From the humble beginnings ofselling CD audio to farmers,Ubisofthas gone from strength to strength since 1986 to become one of the gaming industry’s most successful companies; exemplified by itseye-watering €1.732 billion ($2.100 billion) revenue in 2018. Furthermore, the company now hasmultiple offices spanning North American, Europe, and Asia, nearly 20,000 employees, and multiple subsidiaries including Nadeo andTrialsdeveloper RedLynx. Like any video gaming company, it’s the strength of Ubisoft’s releases that have spearheaded their rise through the industry.
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Ubisoft doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon,with AAA titles likeFar Cry 6andSkull & Bonesin the pipeline, but now seems like as good of a time as any to reflect on the best games that Ubisoft has released up until this point.
10Rayman 2: The Great Escape (90)
Rayman 2: The Great Escapeis a fitting way to kick off this list, as the limbless hero was Ubisoft’s mascot throughout the 90s and early 2000s.
The character’s second adventure saw adrastic shift in playstyle from the first, as the linear side-scrolling was ditched in favor of more open levels reminiscent ofthe revolutionarySuper Mario 64,which was released three years earlier.
9Far Cry 3 (91)
To the disappointment of many,Rayman’s days as Ubisoft’s mascot seem to be dead and buried. Thankfully, the company has replaced it with numerous other AAA franchises,one of which isFar Cry.
Far Cry 3is the most critically acclaimed entry in the series, as well as being the most beloved by fans. Along with the huge, beautiful island map and enjoyable action gameplay,Far Cry 3was praised for its villains, in particular, the now-iconic Vaas Montenegro.
The praise for Vaas has inspired Ubisoft to recruit more established actors for their main characters. Coincidentally, the voice of Vaas (Michael Mando) and the voice of the upcoming Anton Castillo inFar Cry 6(Giancarlo Esposito), are both leading characters in theBreaking Badspin-offBetter Call Saul.
8Assassin’s Creed II (91)
When the highly-anticipatedAssassin’s Creedwas released back in 2007, the game was widely viewed as being disappointing but full of potential. Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montreal wasted very little time inrealizing the series' potential, with the release of the critically acclaimedAssassin’s Creed II.
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Ubisoft clearly listened to the criticisms of the first game, asAssassin’s Creed IIimproved many of its predecessor’s shortcomings by adding a charismatic protagonist, more interesting and varied objectives, and greatly improving the world design.
7IL-2 Sturmovik (91)
The first entry in the series of the same name,IL-2 Sturmovikimpressed fans and critics with its realistic and immersive World War II combatflight simulator.
Along with its impressive Metascore,IL-2 Sturmovikwon multiple accolades upon release. Awards includedPC Sim Game of the Year from GamespyandBest Simulation from GameSpot.
6Rayman Origins (92)
WhenRayman Raving Rabbidsreleased in November 2006, many people thought that Rayman’s days as a platformer were over and that the adventure hero was starting early retirement in party games.
This all changed, however, whenRayman Originsreleased in late 2011. Despite returning to the side-scrolling days ofRayman’s first game,Rayman Originswas far from being just a quick nostalgia trip; it was a clear attempt to fire the platformer back into the limelight. Ubisoft were certainly successful in this, as the game was flooded with praise for its fast yet smooth platforming that took place on wonderfully designed stages.
5Rayman Legends (92)
The success ofRayman Originsled to a sequel two years later,Rayman Legends.The game picked up where its predecessor left off, adding little innovation, but tweakingOrigins’shortcomings to create one of the best side-scrolling platformers since the days ofSuper Mario World.
Despite the universal acclaim, there has been little sign of a newRaymangame, worrying fans that the hero is set for another spell on the sidelines asRayman Legendsfast approaches its tenth birthday.
4Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (92)
Released in 2001,Prince of Persia: The Sands of Timerebooted thePrince of Persiaseries in style; breathing new life into the franchise that began in 1989 on the Apple II.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Timehad an excellent blend of the platforming gameplay that was popular in the 90s and action-adventure gameplay that was starting to dominate the industry. A remake ofSands of Timeis currently in the works, with a planned release date of March 2021.
3Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (93)
It may surprise some people that it took this long for a Tom Clancy game to appear on this list, butSplinter Cellcertainly won’t be the last.
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Inspired by theMetal Gear Solidseries and of course, Tom Clancy’s novels,Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cellkicked off theSplinter Cellseries in style withone of the stealth genre’s most iconic games.
2Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (93)
Ubisoft had lofty expectations to live up to with its sequel to 2002’sSplinter Celland they didn’t disappoint with 2004’sPandora Tomorrow.
The game improved on its predecessor with the addition of the laser sight, improvements to the visuals, and a heavier focus on the game’s shadow-based stealth mechanic by increasing the number of outdoor missions.
1Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (94)
Ubisoft caught lightning in a bottle three times in a row with the sequel toPandora Tomorrow,capping off an incredible trilogy of games. As well as adding cooperative play for the first time in the series,Chaos Theoryleaned heavily into the stealth aspects of its gameplay, hitting home the idea that getting caught in a gunfight was a punishment for poor stealth.
TheSplinter Cellseries has had many more entries sincePandora Tomorrow, but none have been able to hold a candle to the 2005 classic.
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