NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Ubisoft hasn’t had the best of luck lately when it comes to gaming. The company has hit a slump when it comes to its newer titles and might need to turn to an old friend to pick up the slack. We’re discussing Assassin’s Creed with their latest offering, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. By now you’ve probably watched a handful of content creators on their social media platforms and their “honest” reviews. Some have been glowing reviews about the game and some are just certified hate. The only problem is, you’re still left wondering if is it worth buying, and here you are.
To be completely fair, companies such as Ubisoft and the MCU are in this constant state of criticism because they’re a victim of their own success. Fans are so used to the “best ever” that when it’s not that it must automatically suck. That, more than anything else, should be your deciding factor. Can you deal with the fact that it might not be the best Assassin’s Creed game ever? If not, don’t buy it. If you can live with a game that isn’t the peak of the franchise, then consider it if you’re someone who needs more of the franchise lore.
So when it comes to Assassin’s Creed: Shadows here’s the truth, on a scale of 1-10: Visually, it’s beautiful. The opening scene/intro was very well done. Some of the zooms take place at the wrong moment but all in all the game is primarily set by temples or terrain and AC:S absolutely nails the look when you scan the whole map from an advantage point. 9/10.
The gameplay/game mechanics are great as well. However, some parts are a bit, let’s say wonky in a way that’s not a smooth transition. To be fair, that’s nothing new to an Assassin’s Creed game. Some of the transitions between objects you’re climbing get a bit chaotic or having to hit a button to perform a move that should be initiated by the fact you’re running just throws off the smoothness of the game. Some of the camera zooms make it hard to sneak and navigate, but it doesn’t completely ruin the game. 7/10.
The story is where the game loses the most points, at least early on. It has nothing to do with the voice actors, and everything to do with the failure of the story to be engaging and draw you in. It’s not one of those games where you’re like “One more mission..” and then all of a sudden its hours later and the sun is coming up. Playing it, you’ll have no problem disconnecting and going to bed. It’s just not one of those games that you have to see it through right away, which is a shame. 4/10.
That’s the biggest problem with the game. It plays great but it never makes you feel like you need to keep playing. Depending on how you look at it, that could be a good or a bad thing. If you’re the casual gamer who just throws a game on for the hour of downtime you get that day, you might enjoy Assassin’s Creed: Shadows a bit more. If you’re the hardcore gamer who has to feel every ounce of lore in the game and the need to get every trophy, yeah, maybe you’re disappointed in this one.
The game itself is fun, but the degree to which you’ll have fun is completely subjective to what you expect to get out of the game.
