The Da Vinci Disappearance - Assassin's Creed Franchise Review- Updated 2/2/18

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

I am losing track of all the AC games they are making these days.

From the sounds of it it seems they have fallen into the trap of more games - less quality.

[Sir Adrian]

Yeah, they're getting very gimmicky.

[TheDarkKnight]

I wouldn't necessarily agree. Assassin's Creed IV and Freedom Cry were extremely good games. Their main pitfalls was the lack of actual assassinations for Black Flag and a lack of much to do in Freedom Cry. The two of them together are one really well rounded game and DLC combo. With Liberation, if it had been produced as a main game and not a spin off for handhelds it probably could have been excellent.

So, maybe a *small* decrease in quality, but nothing that isn't franchise breaking in my opinion. Black Flag was trying for something new, and it succeeded.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Fair enough, I haven't played any of the latest titles (got AC3 but never finished) so I'm no position to provided a reliable comment - I'll take your word for it.

Out of all of the latest ones which one would you recommend getting?

[TheDarkKnight]

All of them.


ALL OF THEM.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

That doesn't help.

[TheDarkKnight]

Yes it does, it means that you must get them all.

Besides, you cannot play Black Flag without playing III or risk major spoilers. If you had to play one without any spoilers at all, Liberation would be your best bet.

[TheDarkKnight]

Well, I have had a chance to revise my Liberation review, as well as add a short review of the Vita version as I have had a chance to play it. So, enjoy

Now, I get to look forward to the next game(s).

[sabaku_no_gaara]

Yes it does, it means that you must get them all.

Besides, you cannot play Black Flag without playing III or risk major spoilers. If you had to play one without any spoilers at all, Liberation would be your best bet.

I really couldn't bother finishing the third one, so before I started black flag, I youtubed a summary with cutscenes of the story so far.

I really really really love being the Pirate, in fact I've stopped playing storyline missions out of fear that they'll yank me back to the real world in my abstergo office, and am doing all the pirating I can do for now, even the tedious stuff like song hunting and chest hunting and other collectables hunting

[TheDarkKnight]

Well at least you still found out what happened on your own terms. Better than finding out in Black Flag since it is kind of obvious.

[IlluminatiRex]

My friend said getting to be a fun pirate stops not too long after sequence 7 (where I am), without telling me what actually happens. So I've been completing literally everything before I finish sequence 7. so that way it makes sense .

Only a few more islands to clear, then I go back and get all of the chests and fragments scattered around the uncharted. Then I'll start the missions again.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

My friend said getting to be a fun pirate stops not too long after sequence 7 (where I am), without telling me what actually happens. So I've been completing literally everything before I finish sequence 7. so that way it makes sense .

Only a few more islands to clear, then I go back and get all of the chests and fragments scattered around the uncharted. Then I'll start the missions again.

I'm at sequence 4 I think, not sure, I'm supposed to meet up with captain Kidd at some distant port, it's quite far, so I don't feel like going, especially because I fear any sequence progress can pull me out again and force me to do something in the modern world. So I'm collecting, looting, sailing, fishing, hunting etc... developping everything I can in my area, then, I might go visit captain Kidd

[sabaku_no_gaara]

edit, forum made me double post

[TheDarkKnight]

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines (2009)

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

The Templars have vanished from the Holy Land. While Robert de Sable and Al Mualim are dead, but Altair’s work is far from over. News of a new Templar commander as well as the purchase of Cyprus by the enemies of the Assassins beckons Altair to travel to the island, hoping to aid the growing resistance as well as discover the intentions of the Templars on the island.

--

Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines is Ubisoft’s first entry into the portable market for Assassin’s Creed. Featuring the return of Altair, the player is able to travel to several locations on the island of Cyrpus, the main locations being the towns of Kyrenia and Limassol. As the game was developed in 2009, on a portable game, and even developed by a non-Ubisoft studio, the game’s graphics are less than desirable in the current state of gaming. However, considering the time, the graphics and number of locations explored in the game are actually quite impressive. It is one of the prettier games on PSP from the few that I have played. The hardware does unfortunately show its limitations, though, as there is considerable lack of detail as well as few if any civilians and even guards walking around in the game.The locations are fairly large and explorable, however within these locales there is relatively little to do.

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

The missions of Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines are fairly straightforward, consisting of infiltration and of course assassination missions. There are also new types of missions that can include killing a number of guards in a certain amount of time. The structure is fairly similar to the first Assassin’s Creed game, however with a relative lack of investigation missions that, while perhaps a bit repetitive in that game would have been a welcome addition to this one. The whole purpose of assassinations such as being stealthy and disappearing into the crowd simply is not possible in this game, as the lack of people and how the game is set up means that it is very linear in its approach with almost no flexibility. The true freedom that represented Assassin’s Creed is simply not available within this game. This is disappointing, but again given the circumstances it is understandable how some features of the previous game were sacrificed. Related to this, the story is somewhat forgettable, as Altair’s hunt for the Templar’s as well as his growing relationship with his captive Maria are ultimately fairly underwhelming. However, it does provide some links to the other games, such as the writing of the Codex pages by Altair as well as how Maria becomes his wife.

There is also the combat. In the first game, combat was fairly limited in its capabilities, and the situation is essentially the same and possibly even worse in Bloodlines. Attacks are just limited to wearing down the enemy guards with successive strikes, which are all blocked until one hit gets through and kills them. This is pretty much the same for all fights with the addition of counters as well as dodges that add some variety but ultimately fail to provide much more than an even more simplified combat system compared to the first game. However, upgrades can be acquired that allow Altair to gain more health as well as better weapons that do add a bit of variety to the game, but ultimately I feel the upgrades are unnecessary. In the whole game I only died once, and that was from falling from a viewpoint into the ground. Not even the bossfights provided much of a challenge, which was disappointing.

Aside from the missions and combat, there is little else the game has to offer. There are Templar coins to collect which can be used in the purchase of upgrades, but again the upgrades felt a bit unnecessary. There are small side activities that can be done such as rescuing civilians like in the first game but they provide little if any bonuses towards game play. They stretch out the gameplay by adding more content, sure, but do little to really improve the experience overall. Additionally, the lack of easy camera controls due to the absence of a second analog stick (functionality not restored even if playing on Vita, which does compared to the PSP) also lead to frustrating camera angles, and the control system overall leads much to be desired. The soundtrack is good, though recycled from the first game, and the voice acting is pretty decent. There is one major bit of Assassin's Creed that is missing, and that is the modern day angle. It is clear from the gameplay that this is taking place within the confines of exploring these memories through the Animus, but there is no exploration of this. The only mention of this is in the beginning when the Animus says "Welcome Subject 17", obviously alluding to Desmond, but beyond that there is no context. And the time where Desmond could have relived these memories is never established within the overall universe. For a newcomer to the franchise this entire concept would be fairly confusing. Perhaps this is a nitpick but it is a minor annoyance given how the series has set up the animus and how it is used.

If the game sounds boring and flawed, it is because it kind of is. The gameplay is not that great now, and the story is largely forgettable. But yet it is still fairly fun and decent for a handheld experience. And it is important to remember that when this came out in 2009 it was a fully playable Assassin’s Creed experience on the go, which has only been duplicated on four games thus far, and overall not a horrible entry into the Assassin’s Creed universe. It was an important building block that likely served as a learning experience for further development of the few portable titles, and if you are bored and on the go with a PSP or Vita, it is not a horrible experience overall, especially if you enjoyed the mechanics of the first game. It is also important to remember that this game, while published by Ubisoft, was developed by Griptonite Games, a studio that was likely unfamiliar with the then-new franchise. Given this as the circumstances above, I find the flaws of this game to be mostly forgivable.

6.5/10

I have no idea what is going on with the formatting and I can't seem to fix it. I'll figure it out.

Anyway, here's another review. Time to look forward to Unity and Rogue.

[Sir Adrian]

Added


For a PSP game this looks pretty decent.

[TheDarkKnight]

Added


For a PSP game this looks pretty decent.

It's not bad. I have mostly used my Vita for the actual vita games but I picked this up on sale and it wasn't bad for ten bucks. I just wish there could be more cause AC on the go is pretty fun. I also wish I could play the other two handhelds but there is no way in hell I'm buying a DS just for Altair's Chronicles and Discovery.

[TheDarkKnight]

(Warning: Minor spoilers)

Assassin's Creed Rogue (2014)

"History may brand me traitor, rebel, or renegade. But in the end, it doesn't matter how history remembers me. What matters, is that I followed my own creed."

Assassin's Creed Rogue

In the past, the Templars have managed to acquire two items related to the First Civilization. A young Assassin named Shay Patrick Cormac aids his friend Liam as well as the Brotherhood by retrieving these artifacts as well as assassinating several targets along the way. One, a mysterious box, reveals the location of many temples scattered around the world. Himself a promising albeit aloof recruit, Shay eagerly takes up the task offered by his Mentor Achilles Davenport of traveling to the one of the nearest locations, Lisbon. Traveling there and finding the temple, Shay accidentally triggers a devastating earthquake, barely escaping the destruction as the city is leveled around him. Realizing that the same had happened years earlier in Haiti under similar circumstances, Shay vows to never something like it happen again. With the assassins unwilling to listen to his please, Shay is forced to betray Liam, Achilles, and the rest of the Assassins. Fulfilling his promise of wishing to never see what happened in Lisbon and Haiti happen again, Shay begins a purge of the Assassin Order, under the auspices of his new affiliation; The Templar Order.

In the present day, an employee of Abstergo Entertainment is researching the memories of a man named Shay Cormac, when they inadvertently activate a virus within the building's servers. With the Animus servers mostly down, the employee must work to help restore them by reliving the memories of Cormac using the only machine, now named Helix, still operating. But as they begin to research, the find themselves unwittingly drawn deeper into a conflict that has spanned thousands of years.

--

Assassin’s Creed Rogue brings the game series one final time to North America, in the middle of the Seven Years War. Like its predecessor Black Flag, Rogue brings to the game many locations that can be visited by Shay during his journey from young Assassin to hardened Master Templar. Like the large traversable Caribbean map, Rogue brings not one but two large naval maps, featuring the North Atlantic and many of its islands and other features, as well as the generic River Valley, comprising many settlements, towns, and several large islands that dot its landscape. Within both of these maps are bountiful locations to explore, from frozen shipwrecks in the far reaches of the North Atlantic to frontier battlefields and forts in the River Valley. One notable example of this is the location known as the Old Growth Forest, part of the River Valley. This island all on its own is roughly one mile long and one mile wide at its widest, with plenty to do to keep the player occupied for at least an hour all on its own. Really, the River Valley is similar to the Frontier from Assassin’s Creed III, in that it serves as a generic location with many places from different locations in the colonies. Both of these maps are incredibly interesting, and really lend much to a game set during the Seven Years War where the conflict spanned much of North America. Finally there is the city of New York, making a return from Assassin’s Creed III, albeit differing greatly from that game. These three locations are an entertaining and imaginative backdrop for the story that unfolds as you play as Shay.

The missions and story of Shay is, without question, unlike anything ever done in the Assassin’s Creed games, and without a doubt is a refreshing change of pace for the franchise. Shay’s struggle with his morals, which begin to conflict with Assassin ideals as early as the first sequence, really stand out as a highlight of the early part of the game, as does his slow transformation from Assassin to Templar. But this does not mean that Shay becomes a villain over the course of the game. It simply is not as black and white as it has been in the past. Shay, like some of the more recent Templars seen in Haytham Kenway, Laureano Torres, and the Company Man all stand in marked contrast with the power hungry Templars of the days of Ezio, and Shay is no exception. Shay is clearly a man of principles, and as his story unfolds it actually reveals a deeply complicated set of convictions. It is really unfortunate that this story is relatively so short. At only six sequences the game on the outside looks roughly half the length of others, but in reality most of the missions are much longer than its counterparts in other games. And these missions often span more than just one location, and often require Shay to take to both sea and land exploration in order to fulfill the objectives. The reason why I say that the game is relatively so short is because the game spans roughly fourteen hours, which is not necessarily short but after playing the game you will find yourself craving more. It simply is an incredible story of transformation, and one full of emotion that not only comes with the story of Shay, but also because of how it links to Assassin’s Creed III, Black Flag, Freedom Cry, Unity, and even a little of Liberation. It serves as a fantastic bridge to the other games, and connects to them more naturally than one might expect. In addition to Shay, the game also includes a continuation of the modern day story established in Black Flag, with a research analyst at Abstergo Entertainment researching Shay’s story. This is one of the weaker parts of the game’s story, however does involve some potentially game changing events that may lead into further games.

The combat is very similar to Black Flag, albeit with a few changes. Some of Shay’s combat animations are similar to Edward Kenway’s, but Shay does possess some rather unique and cool looking moves to compliment his sword and dagger fighting style. However one of the biggest changes to the combat is the new tools at Shay’s disposal. Partway through the game Shay obtains a brand new weapon, called the air rifle, which is later modified to include a primitive grenade launcher. With this weapon Shay is able to launch three different darts, sort of like the blow gun in Black Flag, but with the addition of a new firecracker dart which can be used to distract or blow up barrels. With the grenade launcher, Shay can launch grenades that include berserk and sleep gas to affect groups of enemies, or a shrapnel grenade to kill or wound large amounts of men at once. It really is a fantastic little weapon, however is not really necessary in much of the game. But when you do use it, it is quite effect in either silently taking down enemies or producing a large amount of noise and death, which is always fun in these games. Another large change to the game is the addition of a different faction, unlike the British and the French. The new faction is a gang affiliated with the Assassins, featuring standard footsoldiers as well as trained Assassins and stalkers that are always looking for Shay. The presence of nearby stalkers is accompanied by the sound of whispers, which forces the player to sometimes take a detour to find the offending stalker or stalkers as they are quite adept at surprising the player with Assassin tactics that can deal a large degree of damage at once. Their tactics even include the use of gas grenades that can incapacitate Shay if the player does not equip his gas mask in time. This is actually a cool little feature and realistic to the fact that the Assassins would undoubtedly seek to bring down Shay, however in some areas like New York the stalkers are far too numerous, which can make it difficult to run around without constantly needing to take care of nearby threats. Even still, it does provide an interesting challenge to the player, who has never had to face such tactics used against them before.

Making a return to the series is sailing, this time with Shay captaining a captured sloop and naming it the Morrigan. The Morrigan functions in mostly the same way as the Jackdaw, however there are some differences. For one, the Morrigan now has two new weapons. Instead of the swivel guns from Black Flag, the Morrigan is outfitted with four automatic puckle guns that exploit weak spots much like the swivel guns, and is also free aim, similar to the swivels from III. The other new weapon is the burning oil, which has replaced the fire barrels from Black Flag as a much more useful and damaging weapon. The Morrigan also possesses an icebreaker ram that can also be used for damaging ships. There is not much more to say as the naval combat remains relatively the same as Black Flag despite the weapon changes as well as some differences in controls, however there is one more key difference: it is now possible to be boarded by Assassin-alligned brigs. This presents a new challenge as the brigs can cause a significant degree of damage to the Morrigan if unupgraded, and the initial shock as well as smoke grenade infused battle can kill significant numbers of Shay’s crew. This can present itself as a minor annoyance at key points however it is a fun challenge and something that I wish could have happened in Black Flag. Its inclusion is a very welcome new feature to the game, preventing it from being too similar to its predecessor.

Black Flag introduced side activities that are both fun as well as practical, and Rogue continues that trend with even more things to do. Returning to the game is Forts as well as a similar gameplay element called Gang Hideouts. Both factor into the economy as controlling them leads to increased income. The gang hideouts are similar in that Shay captures them from the Assassin gangs by fulfilling a set of objectives that ends with the death of the Assassin in charge of that hideout as well as the burning of the Assassin flag. The primary difference between the two is that forts remain primarily a naval mechanic while hideouts are purely land based. Shay can also intercept messenger pigeons that offer contracts to Assassins; instead of Shay assassinating these targets, he actually ensures their survival by killing the Assassin members sent after them. The gang hideouts as well as the interceptions are overall important as it further shows how Shay was able to so effectively cripple Assassin influence is his theater of operations during the Seven Years War, while the forts are more important towards showing Shay’s impact on the French war effort as the forts are controlled by France and captured in the name of England. Related to this is the attack and capture of settlements throughout both the River Valley and North Atlantic that are controlled by the French, as well as raiding supply camps or warehouses for resources. Further related to this is the possibility of encountering various land and sea battles where Shay has the opportunity of assisting the British. Also making a nice return from Black Flag is the Naval Campaign, which allows Shay to send captured ships on missions to open trade routes and increase economic opportunities, both assisting Shay as well as the war effort.

There are also more side activities that are basically unrelated to the context of the story or era but nonetheless provide hours of extra content. Hunting as well as whaling make a return, with new as well as returning animals to use for either economic gain or for upgrades. There is many animals to hunt and due to the wide range of crafting requirements much exploration is required to upgrade Shay’s armor or tools. There are also opportunities for Shay to use the resources and money he acquires to help renovate buildings throughout the game, on all three maps. They work similarly to how Edward could upgrade his hideout, but with the extra benefit of being more useful in the long run, such as Ezio renovating places in his three games. These renovations factor, like the forts and gang hideouts, into the income for Shay, providing large amounts of money for him to continue his efforts. There are also opportunities for Shay to collect not one but three separate rare armors as well as a weapon from exploring the maps and collecting the necessary things in order to unlock them. In the modern era the player may also hack computers, similar to the mechanic in Black Flag, in order to uncover more back story. While all of this is not absolutely necessary to the game, it is still a fun way to introduce many hours of side content for the player to do either during the story or after.

There are unfortunately some issues that do become apparent during the course of the game. There are some times where things such as textures or models simply do not properly load, which can be both amusing and frustrating at times. Two notable instances of this occurred in my playthrough, one in which the model of an associate of Shay did not load properly, leading the character’s face to be completely fine but whose uniform was colored hot pink. Another similar instance occurred later in the game, where another character was simply invisible in the cutscene. These glitches are amusing but others do cause some problems. Often times the game will lag, or see a serious drop in frame rates in the middle of combat or sometimes other events, which can lead to frustrating experiences that sometimes ended in desynchronization. The camera can also sometimes get a little off track during certain activities, which can make it difficult to effectively complete those activities. The game also is simply not as good looking as Black Flag, even while comparing the two on the same platform (PS3). Visually the game would have been much better off on the newer consoles, however considering how much is in the game some sacrifices must have been made to make the world so large. The game is still pretty to look at, but simply falls short in this regard, and unfortunately does show the flaws of the aging hardware of the seventh generation. Hopefully the future release of Rogue on PC as well as the possibility of it coming to PS4/XBO might help improve the game in this regard. Other more minor issues include the sharing of numerous resources and mechanics between this game and its predecessors in Assassin’s Creed III and Black Flag. This is not necessarily a bad thing but can be somewhat jarring when you realize that Shay shares some combat animations as Edward, for example. The city of New York, only twenty years removed from the events of Assassin's Creed III, looks completely different from the city in that game, showing that while it was rebuilt to perhaps make free-running easier than it was in III, it looks like a completely different city. There are also some frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as Shay’s inability to quickly use his gas mask during boarding scenes when he is temporarily incapacitated while he loses half a dozen crew members or more to Assassin-led boarding parties before he can even respond. There is also the relentlessness of the Assassin stalkers; while it does make me feel nervous and more alert as a Templar should, their spawning almost everywhere in New York on a near-constant basis can get frustrating at times). The story also feels slightly rushed and short, even considering the fact that missions appear to be much longer than typical, and the returning characters that appeared to be advertised as important to the story were in it for a disappointingly short amount of time. In addition to this, the side activities are indeed fun, but none of them are overly necessary, and feel more like they were added to add extra content. None of these issues are particularly killer in regards to how good the game is; indeed, many of these issues can be seen as inherent in the fact that this game is not the product of Ubisoft’s top-tier teams in the Montreal studio, but rather headed by Ubisoft Sofia, the team behind the rather flawed but still solid Assassin’s Creed Liberation. They did a good job with what they had, and I believe they should be commended for that effort.

But there are still many positives. Despite its issues, the game is a solid experience. The story, despite its brevity, is entertaining and very engrossing. Shay is an excellent character, and it is really easy to relate to him as you can understand his inner turmoil between his own moral code and those of the Assassins. Shay is a Templar, for sure, but that does not necessarily mean he is bad. The modern story, while lacking compared to other games, still helps serve the growing narrative of the franchise, and much of what happens at the end of the game may have a large outcome on future titles. Additionally, the ways in which it ties into both the previous entries as well as Unity is a great way to solidify it as an important entry into the franchise, despite not being an Assassin in the very end. He is simply using that which he learned to execute his own creed on the world in which he lives. The combat and mechanics such as sailing remain as fun as they were in Black Flag, despite remaining very easy. The side activities are anything but boring, and the maps and the numerous locations are inspiring to explore as you hunt down every remaining collectible. The soundtrack and audio is excellent, although it is clear that the composer took much inspiration from the soundtracks of previous games: the main theme of Rogue is a hybrid between the fan favorite Ezio’s Family track as well as the Assassin’s Creed III theme. The soundtrack is also a bit shorter compared to most, however it is well used. The beloved shanties also return, with some old favorites as well as new ones complimenting the sailing aspect of the game. Finally there is the numerous locations in the game; the North Atlantic and the River Valley really help distinguish themselves from the Caribbean of Black Flag, while New York makes for a fun and large city to explore.

This game, in my opinion, is the perfect send off to the previous generation of Assassin's Creed games. From here on out there will be major differences in the mechanics, gameplay, and story of the franchise. Overall, Assassin’s Creed Rogue is a must play, and is a welcome change of pace and addition if anyone wishes to see the story of the series from a different viewpoint. Shay is a well written character, and his story is very immersive. It is a shame that Rogue was given such little attention compared to Unity, which was released at the same time, but overall Ubisoft Sofia managed to put together a well made game. If you enjoyed the core mechanics of Black Flag, you will enjoy Rogue.

8.5/10

The review for Unity has also been completed, but I will release that later.

[Sir Adrian]

Added

[TheDarkKnight]

Assassin's Creed Unity (2014)

"It is sometimes hard to remember how easy life was, before the world changed. Now people are starving in the streets, and those with the will to fight back are imprisoned, or worse. The life I had is gone, the world I knew with it. Amongst the violence, amongst the chaos, I will find justice no matter the cost."

Assassin's Creed Unity

Arno Dorian was simply the adopted son of a French nobleman when his entire world was overturned. Having already lost his own father at the age of eight to an unknown killer, Arno loses his adoptive father, François de la Serre, to yet another assassination, the man dying in Arno’s arms. Arno, the only person seen at the scene, is quickly imprisoned and noticed by a fellow prisoner, Pierre Bellec. Realizing that Arno is the biological son of Charles Dorian, a noted Assassin, Bellec and Arno escape the prison and Bellec convinces Arno the join the Assassin Brotherhood. Realizing that this is an opportunity to discover the mystery behind the deaths of both his fathers, Arno accepts the offer. But in the midst of the growing unrest towards the monarchy in Paris, Arno must work with his adoptive sister and lover, Elise de la Serre and a noted Templar, to unravel the truth about the ever growing mystery and survive the French Revolution.

In the present, an unknown person is contacted by the Assassin Brotherhood to investigate the memories of Arno Dorian. Using a new iteration of the Animus known as the Helix, the individual must help the Assassins discover the mysteries of the French Revolution to understand what the modern day Templars are planning.

--

Assassin’s Creed Unity represents a dramatic step forward in world of Assassin’s Creed. Unity brings the story to the cities of Paris and Versailles, on the eve of the French Revolution. Utilizing an updated version of the engine that powered Assassin’s Creed III-Rogue and the capabilities of the eight generation of consoles as well as PC’s, revolutionary Paris truly feels like a revolutionary achievement. Paris and Versailles each have the atmosphere of a real life city. Paris itself is divided into many districts, each having their own flavor as thousands of citizens, rich and poor, flow through the streets. Conversations and arguments can be heard as the people interact with each other on levels never seen before, and the growing dissent of the people represented in the game by large crowds of protesters really make the city feel as if it is on the verge of rebellion. In addition to this, Unity boasts a large underground network under Paris that the player can traverse, as well as a large percentage of buildings (reported as high as 25%) that can be entered and explored. Graphically, Unity is easily one of the finest examples of a “next generation” experience that I have yet to encounter. The detail present in all aspects of the game is rather extraordinary, even on the Playstation 4. Traversing Paris in all of its next gen glory is an amazing experience, and it is clear that the developers really put a lot of heart and soul into making the game look absolutely amazing.

Coming to the game is some rather jarring changes in the movement and combat that Arno participates in. Parkour has been changed to offer more streamlined controls to ensure that when you want Arno to go in a direction, he will go in that direction. This is accomplished with the rather intuitive “parkour up/down” controls to ensure he does not fall or jump unless that is what you desire. This change in movement as well as how he moves is a little strange compared to its predecessors and certainly not without its flaws. But practice certainly does make perfect, and with further refinement this change can become a great improvement in the future of the franchise.

Related to the changes in parkour is the changes in assassinations and combat. For assassinations, the new animations are surprisingly fluid and quite awesome to see happen, though Ubisoft has removed the ability to have two hidden blades, which means the hidden blade is no longer used for combat. No longer can the player rely on simply slaughtering anyone in the way. Counter-kills are now gone, replaced with a system for more akin to the non-lethal counters of the very first game, which must be followed up with subsequent strikes. It is still easy to counter, but no longer does it just become a counter-kill fest. The enemies are more difficult, represented by a difficulty system, and are far more intelligent than before. Even the lowest of guards are capable of blocking Arno’s attacks early in the game, and situations where Arno is surrounded by more than a handful of guards, especially if there are those using their pistols or rifles, often means a quick death for the Assassin. Combat is simply more difficult than before, which is a welcome change for some while others miss the absolute slaughters that were possible in previous games. Because of this, stealth is very much encouraged, while open combat is highly discouraged. There are some frustrating additions or changes, as well. Medicine, which can be used to restore synchronization, has returned to the game. Personally I never liked medicine as it did not make sense within the context of the Animus, so I am not overly pleased with its return. Ammunition for certain things such as pistols or the much hyped phantom blade is also relatively scarce, and expensive to acquire by purchasing early in the game. I can understand having it blades easy to acquire would lead to it being overused, but I feel a balance needed to be achieved and it simply wasn’t. Arno can also only care small amounts of ammunition early in the game, leading to frustrating situations where it is difficult to complete a mission as you have already exhausted your supply and looting the enemies is not helping. Additionally firearms can only stun assassination targets; to kill them after that still requires Arno to get close and finish the person. Overall it is a step in the right direction, I feel, but could use some further refinement.

Also coming to the game is a rather large degree of customization possible with Arno. Virtually everything about the Assassin is customizable. Weapons range from small, one handed swords and maces to large spears and axes to muskets and rifles. Armor is also highly customizable in the game, with many different possibilities with regards to hoods, chest armor, and even legs. Weapons and armor upgrades may be purchased, or acquired from missions and side activities, which encourages the player to do everything within the game to open up possibilities. Individual pieces of armor and weapons may also be upgraded with Creed points, which are obtained through a variety of means and by no means hard to come by in the game. Color palettes are also available, to flavor your Arno in whichever way you prefer.The player may also use synch points gained from missions to give Arno new skills such as mastery over a certain fighting style, the ability to use certain tools and tactics, or the ability to take more damage. It is an interesting concept, and lends the player the ability to, in a way, make their Assassin a part of different “classes”. It can be frustrating, however, as synch points appear to be limited unless you choose to do the co-op missions, which means skills must be chosen carefully. It also makes the game a bit too much role playing for my own tastes, but it is still a departure that some may welcome.

The missions have also changed somewhat, though of course maintaining the same basic premise. Tailing missions have pretty much been eliminated, much to the joy of everyone, and the structure of missions, especially assassination missions, require there to be creativity and problem solving from the player. As the player can no longer rush headlong into battle and kill the target, the player must plan ahead and actually think about which route should be taken. This is especially true of missions involving the interiors of buildings. With multiple entrances into buildings it is prudent to use the skills acquired to your best advantages. If there is a short cut to a target that requires good lockpicking, that might be an effective entrance for someone with that skill upgraded, for example. This method of planning really evokes memories of the very first Assassin’s Creed game, where planning and execution was far more important than combat skills. Indeed, some missions effectively force the player to be stealthy, or at the very least have an effective and speedy route in and out planned. Otherwise it is incredibly easy to be overwhelmed. It is an interesting change, one the forces the player to rely on their senses rather than their combat skills. Aiding this is an improved Eagle Vision that allows Arno to see things not only in front of him but above and below, highlighting entrances and exits as well as the enemies. Overall it is an interesting change, and with some fine tweaking could see the franchise return to the roots that many have been craving: a stealth game, not a third person combat game.

Traditional multiplayer has been eliminated and replaced with co-op missions. Without going into too much detail the missions are designed to need the assistance of additional players, with missions requiring between two to four people. The missions are certainly fun, and add significantly to the struggles of the French Revolution more so than the struggles of the Assassins and Templars. Whether through the use of a pre-set team or just joining other players randomly, the co-op offers new challenges and rewards for the players. It is especially noteworthy in that this is where the ways in which the players have upgraded their respective Arno can have an effect. Players more adapted to the stealth or ranged “classes” will operate in the missions much different than those who have adopted primarily combat skills and equipment. It is a bit different than traditional multiplayer, and is a welcome change of pace. Connectivity issues have been problematic, of course, but overall the experience has been refreshing and rewarding. The missions are not necessary towards advancing the main story, nor should they ever be, but it would be unwise to never play them at all.

Ubisoft managed to surprise me with a brand new gameplay element in the form of Rift Missions. Throughout the campaign there are several instances where the Helix becomes unstable and the simulation begins to fall apart, forcing the player to jump into the memories of other Assassins while taking the Arno avatar with him. I will not state the exact time periods these missions take place in but they are kind of interesting albeit unfortunately brief. The missions offer exciting opportunities to play in eras the franchise has not taken place in, though still in the city of Paris, and each offer their own unique challenges. The unfortunate thing about the missions is that they do not offer much in the overall story, and therefore seem like a wasted opportunity. However, if this is Ubisoft’s attempts to gauge our reactions to new opportunities in gameplay in future games, it should be interesting to see what will be in store in the future. The Rifts are also present in several side activities, where the player visits time periods to collect data as well as assist modern Assassins that have become stuck in the Helix program.

One thing that does kind of stick out in Unity is that despite the quality of the side activities available, they do not seem to offer much variety wise out of the previous games. The two main side activities besides collecting random things is the Paris Stories and the Murder Mysteries. These two activities are fun, and the difficulties between them vary considerably. The mysteries are rather self explanatory but the Paris Stories are interesting in they allow further exploration of some of the numerous side characters such as Napoleon and Marquis de Sade that are only present briefly in the main story. This is a good thing, however it is somewhat disappointing that one must play these side activities to have further interaction with the favorite historical characters. Other side activities include the social club missions, which are given from cafes that Arno can renovate, including his starting one, the Cafe Theatre. These are good money making opportunities as they along with further renovations lead to increased income which can be used to further buy necessary equipment. Another, more minor side activity is the crowd events. These are typically small altercations between the revolutionaries or criminals and the local populace, and are quite fun to do while running from place to place. They can also be very rewarding in the long run. Overall the side activities have been good, though like everything else could use some tweaking.

While much of what has been said certainly paints the picture of a good quality game, there are flaws that simply cannot be ignored. One glaringly obvious one is that the story simply is not a very interesting one. Arno and much of the rest of the characters are certainly good, but their motivations and actions simply does not come together in a cohesive narrative. It is disappointing, to say the least, as a game set in the French Revolution surely should have had an intrinsic and entertaining story. There simply is none to be found. And the French Revolution, seemingly advertised as a major backdrop of the game, has little effect on the actual story. Furthermore, the “unity” between the Assassins and Templars just is not very convincing, unfortunately. Even worse, the modern story, the element of the series that ties it all together, is almost completely absent. You are simply a normal person that has been contacted by the Assassins to relive the memories of Arno through the Helix. That is pretty much it. It is unfortunate because it is clear that the events of Black Flag, both in the present and past, were meant to serve as an effective transition into a direction in the overall story of the franchise. Black Flag accomplished this transition rather well now that I understand the changing direction of the series, but Unity simply failed to deliver on a continuation. It explains some things, to be sure, but the modern story is simply absent and the story of Arno is just an inadequate one. While it is clear that many people did not like the modern stories in previous games, its absence is very much an overreaction on Ubisoft’s part. Additionally, Arno and his story often feels a little to similar to the story of Ezio; Arno even heavily resembles what a model of a next-gen Ezio would look like. Perhaps this was an attempt by Ubisoft to bring the love of Ezio back to the franchise after the relative disappointment with Connor and Edward as characters, though I do not think it was necessary to make Arno like Ezio in order for us as players to like him.

There have also been many criticisms against the large degree of microtransactions and especially the flaws with Uplay for PC members, though that issue is not a problem for consoles. The microtransactions are certainly worrisome but none of them really can have a major effect except for perhaps co-op teams having an advantage if they have rich members. The game’s link to the Initiates system can also be a major problem to those that have never used it before. Additionally there have been performance issues and glitches on all platforms. On my playthrough on PS4 I have fortunately encountered very few issues outside of some framerate drops in certain missions and areas in the game, notably during large crowds. Typically the largest issue that I had was a lot of NPC and building pop in but after a while its effect is somewhat diminished as the beauty of the world is still staggering. Perhaps Ubisoft could have toned down the graphical improvements to maybe reduce these performance issues, but, for me at least, the experience of seeing the world was worth the minor issues I encountered.

Despite its issues, the game maintains many positive attributes. As stated, the world is simply beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful experience yet created by Ubisoft. The attention to detail is extraordinary with every single object and building looking incredible, and the atmosphere is fantastic. It truly has the look and feel of a next gen game, and represents a very positive step forward for the game. The combat and movement has received a major mechanical upgrade as well, offering new challenges as well as opportunities for the gameplay. Stealth, noticeably absent as a requirement in the games since Assassin’s Creed II, is now highly encouraged, and missions and side activities often require a large amount of intuition and strategy to carry out effectively. The absence of competition multiplayer is also a nice change, as I have personally never enjoyed it. The customization and skill tree are also welcome to many people though I personally feel it makes the game too much of an RPG, and it is tough to take Arno seriously when some of the outfits look rather ridiculous. The large degree of weapons is also nice, and do offer players who want different playing experiences many different opportunities. Finally, the audio and visuals are really fantastic, with the motion capture and voice acting making the characters seem exceptionally lifelike. The soundtrack is also excellent as well, consisting of two volumes and is quite long. With everything considered, Unity is easily one of the most cinematic experiences a video game can provide.

Overall, is the game perfect, and representative of the hopes and dreams of fans? Not quite. Its issues have been a problem since launch. The story is bland and unfortunately forgettable, in both the modern day and the events of the Revolution. But the game is still a quality experience, and one in which is easy to get lost in its beauty. I would like to see this game as a reboot of sorts to the franchise; a new story direction, new gameplay mechanics, and overall a different feel. By that token there are bound to be hiccups in any new system, and Assassin’s Creed is no exception. The first game was flawed yet still highly praised; I do not believe Unity should be seen as that much different. It is a new era in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and one in which I am excited to see improve over the coming years. The game is flawed, certainly, but there was hardly and instance where I was not having fun.

7.5/10

This is some gameplay footage I took showing a bit of Paris, the freerunning, and the combat. Hope you enjoy this demonstration.

So here is the Unity review.

Next up will be Dead Kings, which will release next weeks, and then sometime after that will be AC Chronicles: China. Both reviews will probably be featured in the Gamer's Gazette first and then I will put them here.

Hope you guys have enjoyed reading these. It has been 2 years (tomorrow) since I began writing these reviews. Reading the older ones and reading the newer ones, I hope I have improved in your eyes.

[eXistenZ]

7.5 is a fair rating. It surely wasnt as broken as the internet claims and it is as entertaining as you expect from an AC game, unfortunatly with the quirks/paingrows of a new engine.

Any idea/estimation for when AC Chronicles is due?