Publisher: Ubisoft
SYNOPSIS:
London, 1868. The Industrial Revolution unleashes an incredible age of invention, transforming the lives of millions with technologies once thought impossible. Opportunities created during this time period have people rushing to London to engage in this new world. A world no longer controlled by kings, emperors, politicians or religion, but by a new common denominator: money.
However, not everyone is able to enjoy the benefits of this boom. Despite fueling the engine of the British Empire, workers’ lives are little more than legalised slavery while the top few percent profit from their labour. Living poor and dying young, the lower class unite together in protest as a new kind of family – gangs – who turn to a life in the underworld in their struggle to survive. A struggle, until watchful Assassins come to their side and re-ignite an age-old conflict involving London’s leaders that will echo throughout modern history from the underground, up.
Introducing Assassin Jacob Frye, who with the help of his twin sister Evie, will change the fate of millions in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Rise to rally and lead the underworld to break the corrupt stranglehold on London in a visceral adventure filled with action, intrigue and brutal combat.
Key Features
THE FIRST ASSASSIN AT THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN AGE — As the brash, rebellious Jacob Frye, throw up your dukes and take on enemies with lightning-fast multi-kills and counter moves. Use improved stealth tactics to elude your enemies, then unleash your arsenal of all-new weapons including the kukri knife, brass knuckles and cane sword. Utilise new technology like the rope launcher to scale buildings in seconds and take your enemies by surprise.
TRAVERSE THE FAST-PACED WORLD OF INDUSTRIAL LONDON — From Buckingham Palace to Whitechapel, fight and triumph across the massive open world of Victorian London. Parkour across moving vehicles to track down enemies or escape after a daring raid. Hijack carriages and engage in no-holds-barred street races or blaze a trail of destruction aboard steamboats on the River Thames.
TAKE-OVER THE LONDON UNDERWORLD — With Jacob as the leader, gamers can establish Great Britain’s fiercest gang, the only force that can challenge the plutocrats and defeat rival gangs, to bring freedom to the oppressed masses. Enemy strongholds can be infiltrated by using an arsenal of weapons to dominate London’s underworld. From robbing trains to rescuing child labourers, players will stop at nothing to bring justice to London’s lawless streets.
REVIEW:
OK, I’ve been a big Assassin’s Creed fan for years. I’ve loved the various idea’s, the weapons and of course the characters as well as the story as I get to revisit the past and meet people of interest from the various era’s. This game is no different bringing the modern era to the forefront as we rub shoulders with the likes of Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin alongside Queen Victoria. Its definitely something different and whilst it is in the same vein as the others, there were quite a few features that I didn’t like.
Firstly having two assassins to play didn’t work for me as I found the skill trees too similar. It seemed a waste of time when they could have spent more on just the one character. I loved playing Evie and whilst Jacob provided the light comedy of the twins bickering it felt unnessessary as for me it would have made more sense to have one of them murdered (you choose) as they did in Fable 2. It would have made more sense and given the assassin’s purpose at the beginning.
But for me the biggest problem is that its set too close to the modern era for me. Yes the inventions are cool (the grappling hook) but other than that, I’m not the biggest fan of guns. In previous titles, they were one shot and they gave you chance to utilse the assassination skills to the mx, yet against modern repeaters, it feels like you’re taking ancient weaponry to a modern fight.
For me, I’d have been happier to have gone further into the past, for example to ancient Egypt as we know from the lore in AC2 that there are ancestors that are available, using chariots, the bow and of course tomb raiding. It would’ve worked better for me as a gamer and with such a wide variety of people from the past to visit the options are there. Likewise with setting it in Britain, rather than more modern times why not set it around the Tudor’s or the War of the Roses (the cousin’s war?)
All round, it is an OK game and whilst it is still true to the franchise they still haven’t gotten round to fixing a number of the glitches that have been present over previous title to do with navigation, don’t get me wrong, you’ll still have fun at the end of the day but against a number of the others its not my favourite.
