Ubisoft Games That Have Aged The Best
Ubisoft has developed and published hundreds of games, spanning back to the 1990s. While nowadays synonymous with open-world adventures, the company’s portfolio used to be quite versatile, producing projects across a plethora of genres and scopes. Due to its longevity, plenty of great Ubisoft games have not aged particularly well, even if they are still playable today and warrant respect. Simply put, the passage of time eventually claims everyone and everything, and that extends to video games.
10 Flawless Ubisoft Games That Are Perfect From Start To Finish
Ubisoft has been around for decades, and these are the ten essentials that are flawless experiences from beginning to end.
That said, a handful of Ubisoft games have done a better job of surviving father time, to the point that we can recommend them without having to include a ton of caveats. Even if you didn’t grow up with these titles, you can play them now and have a blast from beginning to end.
To qualify, a game must be at least 10 years old.
8
Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
A Prime Example Of How To Create A Fun, Fluid, And Timeless Action-Adventure Platformer
Many people see Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as the definitive platformer game, and despite releasing over two decades ago by this point, its influence can still be felt in the majority of games within the genre. What makes the game such a blast to play is how much variety is packed into each level. While one moment, the Prince will be running across walls and narrowly dodging booby traps, the next, he’ll be partaking in some fast-paced combat or interacting with the story’s main characters.
This diverse gameplay loop ensures players’ eyes are always glued to the screen, and since this was way before giant open worlds took over Ubisoft’s design philosophy, it makes for a breezy playthrough that can be completed in only a few hours. As a result, it’s still an absolute blast to dive back into the Prince’s grand adventure across the ancient city, and though a remake is said to be in the works, the game honestly doesn’t even need one.
The Sands of Time remake was canceled by Ubisoft, so we are stuck with the original masterpiece for the time being.
7
Far Cry 4
Kyrat Continues To Be One Of The Most Visually Breathtaking Open Worlds In All Of Gaming
When the fourth mainline Far Cry game was released for the eighth generation of consoles in 2014, it became clear pretty quickly that it was going to be a visual treat. Kyrat, the setting of Far Cry 4, is simply jaw-dropping from a visual perspective. Being based on the Himalayan Mountains, the entire area is covered in vibrant and eye-catching colors that decorate not just the natural landscapes, but also the traditional architecture, too.
The Best-Selling Games Developed By Ubisoft (& How Much They Sold)
Ubisoft is known for making some of the biggest titles in the industry. But which were the company’s highest-selling games?
Far Cry 4 also perfectly nails the balance between exploration and combat. In Far Cry 5, it felt like the Peggys were popping up to intercept the player just a tad too often, which could disrupt the immersion of the gameplay, but Far Cry 4 negates this by spreading the outposts a little further from one another and making enemy road patrols less frequent.
6
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Or Rainbow Six Siege X)
Despite A Rough Launch, Siege Has Only Gotten Better With Time
Rainbow Six Siege was promised to be an intense and strategic tactical-shooter game upon its release, and though it certainly had its own unique style, the lack of Operators and numerous bugs meant it felt a little barebones as a product. However, Ubisoft would continue refining and adding to the game with each passing year, and with the playerbase rising at an alarming rate, it eventually turned into the best tactical shooter on the market.
While the game could have easily been lost to history if Ubisoft hadn’t decided to continue working on it, the introduction of new Operators, Gadgets, and tons of balance changes have made it into a game that is only improving more and more over time. With the emergence of Siege X, which delivered a fairly drastic overhaul to the core game, Siege has continued to persist and is still among the most popular multiplayer games in the world.
Siege has its issues, including a pretty bad cheater problem on consoles, but its positives outweigh its negatives.
5
Watch Dogs
Didn’t Live Up To The Hype Initially, But Has Aged Surprisingly Well
At this point, Watch Dogs seems to be dead and buried, doomed to exist only through references and rare crossovers. Despite Legion’s issues, the series was pretty great overall, with the second entry generally being regarded as the best. At least, that was the perspective during its launch window, but as the years continue to pass by, the original Watch Dogs‘ reputation seems to grow more and more. Nowadays, an argument could be made that the trilogy got worse with each new entry.
We all know that the final version looked far worse than the trailer and gameplay footage, and this comparison doomed Watch Dogs from the start. The thing is, the 2014 game was still a looker, and it has aged well enough in this area. More importantly, the gameplay and story are fantastic, as long as you don’t mind a protagonist who is like a hacker version of Batman. If you skipped this one due to its mixed initial response, I recommend seeking it out.
4
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Few Seafaring Games Can Keep Up With Black Flag’s Naval Combat
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
-
October 29, 2013
Leading up to its release, Black Flag seemed as though it was going to be just another Assassin’s Creed game, but this time, set in the era of pirates. As a result, many people predicted that it would include naval combat, but nobody could have ever expected just how fun and satisfying these sections of the game would truly be. When sailing across the glistening open seas, players can sing merry songs with their crewmates, blast apart other ships with cannonballs, and disembark to explore small islands scattered around the Caribbean.
New Pirate Game on Steam Makes Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Look Like a Dinghy and Skull & Bones a Sandbox Toy
Assassin’s Creed 4’s all-but-confirmed remake and Skull and Bones’ continued support are great and all, but this Steam game may have both beat.
Speaking of islands, Black Flag has one of the biggest maps in the entire series, with much of it being covered by water, but it’s still a joy to navigate between the islands thanks to the ship mechanics. It’s not uncommon to hear many modern pirate games being compared to Black Flag, which is a testament to just how drastically it changed the game when it comes to naval combat and sailing mechanics.
3
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Chaos Theory Continues To Be A Must-Play For Fans Of The Stealth Genre
For many people, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is, and has always been, the pinnacle of the stealth genre. This game goes extremely above and beyond with its mechanics, much more so than a lot of stealth games nowadays. For example, Sam can shoot out lights and use darkness to sneak around a room of enemies, but he can also equip an aural monitor to keep track of the amount of noise he’s making, too.
Having such a dedication to immersion makes for a truly intense playthrough, and it remains a game that fans of the series are still returning to, no matter how many years go by. After gradually building on the mechanics in the previous games, Ubisoft finally nailed the stealthy gameplay loop with Chaos Theory, which remains one of the most popular stealth games out there.
2
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins Features A Captivating Art Style That Has Stood The Test Of Time
Despite being one of Ubisoft’s most popular franchises once upon a time, the classic Rayman games have largely been forgotten about, primarily because they have been replaced by superior 3D platformers. However, Rayman Origins is an entirely different story, not only because it takes a 2D perspective, but also because of its captivating art style.
The clever use of lighting, paired with the striking color palette, helps the game stand out from many other platformers on the market and is a big reason why it has remained a popular entry in Ubisoft’s catalog. Simply put, it’s unlikely that this game will ever fade into obscurity thanks to how incredible it looks and plays. It’s a true revival of one of Ubisoft’s most iconic IPs.
1
XIII
A Cult Classic Ubisoft FPS Game That Has Aged Absurdly Well
What is required for a game to age well? Timeless visuals? Future-proof controls? Or is it just a matter of still being fun? Honestly, a lot of Ubisoft’s 2000s releases are still easy to play and enjoy nowadays, but titles like Assassin’s Creed 2 or Beyond Good or Evil definitely show their ages. Although not held in as high esteem as most of the releases mentioned in this article, XIII has stood the test of time better than any other Ubisoft game, in the sense that it is still as good as it was in 2003.
Part of that comes down to the cel-shaded graphics, an art style known for aging like fine wine when compared to realistic visuals. In fact, the original version arguably looks better than the 2020 remake that moved away from this art style, and new players should definitely pick up the former rather than the latter on Steam. XIII‘s timelessness goes beyond just its visuals, though, as the game came out right when basic FPS controls were starting to be normalized; consequently, it slots well enough alongside modern shooters, even if it isn’t quite as precise as more recent releases. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, XIII is a send-up to old-school spy flicks that is drenched in ’60s and ’70s imagery, a pastiche that seems to never go completely out of fashion.
8 Best Ubisoft Games Of The 2020s (So Far), Ranked
Ubisoft has had its struggles so far this decade, but the company has still released some gems in the 2020s, and there are likely more to come.