The idea of having a ninja as an assassin and a samurai as a Templar was just too perfect. But they wanted their cake and eat it too.

It's funny that when Ghost of Tsushima was released, it was usually compared to AC. When Shadows drops, it will now be compared to Ghost of Tsushima. And a comparison will not be favorable for Ubisoft.

I really wish ubi had committed to making the japan game an actual ninja game instead of half of a ninja game and then half a samurai game that probably wont play very well.

Remember, Ubisoft give us AC game Greek & Viking before Japan. 🤦‍♂️ It took the popularity of Ghost of Tsushima for them to make AC in Japan. If GOT didn't get made, I guarantee they won't make AC Shadows.

I think AC shadows could’ve been more interesting if they scrapped the samurai angle and just focus on a Shinobi assassin. Going back to roots like with Mirage.

The time for this was over a decade ago, people have been begging for this since the end of the first game. You missed the boat Ubisoft Your terrible output of mindless bloated games for the better part of a decade certainly doesn't help

Ever since the announcement i though. If this was 2010, high of Ac and ubisofts popularity, the reaction wouldve been a lot more optimistic

I mean, considering we got Victorian England, revolutionary Paris, Ancient Greece (despite having almost no connection to the brotherhood), and viking expansion era AC settings before Japan, I'd say they're pretty late to the party.

Ghost of Tsushima had Sucker Punched Assassin creed to the game we all wanted.

If Ubisoft were smart, which they aren’t, they’d look at lesser known historical figures, like the Order of Saint John, who defended Malta successfully from the Turks in the 1560’s. Imagine a Turkish assassin, trained by Ezio’s successors, sent to destabilize the Order of Saint John, secretly run by Templars, searching for an Apple near the Neolithic temple of Gigantija. And, while the assassins, perhaps do not prevail, they succeed in securing the Apple for the creed. You could have the sons, or grandsons of Ezio be either the main assassin, or leaders of the creed still in Constantinople. Or, and hear me out……. MAKE A NEW SPLINTER CELL GAME.

no social stealth is devastating. other games like Hitman might do it better, but that was one of the key ingredients to the weird but wonderful AC recipe. The ninja traversal looks good, but the hulking brute of the "samurai" just feels like a completely different game. I was hype to see muskets making a return to the franchise but the one snippet of gameplay we saw with one was underwhelming. If I ever pick it up, three years after release for 80% off, I imagine I'll be sticking to the ninja playstyle the whole way through, unless Ubi gives more than half the screentime to the male character like they did in Syndicate. Tsushima just seems like the better pick for samurai gameplay; more cinematic, faster... better than any AC combat I can recall. Shadows' open combat reveal needed to impress, but it just didn't. I know it's too late but I genuinely believe cutting the samurai half of the game entirely to double down on being a ninja would make the game more appealing. Like you said, there aren't many good actual-ninja games out there with a tight focus on stealth. Reintroducing social stealth would be an option too, since ninja historically weren't the black-clad figures dashing through the shadows we see in pop culture, they were spies, they infiltrated hostile territory by blending into crowds in plainclothes. Historical ninja are closer to the historical Order of Assassins that gave the franchise its name than the actual ingame Assassins, it was the perfect opportunity to re-reinvent the franchise, make it stand out again like it did once upon a time. Give a genuine, historical look at ninja that is accurate enough to show in classrooms (remember when that was a thing for Origins? that was neat...) that sets it apart. A shame Shadows seems doomed to blend into the genre AC inspired all those years ago. The final death knell in my mind is that no stated focus on historical accuracy will land with authenticity in the wake of their choice of protagonist(s). Firstly, it's odd that we're playing as real historical figures instead of a fictional character in the margins of history, where the writers had more freedom to reinterpret events for the sake of a fun game. That was what made AC3's story so interesting to me: seeing these events I was-only hours ago-reading about in class from someone who was there, but still with a degree of separation that kept it from feeling too Magic School Bus or fanfiction-y. Secondly, Yasuke wasn't a samurai. He wasn't. Numerous actual Japanese experts I've looked up have said as such, and the only people saying he was seem to be pop historians and diversity advocates, with one respectable outlier who tbh does a lot of extrapolating. He was dressed up like a samurai and treated much better than the slave he technically was, sure, but it's been like saying he was a knight when he was a squire at best. The ignoble end to his time in Japan really is the icing on the cake. (Also the critique of Ubi's special edition physical goodies that have incorrect kanji and iconography, woops). If they're perfectly happy to reinvent Yasuke, their poster boy, this way (to the outrage of so many Asian fans, man, it's been wild seeing the backlash across culture boundaries) then they can't be trusted to be honest about the rest of it. I need to just hunt down community patches for Unity. Despite the nightmarish technical state of it, it's still my favorite of the franchise. It managed to get me re-invested into the Ass/lar conflict despite not really sticking the landing, I loved how much more fluid the parkour and combat felt compared to Black Flag, the tight focus on stealth indoors and out, having a rifle as my primary weapon... Man I used to love this franchise.

It really does make sense to compare Ghost and AC as when I was playing ghost I thought it felt like a more well done and polished version of a ubisoft game

A great shinobi/ninja experience I recommend is the Aragami duology. Two little indie games heavily inspired by games like Tenchu series and I reallly like it. Definitely a must play.

One big problem is that Assassin's Creed was never intended for being a samurai game in the sense of playing as a samurai. It's history is more suited for being a ninja game with ninjas as playable characters only. Shadows could've been good as an improved take on the Tenchu series by Activision. This has been more of what fans have been wanting and Ubisoft dropped the ball on it big time far beyond repair. Fortunately they also left a the door wide open for a smaller company to come in, make a proper ninja game, and replace the AC franchise/Tenchu style games with something new if it's done right.

I have a bad feeling that Ubisoft is going to have this game filled to the brim with stupid microtransactions and overpriced DCL'S,i just hope im being proven wrong when this games comes out.

Funny thing is Ubisoft has perfected the "fast food" game formula, was their game groundbreaking? no but it still sells well just like McDonald's Burger.

Dropping social stealth entirely is their biggest mistake, it's what sets AC apart. The shinobi fantasy and samurai fantasy are desired but what people really want out of these games above all is the assassin fantasy and removing that core identity from the series is why they keep missing the mark with these newer games.

I still think they should have done Imperial China instead, maybe around the three kingdoms era. It would have filled a completely different niche and could have made historical sense as a successor to origins with the order spreading east. Or much later, perhaps during mongol rule? That could make sense as well as it was the mongols who sacked Alamut, paint the mongols as manipulated by the templar order established there by Basim or something to connect with the current story. Möngke Khan was after all rumored to have been assassinated by them on the orders of Muhammad III of Alamut in 1253, just 3 years prior to the siege. Japan is low-hanging fruit as it has been done so many times recently, and done really well at that.

If they're aiming for us playing as a samurai or a ronin, then yes it's too late, because we already get better ones like GoT and RoR. Their best chance to make something interesting is to make a game similar to Tenchū, where we play as a full fledged ninja. Because people missed Tenchū, sadly they never made that type of game anymore. But they got greedy and fumbled, aside from the ninja (which supposed to be the only protagonist) now we got other main character which is an out of place "Samurai" who brings absolutely nothing new to the table. Is it so hard to focus on one character?, namely Naoe?, isn't it harder to split our attention between 2 main characters?, I'm pretty sure nobody expected to play a Samurai in an Assassin's Creed game. So why not just ditched the Samurai, and focus on the Ninja.

In terms of indie games I'm currently playing Infection Free Zone, Green Hell, Ancient Cities and Thrive. The latter is also interesting because what began as a project made out of sheer spite has in recent times founded a game dev studio.

After putting way too much time into Odyssey, subsequently getting burned by 2 AC games in a row, and now finally seeing gameplay of Shadows I think it's safe to say I'm done with AC and Ubisoft. I'm tired of this slop.

With so many examples of ninja stealth done right I don't know how they fumbled so hard. It's almost like they don't want the game to be too fun nor poor. I feel Ubisoft doesn't know how to make a good game. Which is just so fricken sad

Rurouni Kenshin, Sword of the stranger, Samurai champloo and now blue eye samurai, how many of these Ronin like anime do devs need to see to realize that a triple A game with these kinds of narratives and characters set in feudal Japan is really what people have been asking for. Heck, GOT paved the way in showing just how bad people want this kind of grounded game. Imagine if Rockstar did for a Ronin like game what they did for western fans with Red dead 2.

Huh. The indie game question was surprising. I've been playing Kingdoms Reborn. I just wanted a game that I can play at work (I work from home) that doesn't require too much attention, and a city builder seemed perfect. I'm also in the mood for Arabic architecture lately, and the game lets you play as the Emirates.

Something you didn’t mention is that GoT and rise of the ronin are both PS exclusives. Sure GoT released on pc, but rise of the ronin didn’t, so many pc and all Xbox players haven’t ever gotten a game like ac shadows. Ac shadows is the only option for a recent japanese set game.

The one thing that gets to me about AC Shadows is how deep down inside, Ubisoft does not respect the Japanese culture they intend to make a mass profit from, nor do they truly understand the shinobi they want to monetize. Not like what Sucker Punch has done with Ghost of Tsushima. The SJWs and shills can scream how they like. People aren't blind. People can sense when a game is meant to be played, and when a game is meant to preach. But still, pigeonholing the player into one of two styles means that Ubisoft has no idea what being a shinobi is about. To illustrate my point, I shall draw deeply on Ghost of Tsushima and Jin Sakai as an example. Have you ever noticed that despite the very ninja-like being Jin has become, no one in the game ever calls him an ninja, shinobi or otherwise? Sure, we can put forth the argument that Jin is the first proto-ninja of his kind and that no one called Jin a shinobi because the concept hadn't been invented yet. But still, if Jin is supposed to transform into a ninja sneaking through the shadows, then why then does is Jin given so many options and techniques to use on the Mongols? To wit, Jin is given a bow, burning and explosive arrows, kunais, various explosive powder bombs, smoke bombs, a flaming sword, poisons, his various stances to use in combat, and at the end, terror in that Jin shocks the enemy into dropping their weapons and fleeing, or outright paralyzing them with fear until Jin butchers them. There are so many methods and equipment available to Jin that he's much more than a samurai, but neither is he restricted to stealth like a ninja is supposed to. This is because the term ninja and its image has been bastardized by modern media. Reducing ninjas to secretive warrior clans pumping out generations of assassins/spies for hire forgets what shinobi really is. True, shinobi definitely knew how to be sneaky and eliminate a foe quickly, but what shinobi are at their core, are about survival. To do whatever it takes to get the mission done, that is what a shinobi really is. Look at Jin, look at the impossible odds he faces and how he responds. Jin Sakai took the defeat from his first duel with the Khan to heart and kept picking up tactics and tricks, whatever it took to defeat the Khan. He learned how to stealth kill in order to protect hostages. He weaponized the Mongol's own gunpowder bombs against them. He took up poison in order to eliminate any troublesome foes quickly and give the Mongols a horror show in the process. And when the tales of his exploits spread, Jin weaponized the mystery and fear that his image inspires into the Ghost Stance and outright terrifying his enemies into submission with the Ghost Armor. Jin is shinobi, the purest form there is in modern media. The best and fun way to play Ghost of Tsushima is to utilize every trick in the book to fight. If you stick only to face-to-face combat, you're going to get swarmed and tagged so much. If you stick only to stealth, you are going to be discovered sooner or later and be frustrated. The best moments I ever had in the game was utilizing a hybrid style. Starting out with stealth and then just unleashing Jin's wrath whenever I decided to show myself. Ubisoft forcing the player to choose between stealth or combat shows that they don't understand what a shinobi is. Options. That is what makes a shinobi so dangerous. The reason why the Mongols could overwhelm the samurai was because they were predictable. The Ghost on the other hand, you had no idea how the Ghost was going to come at you. The Ghost had options. Forcing the player to choose combat as Yasuke is predictable. Forcing to player to choose stealth as Naoe is predictable. As the Ghost, I could come at the Mongols at any way I wanted. Picking them off one by one with arrows? Tossing a bell or firecracker to lure enemies to be assassinated? Firing one or two Mongols with hallucinogenic darts and watch the chaos unfold? Dressing up as a Mongol commander and walking right up to the enemy and stabbing them in the face? Why not all of the above? All of them, unpredictable and dangerous methods that makes the Ghost's shinobi tactics so effective. The makers of Ghost of Tsushima held great respect for Japanese culture and it shows. The government of modern day Tsushima made the makers permanent ambassadors to the island! If Ubisoft were to get off their high horse and just start showing a little respect, we wouldn't be talking about this today.

They missed the window of opportunity and ruined what little good reputation they had left with people even remotely familiar with their other franchises. They ruined ghost recon, they ruined far cry, and they ruined assassin's creed. If I want to play a game in this setting then I'll just play ghost of tsushima. The people trying to straight up rewrite history because of this game aren't helping to sell this game either, that alone puts me off from ever touching this game and thinking anything good of it.

If you want to experience a really visually interesting traversal mechanic - I recently completed Solar Ash by Heart Machine. It's beautiful, Shadow of the Colossus-esque and very fluid.

Honestly i think they should have just done imperial china instead. It would distinguish itself from Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of Ronin, open up a new setting not well known audiences outside east asia etc as well as potentially tie well into existing lore.

Honestly I agree with the points in this video. Although, I can't think of a period of AC in the past that could have done justice to a Feudal Japan setting - maybe after Black Flag?

I just have lost all faith in Ubisoft recently. The screenshots I saw before the demos already confirmed me that it's just another boring map of forests and hills that you have to traverse via a horse to complete checklist outposts that are barely designed... The trees look unclimbable and the those damn reused Origins animations... Ghost of Tsushima did all that AC does, but with polish and strong visionary execution. Ubisoft just can't do that. They have this weather and season system that seems nothing more than a gimmick, and they basically copy Tsushima's combat a bit with the weapon glints. It's painfully clear that Ubisoft barely has a vision what Shadows should even be. I am pretty sure they solely picked this particular time period for Japan just because Yasuke exists on it. Aaaaaaand we know why they are so obsessed in that... (I still think putting hip hop in the E3 gameplay trailer with Yasuke was pretty racist)

It’s too late for AC as a whole. The series died when they made Origins.

With Japan being an island nation. I was really hoping that they would bring back ship combat like in Odyssey. That would also help that stand out from the competitors. But sadly seems like that’s not coming back either :/

Shadows is the perfect example of ubisoft being a shitty company and not listening to fans or listening to them and then doing whatever the fuck they want anyways. Yasuke per se is not the problem but he perfectly exemplifies how ubisoft does not care for gamers anymore. The problem is how/why he was added into the game. Literally no one asked for him. The community had been asking for a japanese AC for more than a decade at this point. We wanted a japanese story with a japanese protagonist in our game set in japan. And its even worse because Naoe could have been the first solo female of a main AC (Aveline from liberation was not a main game) which the community has been asking for as well but then decided to share the protagonism with the guy that no one cared/asked for. AND THEN, to make matters even worse, he is the action side of things. People have been asking for AC to go back to stealth as well and drop the hack and slash feeling of it and, afraid of alienating the people they added him as the action guy. I really liked Naoe's gameplay from the gameplay trailers, she seems like the proper character for the game/franchise, but yasuke seems like he was included for the action fanboys/ubisoft being afraid the game was "too stealth". It feels so off, especially the "super moves". Like, he jumps 5 meters into the air to smash his weapon in the ground and kills everybody? I thought this was AC not God of War

ERAS I would rather see as a fan: 1930's noir style assassinates the mob, medieval knight to king Arthur style take over of Camelot, a Robin Hood style vs King Richard and his tax police goons, a futuristic cyberpunkian neon Mirrors Edge style allowing you to switch from 1st to 3rd person views, Apocalypto style jungle arenas, base take downs and ancient Mayan pyramids to climb, a caveman vs the world, one where you literally play as Dracula who must stealth feed in order to boost HP. Oh and one where you are in Poland for some reason.

Personally, I think it is too late for AC:Shadows--putting aside the social shitstorm surrounding the game, it just looks extremely mid. The stealth has some new bells and whistles but even in the official gameplay the enemies behaved like they were half-blind, the combat looks lifeless when compared to its contemporaries, and the dialogue and animations are all stiff and boring. Assassin's Creed, at least with the way it's managed now, just can't compete with Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro, Rise of the Ronin, or hell, even Like a Dragon: Ishin!

To me ac is a completely death franchise. I forced myself to play them all last year, because I used to love them back on the ps3, and it really burned me out. Even the footage they showed for AC shadows looks silly, the dialogue sounds AI, the combat just like you said does not even compare to ghost, rise of ronin and sekiro. And I bet the story will be just another convuleted mess that is constantly being interrupted by some stupid modern day plot that will advance just enough to bait players into buying their next ac game and keep milking this franchise forever. It's enough hard pass for me on this one.

Don't buy it. Ubisoft says we can't own their game. So we should not give them our money.

1. Metal Gear is the original ninja fantasy in gaming (not Ninja Gaiden) 2. Ghost of Tsushima is the one with both play styles, the story being the origin story of a samurai becoming a ninja.

shadows gameplay seems clunky compared to tsushima, and i believe assassin creed shadows will have a identity crisis same with valhalla taking the game in all kinds of directions instead of sticking with a one way assassin creed style of design but if it proves me wrong and getting high rating reviews, i'll be sure to get it on day one cause the samurai japanese culture is very interesting to me

Ubisoft doesnt do anything original anymore, they only copy whatever someone else made that was successful. Their copies are always garbage, i have no interest in this game.

This is one of those channels focused (mostly) on a specific topic or franchise I mostly don’t care about at all anymore, but will happily watch every single video it releases all the way through as soon as it comes out. Really well formed and thought out criticism that keeps me coming back even though I haven’t played an AC game since like Syndicate or something.

Actually the most comprehensive take I’ve seen of Shadows thus far, without any rage bait or unrealistic hype; as either extreme is unproductive when it comes to critical evaluation. The game will likely be fine and sell well, but it will also likely fall under the radar on account it being made by Ubisoft. The company has grown confortable being mediocre and “just enough”. I still plan on buying and enjoying the game, but it’ll definitely be “just another Ubisoft game” when it comes to comparisons to the market of Japanese games

I wonder how much people would still be complaining about this game if Yasuke wasn't a playable character

Funny thing too about "no social stealth" in AC Shadows, is that the game takes place several decades after the Ezio trilogy, meaning that it's a return to the Assassins vs. Templars narrative that we haven't seen since AC Syndicate. Yet, Ubisoft Quebec is choosing not to bring back this iconic stealth mechanic that, not only has been part of Assassin's Creed since the first game, but also would fit perfectly in terms of lore and time period. It made sense that social stealth didn't exist in Origins and Odyssey, because those games took place well before the Assassins Brotherhood was created. Hence, it didn't and still doesn't bother me. But Shadows? A game set in late 16th century Japan decades after Ezio Auditore? I fail to see the reasonable argument for why they wouldn't add it there.

Just saying, Ubisoft could’ve released this before Ghosts of Tsushima and the Ronin and they still would’ve been shit on, they just would’ve gotten paid more if released before cause no one had a perfect modern samurai or shinobi game to compare it to.

For me it feels like a Mix Bag, I kinda want a AC Feudal Japan Game but at the same time I don’t. Of course it’s one of our Most Requested Setting alongside Ancient Egypt & World War II, Feudal Japan has been done to death by Other Games that’s already released in the Past Decades. For me I wanted the Series to stand out more and focus more settings somewhere at the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Can they still make Feudal Japan stand out? That depends on the Player themselves for someone who played a tons of Ninja & Samurai Games from the PS1 to PS5. But then again Ubisoft tends to do stuff what is only Trendy that other games are doing such as replicating the Witcher 3 RPG Mechanics and Settings that were Relevant like Vikings & Norse Mythology.

Tenchu and Mark of the Ninja will probably kick this AC game's butt like they always have. The fact that its not even a full on ninja game really sucks. But I might check it out for the ninja parts since Aragami 2 basically flopped.

Absolutely loved Ghost and Rise of the Ronin respectively both for different reasons. I actually go back and continue to play both (though really wish/hope a true NG+ will be added to Rise).. I've also played and completed every AC game to this point and have be able to enjoy most of them for what they were. That being said, no longer interested in an AC Japan because of all the reasons you mentioned in this video as well as the whole Sweet Baby thing....just over it at this point. My money will be directed to Eastern game studios for the most part moving forward.

I think its perfectly fine to do historical fantasy, but they needed to say that instead of pushing it like fact even though Yasuke only served 15mo

I implore any PS players to PLAY RISE OF RONIN. The year is 2024. I’ve played FF7 P2. I played Elden Ring DLC. I played other 2024 releases like TEKKEN 8. Yet my GOTY 2024 is Rise of Ronin. The parry focused gameplay of Sekiro mixed with the Dodge of Nioh series that Ronin inherited is PEAK gameplay. Even if you don’t enjoy Japanese history and see great figures like Saigo Tamori as randoms, even then the game can be enjoyed by its own merits!

Jay, I want to let you know that I love your content. I'm a latino content creator and I've been studying the Original games of Assassin’s Creed, as I was trying to make a video trying to pin what exactly is the "identity" that’s been lost in the new games, and re playing the games while listening to your videos helped me just too much. I also listened to other creators, such as The Spanyard or The Hidden One, but none of their videos has just so much in depth, trying to be neutral analysis that your videos have. I'm eternally grateful, I would've never been able to create my next video if it weren't for your awesome content, and I wish you the best of lucks with everything that you want to do in your life. Your way of talking emanates peacefulness, and that's something I have to learn for my own channel. I also wanted to ask if you have plans on making a Black Flag video, as that’s my favourite game in the franchise and replaying it has been one of the best gaming experiences I've had in a while. That’s all, thanks for your content Jay, keep uploading, and keep up the good work. Thanks.

my goat has finally uploaded again🙏🏽

Still playing Odyssey. I will admit that in spite of its flaws it’s still my most played AC game. I enjoy being able to really pick and choose what I want to customize a play style whether that be through gear or the master class system. I was hoping to get NG+ in Valhalla because the things that I hated in Odyssey, were also the worst part of Valhalla, but keyed up to 21. Cautiously excited for the ninja character, but also interested in Yasuke. I will accept that that might not make me the truest AC fan (I’ve purchased and played every AC game except for 1 and 3).

I doubt shadows will even properly show the Japanese street life, as Japanese have pointed out that the cities look just as Chinese as Japanese, which just shows how different Ubisoft is as a company since brotherhood and unity era.

As the video stated, the game is niche and nothing to stand out of from the other two, then the high price makes it uninteresting and undesirable at all.

Shadows should have came out back when black flag launched

For me even if it looked like the best AC ever id have to avoid it due to Ubisofts greed theres just no way I could support them with the pricing scheme theyve put on their last two games theyve announced . $90 base game ok thats becoming the norm but im pretty sure they have day one content locked behind either the $145 or $170 edition just like star wars outlaws and thats such a dirty move that its enough to get me not to buy your game but then ontop of that theyll have in game stores to nickel and dime you even more and I even heard of possibly adding battle passes too. Due to the pricing of the game I just cant care about the content in the game whatsoever good or bad. Outlaws is the exact same thing and im a huge star wars fan but even if it was my favorite character in the most badass game ever id have to pass because I just cant support shit like this. Just cant be one of the people who complain about microtransactions while supporting games jam packed with them day one. Also after buying Elden ring with the DLC included for $106 I could even imagine getting the "gold" edition of this for $145 canadian and then have them try to make ya pay even more for alot of the gear they made for the game.

Yes bro, it's too late. Ubisoft has been getting last chance after last chance and frankly it's time to stop. Do not buy their trash, let this game and Star Wars flop and maybe we'll finally manage to bankrupt the first of hopefully a long series of woke companies that don't deserve all the fame and money they enjoy right now.

People will buy it, they shouldn't, but they will. The game looks terrible and the marketing has made me dislike Ubisoft even more than I thought possible.

I see some stupid people in these comments saying Yasuke was an actual Samurai. There is *NO Historical evidence* of that AT ALL. He was a real black man in feudal Japan yes, but that’s about it….

Yes. In my opinion they wasted too much time after 2. They made boring pointless filler games that took the story absolutely nowhere. It was like those sports games that come out every year and play almost the same. They wasted a big opportunity to make a global stage early on and solidify the franchise with a world wide connected story. Each historical setting could've had their own unique weapons/technology and gameplay mechanics. Rather than innovate every game they simply copy and paste after every hit and milk the consumer. I remember the rumors of a assassins' creed set in japan have been around for years if not a decade now, and now they are just doing what they want rather than what the fans wanted.

The sad thing is - the game will be pre-ordered, it will reach a wide audience, it probably will be playable, it will be ok-ish, alright or maybe even kinda good .... but it had/has so much more potential than what it looks like its going to be. Especially the historic side of things is looking kinda weak in this entry, e.g. 11:46 castle guards with that kinda extravagant kabuto? dafuq?

Here’s the thing there’s a petition in Japan. It’s up to 75,000 names to either have assassins Creed shadows either band or reworked. The thing is that you didn’t have to play as either samurai or ninja. Iga ninjutsu incorporates 18 disciplines of the samurai as well as 18 disciplines of Ninjutsu. You could’ve had an all in 1 character. That is more historically accurate the fact that dev went from historically accurate to fiction is just bad. With the backlash in Japan and Ubisoft forced to apologise for using a banner illegally. Even the collection box is not even real Japanese language. According to Japanese expert the samurai never Brugel in their kills this is just wrong on every level. And now with all the text coming out explaining how this supposed to black samurai was actually a black slave. Who was given a sword but forced to return it and then given them back to the Jesuit priests. I think this is just destroying Japanese culture and unfortunately no matter how this game looks. I will not support a game that has 75,000 signatures in Japan calling a boycott.

Ubisoft have lost it years ago, they could had fooled people 10 years ago but not now People can differentiate between good stuff and shallow puddle of shit

I think AC games are within their own genre. I don’t play AC games expecting the best combat or deep systems. Their best feature is their presentation and the stories they tell. Being able to roam in an ancient city, with some fantasy and science fiction element. They’re uncomplicated. I could say they’re the fast food of video games, they’re not fancy, but they’re satisfying.

When November arrives and this game sells like hotcakes I'll be looking back at all these videos.

those execution screens look really concerning, i hope that ubisoft isn't getting lazy with the white room confessions. Valhalla wasn't the best assassin's creed but the white room confessions were great, they delved into the character of the villains and even the minor ones got their own confessions.

The window is long gone. Ghost of Tsushima is already here, Rise of the Ronin was divided, Loved and hated. NOTHING can be the next Ghost of Tsushima-besides Ghost of Tsushima II, ROTR 2 would be alright but every samurai feudal japan game with stealth and good enviroments will always be worse than GØT.

The sad thing is that Once upon a time, Ubisoft did do an amazing Samurai Fantasy game before all of these games, and it's called Red Steel 2 for the Wii.

Sincerely, given how little AC cares about History nowadays, I rather it not exist, tbh the same can be said of alot of AC games

"UBISOFT IS COOKED NOW" *ubisoft breaks record sales* "UBISOFT IS COOKED NOW" *ubisoft breaks records sales* "UBISOFT IS COOKED NOW" *ubisoft breaks record sales* "UBISOFT IS COOKED NOW" *ubisoft breaks records sales* rinse and repeat.

It's a very niche gripe, but I still find the comparison to Kurosawa films obnoxious and misplaced. The violent fantasy of GoT has little to no connection to Kurosawa - quite the opposite, given how he tended to shun and never glorify violence. Nor have I ever seen a shot or piece of scene direction that felt like it understood what he did, or how. Again, a niche complaint, but it does kinda still bug me. I'll maybe get Shadows, eventually. My biggest issue with Ubisoft is their monetisation. I'll wait till the whole game is out, and ideally dirt cheap in a sale...

Even as someone who doesn't like the... "artistic choices" when it comes to a certain character, I'm pleasantly surprised at how little it's talked about in this comments section. It's a nice change of pace ngl.

Ubisoft has to accept that they do not make the type of games they used to, how much fans expect and how much they have to fight in the industry has completely changed, on top of the general decrease in quality they have shown. I do not mean quality in a literal sense, their games used to reek of love and care for their work, it felt like they wanted to show us the experiences they showed but now, it feels as if everything is for a paycheck. You might argue that such is the case in the gaming industry in general now rather than just ubisoft and I would agree but ubisoft just feels like a giant in paycheck oriented work way more than others. Not only assassin's creed but also their other works suffer from this issue and it almost feels like the whole reason they are still standing is the weight the name of this franchise. I fear they can ride that wave for only so long and that it won't be long until this franchise that used to be my favorite and this company I used to look at with awe becomes something much more lowly and pitiful than it is now and definitely much more disappointing than what they could have been.

As someone who considers GoT his favorite game of all time I think diversifying level design and increasing interactivity with the world would make Shadows unique. From what I have heard rise of the ronin also lacked this(but I won’t say that since I didn’t play it) still I think it can definitely innovate. If Ubisoft allows it.

I am NOT playing this trash

I think the most fustrating thing for me as a long time AC fan is that I anticipate that AC Shadows will be the best selling AC game by far. Feudal Japan has been a sought after setting for at least a decade now. I've always been critical of the idea of it being set in Japan because the magic that AC games draw are settings based on underrepresented periods of history. I can't say I've played many games set in the Italian Renaissance, Istanbul, Revolution France nor Baghdad. Their unique settings give every game a unique identity that most other games won't make a game in.

You wish i have preordered alongside millions of people also no game has ever been cancelled over a petition

I played Buddy Simulator 1984 recently, pretty cool game :)

Glory to Jay for making these great analytical vids with even bothering to mention the drama people latched onto when this was first revealed. It's so beneath what he's talking about it not even worth thinking about.

The best thing about this AC shadows situation is that it made me finally go get Ghost of Tsushima. I know I'm late but got dayum this game is amazing.

I don't think it was 'too late' for Ubisoft to make an AC game set in Japan.. it's just that they don't have the creative force behind them anymore. They're too scared to make something that goes beyond their decade old game design documents and templates. I'm pretty sure Shadows will probably do good but seeing how the controversies has buried this game's reputation, the game has to be really really good to bounce back from that

I can appreciate your take on the game being strictly about the timing of its release and how much/little it has to offer compared to its predecessors and competitors. As opposed to going for the low hanging fruit, which is the big controversy behind the addition of Yasuke as a playable character. I have my own opinions on his inclusion, but regardless, it's nice to see someone else give an unbiased critique of Shadow's reveal.

People saying it's too late are delusional. The game will sell a shit ton of copies like every AC has for the last few years. If it'll be good or not is a different topic entirely.

I'm fine with no social stealth mechanics both character kinda stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd

Why GoT was phenomenal is because it was clearly a product of love as much as it was commercial. Dev wanted to make a good gane. Not just a cash cow. Ubisoft however...

It's weird that now out of all the time they had they want to release an ac in japan. When I was younger that is exactly what I wanted. I never much cared for the assassin part of assassins creed always felt weird since you stand out like a sore thumb. However I always thought a ninja ac would make so much sense and I guess they let you play as either a ninja or a "samurai". I guess we will see how it goes, between the confused legacy of the games, and the outrage crowd, idk how this game is going to do.

If Noae was the only playable character, they could have concentrated more on focusing her gameplay be more fun. Instead focus is split. Having the optional choice of playing as Yasuke or Noae literally making them work double that only half of players would actually play. And that's being generous. Realistically, 25% of players at least would choose Yasuke over Noae

They pissed about more than a decade ago when everyone and there mother was clamouring for ninjas in assassins creed. It was perfect. How the hell they thought "let's do revolutionary America before Japan" is madness. Had they done that, chances are we'd have had at least 2 AC games set in Japan by now. Now it will just be derivative. Even if this is worthy of AAA status, it won't come close to GoT

Most of Western Gaming Devs be like : " If You Don't Like Our Political Correctness , Youre Ist / Phobes / Bigots / Problematics , Then Don't Buy Our Games , Problem Solved " Me be like : If You Wishes That , Fine , I won't buy your games (( Edit : I Don't Want to be Sounded Aggressive , Bitter , Rude or Anti -American as Non-American says like this ))

i want games like this just not from ubisoft

Hey Jay, I just wanted to drop a comment to let you know I really enjoy the content, i must've watched some of your videos 3 or 4 times. It's nice to be able to keep my mind off work. Keep it up, dude!

Not too late for a Japan setting if I just want to see what happens next in the story in the modern day.

The problem with this game is that it advertises it as historical fact. If it had been promoted on the premise that it was a completely fictional story, this wouldn't have been an issue. Nobunaga freed him from slavery and hired him, but he was not given a surname. If he could fight, why did he not do anything when Nobunaga was killed? The samurai who found him after the war thought that Yasuke had nothing to do with the battle between the samurai. Therefore, Yasuke was let go and his whereabouts are unknown. The problems with this game are as follows: "Martin Luther King Jr was merely a portable shrine held up by a powerful white man with a good heart. This is a historical fact." "Edison was not a great inventor, but a simple businessman who collected ideas from his talented black subordinates and made them into a business." "Haiti gained independence in 1804 thanks to the efforts of those with white blood, and black people alone could not have done such a thing." Japanese people feel discriminated against because the creators of this game think it is okay to treat Japanese history in this way. In fact, some people have fabricated proverbs that do not exist in Japan, such as the following, in relation to the drama "Shogun." 「There's a Japanese proverb that says for a Samurai tobe brave, he must have abit of Black blood. (William Spivey, Mar 8, 2024)」

Go play ghost of Tsushima instead do not play this game. It just came to PC if you have it I recommend it

I feel like they waited too late. This game should've been made years ago. Ubisoft can be innovative and they are talented. Some the mechanics they've created are being used in games today. But, they chase trends too often. Assassin's Creed Valhalla was made due to the popularity of that Vikings show in my opinion and Ghost of Tsushima has put the Japanese samurai fantasy game on the map. Now they want to cash in on the trend. I can still remember playing the first Assassin's, splinter cell, POP, and far cry 3. Legit bangers and innovative.

I haven't seen a TENCHU game in about a decade, and the Stealth Action genre can't live on the new HITMAN trilogy alone. The Metal Gear Solid: Delta game is nice to see as well, but certainly doesn't do much.

You forgot to mention the problem everybody has with Yasuke and how Ubisoft has effectively committed cultural imperialism with Japanese culture by making him a samurai when the real life Yasuke was anything but and if anything, was more Lord Oda Nobunaga's pet token minority and swordbearer (a glorified golf caddy if you will). And that's without getting into how much the company has dropped the ball with authentically representing Feudal Japan with many architect geeks on Twitter pointing out how inauthenic the buildings are to the point of them not even being from the era the game claims to represent. Heck, they even recently pulled some concept art after a Japanese historical reenactment group called them out for using their flag without permission.

i'm really not sure what Ubishit were thinking here. take a black imported slave and turn him into a "super samurai" even though historically he was only in japan for a little bit over a year until Nobunga died and he was thrown out of Japan. so Ubisoft are trying to tell us, that a serious profession like a Samurai and a difficult language to learn like japanese can be MASTERED by an imported slave in under a year and a half? lol, people TODAY - JAPANESE PEOPLE take DECADES to master the profession of Samurai's and even then they would never consider themselves as Masters. what the fuck? and the gameplay of this "master samurai" regardless if he is black or japanese or whatever - it is just abysmal when you see the gameplay in ghost of tsushima. Samurais are supposed to be agile, be quick, parry quickly - extreme agility and speed is KEY here. yet you have this bloke here that just stands there and swings a bat or something to attack or parry like if it is some baseball match like wtf? Naoe on the other hand seems more appropriate for her role as Ninja, its like being a Ninja in rural Japan would be a perfect historical profession to fit in an assassin here - who would've fucking known right??? seriously, i think the whole "Samurai" role and Yasuke should be either completely reworked - no way ever can an african slave who spent less than a year and a half in japan be a "master samurai", literally no fucking way. instead what they COULD'VE done is have another Samurai in the Nobunga clan interact with Yasuke during the story a couple of times (even though still, Yasuke did not have the right nobility to even be allowed to talk with Samurais so even though this suggestion is also very not historically accurate Ubishit would have gotten a lot less flack here. and then again, why not just have 1 protagonist? why not just have Naoe as the sole protagonist and just keep it historically accurate that during that time in Japan Ninja's were literally Assassins? lol and actually if you truly think about it, even Naoe's animations are very rough and not that great - compared to a game like Ninja Gaiden where you play as a professional Ninja, Naoe's animations are sluggish and slow, if she is a Ninja than she's probably one of the worst Ninjas in Japan lol this whole entire game needs a complete rework - whoever pre-ordered this already - wtf is wrong with you? like seriously you always buy a cat in a haysack? pre-ordering needs to stop - it is completely destroying and fucking up this industry and has caused a huge decline in quality of games for the past 15 years...