[quote=@Dolerman]

 Which again isn't a high bar considering only 3 of them don't have the auto-kill counter mechanic you have by default.[/quote]

No, instead it has an auto-kill perfect parry mechanic. The combat in newer AC games is better if only because there are more options in any given encounter because of weapon variety. The combat in Tsushima boils down to "pick the stance and stagger them but also if you don't pick the stance it's fine they aren't that difficult oh also use your lightning stab ability if you're feeling particularly spicy." And yeah, I'm playing on hard too and I've died more times because the game doesn't communicate which jumps are actually survivable with the thief roll than I have to enemies. 

This doesn't mean I think the combat is [i]bad[/i] just that it hasn't been particularly rewarding and if I've unlocked like 80 percent of the skills and I'm still on act one then I can't possibly imagine act two or three will fundamentally change the combat encounters in a way other than giving the enemies a larger health bar. 


[quote]Skill tree is better, story is un-convoluted, I haven't met an unlikeable character yet, customization is rewarding.[/quote]

Skill tree is debateable. I've not really found myself caring when I get an unlock now that I've got max chain assassinations, stealth hearing, and all the deflection abilities I care about. Customization is pretty barebones. Yeah it's cool that my armor is dyed white but functionally I'm spending 90 percent of the game in the traveler's attire because of its map clearing and collectible pinging. The headbands are cosmetic as are the face masks and the charms don't really alter anything to make them anything more than 'equip and forget'. At least in AC you can wear legendary gear but then make it look like whatever gear you've collected which is the kind of customization I generally prefer. 

Story is un-convoluted but also uninteresting. On the contrary I haven't met a memorable character and the game falls super hard into the open world trope of "Hey I'd like to help you but solve my problems first". The side missions don't really feel like they add anything other than EXP points because changing your legend doesn't make people respond to you any differently, it's just a way to unlock a ghost weapon. Am I asking too much? Probably. But if we're going to keep the AC comparisons then at least the side activities in Odyssey contributed to the ongoing war and you could influence which side was favored. Clearing Mongol posts doesn't appear to have less Mongols over the place so it feels less like I'm liberating the island and more like I'm checking off a list. 


[quote]The game's problems are the baby's first stealth mechanics and the weird cadence of some of the conversations, other than that, the game is solid.
[/quote]


Well, there are more problems with the game but if I go on it'll start sounding like I hate the game when I don't.