Is it just me or is there precious little hype for Assassin's Creed: Syndicate?

Jawmuncher said:
I have a feeling Ubi marketing wise is taking a break this year. Since they figure it's better to push harder on whatever the next title is. Since if rumors are true that one is supposed to be a big shift.
Click to expand...

I love it when companies order games to be made that they don't give one fuck about. Now that's how you put some heart and soul into something and ensure consumer trust.
 
I can't really gauge the marketing based on TV, as I don't watch TV, but I see ads all the time on YouTube. I've seen more ads for Syndicate than any other game so far this year, but I watch videos on YouTube that would be prime placement for such ads.

I'm super excited for Syndicate, as AC is my favorite franchise by a mile, and Unity was the best game in the series by a significant margin IMO. AC has been getting shit on so much lately by the hardcore that trying to gauge excitement for Syndicate based on internet communities isn't going to tell you much of anything. As much as I am personally looking forward to the game I also see it as more of an in-between title for Ubisoft. Syndicate is the first game being headlined by a new studio, it has been paired back considerably feature wise with the lack of any kind of multiplayer, and I think they are going to have something big from Montreal next year to go along with the movie. Syndicate will still sell perfectly fine, as AC is a huge international brand, but it will likely be the lowest selling game in the mainline series. Next year they are probably going to have the next really big AC release, and by then most of those burned out on the series will have taken a few years off.
 
Acquiescence said:
The game is out in less than a week and, for a big-selling series that's accustomed to sitting comfortably among other annualised holiday season juggernauts, it just seems to me like there are very few people who actually give a shit this time around. I don't want to prematurely declare that the franchise has been milked to the point that commercial interest is starting to wane significantly... but it sure does seem that way!

Is the unfinished glitch-fest that is Unity entirely to blame? Do people not dig the Victorian setting? Are we just at that point where there have been so many Assassin's Creed games now that we've reached overkill? I'm curious.
Click to expand...

I think so. They fucked up spectacularly. The damage they did to the brand have cost them more than the $ they got for selling Unity. Omitting coop play in Syndicate to focus on the core experience is a step in the right direction, but they should also transition the series to a biennial release schedule.
 
Enjoyed Unity but it's too soon for me to dive in with another AC. Finish Witcher, then Star Wars is out, I might pick this up 2nd hand or if I see it cheap.
 
I just finished Unity and after playing every game I am officially done. I like the ubi collectathon more than most but I am more interested in their other IP to be honest. I loved Watch dogs. AC just hasn't evolved enough for me and the mechanics haven't aged well with all the same problems still present.
 
its hard to muster up the same level of excitement when
a) its already an annual franchise
b) the big graphics leap was last year, but seems to actually be pared back a bit this year
c) the notable "additions" seem to be a rope launcher, carriage racing and controlling recruits

i'll get it on PC as usual, but there's just not that much to be excited about aside from a bit of dual protagonist play, the return of the modern day thread (whch should have never been gimped in the first place), and exploring victorian london. it seems like another reserved off year, its a pattern for this series.

revelations - off year
ac3 - as much as people hated it was ambitious and tried new things
black flag - off year, it was pretty much ac3, albeit an enjoyable pirated themed one.
unity - again, as much as people hated this it was ambitious and changed things up but was marred by technical issues
syndicate - off year
2016 - i don't know what it will be, but i bet it will receive a fat marketing budget and bigger push from ubi than syndicate
 
For me it's franchise fatigue combined with no overarching story element that makes me care from game to game. Historical tourism is fine but it's not enough to make me care every year.

A strong overarching narrative and characters that are involved across several games are what made me interested in coming back.

I may buy it when it's cheap like I did for Unity though
 
formasymphonic said:
For me it's franchise fatigue combined with no overarching story element that makes me care from game to game.
Click to expand...

As bad as it might've been and as much as people ragged on it, I actually didn't mind the modern element because it at least served as a backbone that made the series feel episodic. It was ridiculous and they obviously had no idea where they were going with it, but if they did and actually put some forethought into it, I think it would've been a lot more interesting. At the very least, it was something, which is better than nothing IMO. Some would disagree with that but whatever, it's just a dumb videogame and I was on the ride.

I did find myself starting to care much less after 3.
 
Had no idea it comes out next week. Kinda says it all really.

Franchise died for me at 3. One of the few games that just crushed me due to how bad it was. 3 was one of my biggest gaming disappointments. Black Flag was fun but I hated the ship battles so I never finished it. I tried so hard with Unity, I really did. Despite the bugs, despite the broken piece of shit I had spent nearly £50 on I had some moments of fun, but Unity was just a bad game in general, with and without the bugs. I watched the announcement stream of Syndicate and turned it off after five minutes after realising that I just didn't care anymore. I have had zero interest in this game since and even though it's set in my country I just don't give a fuck at all. 2 and Brotherhood will always be the high points of this series and I will never forgive Ubisoft for what they did to this franchise.

I really hope the series dies after this game.
 
Unity more or less killed this franchise stone dead for me. A shame cause I have played and enjoyed all previous games in the franchise. Even 3.
 
xenist said:
Second, cool as Victorian London may be, it has already served as setting for some of the best fiction ever created. So the setting has already been done better than Syndicate could ever hope to do. Strike two.
Click to expand...

R_thanatos said:
They need a setting that makes me " oh i kinda want to explore that place "

Right now , london victorian doesn't make me interested.
Click to expand...

I'm actually kinda stoked about the setting. Best one since III (gameplay notwithstanding). But they are missing a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY by using Dickens and not doing a Christmas Carol-themed level. Running around in a snow-covered Victorian London with the ghosts of the Assassin's Guild chasing you or challenging you to missions would have been incredibly awesome.
 
Yoday said:
I can't really gauge the marketing based on TV, as I don't watch TV, but I see ads all the time on YouTube. I've seen more ads for Syndicate than any other game so far this year, but I watch videos on YouTube that would be prime placement for such ads.

I'm super excited for Syndicate, as AC is my favorite franchise by a mile, and Unity was the best game in the series by a significant margin IMO. AC has been getting shit on so much lately by the hardcore that trying to gauge excitement for Syndicate based on internet communities isn't going to tell you much of anything. As much as I am personally looking forward to the game I also see it as more of an in-between title for Ubisoft. Syndicate is the first game being headlined by a new studio, it has been paired back considerably feature wise with the lack of any kind of multiplayer, and I think they are going to have something big from Montreal next year to go along with the movie. Syndicate will still sell perfectly fine, as AC is a huge international brand, but it will likely be the lowest selling game in the mainline series. Next year they are probably going to have the next really big AC release, and by then most of those burned out on the series will have taken a few years off.
Click to expand...

It's really refreshing to see someone not shitting on the game prior to its release already.

Even if I might not agree with you, I just have a wait and see approach for now, which is helpful since I'm low on cash atm anyway.
 
SpotAnime said:
I'm actually kinda stoked about the setting. Best one since III (gameplay notwithstanding). But they are missing a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY by using Dickens and not doing a Christmas Carol-themed level. Running around in a snow-covered Victorian London with the ghosts of the Assassin's Guild chasing you or challenging you to missions would have been incredibly awesome.
Click to expand...

How do you know that they are not doing this?
 
SpotAnime said:
I'm actually kinda stoked about the setting. Best one since III (gameplay notwithstanding). But they are missing a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY by using Dickens and not doing a Christmas Carol-themed level. Running around in a snow-covered Victorian London with the ghosts of the Assassin's Guild chasing you or challenging you to missions would have been incredibly awesome.
Click to expand...
They actually have a mission like that. It's a Kmart pre-order exclusive.
 
I lost my interest after revelations tbh, I bought creed 3 as I wanted to see the conclusion to the story and I got black flag for Christmas at the time so I felt inclined to play and finish it, but boy did it take me a looooong time to complete that game.

Haven't been interested in any since.
 
I've seen the games and played them throughout the years, either to completion or just bits and pieces of them. That said, Syndicate doesn't do much to surprise. Underwhelming is the word that comes to mind.
 
I gave up after AC3, that game was terrible beyond belief. I'll never touch another AC game ever again, if it dies with Syndicate it's already 3 years too late.
 
As far as I'm concerned, AC started to go downhill immediately after Desilet left. It's another good lesson why publishers should treat their talent well as opposed to chasing them away like Ubisoft did here so they could switch into maximum IP exploitation gear.

In some parallel universe, Desilet stayed at Ubisoft and we got fewer, better and "true" AC sequels; the games are known as modern classics and Ubisoft enjoys the limelight as the publisher that made it happen and let the creators do their thing.

Unfortunately, we live in the AC shovelware universe.

Well, at least have the Souls games. :D
 
d00d3n said:
How do you know that they are not doing this?
Click to expand...

Well, the Dickens/Darwin pre-order bonus is described as:

Pre-order Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and receive the Darwin and Dickens Conspiracy Mission!

Embark on two pulse-quickening missions that will take you into the inner sanctums of London’s most influential men. Defend Charles Darwin’s discoveries from those who would kill to silence him. And help a friend of legendary writer Charles Dickens keep a secret that could get him killed.
Click to expand...

Given that, there's no indication of snow in the dynamic weather cycle, only rain and fog. So I'm not counting on snow.

gabagool said:
They actually have a mission like that. It's a Kmart pre-order exclusive.
Click to expand...

And I probably would have pre-ordered from Kmart if that we're true. ;)
 
I was watching adult swim last night and saw two advertisements within the same commercial break for it. It was only a gamestop partner ad though, not a sony/microsoft one and it's definitely not been advertised as much as Unity was.
 
I'm still interested in it but I also noticed that there is little hype on gaming boards and sites. Only very few news compared to Star Wars: Battlefront, Fallout 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider.
 
I'm really excited for the game. Love the setting, can't wait to climb Big Ben and rob trains. Not really digging the rope launcher, but hey, I don't have to use it.

Will pick it up as soon as I hand in my thesis.
 
This is probably going to be the tony hawks proving ground of the series, the last big hurrah before it becomes a relic of last gen.
 
IvanJ said:
I gave up after AC3, that game was terrible beyond belief. I'll never touch another AC game ever again, if it dies with Syndicate it's already 3 years too late.
Click to expand...

Unity is way better than 3. It's not amazing by any means but better than 3.
 
Kenzodielocke said:
Let's just say it. Black Flag should've been a new franchise that has nothing to do with Assassin's Creed and they should build on that.

Can't wait to see how it'll sell though compared to unity. Larger install base and all.
Click to expand...

I'm still very disappointed that BF was not the new series direction going forward. Until that happens I really have no interest in the series. Unity did well enough in making sure of that.
 
I was one of the biggest AC fans around last-gen. The first AC was my main reason for wanting a PS3. AC2 remains one of my favourite all-time games.

The buggy release of Unity and stale, inflexible stealth mechanics soured me on the franchise. I haven't even considered buying Syndicate. Up until a couple of days ago I didn't even know it was coming out next week. I may play it eventually but the franchise has fallen so far down my list of priorities it's depressing.
 
Oh dear.

Just sneaked up on us didn't it.

I'm feel it will chart for a month or two at least, but sales will wane quickly and Ubi will finally realize they need to take a break.

This franchise needs some retooling.
 
AC is usually an automatic purchase for me. The games are always at least ok and they're nice to look at.
Maybe it's for the best that there isn't a lot of hype because people are less likely to be disappointed. AC:U was one of the first non cross-gen multiplats and they talked up the new engine and blah blah blah, so people were let down when it came out. Not the case this time.
 
Kenzodielocke said:
Let's just say it. Black Flag should've been a new franchise that has nothing to do with Assassin's Creed and they should build on that.

Can't wait to see how it'll sell though compared to unity. Larger install base and all.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with that. I actually love going back to Black Flag from time to time and plan another full play through. Sailing the seas and ship combat never gets old.

As for Syndicate, the only appealing thing about it is that it is in London and it has a playable female. Too bad the game itself looks as dull as an old spoon.
 
sora87 said:
The franchise fatigue is real. They need to pack it away for a good couple of years.
Click to expand...
i would say its franchise fatigue here - more like "Sequel to clusterfuck" syndrome... and anti-hype surrounding that and also little to no marketing from Ubi. (personally i am glad they are not showing fake.footage like in Unty) .

Walpurgis said:
Victorian setting isn't that interesting after Paris
Click to expand...
This is what i dot really understand - to me the victorian London is much more interesting than boring Paris


Personally i got hyped pretty much only from palying the game on an event last week - was great fun even though i was really bad on gamepad. (love the small features which were not in Unity)

Still weird they did not annunced the present-day story yet ;-)
At least i will see how it goes befoer PC launch - which is still month away
 
I'm buying this game as I do every year Assassin Creed game. I bought Unity last year as a Christmas gift and by the time it was played, the bugs and what not were fixed.

This year, I've been fixated on so many other games. I'm buying COD, which the last one I bought was Black Ops II, Battlefront, which I've never bought any of the Battlefield type games. My list of games is breaking my wallet along with gaming peripheral in the lead up to Christmas. Everything is being released one after the other. Don't recall this happening before.


I'm looking forward to this game. Looks interesting and especially having Jack Ripper in it.
 
If they want to save the franchise, they need to do something unique to seperate the games from the past iterations. Something like AC in the future -- I'd take one in a Blade Runner like world. Packed steets, rain, crazy architecture.

Then when they return to historical settings, it would feel fresh again.
 
I think it's one of those franchises (like Call of Duty) that doesn't really do or need hype on message boards or with enthusiasts anymore. I'm sure it still has it's audience, they just aren't on places like GAF.
 
Noray said:
I feel the opposite. That should've been the shot in the arm the series needed, a break from its convoluted shit story starring Blandy McBoring. And Black Flag was indeed that. It was just an anomaly, it seems.
Click to expand...

I agree that the story could have been realized in a better way, but at least it provided some connective tissue between the games and it built the promise of going towards something bigger, something conclusive. What they did with the meta-narrative (finding the hidden messages and clues, people in the past addressing Desmond directly through Ezio, etc.) was, at least, captivating.

Besides, it's not fair to criticize Desmond for being Blandy McBoring, when most AC protagonists are Blandy McBoring. Altaïr? Connor? As interesting as chewing chalk. Edward Kenway was better, but still an extremely cookie-cutter smart-ass pirate. Don't even ask me about ACU's protagonist.
 
Joey Ravn said:
They lost Desmond, they lost me.
Click to expand...

This is one aspect of it. The framing narrative with Desmond in the modern day felt like it gave the series some purpose. Playing Black Flag (which was very good) still felt somewhat empty without that compelling modern day narrative.

Also, burn out on the formula, especially the collectathon nature of it. I'm a huge fan of the series, and right now I'm playing through Brotherhood again, but looking at the map it's almost repulsive how much clutter there is. It's like I almost have to turn off all the markers because if I don't turn them off, I can barely see where my "Mission Start" marker is for the damn actual missions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Is it just me or are reddit ads actually useful? Yes this is gaming related
9
194
Brakum replied
'Assassin's Creed' no saviour for struggling Ubisoft
2
92
1K
K' Dash replied
Is the gameplay in Cyberpunk pointless or it's just me?
2
98
1K
TintoConCasera replied
  • Poll
Do you just DLSS it for every games now?
Hype  2
82
751
BennyBlanco replied
Assassin's Creed Shadows Preview Gameplay - hands-on
Opinion Trailer Hype 
1
860
Thief1987 replied
Top Bottom