A world both gorgeous & fun to traverse // Recommended for fans of both open-world and stealth adventures

LockeProposal's Big Day Out

+ As the first game of the franchise, it is both novel in concept and scope of narrative+ Platforming elements are extremely polished and satisfying; climbing is simple in practice and is competently animated+ Environments are large, detailed and absolutely gorgeous+ Voice-acting (with one notable oversight, addressed below) is excellent; general sound-design, too, is strikingly original+ UI, though it breaks the immersion a bit, is practical and aesthetically pleasing+ Bissfully short load-times; game's engine runs smoothly and efficiently+ Quick-travel is available as the explorable areas increase+ Swordplay, though not as emphasized as a gameplay element, is still quite cinematic and enjoyable+ Myriad collectibles and viewpoints to unlock, scattered throughout the world+ Stalking targets is broken down into a series of minigames; though tragically un-varied (there are only 6 variations), they nonetheless do their part to uphold immersion- Exiting the game requires movement through 3 or 4 menu screens; quitting a game has never been so frustrating- Segments revolving around Desmond (in the year 2012) often seem to drag on well beyond what is required to set up that angle of the plot; seriously breaks up the pacing- Beyond the drive to get a 100% save file, there is little incentive to replay after a successful playthrough- Limited tangible incentive to explore and collect; doing so is done so for its own sake- Protagonist's voiceover is decidedly American, in stark contrast to the authentic accents of virtually all other characters; massive break in immersion