Is there a word more sickeningly overused to describe video games than 'epic'? I honestly struggle to think of a worse offender - although perhaps 'immersive' could compete for this title? 'Epic' has permeated our collective consciousness to such an extent that it's even the name of a developer. As someone who regularly watches shows at E3, PAX, CES, and the rest, I am genuinely sick to death of the word 'epic'. I hereby beg for its removal from all future speeches by any person planning to set foot on a stage to discuss a game for the rest of time. Seriously, stop saying epic.
Now that we've got that out of the way, I'm here to tell you that Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an epic game.
The word 'epic' comes from the Greek word 'epos', meaning 'word' or 'story'. As an adjective, it has come to mean something that is heroic or grand in scale, and as a noun it refers to a long poem, often derived from ancient oral tradition, reciting the adventures of legendary figures. Of course, when we think about it this way, one poem in particular jumps to mind: Homer's Odyssey. The word 'epic' has become so synonymous with Homer over the centuries that we even use the word 'Homeric' to describe something epic or grand in nature.