Positives
Fantastic visuals. Character models are really good, but the game shines with the environments and scenery. As you climb up to your first building or roof top, you see the sunshine cut through the palm trees and you glaze to catch more of the glimpse before you're greeted by this sunset or sunrise. It is a beautiful game, and warranted enough to be my first point.
Brilliant Free-Running. You can almost fly in this game. Regardless of what people will say about Assassin's Creed, not even the most cynic of haters will deny how fun it is to run across roof tops, with your eyes and thumbs working together to look for another ledge or something to grab onto. All you press is a few buttons, holding down R1 and X as you move your right analogue stick for direction. It's fast paced, and enthralling to get from point A to B on roof tops and homes, and buildings, and crates, even poles, you name it - you can jump off it and automatically you're character will grab on to, on dangle on or even leap off as well another piece of the environment. You thought swinging on a web on Spiderman the first time you played that game was fun? You ain't seen nothing yet. The character animation is what really drives it though. You can play half way through the game and come across new movements of Altair as he tries to climb, or reach something to grab ahold of. The way he stands and balances on pieces of wood is incredibly realistic being the only next-gen game to rival Uncharted in this point.
Gameplay. This is the focus of the criticism the game received from others and I need to address this. Assassin's Creed is a not a gung-ho game. You cannot just leap from a building and land or head towards a group of guards and fight them. This is not a game to be rushed. The development team really put emphasis on the approach towards the mechanics to reflect the approach an Assassin in reality would have to his surroundings. Remember, the goal in this game is to complete your objectives with the minimum of contact as possible. Meaning you avoid guards, meaning when you avoid running in busy alleys or risk getting the attention of bumping into a guard in which you case you'll get frustrated. I play the game for around an hour each go, simply because it can get repetitive. But I guarantee that people will go back to it for more, simply to wonder around in that irresistible environment. I take my time as I progressed through the game even though I was more than capable of causing mayhem and still avoiding a scratch. Why? Because you learn to appreciate the certain subtleties, you realise how the game is meant to be played. Don't rush, take your time. You're a badass Assassin with a badass hoody, you're meant to look cool with your sword and dagger on your back. Enjoy it that way.
Sounds. I just began to notice this. Depending on the City you are in, or the area you are e.g. Poor District, walk about near the market places and you hear everything you could imagine from a medieval spot. The chickens running away, or being slaughtered in the background, the sellers trying to get the attention of others offering them great bargains - is amazingly well done. What surprised me were the cries of babies, in the street with their mother. You're constantly approached by beggars and this really builds the atmosphere that you're in a soul-lacking place on Earth, where the people are desperate for anything. This goes well with the theme of the story, as it heavily involves the people. Note I said "the people". I don't own a Sound setup but this is the first game where I've actually noticed and complimented the sound aspect.
Negatives.
Combat-system. The game is too easy in this regard. For all the effort you should, or do, go by avoiding these guards, once you learn how to counter it's pretty much a foregone conclusion. There is only one button you press, only one type of attack and that's the swinging of the sword. They can surround you but they rarely attack at once, in fact they can attack in two's but that's even more rare. All you need to do is hold down the R1 and nothing can touch you. You learn to avoid combat, not because it's just too easy, but because it's boring because of the difficulty.
Citizen Dialogue. Atrocious. I can't believe they put so much effort into this game and managed to forget that the entire script for the people you rescue or save, consists of probably half a page.
Story Directing. Notice I say 'Directing'? Well the story in itself, I won't ruin it for those who have played the game, is actually intriguing and you can sort of get an idea of how it shifts from the very beginning of the game when Altair is punished, in his eyes, unjustly. It's just that intercting with the characters relevant to the story, from your targets, to your associates and even your Master, doesn't do the sophistication of the story any justice. It's repetitive. The only thing you can do is watch the dialogue and change camera angle. What's frustrating is that you can see the story is evolving, beginning to develop, yet the choice to use in-game assets has really let this part of the game down. It should have been CGI with some acting happening because otherwise the characters are inept. Altair reminds me of Keanu Reeves in the Matrix - the guy can only do one thing, sound one way. He barely reacts. It's like you're in a school play rehearsal and people are reading the lines they don't really want to.
Conclusion.
I would suggest you rent first and try the game out, or purchase it for the cheap. You have to try and play this game at a certain pace, take breaks, and come back when you want to explore again. You will most likely enjoy the game for the first few hours but once you've neared 50% completion; that enjoyment level crashes down as you begin to realise the potent annoyance of the repetition. I struggled to complete the game because I could not see the point of climbing up yet again another tower and jumping down into a haystack just to get a few more objectives, of which would include mostly finding another tower to climb and jumping down and so on.
Assassins Creed could have been potentially been one of the most excellent and innovative games to have launched since Grand Theft Auto but you get the impression that Ubisoft took a leap too big, and sadly, fell down into a haystack smelling of urine. But you wont't forget the stunning scenery whilst you were up high.
There are good video game protagonists, and there are bad video game protagonists.
I disagree that max is unlikable. Chloe is infinitely more unlikable in my opinion.
Abby was absolute trash protagonist in every way..
Tidus was so meh to me..
On villain side, the one i didn’t like wa Micah, because they wanted him to be that way and it was brilliant👍🏽
Both are horrible, granted Chloe is infinitely worse, it feels like Chloe is just fanservice for people who too over the edge and wasn't written to be a character that makes sense
Ye I was expecting her too. Guess they actually played the game. Unlike you and whoever agrees.
She's actually not bad. It's the writing itself that is bad overall, but she's fine overall. She's no worse than Miles Morales IMHO. Both thrust into a spotlight and receiving both praise and blame and dealing with it.
Forspoken is a bland game because it's 75% bland, boring, repetitive going through the motions and diversions that add nothing of the value with purposefully gated memory moments that don't feel organic or like you're discovering things but waiting for others to reveal things.
Exactly Chris. Even though I liked the game. I kno u played it. People who actually played it and went thru her dream saw she was a good likeable person who really just acted out due to being alone and unloved. I think your problem is it was open world, I think if it was more linear you may have liked it better.
Oh no she's bad. Very unlikable even before you add on the bad dialogue. The game could have been quite good with a good protagonist
For all the people like synner. Shes actually half white lol. Inferior complexity is a hell of a thing. You'll be ok.
Most of these aren't even that bad. Especially comparing to others like Squall "Whatever" Leonhart, Forspoken's Frey, and the guy from Atomic Heart.
Squall is one of the best developed main FF characters so...
People talk about his "whatever" thing thats at the start of the game, not the character he eventually becomes in the end.
No amount of "character development", (especially the ones that for me feels sudden and undeserved like Squall's), will justify him being a d**k to my girl Quistis. Even if he found the cure for cancer, from that moment on, I would never like him.
The article is about being unlikeable, and he was indeed unlikeable for at least half of the game.
the "watever" is only present in the english localisation.
so your argument doesnt rly ... stand imo.
Good for you that you could enjoy the japanese version. That's not the case for me and the majority of people here, though.
i had to stop reading after the "blatant misogyny" in the Dantes inferno section.
i actually liked Max haha.
the forspoken chick is missing tho
Unfortunately, the open worlds in games like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Halo Infinite, and the original Assassin's Creed do more harm than good.
I legitimately loved Halo's switch to open world. They made traversal of the map entertaining, and everything involved just tied into the (what I consider) awesome gunplay.
The entire time I really felt the slow takeover of the map, and all the little steps forward felt satisfying.
I don't know what more people really want there, considering the setting and story. A handful of soldiers hunkered down on enemy territory; slowly trying to win the battle.
I agree I liked the switch to the open world, it was large with beautiful land scapes. However, it did feel a bit empty, and wasn’t as action packed as I would have liked. A lot of the bases felt like fillers instead of something of wonder. Let’s see what 343 under new management does from here cause Halo needs some updating
I'm surprised they scrapped the Slipspace engine. I thought the graphics looked great, the sandbox physics were as good as ever, and the AI worked well. Clearly a lot of work went into it and it appears to have been optimized for the new generation of GPUs. The only issue I had with it was the lack of environments, would have been cool to have different biomes on the ring to explore. A bit more variety in missions would have been nice, maybe some timed events where you have to manuever a banshee through forerunner architecture or some mongoose speedruns would have spiced things up.
I think R* are the only ones who have made compelling open worlds. I can’t stomach most open world games and how boring they are with busy world. It’s like a flex to make this massive environment, but it’s extremely boring to traverse and play in. GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 blew me away with how incredible their worlds were. Elden Ring was the only other game to give me that sense of awe.
GTA V and unfortunately, Saints Row the original have had some of the most aggressive open world features where the world doesn’t feel so bland. To me what makes GTA V so special is the way the characters react to the world around them vs how the world reacts to them. For example, in GTA when you switch to Franklin and he walked past an attractive female he responded “ damn you fine” or in Saints row you can run up in the pawn shop flash a gun and watch them respond by raising their hands in the air, or they press the silent alarm making you have to run away from the cops. Halo infinite doesn’t have those kind of moments that make you feel apart of the world it just feels like it’s there.
Trevor talking to random vegan npc: "You suck c*ck, but you don't eat meat.... It don't make sense to me "
Classic. Such a shame we won't get that humour again now that R* have gone all in on virtue.
AC Odyssey with the next gen patch is pretty incredible, especially if you like a sea shantie. Lol.
I’m back on an open world kick after Horizon. I don’t know what clicked in me but exploring the map and seeing the detail work has me loving open worlds again. Playing AC Odyssey on hard and really enjoying it and the map. Reinstalling RDR2 tonight because damn, that map is just incredible for sightseeing.
Halo Infinite felt off. It's like the developers didn't know what they really wanted to do
Depends on which open world titles u play, most of em are shitty AF, but I honestly admire open world genre, sometimes to just take a break from fighting and missions you explore n see details you haven't noticed before cause you were too busy body at first, then boom finding some dope equipment or things to sale
Driven by profit, Ubisoft is doing what’s best for its margins instead of what’s best for players.
Ah man they finally announce a Japan setting title and they find themselves in this turmoil.
I liked Valhalla but it has some serious underlying issues and the series is in a creative slump.
i miss the actual stealth elements of the early games. its just turned in to an action rpg at this point. I want feel the chase and escape, the assassination that no one saw, and the thrill of obtaining a new gadget. not just swinging my weapon until the next cutscene.
Nice review. I've been wanting to try writing an AC review for a while but I've stayed away from reviewing sandbox type games just because theres SO MUCH to say about them.
I liked what you said about the sound. I didn't even realize until I read this that there are actually a ton of different sounds going on in the background while you play.
But I think I disagree with the free running part. I expected it to be much more open but when I played, it felt kind of restricted for me.
The Keanu Reeves thing was funny good write up man