even when only a slight steering input is applied." I wasn't totally in love with the setup in the prototype test car I drove this summer, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a few tweaks were made prior to primetime.

Driver-assistance systems are in high supply. The new 3 Series can be equipped with adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go function, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-change warning, rear collision prevention and cross-traffic alert. BMW's Driving Assistant Professional bundles the adaptive cruise control, steering assist and lane-keeping tech into one, semi-automated experience, not unlike Nissan ProPilot.

The interior is exactly what you'd expect to see in a new 3 Series, and the 10.2-inch center display houses the latest iDrive 7.0 tech.

BMW

BMW kept the 3 Series' dimensions roughly the same for its seventh generation. Yes, the 2019 model is 2.9 inches longer than its predecessor, but it's only about half an inch wider and taller. Unsurprisingly, the sedan doesn't appear to be too far beyond what you'd expect for a new 3 Series, though there's certainly a lot of sculpting happening up front. Elements like BMW's chunkier headlights (with standard full-LED lighting) and single-frame kidney grille link the new 3 to other, recently refreshed models. BMW offers optional adaptive LED headlights with its Laserlight tech, and feature a hexagonal daytime running lights. The Laserlights work by offering variable illumination of what's ahead with "a nondazzling high beam."

Moving inside, the 3 Series' interior design is, again, familiar. The optional, 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster from the new X5 is found here, as are bits of metal brightwork on the dash and digital readouts for the climate control temperature. The trunk's a bit bigger now, able to accommodate 17 cubic feet of cargo (up from 15.8). And hey, you can even order the 3 Series with a glass roof.

Myriad screens make up the 3 Series' cockpit, and two infotainment choices are available. Base cars use BMW's iDrive 6.0 tech, housed in an 8.8-inch central touchscreen with a 5.7-inch display set behind the steering wheel. Upgrade to what BMW calls its Live Cockpit Professional pack, and you get a 10.2-inch center display, complete with iDrive 7.0 -- the same as what's available in the new X5.

The 3 Series introduces BMW's new Intelligent Personal Assistant (no, not IPA, though one of those sounds delicious right about now), which works sort of like the AI tech built into Mercedes' new MBUX system. Basically, use the phrase "Hey, BMW" to activate the digital assistant, and use natural speech commands to control a number of functions. "Hey, BMW, I'm cold" will raise the interior temperature; "take me home" will put your address into the navigation system. BMW says you can even ask things like "Is the oil level OK?" or "What warning messages do I have?" to be updated on pertinent vehicle information. I'll be curious to test this tech in person, especially since my experiences with MBUX have been hit or miss, to say the least.

The 330i and M340i will go on sale early next year, with the 330e plug-in hybrid following in 2020.

BMW

The 330i will start at $40,200 with rear-wheel drive, not including $995 for destination and handling. The good news is, that's actually $50 less than the outgoing 330i sedan, though it's unclear exactly how much more xDrive all-wheel drive will cost, or what kind of premium you can expect to pay for the upcoming M340i.

Look for Roadshow's first test of the production 330i in the coming months, ahead of the car hitting US showrooms next March.