Should you buy it? Ehhhhhh....
this is really hard for me to answer. I was one of those who read the
reviews and was like, this is just too easy, Ubisoft went too far and
this game is basically a quick time event made into 12 hours. At least
in Assassin's Creed they let you chose your own missions and fight
multiple enemies at once, this game seems more like a movie with
minimal input from the player.
While I would still say the game
is a bit simplified and easy, I had a great time playing it and really
feel glad I decided to give it a try, cause the experience is pretty
awesome. The graphics and overall craftsmanship of the levels is really
well done. You can tell Ubisoft believed this is a AAA game, cause it
is very polished and beautiful to look at. Nothing you wouldn't expect
from Ubisoft Montreal, guys behind Splinter Cell. The animations are
just as fluid if not more so then Assassin's Creed, and the boss fights
feel suitably epic.
The combat's pretty basic in nature and can
devolve into quick time events, so it's not gonna be for a lot of
people who want a challenge, but I was alright, since I don't play
platformers as a general rule. And the no death aspect of the game,
which a lot of people have complained about, was actually a game design
choice that made sense to me when I played through it. Instead of
quicksaving every 5 steps like in other games, you can just die by
falling off a ledge and there'll be a quick 3 second animation and
boom, you're right back on solid ground before the mistimed ledge jump.
It really takes the frustration part out of platforming and sorta
compels you to keep progressing. So ultimately, it just gets rid of the
F9 quickload and isn't really any easier then other games, it's just
presented in a different fashion.
What really stands out is the
beauty of the various levels and the interaction between the two main
characters, leading to the ending... which I absolutely love. It's
powerful and moving and depressing but inevitable and fucking
brilliant. Ubisoft was sending a very meta message with that and I like
how it makes a complete fool out of all the people who are complaining
about it.
Ultimately, I can't really recommend you pay 60 bucks
for the game, because the gameplay really isn't deep enough to justify
it. The ease and quick time events... let's be honest, this is not Game
of the Year material. However, if you can rent it for your console,
or... obtain the PC version somehow, you'll be able to play it through
in 2 or 3 days and have a very rewarding experience, I feel.
Maybe worth it for 40 bucks, which I hear they've dropped it to.