This is not a great game. Technically speaking. The controls are loose, the shooting is mediocre, the graphics are laughably dated, the performance is iffy, some portrayals are cringe inducing, and it's buggy to hell and back. But looking at this game in this way is, in my opinion, looking at it wrong. This is an experience worth having, with some of the best developed characters, one of the most detailed and realized worlds, and probably the most lovable protagonist ever put to page. I can't help but smile whenever I'm driving around town and York starts rambling about whatever movies he has on his mind at that moment. The story is incredible too, with tons of spine chilling moments and some of the most wild twists and turns. This game has to be experienced, to prove that a game doesn't have to be "fun to play" to become an instant classic. This is not a "so bad it's good" game, this is just an incredible game throughout. Just avoid the PC version. That one is a barely functional disaster.

I know this series gets a lot of flack, but I've always enjoyed these games. I wouldn't call them guilty pleasures, because that is a BITCH term for BITCHES, but I definitely don't walk around with my AC Fan shirt. I guess as a non-American, I found the setting interesting, and I thought the plot was one of the better ones up to that point. The new climbing system felt really fluid, especially compared to the stop and go nature of the Ezio games. Sure, it's buggy, poorly paced, and suffers from the typical Ubisoft overstuffing of useless collectibles, but it's still a very enjoyable experience.