Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Syndicate is the first installment in the series since Brotherhood that I can call unconditionally good. First and foremost, Ubisoft have finally figured out that the protagonist does not need an introduction that takes up a third of the game. You are immediately plunged into action and, within the space of an hour, you learn that Evie and Jacob are brother and sister, they were raised as Assassins, he is more of a brawler, while she is more of a thinker, but they are both witty and funny and dedicated to the Assassin cause, each in their own way. And that's all we need to know to get invested in the characters, who can be fleshed out later (which they are). Equally welcome are the facts that, at long last, the protagonists are bona fide Assassins, not just some bums who found an Assassin's outfit in the nearest dumpster, and that one of them is a woman. With the right premise, the right kind of story follows: Evie and Jacob come to London to free it from Templar control; Jacob engages the Templar forces head-on, while Evie attempts to beat them to a powerful Piece of Eden. This is complemented by a present-day story in the form of pre-rendered cutscenes focusing on Shaun and Rebecca, who basically need the memories to find the same Piece of Eden, and I found this to be a great addition to the game. Also, there is a whole segment set in WWI London, with a different female protagonist and guest starring Juno. Yes, it is great, in case you needed to be told. Also, there is a DLC where you play as an older Evie and Jack the Ripper; forcing the player to assume the identity of a notorious serial killer is a questionable choice, along with several others, but it is an interesting story that introduces new skills and moves and features one of the best assassination missions in the series. The story on the whole is not what I’d call remarkable, and there are times (not many) where it does not make a lot of sense, but it is solid and easy to follow, and the conclusion is quite satisfying. London is huge and beautiful, the best-looking city in the series so far, even in the crappy 900p resolution the PS4 offers, and there are more activities and side-quests than ever. Your characters both have a skill tree, with certain skills being unique to either Evie or Jacob, and there are tons of outfits to choose from. Unfortunately, there are only three types of weapon available to you (plus a firearm), and they are all concealed; walking around with a spear or an axe may have been fine in 16^th century Italy or even 18^th century France, but it would have raised questions in Victorian England. The upside is that there are dozens of different animations for each weapon type, and the combat looks more cinematic and fluid than ever. There is no shortage of stealth, either, and you’ll have to do a lot of sneaking around if you want that full synchronization. The AI, sadly, is still unimpressive; as before, the difficulty is created by the enemies’ positioning rather than their behavior. The only thing about the game that is really bad is the soundtrack, it is the worst in the series. Also, Templar enemies now sport Nazi-like armbands, which is a minor thing, but among the stupidest I have ever seen in a video game.