STACK #132 Oct 2016

FEATURE

GAMES

seamlessly integrate the rope launcher into their movement capabilities – along with the systemic carriages – and are quickly able to mix and match between all of the navigation tools as the situation calls for short, medium, and long distance travel. “Players find a balance of where they want to use each type of navigation in order to get where they want to go, and they continue to look and feel like a true assassin no matter how they travel.” While this is the first full Assassin’s Creed title that Ubisoft Quebec have produced, the studio has a proliferation of franchise experience, having developed the Wii U versions of Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag , and assisted on Unity and Rogue . Assassin's Creed remains a strong IP for Ubisoft and popular amongst fans. Creative director Marc Alexis Côté believes the key to its success comes down to a combination of three core factors. “At the core of the Assassin’s Creed fantasy is the ability of the animus to make us relive an important era of humanity’s history,” he says. “This 'time machine' aspect of the franchise is really unique to it, but also appeals to something fundamental inside each of us, which is to learn more about our past. “The opportunity to relive someone else’s memory – especially that of an assassin that plays a pivotal role in an important part of our history – is also an appealing power fantasy. “And finally, it’s the ability to discover a new city depicted in a very realistic manner, and being able to explore every corner of it.” London is calling indeed.

“While modern guns might sound overpowered in Assassin’s Creed, in reality guns are very loud and thus always carry the possibility of alerting reinforcements or nearby police, which can overwhelm the player – so they must be used selectively.” There is a feature introduced in Syndicate that we’ve had reservations about since it was announced: the rope launcher. The desperate scramble up the face of a building following an assassination, with an angry group of guards in pursuit, is a unique aspect of the game. With every panicked lunge comes the possibility of being hit with an arrow or musket ball, sending players tumbling down into the armed mob below. It’s an intrinsic part of AC gameplay –

and something the rope launcher is surely set to change. “The rope launcher is a tool that is required by our near modern setting with the tallest buildings and the widest streets ever seen in an Assassin’s Creed game,” responds Phillips to our question. “Far from reducing the enjoyment of parkour, we find that players

• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate is out Oct 23

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is set in a period late into the Industrial Revolution, an era widely accepted as beginning around 1760 and culminating between 1840-60. During this time, Britain, and then subsequently areas of Europe and North America, experienced unprecedented advancements in manufacturing technology and vast economic expansion. Here are five facts you may, or may not, know about the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution

The term revolution is a misnomer. It implies

Coal and steel were driving forces behind

During the middle of the

Britain, an emerging colonial powerhouse,

The Industrial Revolution is synonymous with appalling living

that the Industrial Revolution was a movement in history that progressed rapidly from ideas to fruition almost overnight. However, the opposite was true. Progression was slow and unfolded over a period of about 100 years.

the Industrial Revolution. Steel to build the new mechanised technology, and coal to power it. The new machines and factories enabled more profitable production at a greatly reduced labour cost.

18th century, society was predominately centred in rural areas. The introduction of factories in Britain’s largest cities caused an exponential increase in urban population.

tapped into its vast global resources to supply materials for emerging markets such as the burgeoning textile industry. The colonies themselves provided the perfect marketplace to sell and trade these goods.

and working conditions for the poor and worker-class. The Combination Act passed in 1799 by British Parliament was designed to stop workers joining together to demand more money, better working conditions and shorter working hours; thus the trade unions were effectively disabled. It was a quarter of a century before the act was repealed.

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