NEWS
by Mark Barley
Should Ubisoft Step Away From The Assassin's Creed Franchise?
Assassin's Creed: Revelations was released yesterday across the globe, and while the game may have been highly anticipated amongst the franchise's fans...simply put, it's not a very good game.
A large number of reviewers around the internet gave the game an average score in the 7's and 8's. You can read our review here. While a 7 or a 8 might not be a bad score for a game like Saints Row: The Third, a Game of the Year contender such as Revelations needs to be getting favor of 9's across the board.
The Assassin's Creed franchise has a pretty good Metacritic average review score as a whole but the games every year tend to resemble more of a roller coaster track than an ascension leveling off. You could argue that Assassin's Creed II was the best game in the franchise with Brotherhood coming in at a close second. My argument is that while the game's improved on the original AC title they've gone downhill since ACII. Shouldn't sequels make the franchise better?
The inclusion of multiplayer with Brotherhood was a turning point in the franchise for the better but was it really a difference maker? Would anyone really point to the Assassin's Creed franchise as a game series that is better than another similar game franchise in Naughty Dog's Uncharted series? I wouldn't and that's what bothers me. Uncharted has steadily improved its gameplay, storyline, and multiplayer for three games now over the past six years. Pretty much the same time frame that the Assassin's Creed franchise has been in existence.
Admittedly I'm not the biggest Ubisoft or Assassin's Creed fan but I think I've played enough of these games to know when it's time to take a break. When a game series is getting worse or at the minimum, not getting better, signs would point to stepping away from the franchise. Now would be the perfect time to do so with Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft concluded two important story arcs in the franchise and actually may have given some resolution to the series as a whole. Fans will point to sales numbers for the game and state that 7's and 8's in reviews are good enough to continue the series, my point would be why settle for being "good" when you need to be "great"?
Ubisoft has already gone on record as stating that there will be more Assassin's Creed titles in the near future, as soon as next year even. Is it a mistake? Maybe, but perhaps Ubisoft has extraordinary plans for the franchise. Maybe I'm being too critical but I like to think I'm smart enough of a guy to know when to move on from something.