Ubisoft has been through some turbulent times lately, but that’s not necessarily a new phenomenon. Through Ubisoft’s explosion in popularity in the late 2000s/early 2010s, they have released some incredible games, but also some games that have split critics and fans down the middle.
Whether it is games that are released in a near-broken state, predatory monetization, or just plain strange choices, responses to some Ubisoft games are incredibly polarized, with pro and anti-voices alike struggling to understand the other side.
There’s no defending some ofSkull & Bones’sstrangest monetisation decisions that made it seem like a waste of time to many, but for others, there is a great game lying beneath the reams of bad press heaped atop the struggling naval combat simulator.
Put simply, the naval combat is genuinely pretty great when it works, the ocean dynamics are fantastic,the faction system is a lot of fun, and there are few games out there that really attempt to give this kind of in-depth progression system based on naval combat. The game’s fans and critics are split from each other entirely, though it’s unlikely the game will recover in popularity any time soon.
Though theWatch Dogsfranchise, in general, has seen some controversial design choices, none have been more controversial thanWatch Dogs Legion, which did away with a pre-designed central protagonist and instead let the player choose whatever NPC they wanted to play as, making them the story’s hero.
While building upa weird and wild custom DEDSEC operativewas compelling and charmed many players, others felt that the ultimate level of player creativity came at the cost of a compelling story. It’s hard to say either side is wrong, but instead it just depends on the priority of the gamer.
TheFar Cryfranchise, sinceFar Cry 3,has become well known for its variety of compelling protagonists and settings. Ubisoft decided to make a big swing and setFar Cry 5in rural Montana, while also having a protagonist who embodies Christian evangelicalism to an extreme degree anda list of companions who are whackier than ever.
For some, this big political swing was a massive win for the franchise that actually sought to challenge gamer’s perceptions of who bad guys could be in video games, but others felt that the characterisation of New Eden was shallow, and some felt it was offensive to Christians in general.
As the Assassin’s Creed franchise bravely stepped forward into a new era of the PS5/Xbox Series X generation, some gamers were concerned that it would continue along its path of RPG bloat, while others valued the massive value for money these games continued to give.
Assassin’s Creed Valhallaleaned hard into the RPG side of the new direction for the franchise with a mind-boggling amount of contentand secret weaponsthat would keep even the most active gamer busy for weeks. For some, it was bloated and too much. For others, it was the ultimate statement of pure pound-for-pound value in video game purchasing power.
After the Ezio trilogy, theAssassin’s Creedfranchise had a problem of where to go next. Not afraid of being a little controversial, Ubisoft decided to go with a depiction of the American Revolution, a topic that is rarely explored in games, usually because of its political ideas that can be inflammatory to this day.
Sure enough, the game was released to a fair degree of controversy, with some questioning the game’s historical accuracy, while others arguing that the colonial towns of Colonial America didn’t complement the parkour style of the Ezio trilogy. Yet, since then, others have argued that the game shows a remarkable bravery in depicting a rarely depicted era. However, most can probably agree that the six-hour Kenway tutorial section was probably a little too much.
As the age of modern military shooters drew to a close, gamers were clamouring for more games to focus on in-depth melee combat instead, andFor Honorshould have filled that gap perfectly.
However, the game’s multiplayer forward presentation turned many gamers off who wanted something with For Honor’s central melee mechanics in a compelling single-player experience. Others argued thatFor Honorwas a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stale multiplayer zone. The game is still chugging along today, though many wonder whether it should have been appreciated more than it was.
AfterAssassin’s Creed: Syndicate, most gamers agreed that the entireAssassin’s Creedfranchise was tired and needed serious rethinking. That soft reboot came in the form ofAssassin’s Creed: Originswhichtook the franchise as far back as it ever been to ancient Egypt, but it also turned the franchise far more towards RPG mechanics.
For some fans of the series, the increased focus on RPG gameplay over stealth gameplay was a betrayal of what the franchise was, while others celebrated the new direction that offered a massive amount of scope and value which remains a controversial topic to this day as theAssassin’s Creedfranchise continues to try and evolve to bridge the gap between the two camps.
1Assassin’s Creed Unity
A Rough Start, A Quality Game
There is no doubt thatAssassin’s Creed Unitylaunched as an absolute mess. Many critics pointed out the rampant crashes, visual glitches, and clumsy presentation from top to bottom, which was a shame as theAssassin’s Creedfranchise intended to make a big splash onto the PS4/Xbox One generation of consoles.
Yet, since its release, a small but passionate group of fans advocate for a reappraisal of the game, arguing that once the glitches were removed, what remained was a genuinely novel story, a good balance between RPG and stealth mechanics, as well as some of the best crowd tech ever put to pixels (even if it remainsincredibly difficult to fully complete).
