Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - 8 Reasons Why The Modern Day Story Has To Go

7. No One Cares About The Characters

Though this may have held less truth in the days of Desmond and his ragtag band of Assassins, the sentiment is more than appropriate when looking at the current state of AC's modern day affairs. Said segments have struggled to find a footing outside of the Miles family's adventures, and it certainly shows on the overall product. In many ways placing the player as the direct protagonist of the modern day is interesting, but silent heroes are becoming increasingly dated in a market dominated by intense character-driven narratives - as is highlighted by games like The Witcher and of course TellTale's exemplary point and click titles. One might say that silent protagonists allow players to more easily identity with the events around them, projecting their own emotions onto a blank slate if you will, but this highlights a distinct problem with the AC series - namely that the modern day hero has nothing to do. Quite hilariously, the much heckled Unity had players literally take on the persona of someone sitting in a dark room playing a video game, as if that somehow added immersion to the experience of travelling back in time to play as a hooded warrior who chases alien artefacts. If Ubisoft are adamant about including the animus and other elements of the modern day in future releases they really need to invest in some strong character development - not cheap clichés that everyone got bored with in 2012.