Dayshot: A lot of very nice words have (surprisingly, given Unity’s qualities) been written about the latest Assassin’s Creed game, but there’s one thing a lot of them overlook: just how pretty this video game is.
Yes, the “graphics” are nice. When it’s not giving off a weird shimmering effect or an AI routine is breaking down, stuff like the lighting and textures and animation are some of the best you’ll find in an open world game.
But when I say how pretty the game is, I mean how so much of it has been framed. Much like another big open world title from 2015, The Witcher 3, Syndicate’s major dialogue sequences and cutscenes have gone to town with their cinematic aspirations.
To great effect! An interruption to the action used to be something to dread in Assassin’s Creed, but what used to be a babbling of talking heads has become over the last few games a real visual treat.
If you haven’t played the game and its Jack the Ripper expansion — or have, and want a pleasant little recap — below is an example of what I’m talking about. I find screenshots work best because they not only capture the beauty of a single frame, but also let you appreciate some stuff you might otherwise not be focusing on during play, like how damn intricate the costume design is.
BY ORDER OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA, EMPRESS OF INDIA AND QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, YOU ARE HENCEFORTH WARNED THERE ARE SPOILERS (FOR BOTH THE MAIN GAME AND JACK THE RIPPER DLC) BELOW.
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Dayshot showcases some of the prettiest, funniest game-related screenshots and art that we can find.
Comments
16 responses to “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Is A Beautiful Video Game”
It may be the same engine as Unity, but I was amazed in the difference in detail between the two games. Syndicate was so gorgeous whereas Unity, I just didn’t really care for. But it’s likely also the setting itself that did it for me.
I also think they’re handled by different internal studies so there is that to take into account as well.
It does seem like they put a lot more effort into Syndicate’s visuals and the appearance of London, there were many areas that seemed to have their own character to it. Unity from what I remember was just the same bland Paris all over.
I stopped buying Assassin games after Black Flag. I came to a realization, their games distinctly lack soul. All their games had the same mechanics with a different coat of paint.
They never made me immerse in the character (Modern menus VS Historical land marks VS Fiction VS Fact) the same way Witcher or Arkham did. They seem torn between two directions and not dedicated to either.
My intention is not to dissuade them from making games, I’m merely saying they can do better, but for some reason they never even try.
Not being rude, but I don’t honestly care. If it were an article about the quality of the games story etc it would be one thing, but we’re talking the graphics etc. So in that sense, honestly, sorry I’m more talking the aesthetics. So in that sense, sorry man, I don’t care.
Only just started playing it as it came with my PS4 bundle, but damn it’s a load of fun.
I skipped over Unity so not sure how similar Syndicate is, but overall I’ve been really impressed.
It’s fun, and I could listen to the Jacob and Evie bicker for hours. (as opposed to Connor from AC3 who was so boring to listen to I’d actually almost fall asleep.)
If you skipped Unity, don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. Much of it’s gameplay was rather standard, and Arno was barely more interesting than Connor. Syndicate overall feels like what Unity should have been.
Except for the combat being suddenly the worst it’s ever been in Syndicate. Unity’s combat was the high point of the series (no matter what you may think of the rest of the game) and in Syndicate they devolved it into button mashing. As someone who likes these games much more than I really ought to, I was extremely disappointed by the game, mostly for this reason.
The world also felt deader than Unity, for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on. It felt like something was happening all the time in Unity whereas in Syndicate people are just dawdling around doing nothing.
The highpoint????????? No way. Brotherhoods combat is still the pinacle for ac.
I can see why you’d feel that way but Brotherhood’s was still pretty easy, Unity was the first time where you could actually get killed pretty quickly and easily which makes it better to me.
Thats fair. I feel if they can reach a middle ground with the two they will hit a sweet spot. The removal of the blades as a weapon themselves imho hurt it.
Agreed, somehow relatively early on I bought the upgrade “Stop templars harassing me in the street”. Which is awesome, but it’s kind of weird how easy and early on in the game I had it.
I’d like to see the combat back to back, I also felt like this Syndicate was kind of stiff. I actually just assumed I was remembering the past games incorrectly and that they all played exactly the same, maybe there is a difference in past games.
Unity was much slower and individual attacks did more damage, kinda like Dark Souls in a way. Syndicate is the opposite, ludicrously fast attacks which do very little damage. I feel as though Syndicate feels like something of a QTE (mash attack until a prompt appears to counter). Even if the older games had boring combat, it was still better than Syndicate’s.
Agreed, and I understand levelling systems… but I’d be a Level 4 (with an albeit crap weapon) fighting a level 5 noob and I’d have to sink in 30 hits for a kill.
It’s at that point that I arbitrarily upgrading all of the gear, thought that was pretty weird.
I am strangely loving the game and its beautiful but what it doesnt do is capture is Victorian London. As a person who spent my life studying London history and been there many times, it really fails to capture Victorian London, its all too clean and safe. It does a lot right sure, and they are so great moment in the game when I was like wow. But they way they handled Whitechapel and Spitalfields is really annoying.
1) they cant even put the East End in the right place. Like how hard is it to put it where it belongs, hell they keep referring to it as the East End but they put it north of the city. They cant even get its locations right. If a 3D Sherlock Holmes mystery game can make St Mary Matfelon look completely right why cant it? likewise the famous intersection of Spitalfields Markets/Ten Bells/ Christchurch/and the doss houses on the other corner where on of the Ripper murders took place 2) the streets are wide. yes I know there were some wide streets back then but the only reason so many wide streets exist in this game is for the cabs and driving. Sure thats fun but its immersion breaking. 3) they really isnt enough time of the game when pollution is use to create atmosphere. 4) a little thing (i need to totally confirm it, i havent mapped out exactly where they are in game) but the City of London bollards, the ones with white tops and a red band of paint seem to be located in the Strand area but not in the City. Strange to go to such detail but totally put them in the wrong place.
Now I havent played the Jack the Ripper then yet but why didnt they make a faithful Whitechapel for the base game, with all the landmarks of the area.
Despite all its flaws, I felt Unity was a way more faithful to Paris, even if the design represented a Paris 40 odd years after than the era it was set in. For a person obsessed with Victorian history there is so much detail here but the atmosphere is off. Maybe that has a lot to do with this whole gang warfare thing which wasnt as huge as the game suggests.
Yeah but it’s still an assassins creed game. Same button mashing combat like the bat man games, same safe and vanilla gameplay churned out to pander to the lowest common denominator. Don’t care how pretty it is.