Ubisoft's games get a lot of flak, and some of it is a bit exaggerated

I hear what you are saying OP. If you try to play them all it would probably be far too samey, but it doesn't mean that they are bad. I'm looking forward to the Star Wars project. Also the more traditional AC game and the Splinter Cell remake have my interest.
 
I'd give them much less flak if they would make a new Rayman game or a new 2D Heroes of Might and Magic that's not shit.
 
Um no. They've milked the same open world structure long enough. Fans want somrthing new - give it to them. They have the knowledge, money and people o do it, but why would they - there is no need to risk a bad product when people are still buying the same open world games 5 years later.

The last 4 far cry's are basically iterations of each other. They had something good with AC Origins, but instead of inovating, they copied it 2 more times. AC Valhalla is the biggest copy/pasta of them. Not to anyones suprise, its also the worst.
 
VeronicaMaeKawa said:
Ubisoft's design philosophy focus on user experience, the reason their game felt formulaic is because they show you everything with their UI, icons, logs etc. If other game do the same they will also feel like a checklist. Now imaging BoTW but this time everything had a checklist and icon (with everything else remained same), now imaging AC4 Black Flag but hides everything (with everything else remained same).

Game design that focus on user experience is a relative new game design concept (relative to other type of design philosophy), whether you like or not is down to personal taste.

For me its a mix bag, for example the new Hitman World Assassin franchise also had this design going with the awful guided mission feature, but thanks god you could turn it off (and now it plays like Blood Money! Which is what the game suppose to be like), the game felt like a complete different game with that feature off compare to on, this is where it's implementation was so contradicting to its core game design it break the aesthetic of the game. However in most AC games (especially the open world ones) that design wasn't that devastating.
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I think it varies a little bit from game to game and not all of them could work with HUD turned off (mostly due to how specific some mission objectives tend to be) but I agree that in most Ubisoft games you can absolutely just disable all of the on-screen bullshit and it will completely transform how those games feel and play.

One of my favorite Ubisoft open world games also happens to be one of the first, and it's Far Cry 2, and that's because it made the "HUD-less experience" as its core design principle and it wasn't optional. I love how immersive some of these games can become when you do this and actually start paying attention to the surroundings. Especially in some of the later games like AC Odyssey which is just packed with incredible amount of detail.
 
Danjin44 said:
If you enjoy how design their games then more power to you but I dont AT ALL. The ONLY game I ever enjoyed from them was Mario + Rabbits series and thats it.
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I kinda wonder how much of it was them vs just licensing rabbids because there's too much personality in it for me to say otherwise.
 
GhostNTheBashShell said:
I kinda wonder how much of it was them vs just licensing rabbids because there's too much personality in it for me to say otherwise.
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They did design the actual gameplay which to me was really good in fact I was surprised this made by Ubisoft based how much I enjoyed it.........but the UI screams Ubisoft, personally not really fan its UI design.
 
I've been playing the hell outta some Ubisoft games lately. I bought The Crew 2 and Riders Republic and I'm having a blast.

My main hate towards Ubisoft is their launcher and their hate for Steam.

Game diversity is actually pretty legit though. Trials, Trackmania, Riders Republic, Rayman Legends, to The Division and Prince of Persia.

Not many companies can excel in pretty much any genre they touch.
 
Last one I played and enjoyed was ass creed origins. I liked Bayek, wish they continued with that character.
Tried both Odyssey and Valhalla and couldn't stand the characters or the bloat.
 
Ubisoft's problem lean towards the content, not the gameplay, in that department they are really good at.
 
Havnt played any Ubisoft game in years that didn't feel absolutely soulless, have 0 interest in their output and have had 0 interest for years, if they surprise me then great but I don't expect it.

It's like back in the 80s and they make Shoot 'em Up Construction Kit games for the C64 rather than actual games.
 
I actually liked Ghost Recon Breakpoint, but the critics aren't wrong. 21 Kiloton knocked it out the park exposing the hypocrisy and coporate shilling.
 
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They kind of sucked lately though. I haven't liked a single one of their games or wanted to play them past Odyssey.

Watchdogs Legion was trash, Valhalla was significantly worse vs Origins/Odyssey, latest two Farcry games were mediocre and latest Ghost Recon seemed to be pretty bad too. So I would say Ubi output over last several years has been week as hell.

I did enjoy most of AC games beforehand, even Unity (on PC patches up with overpowered hardware it's not too bad performance wise). First few Farcry games have been pretty good, PoP series wasn't too bad, Watch Dogs 2 I found good, etc...
 
voidenberg said:
Ubisoft is the definition of average
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I still play Division 2 despite the game crashing multiple times through a session, having a buttload of bugs/glitches that people sometimes exploit and get banned for. Yesterday the game crashed 10 times in an hour.

BUT I still play it. Why? Bro I don't have a fucking clue.
 
Ubisoft's transparent design and focus on user experience makes most of their modern catalogue feel uniform on a certain level but every game is built upon a strong, unique vision.
I can't hate the people who approved Far Cry Primal's dialogue being exclusively in three dialects of Proto-Indo-European. Any faults their games have are countered by cool stuff like this.
And they publish Anno!
 
Think Tim Robinson GIF by NETFLIX
 
I like the Ubisoft formula, my biggest issues with their games are the bloat, because what they do works well, there's just way too much of the same shit in each game. The second, is how cringe their characters and dialogue are. Playing Far Cry 6 right now and just some of the characters are so cringey.
 
voidenberg said:
Ubisoft is the definition of average
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Disagree.

Yes they have their formula, but they usually execute it much better than all the developers who copy it. Look at Hogwarts Legacy (100% Ubisoft formula) and compare it to something like AC Odyssey. Not even close.

Also they made a really good one with Immortals: Fenyx Rising but people have such a hate boner for Ubisoft (while praising crap like Hogwarts) that they didn't even try it.
 
I very much dislike their stories, characters and combat.

They are ok for everything else, they are lucky i'm a sucker for open world games.

There are some notable exceptions like for honor and div2 that have good combat and maybe bayek and kassandra weren't terrible as protagonists.
 
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I dont hate Ubisoft games. But they have this formulaic feel to them, you're either in the mood to play them or not. The major issue I have with Ubisoft is they tend to make their open world games too huge, and the content in these worlds are shallow.
 
Drizzlehell said:
See, that's exactly the attitude I'm talking about. It shouldn't be surprising to anyone, considering that every new game they make sells like hotcakes and is generally well-received, with only a few outliers.

There's this overall negative sentiment that grew around their games but in most cases it has less to do with their actual quality and it feels more like some hate bandwagon.


Don't you repeat my own arguments back at me now, you.
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So now we are using sales to define quality. In that case Ea, Activision, bungie, fortnite are all great and absolutely not carried by huge marketing and a casual fanbase that plays two games a year.
 
Topher said:
I love the Assassin's Creed games. Always have. Far Cry seems to get worse every time though. Enjoyed the first two Watch Dogs games, but Legion was shit. That's about it for me and Ubisoft. Their games are extremely popular and that's fine, but obviously they are not for everyone.

Really looking forward to Mirage and getting back to core AC.
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Yeah, me too. Surely there are flaws on AC games, but the setting etc. makes me forget about it, i just really like those games. Especially AC Unity.
 
hyperbertha said:
So now we are using sales to define quality. In that case Ea, Activision, bungie, fortnite are all great and absolutely not carried by huge marketing and a casual fanbase that plays two games a year.
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I also said "generally well-received"

Don't just pick out whatever fits your dumb narrative and expect it to hold water.
 
Rambotito said:
I actually liked Ghost Recon Breakpoint, but the critics aren't wrong. 21 Kiloton knocked it out the park exposing the hypocrisy and coporate shilling.
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I didn't like Breakpoint at release, some of the flaws broke the game for me and I stopped playing it in disgust.

BUT, then Ubisoft eventually put out some nice and big updates, improvements and options that turned the game into a good experience.

Edit: Anyway, because I'm fearless I have no problem saying that I quite like Ubisoft games in general. The Division 2 has given me plenty good times. Rayman Legends is great, Anno is good, AC and FarCry (except the atrocious enemy spawns) are pretty good.

Edit 2: I don't get Far Cry 6 though, I really don't understand why the game was made.
 
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StreetsofBeige said:
Same maps too.

www.eurogamer.net

Far Cry Primal uses Far Cry 4's map layout

Far Cry Primal's map is largely based on that of 2014's Far Cry 4, down to the same road and river layouts.
www.eurogamer.net www.eurogamer.net
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Bad take.

It's not an issue because the game was a spin-off to Far Cry 4 and it was advertised as such. No one concealed the fact that it reuses some of its assets. Same as with Blood Dragon, same as with New Dawn.

Although Primal actually stands as one example of this trend in Far Cry release cycle, where the spin-off game was changed so drastically that you can barely even recognize that it's the same map. I didn't even realize that it was the map from FC4 until I looked up a side-by-side comparison.
 
Ubisoft makes games for dumb people. That's why they have such massive customer base.
 
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I've played some of the Assassin's Creed games and have had fun with them, but I can get how dipping in too often would become very 'same-like'.
 
I am of the opinion that Ubisoft do make good games but over the years, their focus on open-world design has led to their games becoming so stupidly bloated to the point where I have zero chance of ever finishing them!!!

I usually play Watch Dogs / Far Cry / Assassin's Creed for about 30-40 hours and really enjoy them before I end up losing focus on what it is I am meant to be doing and what the story is about. I then look at the map, see hundreds of icons and just decide that it is probably best at that point to just move onto something else. It's a shame because the quality is there, it's just buried under a mountain of filler side-quests and content that ultimately dilutes the experience and renders the game's plot and even the characters almost forgettable.

I really hope that it is true that Assassin's Creed: Mirage is a return to the old style of games so I can actually play it from start to finish. It's weird to complain about a game having too much content but I would rather have a short, more memorable game that an overly long one that is clearly padded out and full of cut and paste missions etc.
 
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I really enjoyed FC 4 and 5 but 6 Im playing on auto and i think ill just uninstal it. It doesnt grip me at all with anything, story or gameplay.
 
People has zero personality and like to follow trends, so if the new trend is to eat shit or one of those stupid challenges they will follow.
Most people criticise it because is what most do, not because they have a self opinion based on playing those games. Period.
 
Esppiral said:
People has zero personality and like to follow trends, so if the new trend is to eat shit or one of those stupid challenges they will follow.
Most people criticise it because is what most do, not because they have a self opinion based on playing those games. Period.
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Nah most people have played enough ubi games to know exactly what to expect- a bloated shallow openeworld with even shallower game mechanics.
 
Drizzlehell said:
I also said "generally well-received"

Don't just pick out whatever fits your dumb narrative and expect it to hold water.
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What dumb narrative? It's agreed upon by the majority here that ubigames are trash. Casual gamers might find them enjoyable. But casuals enjoy fifa and nba.
 
hyperbertha said:
It's a serviceable formula as long as it's the first time you're playing it.
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Yes, this basically sums it up. I'm glad Immortal was my first Ubisoft game, as it seems to be one of the better ones. But I can't imagine going through that gameplay loop again for at least another 5 or so years.
 
Ghost Recon Wildlands was actually a competent modern ubisoft game. You could tell that they had a vision of what the wanted it to be and actually cared.

Even booting it up now on my PS5 with it's unfortunate 1080p, 30fps output, the landscapes still look real and leagues and leagues better than Breakpoint in every sense. Breakpoint is DOGSHIT.

AC Origins is in the same vain as Wildlands. It's a beautiful world and fully convinced me that I was in Egypt.

However, Ubisoft nor any other company will ever, ever in a quadrillion years beat Far Cry 2. That game is the epidemy of the open world shooter. And I will hold that game to the heavens until I die.
 
Belthazar said:
Yes, this basically sums it up. I'm glad Immortal was my first Ubisoft game, as it seems to be one of the better ones. But I can't imagine going through that gameplay loop again for at least another 5 or so years.
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Yes it should provide some enjoyment every 5 years or so. Which is why I intend to check out avatar because that looks like a proper next gen game for once. I also managed to play through the 3 Ezio games back to back because they were carried by stellar story and music and they were relatively short games compared to the bloatfest they release these days.
 
I think Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a legit good game. Was surprised by how much fun I had playing through it (didn't finished it though), because I never cared for the others.

Ubi gets a lot of flak, they have a tendency to produce bloated, lackluster games, filled with greedy mtx and other crap, but they do occasionally put out some bangers. I enjoyed their smaller games as well, such as Rayman, Child of Light and Valiant Hearts. On the horizon we have Star Wars Outlaws that look awesome. So they're not completely useless. I like having them around.

Hopefully they scale back their open worlds and scope their vision accordingly for many of their future games. Maybe cut back on the aggressive microtransactions. Not everything needs to be 100+ hours of content, especially not when you have seen everything the games has to offer at the 30 hour mark (looking at you Odyssey).
 
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Games of Today said:
Ghost Recon Wildlands was actually a competent modern ubisoft game. You could tell that they had a vision of what the wanted it to be and actually cared.

Even booting it up now on my PS5 with it's unfortunate 1080p, 30fps output, the landscapes still look real and leagues and leagues better than Breakpoint in every sense. Breakpoint is DOGSHIT.

AC Origins is in the same vain as Wildlands. It's a beautiful world and fully convinced me that I was in Egypt.

However, Ubisoft nor any other company will ever, ever in a quadrillion years beat Far Cry 2. That game is the epidemy of the open world shooter. And I will hold that game to the heavens until I die.
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Far cry 2 had some great elements and it was superior to modern far cries but it's open world lacked vareity and it's enemies were especially dumb. There was no way to stealth, and the outposts got repopulated every few minutes really taking away any rewarding progression.
 
Personally I've just been annoyed that over the years they've just felt like they're churning out games that are pretty similar. So their biggest IPs had gameplay that borrowed from one another. Not EXACTLY, but a lot of core mechanics were just.... so similar. So in the end it just made everything feel... safe, I guess?

Every once and awhile they throw out something random, which felt pretty exciting for them, I just wished they'd do that more often.

When For Honor first dropped I LOVED it, and couldn't believe that it was a Ubisoft game because it felt like they were breaking out of their shell. It felt confident too, IMO. But then after its release, it felt like they just went right back to being safe again.

I'm not sure where they're going now, but with things like xDefiant, Prince of Persia 2-D, and Star Wars Outlaws it looks like they're trying again which is cool. Even if people are saying that Avatar game is just Far Cry with an Avatar coat of paint, lol.
 
Ubisoft games aren't bad, their designs are just...formulaic. They're the same copy and pasted designs with a fresh coat a paint. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It just is what it is. I thought the last three AC games were great, even if they were a bit formulaic in design. Also the AC games went on faaaaaaaar too long. So much so that I put in a ton of hours in Odyssey and I'm still not done with the main story.

Then there are their other games like Just Dance (that I don't like or play) and The Division, which on paper is a cool idea for a game, I just can't get into for one reason or another. Not Ubi's fault, just personal preferences.
 
My main complaint with Ubisoft is they seemingly use the same formula for every game. Watch Dogs could literally be called "Assassin's Creed: Watch Dogs". Even Far Cry uses the same formula except in first person.

Other than that, I've always been impressed with their graphic engine and the gameplay is always good. They do tend to have bugs at release but they are quickly fixed.

I think they just need to work on some new IPs and take a rest on the constant bombardment of AC games.
 
Robb said:
I think the main problem for me is that the gameplay loop often feels like a check-list. At least that was the case with the most recent AC game I played.

Get quest, the exact location where you need to go is marked on your map, go to location, kill enemy, get new mark on your map, go to location, finish quest. Repeat for next quest.

In most cases you can skip all dialogue/text and finish the quests just fine. You don't have to think.

At a point I was just thinking "why am I wasting my time on this" and quit.
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Yep 100% this and this is with all of their games I've played and with most open world games in general.
 
I genuinely enjoy the Far Cry games, formulaic though they be. *shrug*

I just wish Ubi would stop trying to tell "serious" stories in any of their games, because their writing is absolutely awful, even among the written-by-committee, paint-by-numbers, corporatized, sanitized AAA studios. Assassin's Creed especially is consistently soured by their awful characterization and scenario writing. Honestly, the way the Assassins go on makes me root for the Templars at times.
 
I enjoy the gameplay in most of their games, just need to reduce the size of their maps and focus on the story more.

Ac valhalla for example had a long campaign compared to ac origins, and the way the broke the main story up felt like you where doing the same thing over and over again, just with different characters and different town.

Go to region, help some rebellion or help some king/leader thwart a rebellion, gain their friendship and move to the next region to do the same.
 
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