On November 13, 2014, the long-awaited release of the non-core Assassins Creed: Unity (release date coincided for all platforms), developed and published by Ubisoft, took place. Did the French manage to do something qualitatively new from Unity? Why are so many forums filled with reports that in Assassins Creed: Unity optimization is at an extremely nasty level? We will talk about all this later in our article.
Assassins Creed: Unity - Single Review
All year, Ubisoft tried to prove that the new part of Assassin’s Creed would be a real revolution in the genre, leaving all its competitors far behind. Say, they started developing a very long time ago, and therefore fresh ideas and innovations are just a dime a dozen. In principle, they did not deceive us, because there are really a lot of innovations in Unity. Many aspects of the game have undergone processing, which the series has long needed. Let's talk about some of them.
First of all, I would like to mention secondary quests, which have never been famous for variety and fascination in the Assassins Creed series. In the new part, the developers approached this issue more responsibly and competently, somewhat changing the mechanics and style of the additional tasks. Here you have full investigations in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, and the destruction of the satanic cult, and much more. You can immediately see that most of the missions were created manually, for which special thanks to the developers. It is logical to assume that since such a picky attitude was taken to secondary branches of quests, then the storyline has become much more interesting and exciting. The story has many scenic twists and dramatic moments, similar in spirit to the second part of “Silent Killer”. There is no trace of the past boredom of the past parts, which is especially pleasant to realize for both the beginners of the series and its veterans.
No less important processing in Assassins Creed 5: Unity has undergone a parkour and movement system. New animations were created for all the characters, and the freeride now has 2 types, the first of which has priority for descent, and the second for priority. From this feature, what is happening on the screen becomes even more spectacular and exciting. Otherwise, everything remained the same: Arnaud (the name of the main character) without any difficulties scrambles up almost any building in Paris, and from the highest points it can also synchronize, revealing a certain section of the map. Management, however, is heavily overloaded, but this flaw was present in all parts of the series and, perhaps, will never completely disappear.
Next, I would like to say a few words about the combat system, which has also been somewhat modernized. First of all, the developers changed the animation and mechanics of the battles, which have become much more complex. As you recall, in Black Flag, Edward was a real terminator, cracking down on enemies left and right, having 4 pistols and 2 swords in his arsenal. Arno will no longer be so invulnerable, because the developers cut out a counterattack for a more thorough battle tactics on the part of the player. Now you will not be able to cope with 10 guards in a few seconds, because they are as deftly wielding a saber as our protagonist. Arno can easily get around the neck, and so stealth mechanics and the use of various bombs are now a priority. Finally, we mention the customization of the character and his leveling. Just on the menu, the player can now buy for Arno many different costumes that will somehow affect the gameplay of Assassins Creed: Unity. Game mechanics can now be applied on several fronts. Like to do everything secretly? Then you need to pick up clothes with stealth bonuses. Want action and more bloody battles? Then buy melee clothing. Along with this, there is the opportunity to change its color, as well as purchase various accessories. In general, there are plenty of variations. Finally, a character leveling appeared as an ordinary RPG. Was it good? Not. Experience points, which we earn during the course of the game, are spent on banal skills that you don’t understand why you cut from the main character skills: breaking locks, the ability to get lost among NPCs on a bench, and the like. Perhaps the only reason Ubisoft has screwed this element of the gameplay to the game is microtransactions. Well, the thirst for profit often kills many.
We also mention the sound. The soundtrack for the game, written by Sarah Shreiner and Chris Tilton, is not remembered for its outstanding compositions, as it was, for example, in AC 2. Nevertheless, the voice actors did a fair job in making the dialogs seem really lively. Assassins Creed: Unity in Russian also does not hurt the ear, however, to go with the translated subtitles and the original voice acting is much more comfortable.
Assassins Creed: Unity - Co-op Overview
As many already know, Ubisoft cut out the multi-user mode from the new product, introducing the long-awaited cooperative, which turned out not so bad. There are no particularly outstanding missions, but they are organized in stages, and are also artificially complicated due to the number of rivals. The most outstanding were tasks designed for 4 characters, which boast excellent performance with thefts, car chases, etc. Unfortunately, quite often all adventures with friends turn into speed races where everyone wants to deal with the goal first. This has its own charm, but definitely not the same as the guys from Ubisoft saw it. However, the last word is always yours.
Optimization
Optimization, where are you? What did you leave us for? Honestly, one gets the impression that the developers have never heard of this word. And this is not even about the PC version, where every second developer forgets how to do it, but this even applies to consoles, where the claimed 30 FPS are extremely rare. At least this applies to the PS4 version. A noticeable part of the time, the game frankly adds up, which spoils all the pleasant impressions received from the long-awaited innovations. We’ll not say anything bad about the version for the Xbox One, where the game “flies” in 900p resolution. However, the first impression was greatly spoiled, which radically influenced critics' estimates and total sales, but more on that later.
Why is Assassins Creed: Unity optimizing so crooked? Of course, the whole point is in the technical component. The game looks just stunning. The crowd effect is perceived perfectly, and most of the NPCs in the frame behave quite dignified, albeit flaunting repeated animations. Reconstituted Paris at the end of the 18th century is beyond praise, and therefore a fascinating tour of one of the greatest cities of our time is guaranteed. All buildings look expressive and beautiful, and a 1: 1 scale only adds to the effect of presence. The authors modeled with amazing accuracy many famous architectural monuments, among which Notre Dame de Paris, the Louvre Palace, the Arc de Triomphe and other delights of Parisian attractions stand out. Other features of the graphic component were also excellent: excellent detailing of characters and objects, realistic shadows, a bewitching play of light, and more.
However, the pursuit of the most beautiful picture and “green papers” became Ubisoft's biggest blunder. Perhaps it was not worth it to rush the developers with the release of the revolutionary Assassin. Yes, the game turned out beautiful, with a good storyline and a bunch of innovations, but after the release, its dampness was obvious. The modified Anvil engine is terribly unoptimized, the consequences of which poor gamers feel for themselves, having bought another part of Assassins Creed: Unity. Optimization, of course, is possible after the release of the game by issuing patches. At the moment, the game has been updated to version 1.4, and the last patch weighs more than 5 Gb. Has anything dramatically changed? The answer is quite expected - no. On PS4, of course, the game began to work more stable, but on PC, terrible sagging FPS is still observed. Owners of even the most top-end graphics cards complain about the poor performance of the product. For comfortable gameplay with 30 FPS, you need a sufficiently strong "monster", the system requirements of which we will indicate below. Finally, numerous bugs regarding both our hero and the characters surrounding him did not disappear. What can I say? Today, Assassins Creed: Unity optimization is at the level of last year's Battlefield 4, the developers of which are still unable to cope with all the problems. Let's hope that soon the guys from Ubisoft will make a difference.
System Requirements (Minimum)
As you already understood from the section above, the non-built "Assassin" is extremely poorly optimized, and therefore you will need a very powerful PC for the game . What hardware is needed to run on the low settings of the revolutionary streets of Paris?
- OS: Windows 7/8 (only 64-bit versions are supported).
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD Phenom II x4 940.
- RAM: 6 Gb.
- Video card: GeForce GTX 680 / Radeon HD 7970.
- DirectX 11.
- HDD space: 50 Gb.
Well, for the minimum requirements it’s very not bad. The same Battlefield 4 or Metro Redux can be launched at a high level of graphics settings, having such a computer.
System Requirements (Recommended)
What are Assassins Creed: Unity requirements for a comfortable game at high settings and in normal resolution?
- OS: Windows 8.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 / AMD FX-8350.
- RAM: 8 Gb ;.
- Video card: GeForce GTX 780 / Radeon R9 290X.
- DirectX 11.
- HDD space: 50 Gb.
For a simple gamer, the above requirements will seem excessively high, however, even on such systems you will encounter tons of bugs and terrible sagging FPS. The best advice for a gamer would be to buy a console, which is certainly cheaper than a top-end computer. Well, these are the requirements for Assassins Creed: Unity. On weaker systems, you can not even try to play, because as soon as you spend your nerves.
Additions
Of course, like its predecessors, the game Assassins Creed: Unity will acquire additions that fuel interest in the title. In total, DLC should add 8 hours of gameplay, which is quite good for the average fan of the series. The biggest addition will be “Fallen Kings,” which is a new campaign that we will also be running for Arno. The scene will change to the small town of Saint-Denis, and the action will take place in 1794. Along with this, the player will open new tasks in Paris, as well as a somewhat updated already impressive arsenal. Finally, the last DLC that Assassins Creed: Unity can boast is China’s digital content, where we play as the student of the legendary Ezio Auditore, Shao Yong. The game will take place in 2.5D format, and gamers will be able to personally witness the Great Wall of China and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the ancient world.
Editions
For Assassins Creed 5: Unity, several editions were provided, significantly differing in content and other "goodies."
- A special edition will include the game itself, as well as an additional mission for the single "Chemical Revolution".
- Bastille Edition includes a game, an artbook, an official soundtrack disc, 2 lithographs, the Chemical Revolution and American Prisoner missions, as well as an exclusive case.
- Notre Dame Edition includes a game, a 39.5-cm Arno figure, an art book, 2 lithographs, an official soundtrack disc, an exclusive case and 2 of the aforementioned missions.
- Guillotine Collector's Edition includes a game, a 41-cm Arnault figure, an art book, an official soundtrack disc, 2 lithographs, a stylized secret card of Paris, a wooden music box, a deck of playing cards for the French tarot, a picture on canvas in a frame, a set of various equipment for the single, as well as the 2 above missions.
Here are some pretty interesting editions for Assassins Creed: Unity PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions. It is worth noting that collection editions will cost you a pretty penny, because, for example, the cost of Notre Dame is 4500 rubles. For pleasure you have to pay.
Scandals
The output of Assassins Creed: Unity was somewhat overshadowed, because a huge wave of negativity fell on the game both from critics and ordinary gamers. The sea of technical bugs, FPS subsidence and other problems have become a real hell for fans of the series and beginners. Ubisoft has never released such a crude product (in Assassins Creed: Unity, the release date is too early), and Watch_Dogs against its background looked just the ideal of optimization. Of course, this situation terribly spoiled the rating of the company, and many personalities even began to compare it with EA Games, more than once recognized as the worst studio.
What did Ubisoft do? Janis Mallat, who is the executive director of the company, apologized on behalf of all employees, and also promised to correct all the errors made by the developers. Fortunately, this step was not limited to empty words, because players who bought ACU will be presented with the Fallen Kings DLC. The same gamers who forked out on the Season Pass will be presented with one of the studio's games that the player can choose (Far Cry 4, Crew, Watch_Dogs and others). Well, the apology turned out to be quite sincere, and the gifts are gorgeous. Nevertheless, everyone knows that nerve cells are not restored, and the output of Assassins Creed: Unity has taken a lot of them.
Assassin's Creed: Rogue
This is just a comforting surprise for all those who did not have time to acquire a new generation console or a powerful PC, and therefore continue to be content with not the most attractive past-gen graphics. In principle, the idea is pretty good, because at the time when Assassins Creed: Unity comes out, there remains a rather vast community of people who want to go on an Assassin journey on old consoles. Considering the new product without taking into account last year's Black Flag, you can find a lot of advantages: sea battles, hunting, a seamless open world, non-trivial setting and more. But this is bad luck - in 2013, an almost exact copy of Outcast came out, but in the Caribbean scenery. Differences in the game are noticeable only in the plot, but the flow remained at the same level. The guys from the Bulgarian branch of Ubisoft copied almost everything: starting from pretty monotonous missions and ending with walks through the offices of "Abstergo". Of course, they added a couple of fresh ideas, but they are practically invisible against the general background. In defense of Rogue, it is still worth noting that the game turned out to be a good consolation prize: they paid even more attention to the marine theme, the plot is sometimes replete with quite fascinating missions, and the new scene does not let you get bored during the passage. Nevertheless, at the time Assassins Creed: Unity comes out, the Outcast seems tarnished, although ultimately it's up to you to decide.
Finally
Ubisoft can make beautiful and exciting games, but the thirst for filling pockets with American rubles often causes failure. They would give the developers another 1 year, and Assassins Creed: Unity (PC, PS4, XOne) would become one of the best games that ever existed. But she came out raw and unfinished, causing great indignation among millions of gamers. But is everything so bad? No, the game turned out to be very beautiful, with thoughtful characters, a fascinating story, various missions and a good cooperative, which first appeared in Assassins Creed: Unity. The gameplay mechanics were redone, but this did not always have a positive effect on the gameplay. Well, now the army of fans can be divided into 2 groups: those who praise changes and innovations, and those who want the developers to return everything back. And which side are you on?