2020 has been a hell of a year that has led to many people largely isolating themselves at home. This has led to a need to keep one's self entertained, frequently through the use of TV, movies, or video games. If you're in need of something new to play now because you've played everything else you own, there's always the newest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise. I haven't actually played it yet, I'm taking that perspective from one of the masters of horror, who is also a master gamer. John Carpenter says the new AC is pretty great, and fans are going a little wild.
While video games in general have largely aged with the generation that grew up playing home console games in the 1980s, and thus, the "average gamer" is not the child or the teenager that often comes to mind, John Carpenter, at 72, is certainly outside of the key demographic. Perhaps this is why seeing the writer/composer/director praise a popular video game now has fans doing a social media double take. While this isn't the first time Carpenter has talked gaming on social media, clearly many are taking notice for the first time.
The Assassin's Creed franchise has been running for over a decade and has a dozen entries in its console game history along with a handful of handheld and mobile spinoffs. The series has been largely a big hit with fans but in recent years there have been some issues with games feeling less polished than they should, or otherwise coming up short. The newest game, which focuses on Viking assassins, according to John Carpenter, fixes the problems and is another impressive installment in the series.
As game reviews go, John Carpenter's response may not be in depth, but it covers the bases and it will probably mean more to many fans that what traditional critics have to say. It's also causing some fans to suggest that if the great John Carpenter is a gamer, then the man needs to get involved in the industry. Imagine what Carpenter could do with a game adaption of one of his films considering how well he understands games from a player's perspective.
John Carpenter has some time to play more video games just like the rest of us. While he's been involved as a producer of the recent Halloween rebbot/sequel, those movies, like every other theatrical release, are on hold. And so, really what else should Carpenter do but hang out and play video games. It's what many of us would do in his position. We'd be so lucky to be able to do what he can.
And John Carpenter's praise for the new Assassin's Creed game is not one sided. While the man behind Halloween is praising the game, the people behind the game are equally in awe of John Carpenter. He gets praised in Italian, because the best games in the Assassin's Creed series were focused on the Italian Renaissance time period and the style has sort of stuck.
As somebody who has largely moved on from the Assassin's Creed games, I have to say John Carpenter's endorsement certainly has me considering giving the new one a try.
