Viewing entries tagged
ubisoft
Realism is an interesting idea when it comes to video games, as it's often regarded as something admirable to aim for, while ultimately being compromised for entertainment purposes. I mean, there are many games that flirt with realism, but if they actually created hyper-realistic systems and gameplay mechanics, the entire experience would be a frustrating bore.
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.
What could make an open world racing game featuring multiple disciplines and a pretty big map even better? If you answered: boats, planes, hovercraft, and motorbikes; then have I got news for you. Not only is The Crew 2 packed with more content than its predecessor, but there's more variety than ever before!
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's no secret that I’m a big fan of the big budget open world games we've come to expect from some of the most popular series in gaming. What I love most is the amount of detail and deliberate effort that has gone into creating a world. It's something unique to 'triple A' games in particular, as they have the team and budget to make it happen in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible.
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.
Whenever I think about Steep, it causes me to furrow my brow and wonder about the nature of its release. It came out at the end of last year after a short announcement at E3, but in the wake of some pretty big titles. This unexpected game from one of the biggest publishers in the world just kind of came out, then disappeared again with little fanfare.
Before we had DLC and digitally distributed patches, there was a wonderful thing called an "expansion pack". These were like dreams come true after you'd sunk countless hours into that game you'd saved up for and gingerly cracked the box to get inside. Loading up an expansion felt like finding a treasure trove of extra gameplay that had somehow always been there, just hidden away and waiting for permission to exist and entertain.
As much as I often cringe at multiplayer focused games, there's something about MMOs that I find fascinating. The first time I entered a persistent online world was with Ultima Online: Third Dawn, way back when it was amazing that something so complex could work over dial-up internet. Now with PCs packing more power and the average internet connection offering reliable pings, the options have grown to accommodate a new range of genres to enter the MMO space.
This year has been insane so far when it comes to quality big game releases. So much so, that my backlog of recently released games is pretty stellar with Nier: Automata and Horizon: Zero Dawn waiting patiently for their turn. However, after being convinced by the beta, I did manage to spend over a hundred hours messing about in the huge open world of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
Let me tell you a story. You know the one about those games that big studios like to make every now and then as short experiences packed with quality production. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger stands as a tightly paced tale of compelling gun-play and some interesting ideas. These short AAA games are a good example of how it's not the size of a game, it's the way you use it.
Let's not beat around the bush: last year's E3 stage demo for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands was a terrible way to market the game, and if I hadn't been able to get my hands on it through the recent open beta, I would never have given it a second thought. On paper, Wildlands is as generic as they come and barely offers anything unique, but it got its hooks in me… and I don't know why.
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.
These days it's rare for any AAA game to come with a demo or trial version to play around with before deciding if you want to throw down the full price of purchase. For Honor is no different, but it offered up an 'open beta' a few days before the game launched, which served as a good demo for me, as I discovered why I won't be buying it.
I liked the first Watch Dogs game, however unpopular a statement that might be. I liked it because it was a new IP from a 'AAA' developer who has been churning out the same old games for a long time. Of course, I'm not blind enough to miss that Watch Dogs was another Ubisoft tower-climbing opus, but it showed some promise, despite its flaws. Imagine my surprise when Watch Dogs 2 came along and learned from the controversial mistakes of its predecessor. The sequel removes many of the flaws from the original and offers a sharp injection of personality, interesting gameplay ideas, and plain old fun.
