Expansive & immersive // Recommended for fans of the franchise

*You'd likely prefer this at sale price.

LockeProposal's Big Day Out

+ Visuals are nothing groundbreaking, but still look wonderful+ Sound effects & voice-acting are extremely well done (of note were the audio effects during ship-to-ship combat)+ Both the free-running mechanics & the combat controls felt very tight & refined+ Main protagonist was hardly spectacular, but was presented well with ample development through his lifetime+ Hunting mechanics are basically unnecessary to further the storyline, but are a lot of fun in their own right+ Historical snippets; from the little nods-of-the-hat to fans of history to the background info to major events and players, the game does well to tie in actual historical events to the game's plot (with a few minor exceptions that felt somewhat forced)+ Cinematic executions & fluid combat; more fun than challenging, but it's enough to keep the player engaged+ Fast travel is available (& the player will be grateful for it)+ Homestead & eceonomy mechanics; much like hunting, these are hardly necessary to further the story, but feel rewarding to partake in & are generally well-implemented+ Story was passage; nothing spectacular, but wasn't poor enough that it stood out in a negative way+ Environments are very detailed, particularly the frontier areas+ Naval combat was more than just a gimmick; it was extremely entertaining, very immersive, & one of the unexpected highlights of the overall experience- This game requires uPlay- This game requires uPlay- This game requires uPlay- Poor selection of display & customization options- The game is not without a few jarring bugs & glitches- NPC reactions are often jarringly unrealistic; a prime example would be the ho-hum reactions by civilians who witness violent altercations in broad daylight (they often don't seem to react at all - definitely takes one out of the experience a bit)- Mid-game has some definite pacing issues, although on paper it's basically understandable given the plot elements at play- Repeated issues connecting to Ubisoft servers; naturally, connecting to servers is necessary, even for the SP campaign- Acquiring new items & weapons is fun & looks great, but you can finish the entire game with only the default weapons & the experience will be precisely the same- Multiplayer is completely unpopulated