Platform: Sony PlayStation 4
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action/Adventure, Stealth
ESRB: M
Nerd Rating: 6/10
Ah, the French Revolution. What a time it was to be alive! Now, thanks to Ubisoft, you too can join in the quasi-historical adventure.
Assassin’s Creed Unity is set in Paris during the French Revolution; a turbulent and bloody time in European history. The story follows Assassin Arno Victor Dorian as he battles with his desire for justice all the while attempting to maintain balance in his personal life.
Overall, I enjoyed the game immensely but it was by no means my favorite game ever (or even my favorite game within the Assassin’s Creed series). Assassin’s Creed Unity had groundbreaking moments but it also had stupid mistakes and issues that took away from my experience from a game that clearly possessed massive amounts of potential. And keep in mind that I am a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed series as whole.
Nothing screams romance like not having a face.
The worst part of this game was that functionality lacked at moments where it really shouldn’t have. In the very beginning of the game I experienced extreme lag to the point that I was worried that the game was going to crash. Not exactly something I was expecting from a game that boasted being advanced and top-of-the-line. Don’t even get me started on the infamous no-face glitch . . .
What Assassin’s Creed Unity lacked in aspects of functionality it made up in the sheer quality of the graphics and cut scenes. I have to say that the cutscenes were the most realistic that I’ve seen from a game yet. Many times I just sat on my couch reveling in its beauty rather than actually paying attention to what was happening.
By far the most visually realistic game I’ve played.
Another thing that Assassin’s Creed Unity has going for it is that it is much more open than past Assassin’s Creed games. New to the franchise is a skill earning system similar to that of Watch Dogs and a customizable Assassin. This allows players to decide how they want to play the game and the directions they want to take when completing missions. It is a little frustrating though, since what is now in the skill system had come standard on Assassin’s in past games.
On top of customization being open, so is the environment (Paris). Ubisoft was not kidding when they said that their version of Paris was built on a one to one scale. One of the great things about this game is that all Paris and Versailles almost immediately open up for exploration. And boy, there is a lot to explore. You could realistically spend hours upon hours just doing the various different side activities, completely ignoring the main missions. I really like that the Assassin’s Creed franchise keeps adding more and more side activities. I hate to just play the main missions and be done with a game too fast, so Assassin’s Creed Unity really caters to the side of me that likes to thoroughly explore what the game has to offer.
I think one of the largest issues I had with this game is that the modern-day story line is a bit uninspiring and repetitive. The first two or so instances of the “Time Anomaly” missions was refreshing from what the modern day story had been in the past, but it quickly grew old. I miss being a shit and hacking into everybody’s computers . . .
Assassin’s Creed Unity was by no means my favorite game of all time, but it was a pretty decent game. It has quite a few minor technical issues, but they certainly made up for it with the shear beauty of the game’s graphics. I completely recommend Assassin’s Creed Unity to any long standing Assassin’s Creed fans or if you simply like an open and diverse gaming experience.
