#really just playing this game for the ac1 gang

[froschli96]

Literally Malik in AC Rebellion:

[rawwkingrimmie64]

Reviewing Assassin's Creed Syndicate

(and a little re-review of Unity)

So, this game was pretty amazing to play, and as far as the story and characters go, this was one of the best Assassin's Creed games I played in a while. Playing as two main characters was a fun change, and one that obviously set the tone for future games in the franchise. I found myself playing as Evie as often as I could simply because this is the first main game in the series to feature a female protaganist, and the change was very welcoming. Hopefully we'll get a main game with only a female protagonist soon.

The twins' contrast and conflicts were really interesting to see, especially since they were two sides to the same coin. I really enjoyed both Evie and Jacob's personalities and flaws.

Absolutely loved the Gang War aspect. It reminded me so much of liberating Roma in AC Brotherhood, and was an all around blast to play. Leveling up your gang, increasing your status with shops, and screwing over the enemy gang was a really fun touch.

Biggest praise I can give to this game is how the final storyline mission played out. THAT had to be the coolest end memory in the series so far, and I will certainly find myself playing that over again for a long time.

But for as much fun as the gameplay was, and as much praise as I could give it, the game still had flaws. Not only was it still glitchy at times, but the same closed world view was used that there was in Unity. Granted, this one at least had something worth seeing in those moments, but that doesn't take away from the fact that you feel trapped in a room while all of the action unfolds before your eyes. Only slightly better than Unity in this regard.

Where Syndicate and Unity both lose favor is the introduction of Helix Credits, an in-game credit system that can be used to make purchases on items and maps. It's really frustrating to know that this is part of the game, I just never mentioned it in my Unity review because, well, I had no idea it was there. I always wondered what the "H" symbol in my inventory meant, and now that I know, I am not happy.

I should not have to pay real money to unlock maps in the game, and saying that you can pay your way to a higher level character with the best gear and weapons from the start of the game is incredibly cheap and greedy. I already know that this system continues in Origins and Odyssey, which already pushes those games down before I've even been exposed to them.

One final major flaw in Syndicate, that has apparently been around since release and not yet resolved in 2020, is the server issues for the only feature in the entire game that requires an internet connection. What makes it even worse is that this feature, known as "social glitches" is one of the few in game ways to earn Helix Credits without paying for anything out of pocket. The fact that I have to wait hours, or even days, for Ubisoft to credit my account with the credits I have earned from these events is infuriating, to say the least.

Overall, the game is really fun to play, and if you aren't one for making in-game purchase to catalyst your way to the top, then you should be able to have a fun time with this game, despite the bugs and lack of present day exploration. Personally, however, the microtransactions are something I just can't look past, especially when my only way of increasing credits doesn't even work.

I originally put Unity in the same teir as AC3 and Black Flag, but after playing a much smoother game in Syndicate, I realized a few more of the flaws in game, especially taking Helix Credits into account. For as fun as these games are, I'm going to have to rank them below AC1. These issues really sucked the fun out of them at times, and as unfortunate as it is, I'm only expecting the same out of Origins and Odyssey now.