This was one of many jarring things about Bioshock Infinite. It tried so hard to integrate everything (gameplay, story, politics, interpersonal drama) into a single, coherent whole that the fissures and seams stand out more than they would in most other games. Combat felt like an intrusion and an unwelcome interruption.It's funny you bring up AC1, because for all the criticism it got for its gameplay, the game succeeds in using gameplay to service its story in a way that Infinite fails (not to mention all the AC sequels). Like Infinite, the intent of AC1 was to bring the player into the world and actually play the role of an assassin. The focus was on infiltration, gathering information, and observation before taking out a single target and fleeing. Combat with the various guards was supposed to be boring because that's not how an effective assassin operates.
In contrast, Infinite's combat segments, while fun in isolation, are incongruous with the larger experience, and it undermines the narrative.
Indeed.Hah, is this about AC1 specifically? I'm actually with you there. So much of the changes they made in sequels still rub me the wrong way, and it got especially bad with Brotherhood adding in the killstreak stuff. The combat in AC1 actually had a decent amount to it, even if most people cruxed on countering everything and then complaining it got old. I also played it HUDless, but to be fair I didn't attempt this with the sequels to see if it worked as well as it did, as 1 had a ton of cues to look out for in the world itself.