Ben Meadowcroft

Disappointing and Uninspired – A Step Back for the Series As a longtime Assassin’s Creed fan, I had high hopes for Shadows, but unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most disappointing entries in the series. First, the game feels completely uninspired. The open world, while visually impressive, lacks the depth and soul of past AC titles. It’s just another Ubisoft checklist simulator with repetitive side content and a story that struggles to be engaging. The dual protagonist system, which could have added variety, instead feels half-baked, with neither character standing out in any meaningful way. The combat is clunky and unbalanced, with sluggish animations and a lack of fluidity compared to previous games. Stealth, which should have been a core focus, is laughably underdeveloped, making the "assassin" aspect of the game feel secondary. AI is either brain-dead or hyper-aware with no in-between, leading to frustrating encounters. On the technical side, Shadows is riddled with bugs and performance issues. From crashes to broken quests and bizarre NPC behavior, it’s clear the game needed more time in development. Even on high-end hardware, the performance is inconsistent, with frame drops and pop-in ruining immersion. Overall, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a lazy, soulless cash grab that fails to innovate or even refine what made past games enjoyable. Ubisoft clearly prioritized monetization over quality, and it shows. Unless you're a die-hard fan willing to overlook glaring flaws, I’d recommend skipping this one. Anyone leaving a positive review is either an IGN employee been paid or a shill

If you’re looking for an example of how NOT to write a video game, look no further than Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The writing in this game is a complete disaster from start to finish. It feels like the writers have zero understanding of real human interactions or even basic storytelling. The dialogue is cringeworthy and stilted, like it’s written by people who only imagine what real conversations are like but have never actually engaged in one. The characters, too, are lifeless and unrealistic, with motivations that feel contrived or forced, making it impossible to connect with them on any level. The plot meanders without purpose, full of clichés and predictable twists. There’s nothing engaging or exciting; it’s a slog. It’s like the writers took a mishmash of fanfiction tropes, slapped them together, and called it a story. There’s no nuance, no depth, and certainly no creativity. And don’t get me started on the visuals. The Veilguard is just ugly. The environments are bland and uninspired, lacking any detail or artistic direction. The character models are lifeless and robotic, like something you’d expect from a low-budget game from years ago, not a major release in the Dragon Age series. If this game is any indication, the people behind it either lack any real-world experience or any understanding of what makes storytelling compelling.