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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I am beginning to think that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, has been mightily screwed over. The Ubisoft game from Division developer Mssive is effectively the last big release of 2023, and yet it’s one that has been almost entirely ignored among a sea of other games in a legendary year for quality offerings.

The game debuted with rather low critic scores. The main review platform, PC, has the game at just a 72 metascore, which in the context of the larger industry, is pretty poor, and puts it in the bottom half of games released this year. At launch, I remarked that it had come in as the 193rd best reviewed PC game of the year. Not good.

However, something a bit unusual has happened since release. The gamers that have actually played it, seem to like it quite a bit. I keep hearing it described as “Avatar Far Cry, but better” in addition to people raving about just how gorgeous it looks on max settings.

As it turns out, the numbers bear out this claim. From what I can tell, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has the highest user scores of any mainline Ubisoft franchise in many years, which includes the likes of Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and The Division. It’s also a rare case where unlike most of those games, user scores are higher than critic scores. Significantly higher, and in general in the industry, most of the time you will find user scores a good deal below critic scores on Metacritic. But look at this:

• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: 8.2/10
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage: 7.4/10
• Far Cry 6: 5.2/10
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: 7.2/10
• Watch Dogs Legion: 6.2/10
• The Division 2: 6.2/10
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: 6.6/10
• Far Cry 5: 7/10
• Assassin’s Creed Origins: 7.3/10
• Watch Dogs 2: 7.7/10
• Far Cry 4: 7.7/10

I am…genuinely impressed? Like impressed enough to actually spend $70 on this to check it out myself when I wasn’t planning on it before. At least after I’m done with God of War: Valhalla.

So what happened here? Bad release date. You don’t really want to come out in the crowded holiday season right around The Game Awards where everyone is hyping up a bunch of games that are not yours. Poor marketing. It almost feels like Ubisoft left this one out to die with such little promotion for it. Avatar issues. Avatar has this problem of being the biggest film series in the world but few people talk about it much, the same might be true of the game. Critical disconnect. I don’t exactly know why, but this game scored so low it was easy to ignore, and only now among people who actually played it are we hearing that hey, maybe the critics got this one wrong.

Weird situation, and I feel bad for Massive who has worked on this for years, and I do not imagine it’s performing all that well. But yeah, I think I’m going to give it a shot.

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora’s User Scores Are Higher Than Any Recent ‘Far Cry’ Or ‘Assassin’s Creed’

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora debuted to low critic scores, but actual players have rated it above any recent mainline Ubisoft franchise game.

www.forbes.com

 

[ManaByte]

Because it’s a good game.

 

[Flutta]

 

[Hugare]

Fewer people have played the game, so fewer people have reviewed it. The chances of a higher average than normal is higher then, specially since the idiots that review bomb games in Metacritic probably didnt care about the game.

AC Mirage has 1.3k reviews, for example, and its not even a mainline game. 1.3k people have also reviewed FC 6.

Avatar was reviewed by 284 individuals

Not saying the game is bad, I havent played it and I want to when the price drops (I'm a graphic whore). But it being better reviewed than the average Ubi game doesnt make much sense if you use your brain.

 

[acm2000]

people love lanky smurfs

 

[Zathalus]

Rather unique setting helps.

 

[SJRB]

Okay?

 

[ManaByte]

AC Mirage has 1.3k reviews, for example, and its not even a mainline game

Yes it is. Just because it's not a 160 hour bloated monstrosity like Valhalla doesn't make it any less of an AC game. It's a full game, not something like the Liberation or Freedom's Cry DLC.

 

[GHG]

It's still a ubisoft open world game though and these idiots didn't release it on Steam despite announcing their return to steam.

So I can wait.

 

[baphomet]

A 72 is generous for the game.

The main thing it has going for it is the graphics. It's not even as good as Far Cry 6, which wasn't as good as Far Cry 5.

 

[Spyxos]

So is it any good?

 

[ClanOfNone]

A 72 is generous for the game.

The main thing it has going for it is the graphics. It's not even as good as Far Cry 6, which wasn't as good as Far Cry 5.

I’ve often enjoyed a romp through the current Far Cry, 3 and Primal were great probably my favorites.
I want to play this, but I’ll wait for 50% off. Rogue Trader has the hooks in deep right now anyways.

 

[SlimySnake]

So is it any good?

It is good, not great. It has great visuals and setting though.

 

[Spyxos]

It is good, not great. It has great visuals and setting though.

Do you always clear the same bases that hardly differ from each other? And do you have to climb/hack a tower for the map? I kind of had fun with Far Cry 6 even though it wasn't a great game. But I don't need the same game in Pandorra again.

 

[Evil Calvin]

How did Odyssey get a 6.6? It's better than any of these other games by far.

 

[lughnasadh123]

This always had the potential to have high player ratings based on settings and a general enjoyment of that style gameplay vs critics who love to rub one out over some Ubisoft hate.

 

[SlimySnake]

Do you always clear the same bases that hardly differ from each other?

Yes. But that’s a very small part of the game.

And do you have to climb/hack a tower for the map?

No. Map opens up as you explore.

I kind of had fun with Far Cry 6 even though it wasn't a great game. But I don't need the same game in Pandorra again.

it’s a much slower less combat heavy game. World is truly a sight to behold.

 

[Elios83]

It's definetly an impressive graphical showcase but if it's the usual dull Far Cry reskin, a 70-75 critical reception doesn't seem to be overly harsh to me.

 

[adamsapple]

Because it only has 200 something user scores.

It's a worse game than any of the recent Far Cry ones, with the graphical tech being the only notable thing about it.

Source: I finished the story yesterday. It's a mediocre game.

 

[Robb]

Time to make 20 new Meta accounts and rate it zero

 

[LordOfChaos]

Well that's good. I was interested in seeing it at first, and then a bit put off learning it's sort of on a Far Cry base which I haven't enjoyed the open world versions of

 

[Skifi28]

Still looks like far cry with an avatar skin to me, for better or worse. I also don't share the enthusiasm for the visuals. RT or not, it looks very bland to me. More so than Far Cry 6.

 

[RyRy93]

The strength of an IP goes a long way, also I imagine the majority of AC and Far Cry players are sick of playing the same game where as Avatar is more likely to have players that are new to the Ubi open-world formula

 

[Raven77]

A 72 is generous for the game.

The main thing it has going for it is the graphics. It's not even as good as Far Cry 6, which wasn't as good as Far Cry 5.

How many hours in are you?

I'm playing now and think it's much better than any Far Cry.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I was going to buy Avatar but Baldurs Gate 3 won the game of the year and I bought that as my last game for 2023.
Maybe 2024.

 

[SirKicksalot]

I’ve often enjoyed a romp through the current Far Cry, 3 and Primal were great probably my favorites.
I want to play this, but I’ll wait for 50% off. Rogue Trader has the hooks in deep right now anyways.

This is basically a Primal spin-off
A Primal sequel with these graphics and some of the new gameplay features would be incredible.

 

[baphomet]

How many hours in are you?

I'm playing now and think it's much better than any Far Cry.

Around 5-6

It's the typical Ubisoft open world game, but unlike Far Cry, the combat isn't very good.

Also the Avatar story is the corniest shit ever. Every character is just the worst.

 

[Arsic]

What I’ve played so far is good. I just am not hooked yet.

Odds are far cry fans will love it if they haven’t tried it.

 

[Hugare]

Yes it is. Just because it's not a 160 hour bloated monstrosity like Valhalla doesn't make it any less of an AC game. It's a full game, not something like the Liberation or Freedom's Cry DLC.

I said so 'cause it started as a DLC, obviously didnt have the budget of a AAA game, was made by a lesser known Ubisoft studio and sold at $50

But if you say so, no problem. Doesnt change my point much. It sold really well regardless

 

[Sleepwalker]

It's already 30% off a week from release so Ubisoft must be panicking somewhat.

 

[Alebrije]

And they choose Avatar instead of work on The División 3 , what a waste of time.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora’s User Scores Are Higher Than Any Recent ‘Far Cry’ Or ‘Assassin’s Creed’

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora debuted to low critic scores, but actual players have rated it above any recent mainline Ubisoft franchise game.

www.forbes.com

No maaaa.......

whats wrong with this Generation z?????

 

[proandrad]

How did Odyssey get a 6.6? It's better than any of these other games by far.

Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla were made for what Ubisoft thinks gamers want. Mirage was made for the original assassin’s creed fan base. Not hard to see why it might have been overrated in the user reviews. The opposite happened to FF16. Developers need to treat established franchises with more care, sometimes when you try to grow a fan base you just trade one for another. If you want to do something new just create a new IP.

 

[Nydius]

The Avatar brand name is doing almost all the heavy lifting. Someone could dye dog shit blue, package it as "Avatar The Way of Water Genuine Na'vi Excrement" and Avatar fans would buy it up.

The game itself is a mediocre mess. The typical Ubisoft open world formula except it's constrained by the rigid rules of the Avatar movie worldbuilding. For instance, you'd never run across a break away Na'vi faction that you'd end up fighting to bring to your side. All the Na'vi have the same core beliefs so all the clans just blend together regardless of biome. Compare that to something like Horizon Zero Dawn and/or Forbidden West where the clans have their own distinct belief systems and cultures. There's only two enemy 'factions' in the entire game: Humans/RDA and hostile wildlife and you generally only run into humans when you decide to go after one of their outposts. The end result is wandering around the landscape doing a whole lot of nothing for large swaths of time and feeling like there's no real threat.

But the loot and crafting systems are the biggest disappointment. I have no idea how Massive, the people behind the Division, one of the few looter shooters that stood up to Destiny's dominance, could develop such a blunder. How does one ship a loot game where you can't dismantle or sell your old loot, with the only option being throwing them in glorified trash cans called donation baskets? How does one ship a game with crafting but then tie all your capacity upgrades to skill points instead of crafting?

Because I stupidly bought the game I keep trying to give it a chance but every time I sit down and play a new frustration of the gameplay design pops up that makes me turn it off again.

 

[Mikado]

So I'm not a big Ubi-game fan by default (never played AC and the last FC I played was, like, FC2) but Massive are an amazing team, the Divisions are my GOTF, and Snowdrop is a very pragmatic engine that produces amazing results under the care of the A-Team (the B-Teams working on D2 LTS are another story ofc).

Am I going to like this? Help me out here, people-who-have-actually-played-it...

Edit:

Well that doesn't bode well..

It's the typical Ubisoft open world game, but unlike Far Cry, the combat isn't very good.

Also the Avatar story is the corniest shit ever. Every character is just the worst.

 

[Dr.brain64]

Once it's on steam deck, I'm there.

 

[Nydius]

but Massive are an amazing team, the Divisions are my GOTF, and Snowdrop is a very pragmatic engine that produces amazing results under the care of the A-Team (the B-Teams working on D2 LTS are another story ofc)

See my above post. Like you, I had a lot of hope in this because it was made by Massive.
Unfortunately I can only believe this was developed by a b- or c-team within Massive, not the people who made Division 1/2.

• Combat is a major step backward from Division, especially stealth.
• Crafting is pointless because the gear and mods you get from quest rewards are almost always strong enough to defeat encounters even on the harder difficulty levels. You don't even need to use crafting skills for capacity upgrades.
• Loot is extremely barebones where the only things you get are simple affixes like [+X% damage to RDA], [+X% bonus to health/energy], or [+X% more damage for X arrows after a hit on a weak spot], etc. No sets to farm, no gear designs to complement skills in the skill trees like there are in Division. Plus, you can't do anything with loot you don't want except 'donate' it to clans for tiny bits of reputation.

Honestly, the entire loot and crafting systems feel like afterthoughts.

 

[Hudo]

I really want Massive to make a World in Conflict 2...

 

[SmokedMeat]

And they choose Avatar instead of work on The División 3 , what a waste of time.

Good. Even if I don’t like the Avatar movies, I don’t want developers locked down to one franchise.


What’s Division 3 going to do different than the last two? Nothing.

 

[R3TRO]

Weird, it feels like the typical Ubisoft title.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Assassin's Creed Nexus Reviews

Assassin's Creed Nexus is rated 'Strong' after being reviewed by 17 critics, with an overall average score of 80. It's ranked in the top 17% of games and recommended by 88% of critics.

opencritic.com

Nexus is higher though!

 

[Denton]

Weird, it feels like the typical Ubisoft title.

It is, but I guess after 15 Far Crys and 38 Assassin's Creeds even something as derivative as Avatar can stand out, even when it uses the exact same template.

 

[SJRB]

Weird, it feels like the typical Ubisoft title.

Not only is the Far Cry-formula fucking done because Ubi completely ran it into the ground, they made a huge error in judgement about how many people actually care enough about Avatar to buy this game.

Nobody cares about this fucking game. Catastrophic waste of time and resources at Massive.

 

[Krappadizzle]

It's like the best Sci-fi version of Far Cry Primal. Just gimme that Blood Dragon 2/Avatar crossover now Ubi. Ya'll do dumbass shit all the time, may as well go full ham.

Tech is impressive. I've certainly found myself surprised by how immersed I've felt running around even if is almost exactly the same tropes you expect from the Ubi formula. I think it's wonderful, I look forward to putting more time into with some friends hopefully after the new year.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

From the few hours I've played it seems worse than far cry.

 

[Mozzarella]

User score is meaningless, it lost its value when trolls abused it.
Even if my favorite game has high user score i dont care. Garbage metric not worth caring about.

 

[SirKicksalot]

I just don't see how the "it's like any Ubisoft game" narrative works when the traversal is so different (and brilliant) and the combat is the exact opposite of Far Cry.
If this is Far Cry, then Rise of Nations is Age of Empires.

 

[bender]

Stupid ravens like shiny things.

 

[Pelao]

So, even if I don't give a damn about Avatar, if I like Far Cry, is this game a good purchase?

 

[Danjin44]

I trust my taste above any reviews or user reviews and the moment I heard Ubisoft making Avatar game I knew exactly how the gameplay going to play out and I knew is not gonna be for me.....from gameplay I saw so far it looks like I was made correct choice skipping this game.