Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Standard Edition - PlayStation 4

I've been playing AC since the first game, and it's surely had its ups and downs. Syndicate is definitely a big UP. I actually liked Unity last year, I found the bugs to be minimal (relative to what people were claiming, anyway... apparently most of them were specific to co-op... I played all of those missions solo,) didn't mind the occasional sub-30 frame rate, and loved running around such a beautifully rendered version of 18th century Paris. That said, I'm loving Syndicate much, much more. As I'm sure others have mentioned, it's immediately noticeable that they dialed the graphics fidelity back a bit from Unity. I don't see this as a problem- the game is still very beautiful, and it runs much more smoothly. The city design and overall look is more reminiscent of the AC2 era in certain ways, and after the departures of AC3, 4 and Unity, it kinda feels like returning home again. 19th century London is surely the most fully realized city of any AC so far, I'm guessing it's also the biggest. It practically feels like a modern city, what with the carriage traffic and machinery everywhere. The huge Thames river runs through it from one to the other and is considered it's own zone on the map, like the separate boroughs. Syndicate also reminds me of AC2 in its overall tone, the atmosphere is very upbeat compared to Unity and AC3. Playable characters Jacob and Evie are quite likable, as are most of their various comrades. The Dialogue and acting are great stuff. Most important, the game play is the most fun its been since the AC2 era. For me AC3 marked a real drop in fun factor, and it's really only now with Syndicate that I feel like the fun is back to where it was in the AC2 games. I think the combat is the best its ever been since the franchise began, yet it's still undeniably "AC combat." Parkour is smoother than ever, the new zipline gadget it a boon. The only real criticism I can make is that it takes a loooong time to load the game when booting it up for a session, or restarting your last checkpoint. I wouldn't necessarily expect Syndicate to appeal to anyone who's already decided they don't like AC games, but I imagine fans of the franchise will love it.It was widely regarded that Ubisoft was making a big mistake when they decided to annualize the franchise six years ago, and it's hard to argue against that when looking at some of the entries since then. But it's also hard to argue that they do occasionally still get it right with great games like Syndicate.(You might notice that AC4 Black Flag is conspicuously absent in terms of being used as a reference point. It is by far my least favorite AC, the only one I played just once and never touched again. I can't abide trading in huge iconic cities for a lame "pirate on the open seas" motif. I don't reference it because I honestly don't remember much about it. I never even bothered with Rogue at all, though I'd be more than happy to if they ever release a current gen version.)EDIT: I was only about half way through the game when I wrote my review. I finished the game yesterday, and I wish I could add another star. They really, REALLY hit is out of the park with this one. On three separate occasions the game crashed for no apparent reason. Yet I am somehow able to find forgiveness in my heart.

I love this Assassin Creed game. I played all the AC games exclude Rogue. I don't even think Unity is that bad at all. The only problem with that game is that they just should delay the process to make it not so many glitches. But that is still not the main problem, the main problem is the story of Unity is disappointing. Paris could be such a great stage for a epic story like Ezio's.OK... Let's go back to Syndicate.1. The story. I just finished half of the game. But honestly, the main story is not that impressive. I feel like the twins are just having fun in London and bully the poor villains. XD With that being said, it's not as good as AC II, but not bad as the second half of AC Unity, either (I love the first part of Unity story a lot!). I think from AC I to IV, they all have very deep story development, while Syndicate stories feel like less interesting. You just feel like the twins are the boss, and they can do whatever they want... that kind of feeling. Remember assassin like Edward, he has a love story with his wife, his dream to become rich by becoming a pirate, and his conflict in his mind, all of those are so intriguing and epic.2. The combat. Emm, not bad. ACIII +Unity. You can't be as superman as AC III, but you will not fight with some paper soldier in Unity. The combat in Unity is so terrible. When you hit the enemy, you don't feel it at all. But in Syndicate, they really improved the combat a lot.3. Music. I have no complain. The violin music is beautiful and make you feel like your are in Victorian London. That's great! but can we create some new music without citing the AC II Ezio's family in the opening?! Ubi did this again and again, that became not new and boring! Create some fresh, epic and unforgettable music like AC III and AC IV, OK? Unless Ubi want to imply us that Unity and Syndicate are not the AC V and AC VI.4. The stealth and Parkour. The zepline is a little bit overpowered and totally changed how we play AC... But it is really convenient and make you feel like a modern cool assassin! The stealth mode of Evie is so overpowered. I upgraded all of her stealth moves. I can run to kill some people from the back in the restricted zone and they just don't realize anything. And in stealth mode, I can stand sill and become invisible. I don't know. On the one hand, it is supper cool and give you fresh feelings. On the other hand, it make stealth kill less challenging.5. How you will enjoy the game. If you just rush the main story you may be disappointed and hate the game. But that's the wrong way to play it! If you really take you time to play those side quests, you will be greatly rewarded by those missions, like more XP and good weapons, and schematic maps to upgrade yourself. The missions are well-designed and make sense. Not to mention the beauty of London streets and the details, like people play cricket in the park and people singing or playing music on the streets. All the atmosphere and buildings are amazing just like Unity. You will enjoy the game more if you try to be really stealthy and try to complete those optional goals of your missions.In the end, I want to say I really really love AC series and I will continue to support it. Ubi shows their sincerity by optimizing this game really well. The loading time is short and there is no obvious glitches. So that's why I feel happy to spend 60 dollars to play it. I really hope Ubi can spend more time to make the main story of next AC game better, so that the gorgeous open world of AC won't be wasted.