Viewing entries tagged
assassin's creed
It's always interesting to see what happens when one of the biggest gaming franchises in history decides to change up their development process. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought Ubisoft's idea of taking a year off from releasing another Assassin's Creed game was a good idea. Especially after the negative sentiments stirred up by Unity. So how did an extra year of development time serve Assassin's Creed: Origins? It's kind of hard to say.
I have to admit that I was apprehensive about trying out what is commonly considered to be the worst entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise. This is the game that was so poorly received, Ubisoft had to eventually rethink its release schedule and get itself together. I knew going in that this might be the game that finally ends my enjoyment of the series.
It seems like every Assassins' Creed game has spawned a litany of small spin-offs. Most of the time they're weird little excursions from the norm, but nothing all that notable or important in the lore. At best they show off some alternative mechanics and systems that never surfaced in the mainline games, but at best they end up being complete experiences in their own right.
Originally released as a mobile companion to Assassin's Creed III exclusively on the Vita, this spin-off features some unique systems that have yet to be repeated. There are obvious limitations to starting life on a mobile system, which begs the question why some of the more interesting developments in this game never made it to mainline titles.
If I had to nominate a big budget series that I always play and enjoy, despite its mainstream shortcomings, it would be Assassin's Creed. The main thing I love about the series is how much detail and effort is put into recreating the cities and time periods of each instalment. There's an epic quality that's only within reach of the big budgets and big development teams, which often makes up for the cookie-cutter gameplay and story.
Here's a golden rule that I have learned for big iterative AAA games that might help someone else out in the future: never go in reverse. As DLC for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, I figured that Freedom Cry would be a chance to return to the high seas and have a quick jaunt around the Caribbean. I got exactly what I was asking for, but time has not been kind to the wettest installment in the Assassin's Creed series.
