Ubisoft's 10 Best Franchises, Ranked (According To Metacritic)
Ubisoft is one of the biggest powerhouses in gaming. And, like any publishing powerhouse, the quality of their output has varied wildly throughout the years. Some of their franchises are all-time greats, whereas others quickly faded into obscurity.
A few points to clear up about this list. To get the number, we added up all the scores in the main series and divided it by the number of entries. This means no expansion packs, mobile spin offs, or DLC (unless they are standalone expansions like Far Cry: Blood Dragon). We'll also be including games that Ubisoft didn't develop - as long as they published the game, it will be included. Finally, if a game had different scores (ex. 85 for Xbox 360, 82 for PS3), we included the higher score.
10 CSI - 61
Ubisoft has published a total of nine CSI video games for PC and major consoles. And by all accounts, they are thoroughly average without being especially insulting. By far the most well received game in the series is CSI: Deadly Intent, whose Wii version currently stands at a surprisingly high 80.
Granted, that is based on one solitary review. Some of the lamer entries include CSI: Miami (54), CSI: NY (53), and CSI: Fatal Conspiracy (47).
9 Rocky - 71
We don't blame you for forgetting about the Rocky games. Or not even knowing that they exist. They are very old now, and besides, they weren't very good to begin with. The first Rocky game released in 2002 and received mediocre to good reviews, the highest scoring being the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube's 74 (the GBA version has a 63).
The game performed well enough to warrant a sequel, 2004's Rocky Legends. However, this game scored slightly worse, peaking at 67 on the Xbox. And with that, the Ubisoft Rocky franchise came to an end.
8 Ghost Recon - 73
Ghost Recon have seen many releases since the original came out in 2001, and when you add up all the major, non-expansion pack or free-to-play releases, you get a surprisingly mellow 73.
This average is brought down considerably by two releases - the PSP's Ghost Recon Predator, which sits at 54, and the Wii exclusive Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, which scored a cumulative 46. Aside from those two, most major Ghost Recon releases hover around the low to mid 80s. That said, Wildlands and Breakpoint have also received middling reviews - the former landing at 76 and the latter at 62.
7 Rainbow Six - 78
Rainbow Six is another series of games with a surprisingly low cumulative Metascore. Its score is brought down by the likes of Rogue Spear (76), Lockdown (74), Critical Hour (54), and Rainbow Six Siege (79). It's also worth noting that Siege's reception has improved considerably since its release, so these numbers may be slightly skewed and unreasonable.
That said, the series has also scored its fair share of acclaim, particularly from the first Rainbow Six (85) and Rainbow Six: Vegas (88). The series is clearly hit or miss...
6 Far Cry - 79
You may think that Far Cry's score should be higher. But when you think about it, it's clear that this series has pumped out far more misses than hits, and its hits have elevated the franchise's legacy to an unbelievable degree.
Only one game in the series has scored higher than a 90 (Far Cry 3 - 91), and four have peaked lower than 80 (New Dawn - 75, Primal - 77, Evolution - 78, and Far Cry Vengeance - an abysmal 38). Far Cry 3 has done wonders for this franchise's reputation, and it's clear that Ubisoft are still chasing that high.
5 Assassin's Creed - 83
Few modern franchises have oscillated between fantastic and mediocre like Assassin's Creed. Various games in the main series have earned immense amounts of critical praise - Assassin's Creed II (often considered the best in the series) sits at 91, whereas others like Brotherhood (90) and Black Flag (88) have earned equal praise.
But there's no denying that the franchise's reputation has waned in recent years thanks to middling efforts like Rogue (74), Unity (72), and Syndicate (78). It's certainly one of Ubisoft's most popular, but definitely not one of their best.
4 Brothers In Arms - 84
Most people have forgotten about the Brothers in Arms series, and it's a darned shame. These were a series of tactical first person shooters that spanned between 2005 and 2008. The first, Road to Hill 30, is easily the best in the series and stands at 88 on the Xbox. The sequel, Earned in Blood, scored 85 on the same console, and the third and final game in the main trilogy, Hell's Highway, fizzled out with a 79.
Regardless of the disappointing third game, the first two Brothers in Arms games are some of the finest examples of the genre.
3 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time - 84
The Sands of Time series is another wonderful example of a series slowly losing its quality and reputation as it goes. The Sands of Time was relentlessly praised in 2003, receiving a stellar 92 score on Metacritic. Unfortunately, the series could never recapture that glory. Warrior Within plummeted, scoring a relatively disappointing 83.
Things got a little better with The Two Thrones, as it scored just higher at 85, but things plummeted yet again with The Forgotten Sands, which peaked at 77 on the Wii.
2 Splinter Cell - 85
There was nothing quite like the original Splinter Cell games. Particularly the first three. Ubisoft had an absolute winner on their hands, with the first three games in the series scoring above 90.
Both Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow peaked at 93 on the Xbox, whereas Chaos Theory took it one further and landed at an incredible 94. Unfortunately, the massively disappointing Essentials (58) followed on the PSP, and it marked the end of the franchise's heyday. While the series has never dipped below 80 since Essentials, it also hasn't breached that lofty 90. That said, Double Agent came awful close at 89.
1 Rayman - 88
Rayman is one of Ubisoft's oldest franchises, and it also happens to be their most acclaimed. There have been five games in the main Rayman series, all of which have earned varying amounts of critical praise - There's Rayman (84), The Great Escape (90), Hoodlum Havoc (83), Origins (92), and Legends (92).
Three of the series' five entries have peaked at 90 or higher, and the lowest sits at a still good 83. You may not have believed it, but Rayman is Ubisoft's greatest accomplishment. At least in the eyes of the critics.
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