I was lucky enough to go hands-on with Assassin’s Creed Unity during Gamescom. There are some really cool features to the game that make it even more fun when cooperating – and you can even be a fully animated woman if you go into disguise.
Before we went hands-on, the developers talked us through some new features. One of the core new functions is character customization. With over 200 items to use in customizing your character (which do more than change aesthetics), each version of Arno will be slightly different. There are also options to upgrade specific skills, with those skill abilities catering for coop. For example, there’s a new skill called communal sense – this lets players share their eagle vision markings. So, if you can put someone up high and let them look around using eagle vision, the player on the ground in the crowd can see who is actually the target or where the enemies are dispersed.
Another such upgradable ability is that of disguise. Players can disguise themselves as members of the crowd, or even groups. I always loved using groups of courtesans to hide in crowds in previous Assassin’s Creed games. Well, now you can group together with your other coop friends and be the prostitute group. See, even the guards know women can’t be assassins, only hookers – use the stereotyping to your advantage and move through the city unseen simply by disguising yourself as a woman.
Going hands-on was a ton of fun. The game feels much more fluid and well designed, with Arno actually feeling like an assassin. You can creep quickly, moving from one place to another without being detected. I love the new ghost imaging – it’s much more fun to slip through the shadows and distract guards. During my play through, I was able to rush into an underground area, with guards only getting a fleeting glimpse of me, not enough for them to even come investigate. From there, I moved directly into killing another enemy before helping my co-op partner join me as we moved through the tunnel systems together, sharing our eagle visions and coordinating attacks on guards. The controls are intuitive and separate parkour assassin from stealth assassin – letting you play your way without moving in ways you didn’t intend.
The game simply feels how I’ve always wanted the Assassin’s Creed games to feel. The controls handle so smoothly – I never once shouted at my assassin to just do what I was trying to make him do. The transition from single player to co-op is smooth and easy; I simply accepted a co-op mission and selected that I wanted to play it with other people in the world rather than alone. No fiddling, invites or lobbies. It simply worked – of course it was the closed environment of Gamescom, but I will still impressed to see how straight forward it was.
Co-op missions can also be played alone, although they’ll be more difficult. It was really nice to have support with me to help in throwing smoke bombs, killing random guards and even finding alternate paths. Plus, human companions are way smarter than their AI versions from previous Assassin’s Creed games – I felt like such a ninja when coordinating attacks and sneaking together through shadows or across rooftops.
I couldn’t stop smiling while playing Assassin’s Creed Unity – it just feels fresh and new and was a whole lot of fun. I think it’s finally a version of the game that players can be excited about again.
Last Updated: August 18, 2014
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 18, 2014 at 13:34
Cool, it sounds good. I’m enjoying AC3, but yes – I was ranting at my screen yesterday over Connor insisting on having his own way when I tried telling him where to go to escape a horde of guards.
Kensei Seraph
August 18, 2014 at 13:43
*Presses keys to have Connor run towards the bottom left of the screen*
*Connor does a flying leap towards the top of the screen off the building into the centre of a group of 7 guards and dies from the fall*
“DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO NOT WHAT YOU WANT YOU F****ING BASTARD!!”
http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120330232328/vampirediaries/images/thumb/0/0d/Misc-true-story-realistic-l.png/818px-Misc-true-story-realistic-l.png
Hammersteyn
August 18, 2014 at 13:38
Don’t be silly. They can’t all be prostitutes. Someone needs to be the pimp.
http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/will-ferrell.gif
Eric
August 18, 2014 at 14:41
Gator aint got not time for no French bitches!
Hammersteyn
August 18, 2014 at 14:46
Hehe, Gators bitches better be wearing jimmys
Kensei Seraph
August 18, 2014 at 13:41
Sounds good but I’m curious, what flaws did you find?
Hammersteyn
August 18, 2014 at 13:42
You can’t play as a women?
Kensei Seraph
August 18, 2014 at 13:44
Ah, but you can once they finally get around to patching it since most of the animations seem to be there (or at least that’s part of what I understood from Zoe’s article).
J_Joestar
August 18, 2014 at 18:07
nah, those are animations of a guy pretending to be a woman, not a woman being a woman… Totally different…
Fugly Gamer
August 18, 2014 at 13:57
So you can look like this?
Hammersteyn
August 18, 2014 at 14:03
Dayum
Sk3tz0
August 18, 2014 at 15:02
I see London I see France.. !!!
Hammersteyn
August 18, 2014 at 15:07
O_o
Sith JJ
August 18, 2014 at 13:58
So you get to live like Trevor then?
Sith JJ
August 18, 2014 at 14:04
Granted, he doesn’t make a very convincing woman.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 18, 2014 at 14:27
It’s the nose isn’t it?
Sith JJ
August 18, 2014 at 14:28
Well, consider this…you make a very convincing male human being. So that’s quite something.
Rinceable
August 19, 2014 at 08:42
Hahaha! Someone has flagged this, you are a bad man!
Hammersteyn
August 19, 2014 at 09:08
Probably a fem nazi bot
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 19, 2014 at 09:45
So it is the nose? I’m getting a complex about it.
Rinceable
August 18, 2014 at 14:02
So you can disguise yourself as a women, but can’t have a playable character?
Rinceable
August 18, 2014 at 14:13
So He looks like a she… But “We don’t have the resources to map out a female character’… Umm…
Sith JJ
August 18, 2014 at 14:14
Sounds like normal Ubisoft to me.
Rinceable
August 18, 2014 at 14:20
Ain’t that the truth!
Kensei Seraph
August 18, 2014 at 14:15
“… you can even be a fully animated woman if you go into disguise.”
It sounds to me like they didn’t have the resources to animate a female assassin but had no problems animating a male assassin with the appearance of a female.
Rinceable
August 18, 2014 at 14:16
Indeed. Rather confused here…
Rags
August 18, 2014 at 14:14
But can you have men, made up like women, dressed as men, trying to behave like women impersonating men? Or have I watched too much Monty Python? 🙁
Rinceable
August 18, 2014 at 14:17
There is no such thing as too much Monty Python!
Sith JJ
August 18, 2014 at 14:18
Agreed
Shaun Nicholson
August 18, 2014 at 22:41
I’ve been an assassins creed fan from the beginning and I’m really excited to play … The level of detail is amazing!
ethelcmcphe
August 19, 2014 at 08:29
I’m making $86 an hour working from home. I was shocked when my neighbour told me she was averaging $95 but I see how it works now.I feel so much freedom now that I’m my own boss.for a detail check tech tab.
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rockingemo10
August 20, 2014 at 11:42
oh thank god they don’t have naval combat and are going back to the way assassin’s creed was meant to be played – killing Templars instead of bloody tailing them (AC2 was my favourite