I'm going to end up getting Syndicate and as cheesy as it's sounds it's actually more for the Jack the Ripper DLC than for the actual game.
I bought Sleeping Dogs just because Emma Stone was in it. Luckily it was a solid game, but she was only in it for like 5 minutes.
So buying it for an infamous serial killer, is good enough for me.
So it's not only me who has grown tired of the series.They can do a few upgrades here and there like you say the Hook Blade for example,but it doesn't change the mechanics so it still feels the same like it has always been.That,with the lack of a present-day protagonist and interesting story this series has lost it's charm.
Seems to me that all they care about is the design,not bothered to change much else.
Combat in syndicate is similar to unity,no counter kills.But this time the combo's are awful on top of that.Random punch and blade attacks that looks plain silly.
I don't get tired with the series, but due to some of the characters and supporting historical figures. The gameplay ****ing hops more than American soldiers leapfrogging during WWII.
Yeah the Hook blade didn't really change it, but it added a new spin that I certainly enjoyed. Speaking of, I got Syndicate for free and I'm waiting til I finish to fully judge it, but for example with the zip line; the hook blade would have been great still.
I'm actually okay without a modern day protagonist. I just don't like that Desmond is dead and that it makes no sense. I know it sounds far-fetched, but I really like how everyone was related essentially to Desmond. So it just seems really wacky how you are a game tester in Black Flag, and Unity and Syndicate are completely irrelevant to the character. Almost makes Arno and the Frye Twins unrelated to the player. If they led up Desmond into a modern day Assassin's Creed, even if it came out in 2020, I'd be okay with that.
But you are correct, it all seems copy and paste right now. Especially with Unity and Syndicate.
The combo is a buzzkill, but I do like how open the counters are at least. The fighting is brutal, always loved Altair with the knife, so this is pretty great. But you have a point about the random use of fighting style. Although the cane is a sword, I feel it just feels weird not having a sword. I get the era is something different, but the thing with technology is that is can be more concealed. The other thing that is really annoying is the forced use of stun attacks, and how sometimes the multi-kill counters can just **** up and instead kill one guy when you lined up 3 or 4 guys.