Last year I played two of Ubisoft’s most anticipated games, Watch Dogs and Far Cry 4. During the summer I also embarked on properly tackling the Assassin’s Creed series, a series I have largely ignored in the past, and have come to enjoy most of them. Point is, I played a lot of games from the infamous French developer/publisher last year, and in every scenario, they’ve been quite baffling experiences.
We all know why games such as Assassin’s Creed Unity and Watch Dogs received so much flak from gamers. Severe bugs and/or marketing hype will always get attention, because they are very obvious and clear. However, I feel that there is a much deeper problem that is embedded in almost all of Ubisoft’s games released in the last five years that is bringing their titles down even further; Surprise… or rather, the complete and utter lack of it.
“There is a much deeper problem that is embedded in many of Ubisoft’s games; Surprise… or rather, the complete and utter lack of it.”
Many people will argue but I personally think that most Ubisoft games have some very strong qualities to them. Ranging from beautiful graphics to powerful sound design or solid acting, most games by the developer usually have something to them. They’re not as poorly constructed as a Ride to Hell: Retribution or Tactical Tactics, both games I’ve taken the piss out of in the past for their blunders. There are redeeming qualities to be found in most every title in the Ubisoft library which is not something a lot of publishers can say.
Despite these redeeming qualities one thing that stands out is there was never a moment in any game that really impacted me as a player. No scenes that stood out and made me think “Wow that was amazing!” Now to clarify, I’m not just talking about plot twists; the predictability in Ubisoft titles is most evident in the gameplay. Far Cry, Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed, all have towers that you can go to in order to unlock objectives on the map. They all have stealth modes with similar mechanics and punishments. They all have “open worlds” that restrict the player too much to be considered sandboxes.
“Splinter Cell, Watch Dogs and Far Cry all feature controversial subjects but never use them in a way to convey a message.”
Writing in their games also have their own series of tropes. Splinter Cell, Watch Dogs and Far Cry all feature controversial subjects but never use them in a way to convey a message. They’re the advertising equivalent of a high schooler turning up to school saying he smokes weed or rides a motorcycle… aaaand that’s it.
Super Bunnyhop, in their review of Watch Dogs, made a point I couldn’t help but agree with. They stated that it seems like writers of the game consisted half of intelligent and creative individuals that wanted to push the medium forward, and the other half consisting of 14 year olds that think it would be funny to put memes on construction signs.
Other tropes I’ve encountered in Ubisoft stories include forced character developments or revelations, stupid endings and pointless side characters or villains. All things that lack imagination or surprise. All things that would just as soon put me to sleep before they truly entertained me.
“Far Cry 3 to me symbolises the last time an Ubisoft game caught me by surprise, and went to places I didn’t expect it to. I was surprised at multiple points, and that’s why it worked.”
Far Cry 3 is a game that I remember enjoying very much and I recently wondered, why? Why did that game resonate with me so much more than Far Cry 4 when they’re both basically the same game? Far Cry 3 to me symbolises the last time an Ubisoft game caught me by surprise, and went to places I didn’t expect it to. I didn’t expect to get a wingsuit, I didn’t expect to have so much fun taking over outposts. I didn’t expect Jason Brody to have an actual arc over the story. I was surprised at multiple points, and that’s why it worked.
Recent Ubisoft games are very flawed, but the truth is, they always have been. Far Cry 2 and the original Assassin’s Creed had many problems, both in gameplay and storytelling, but they were still unique for their time, and did new things that resonated with audiences. The flaws were overlooked because the audience was experiencing something full of innovation that they’d never seen before.
“Come on Ubisoft, you’ve got a wealth of talent behind those doors so use them! Take us by surprise again… it’s worked before!”
Games are at their best when they surprise us, and there’s no surprise in Watch Dogs or Far Cry 4… hell I won’t even touch the Just Dance franchise when it comes to “been there and done that”. That doesn’t make them bad games of course. What it does mean is the hard work put into them by all the designers, artists, programmers and producers will be for something that people forget about within the month. There’s no longevity to the games apart from the immediate experience and then poof, gone in a cloud of smoke and all but forgotten.
Ubisoft’s talents and big budgets mean almost all of their games have the potential to be wonderful, ground breaking entertainment. Sadly, more often than not, all of their creative energy gets stomped on by bad business, corporate greed and the need to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Sure the sales might be up but it’s only a matter of time before audiences catch on, if they’re not catching on already. Come on Ubisoft, you’ve got a wealth of talent behind those doors so use them! Take us by surprise again… it’s worked before!