Assassin's Creed Syndicate is in my opinion the penultimate entry in the franchise. The game is filled with historical characters like Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, and Charles and well known locations in London like the Big Ben and the Buckingham Palace. Many buildings have interiors and feel well integrated into the gameplay. To deal with London's wider streets players are given a rope launcher, both to quickly scale buildings and to launch a zipline to cross larger gaps. The dreaded expansive sewers are mostly gone from this entry, which is very refreshing. Getting lost in maze-like sewers was my least favorite part of Unity.What I missed most from Syndicate was getting to do difficult indoor climbs in either historical landmarks or Isu Era temples. Ubisoft's ... MoreAssassin's Creed Syndicate is in my opinion the penultimate entry in the franchise. The game is filled with historical characters like Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, and Charles and well known locations in London like the Big Ben and the Buckingham Palace. Many buildings have interiors and feel well integrated into the gameplay. To deal with London's wider streets players are given a rope launcher, both to quickly scale buildings and to launch a zipline to cross larger gaps. The dreaded expansive sewers are mostly gone from this entry, which is very refreshing. Getting lost in maze-like sewers was my least favorite part of Unity.What I missed most from Syndicate was getting to do difficult indoor climbs in either historical landmarks or Isu Era temples. Ubisoft's invasive monetization attempts are also quite annoying. There's no multiplayer so if you ever feel the need to buy money or resources just go for a cheat code instead.I largely didn't care for the Gold edition content. The extra missions were nice, but the extra equipment you get only provides level 9 stats once you reach level 7. The permanent 10% experience boost is also mostly inconsequential. I would still recommend getting the Gold edition over Standard if you think the DLCs might interest you.

I'm an amature gamer and this is the first Assasins Creed game I play, so might not be the most relivent review.That being said I really enjoyed this game. Evie and Jacob fry were great characters, I liked that you played as both of them and were not stuck as one character. Great graphics. I enjoyed that it is in Industrial London. The history included in the story line makes it more interesting. I liked the kids that would bring you items, felt like I had my own personal minions. Fighting was fun but a bit repetitive at times. When I got farther in the game my rooks started shooting policemen for no reason which did get on my nerves because then I had to join the fight at times when I was on my way to do something else. All in all a great game which has convinced ... MoreI'm an amature gamer and this is the first Assasins Creed game I play, so might not be the most relivent review.That being said I really enjoyed this game. Evie and Jacob fry were great characters, I liked that you played as both of them and were not stuck as one character. Great graphics. I enjoyed that it is in Industrial London. The history included in the story line makes it more interesting. I liked the kids that would bring you items, felt like I had my own personal minions. Fighting was fun but a bit repetitive at times. When I got farther in the game my rooks started shooting policemen for no reason which did get on my nerves because then I had to join the fight at times when I was on my way to do something else. All in all a great game which has convinced me to play the other AC games

A cross between Far Cry and inFAMOUS

As of this review, I’m about 20% through the game. My early impression was to compare the gameplay to Styx and Splinter Cell, but as I got further I thought of two other games it fits better: Far Cry (3 & 4) and inFAMOUS. As with inFAMOUS, you scale buildings, run across rooftops and liberate territories. You also earn skill points to level up your characters. Several of the game mechanics for character movement were very similar, such as climbing and jumping from high places. Now add in Far Cry where you search for treasure chests, enter restricted areas, disable alarms, free captives, craft items, commandeer vehicles (aka carriages), and execute a multitude of side missions. Also relative to Far Cry are the many quirks and bugs, such as water buckets moving on ... MoreAs of this review, I’m about 20% through the game. My early impression was to compare the gameplay to Styx and Splinter Cell, but as I got further I thought of two other games it fits better: Far Cry (3 & 4) and inFAMOUS. As with inFAMOUS, you scale buildings, run across rooftops and liberate territories. You also earn skill points to level up your characters. Several of the game mechanics for character movement were very similar, such as climbing and jumping from high places. Now add in Far Cry where you search for treasure chests, enter restricted areas, disable alarms, free captives, craft items, commandeer vehicles (aka carriages), and execute a multitude of side missions. Also relative to Far Cry are the many quirks and bugs, such as water buckets moving on their own, characters missing the upper half of their body, and strange objects randomly floating across the screen. Similarly, the enemy goons all look the same with only a handful of repetitive character designs. That said, there are many of the plusses too, such as the elaborate settings, beautiful landscapes and impressive world scale. In the beginning, I made the mistake of tackling the story in a very guided manner. I ran through the tutorials and reached checkpoints as quickly as possible, passing by any obstacle in my way. Because of this, I didn’t get pulled into the settings or storyline. After a while, I realized I needed to tackle the game less like Uncharted and treat it more like Skyrim. Basically, I slowed down -- took my time, inspected buildings, listened to crowd dialogue, read wall posters, explored the historical characters and settings, checked character profiles and tackled more of the minute tasks such as searching for treasure chests and freeing children. Slowing down my pacing gave me a deeper level of enjoyment; the game become more about exploration than a guided tour. At times, the controls felt jumpy. For instance, occasionally I performed an execution where the camera panned away from my character and I could barely see what was going on. The need for combining keys for common actions messed me up in the beginning as well, and I more than once ended up jumping up a wall when I intended to leap at an enemy instead. But the longer I played the game, the better I got at the mechanics; and thus they were less of an issue. Unlike Far Cry and inFAMOUS, you switch between two different characters. This helps to keep the story fresh, but it also means you are leveling up two different people. A few times I swore I had already gotten such-and-such an ability, only to realize it was on the other character. Even though the leveling up isn’t shared between Evie and Jacob Frye, thankfully the items you purchase are (except for items like Jacob’s belt, which Evie doesn’t use). If you buy guns and brass knuckles, both can use them [assuming their level is high enough].

A cross between Far Cry and inFAMOUS

I’ve been a heavy gamer since first playing Mario and Duck Hunt on the NES. I’ve owned a Sega Genesis, SNES, PS1/2/3/4, PSP, Gameboy, Wii and WiiU, gaming PC, and even went so far as to backdate old systems like the Intellivision, Atari Lynx and original Pong. That said, oddly enough, I’ve never played an Assassin's Creed game. This review is coming from a first-time player of the series, but not a noob when it comes to gaming.As of this review, I’m about 20% through the game. My early impression was to compare the gameplay to Styx and Splinter Cell, but as I got further I thought of two other games it fits better: Far Cry (3 & 4) and inFAMOUS.As with inFAMOUS, you scale buildings, run across rooftops and liberate territories. You also earn skill points to level ... MoreI’ve been a heavy gamer since first playing Mario and Duck Hunt on the NES. I’ve owned a Sega Genesis, SNES, PS1/2/3/4, PSP, Gameboy, Wii and WiiU, gaming PC, and even went so far as to backdate old systems like the Intellivision, Atari Lynx and original Pong. That said, oddly enough, I’ve never played an Assassin's Creed game. This review is coming from a first-time player of the series, but not a noob when it comes to gaming.As of this review, I’m about 20% through the game. My early impression was to compare the gameplay to Styx and Splinter Cell, but as I got further I thought of two other games it fits better: Far Cry (3 & 4) and inFAMOUS.As with inFAMOUS, you scale buildings, run across rooftops and liberate territories. You also earn skill points to level up your characters. Several of the game mechanics for character movement were very similar, such as climbing and jumping from high places. Now add in Far Cry where you search for treasure chests, enter restricted areas, disable alarms, free captives, craft items, commandeer vehicles (aka carriages), and execute a multitude of side missions.Also relative to Far Cry are the many quirks and bugs, such as water buckets moving on their own, characters missing the upper half of their body, and strange objects randomly floating across the screen. Similarly, the enemy goons all look the same with only a handful of repetitive character designs. That said, there are many of the plusses too, such as the elaborate settings, beautiful landscapes and impressive world scale.In the beginning, I made the mistake of tackling the story in a very guided manner. I ran through the tutorials and reached checkpoints as quickly as possible, passing by any obstacle in my way. Because of this, I didn’t get pulled into the settings or storyline. After a while, I realized I needed to tackle the game less like Uncharted and treat it more like Skyrim. Basically, I slowed down -- took my time, inspected buildings, listened to crowd dialogue, read wall posters, explored the historical characters and settings, checked character profiles and tackled more of the minute tasks such as searching for treasure chests and freeing children. Slowing down my pacing gave me a deeper level of enjoyment; the game become more about exploration than a guided tour.At times, the controls felt jumpy. For instance, occasionally I performed an execution where the camera panned away from my character and I could barely see what was going on. The need for combining keys for common actions messed me up in the beginning as well, and I more than once ended up jumping up a wall when I intended to leap at an enemy instead. But the longer I played the game, the better I got at the mechanics; and thus they were less of an issue.Unlike Far Cry and inFAMOUS, you switch between two different characters. This helps to keep the story fresh, but it also means you are leveling up two different people. A few times I swore I had already gotten such-and-such an ability, only to realize it was on the other character. Even though the leveling up isn’t shared between Evie and Jacob Frye, thankfully the items you purchase are (except for items like Jacob’s belt, which Evie doesn’t use). If you buy guns and brass knuckles, both can use them [assuming their level is high enough].I was a little disjointed in the story when the gameplay went from 1868 to a modern day cut-scene, but I get that’s part of a larger picture to the story. My biggest annoyance is with the policemen, who are just poorly programmed. They ignore someone getting pickpocketed, but attack you when you tackle the thief. You get wrongly attacked by Blighters, the police join in and attack you too. A Blighter kills someone, the police go after you just because you are nearby. Figuring out their role has been somewhat of an annoyance to me.Apart from that, I’m getting into this game and liking it more and more. The scale of the world is impressive and I like the ability to explore.

Assassin's fans will enjoy

This is a great game for hardcore fans of the Assassin's Creed series. There's not much deviation from the formula here: historic location, tie-ins to historic figures (with the expected artistic liberties of tying Assassin relationships to them), viewpoints, liberation missions, etc.The additions are few, but welcome. You will switch off regularly between two Assassins in this game. While this sounds promising, there isn't much difference gameplay-wise. Outside of a couple unique upgrades, they play similar. You'll really get more out their differences as characters in the context of the story than you will choosing one or the other for a specific mission. This is fine, but having to upgrade each separately can prove tedious.You will establish and develop a ... MoreThis is a great game for hardcore fans of the Assassin's Creed series. There's not much deviation from the formula here: historic location, tie-ins to historic figures (with the expected artistic liberties of tying Assassin relationships to them), viewpoints, liberation missions, etc.The additions are few, but welcome. You will switch off regularly between two Assassins in this game. While this sounds promising, there isn't much difference gameplay-wise. Outside of a couple unique upgrades, they play similar. You'll really get more out their differences as characters in the context of the story than you will choosing one or the other for a specific mission. This is fine, but having to upgrade each separately can prove tedious.You will establish and develop a gang as your ally base in Syndicate, which can be a great help. At times, however, their willingness to combat the enemy without direction from you can cause stealth issues and prevent you from performing some specific kills (for those who are completionists and want those secondary objectives). Overall, though, it's a nice tool to have at your disposal and upgrading them early makes life much easier.For those who tire of the climbing portions of the game: fear not. You are provided, very early, with a grappling hook that allows quick climbing and traversing building-to-building. This is a huge help when detected and trying to escape, as climbing usually resulted in a bullet in the back. It's also a lifesaver on time-driven missions and side activities. There will be some gripes that it's too Batman-esque, but it really does help in some critical situations.I was disappointed in the modern day sequences. I had come to enjoy being able to interact in the modern settings in these games and it offered a nice break from the grind of the historic settings. However, that was removed in Unity, and it again fails to appear in Syndicate. There is a slight increase in the number of modern cutscenes from Unity, but you still get no control in them. That change of feel would have been welcome.Overall, this is a solid title and a great addition to any fans of the series. At this point, you know what you're getting with an Assassin's title, and this doesn't disappoint that expectation. Those who are looking for a radically different game: stay clear, this is not for you. Syndicate continues the Assassin's canon while offering familiar gameplay and mechanics.

Assassins Creed Syndicate

he graphics are amazing on its own and for a game made. The variety of skills there are to choose from while keeping it easy to get skill points is awesome. Most assassins creed games focus too much on the main story and this game is the most open world in the series. Exploration is really fun with historical sights like big ben and more. On top of that if you choose to main the story even that is super enjoyable since the missions for the story have open-world aspects too.

Dont buy it.

This game seems good on the surface but its not. First off, the combat loses what made the other games good. The challenge to fight 20 enemies without getting hit was awesome. The other games were about getting the perfect timing to make a strike, but now it is just a button bash game. There is still timing involved and the combat is ok, but its not original anymore, just a repetitive mediocre fighting game. It has some cool moves but the combat animations are less quality than some of the original games.The stealth is the worst its ever been. It sticks to the wall automatically and its hard to move around in cover, not to mention that when you try to go the other way, the camera stays in the same direction.The driving is clumsy and while its ok when you are ... MoreThis game seems good on the surface but its not. First off, the combat loses what made the other games good. The challenge to fight 20 enemies without getting hit was awesome. The other games were about getting the perfect timing to make a strike, but now it is just a button bash game. There is still timing involved and the combat is ok, but its not original anymore, just a repetitive mediocre fighting game. It has some cool moves but the combat animations are less quality than some of the original games.The stealth is the worst its ever been. It sticks to the wall automatically and its hard to move around in cover, not to mention that when you try to go the other way, the camera stays in the same direction.The driving is clumsy and while its ok when you are going slow, they keep reassuring the horse every 10 seconds which gets annoying quickly.The gun physics are useless. Sometimes you shoot an enemy 6 times to finish them, where in the beginning it was one shot. Even if you get a headshot, the enemy just loses some life and runs over to fight you. It even gets worse if you buy some dlc, because then everytime you start the game up it will spend a minute reminding you what items you have bought, which interferes with the map.Its a shame because the story and characters are good. There are also some good features like train robberies, the grappling hook and free running down buildings, but the game is just too poorly designed and badly thought out that its just constantly frustrating. It could have been much better, but as it is, it is the worst assassins creed game yet. (I haven't played Unity though).

Good ol' Assassin's Creed - Syndicate incrementally better than Black Flag

I waited a couple of years to try AC Syndicate. I skipped Rogue and Unity due to the mixed reviews. Coming off of AC Black Flag, Syndicate is an improvement both in graphics and game play. I think the game play is one step smoother and the graphics two or maybe three steps better (I have no idea how to convey what a "step" is, though). Ubisoft had added carriage racing to the game, which is pretty fun but came become a little bit old after you have performed several of the challenges. Not surprisingly, AC Syndicate game play has a lot in common with Watchdogs (the original). Once I made the connection, I couldn't break it. The missions are similar in the abstract with the time period and tools being the main difference. The story is a good continuation of the whole ... MoreI waited a couple of years to try AC Syndicate. I skipped Rogue and Unity due to the mixed reviews. Coming off of AC Black Flag, Syndicate is an improvement both in graphics and game play. I think the game play is one step smoother and the graphics two or maybe three steps better (I have no idea how to convey what a "step" is, though). Ubisoft had added carriage racing to the game, which is pretty fun but came become a little bit old after you have performed several of the challenges. Not surprisingly, AC Syndicate game play has a lot in common with Watchdogs (the original). Once I made the connection, I couldn't break it. The missions are similar in the abstract with the time period and tools being the main difference. The story is a good continuation of the whole Assassins-good-guys versus Templar-bad-guys vying to control the world. Ubisoft has retained the parallel present-past dual story lines, but thankfully! the present day story is much reduced. I've only had to watch a few cutaways and not been forced to act in the present day. The Pre-Cursor story is still there and your characters are still trying to wrest pieces of Eden from the Templars' grasp. There is an odd bit sort of tacked on where you play a different character in WW1 London, but I just tookit in stride rather than questioning it (you know... kinda like watching The Walking Dead... if you question it too much the weak reasoning might detract from your enjoyment.) Overall, is it a good game? It is Assassin's Creed. It plays like Assassin's Creed. It feels like Assassin's Creed. It has evolved a bit, but remains true to the franchise. I like Assassin's Creed, so think this was a good game at 2017 prices. I don't think I would have been happy with it had I paid $60 when it was first released.

Great AC game

I have only played the game for a few days and I'm only at 34 % progress in the story, so my review is at 4 stars. I have played AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC Brotherhood (which I still play repeatedly). I like the way Ubisoft has incorporated the various things from the older AC games, like how you earn money from buildings, you can upgrade all your items, the fluid combat and movement controls (it's easier to dodge and break defense). I personally like the absence of full sychronization requirements but instead was replaced by"bonus" requirements, which gives you extra rewards and extra xp if you do perform them. I also like where you can recruit gang members to do your bidding which was similar to the assassins in Brotherhood AC but can't send them to do missions where ... MoreI have only played the game for a few days and I'm only at 34 % progress in the story, so my review is at 4 stars. I have played AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC Brotherhood (which I still play repeatedly). I like the way Ubisoft has incorporated the various things from the older AC games, like how you earn money from buildings, you can upgrade all your items, the fluid combat and movement controls (it's easier to dodge and break defense). I personally like the absence of full sychronization requirements but instead was replaced by"bonus" requirements, which gives you extra rewards and extra xp if you do perform them. I also like where you can recruit gang members to do your bidding which was similar to the assassins in Brotherhood AC but can't send them to do missions where they can earn items and xp. I specially like the added item to the assasins' arsenal, the zipline, think Batman but AC style. It makes climbing up buildings and moving between buildings. There are a lot of side missions to do, a lot of items to pick up (if you're into hunting items).What I don't like (very minor) is the combat controls, I personally like mashing buttons on the controller, Ubisoft made it that when you push one button to attack, your character hits the victim 4 or 6 times, so I feel like I don't have much control on how many times I attack.Overall a good game if your an avid AC fan or new to the game.

Too many visual glitches on a PS5

I’ve been catching up on past AC games and started Syndicate recently. The game is pretty good (typical AC gameplay in a different time/setting). The only problem that I have with the game is that I’m playing it on a PS5 and there is one very noticeable glitch that gets very very annoying throughout gameplay. Ubisoft knows of the problem for the past year now and can’t (or doesn’t want to) fix it. The game tells you that you may experience issues when you install it, but, IMO the game should’ve been patched by now…