Assassin's Creed Unity is out now, and while we've only been playing it for a few hours we can already tell that this is a game that's going to cause real conflict between heart and mind.
This same conflict appears to be appearing in many of the reviews that have started going up -- with critics becoming infuriated with a game that, while beautiful, is hampered by bugs and poor storytelling.
We'll be hoping to get our first impressions up by the end of the day but for now here's a summary of what gaming sites thought of Ubisoft's first truly next-gen game.
CVG - 8/10
"Ubisoft's true new-gen innovation has been to make a real place for one of their templated games to play out in. That game might be entirely (and occasionally dully) familiar, but the scenery is like little else we've encountered before. Ubisoft's been Forrest Gump-ing history for years in an attempt to get us to engage with it, but we've never felt more like we were a part of the old world than in just walking those streets."
Polygon - 6.5/10
"The ingredients are all here for a spectacular new standard for the series on Sony and Microsoft's new machines. But in the quest to build something that looked and sounded "next generation," Ubisoft Montreal failed to fix the problems that have accumulated over so many annual releases."
Kotaku - No
"I've been happy with Assassin's Creed for a long time. Any series can have an off year, and hopefully Ubisoft will do better the next time around. But this year, for the first time ever, I'm telling you to skip the year's biggest Assassin's Creed."
Joystiq - 2.5/5
"Assassin's Creed Unity is the best and worst of Assassin's Creed. It's hard not to appreciate everything that it gets right, and you'll have a good time if you can wrangle some friends for co-op, but it's impossible to ignore where Unity falls tragically short."
Destructoid - 7.10
"If Ubisoft fixes the glitches, Assassin's Creed: Unity will be a much stronger game, even if the ceiling is a bit lower in general. Unity's potential is not as strong as some of the better entries in the series, but it's good enough for existing fans to continue the journey."
So there you have it, a mixed bag. Check out our first impressions later today and check back as we update you with our progress.