hadn't played this since its initial release on the PS4 back in 2020. liked it a lot then but about 2/3rds of my playthrough this go around was spent in awe at the contrast between such jaw-dropping visuals (seriously, this might be the most gorgeous game i've ever played) and the incredibly tedious narrative that literally bored me to tears. how i thought this was a masterpiece just under two years ago is insane. playing any open world game after Elden Ring might as well be the equivalent of the Seinfeld "i've flown first class, Elaine. i can't go back to coach" bit. solid game but pretty much a glorified Ubisoft product in terms of the checklist-style objectives, which become incredibly fucking exhausting.